I had it coming

I haven't had a cold in over a year so I guess I had it coming. Watering eyes, runny nose, body aching, headache, cough and all those things that just make you feel miserable. And sorry for yourself. Today I'm really worth both chocolate and ice cream... And pizza I think. Wonder though why I'm never too ill to eat?!

Back in London again

I'm back in London again for a couple of days working and trying to get some lose ends not being so lose. The project I've been working with for so long is now one month delayed and we all want it to end. But technology is working against us and new things keep popping up all the time. Sigh!

Anyhow being in London is always nice. The temperature is somewhere between 10-12 degrees which means not wearing gloves and the scarf only slightly wrapped around the neck. Spring is definitely around the corner.

At lunchtime I managed to meet up with an old friend and I have now visited the oldest pub in London, or at least the City The pub has been there since before the Great fire. Pretty cool I would say, but I wouldn't expect anything else from Philip.

The evening I just spent with Michael in Chinatown eating a five course meal along with jasmine tea. That too pretty cool.

Nursing a bit of a cold I'm now off to bed and a meeting Mr Sandman.

Heels without heels

I'm one of those women who are not that very found of high heels. Maybe because of my height 5'8, but mostly because it's uncomfortable. High heels are usually very sleek, narrow and beautiful shoes, but they are not made for my feet. My feet are wide and after playing football for more than 10 years my ankles will always be easily sprained (Mum was right when she said football would not turn me into a lady.) So I just have to live with that fact that shoes as Jimmy Choo and Manolo Blahnik are not for me.

But when reading about shoes like this I'm OK with not being a high heel girl. And a fashionista I might add.

The 5 1/2in creations by Briton Antonio Berardi can hardly be described as high heels, since they lack the most important part - a heel.

For the bargain price of £1,800, the wearer will get to totter around with all her weight balanced on a thickened platform sole.

Unsurprisingly, fashionistas are jostling to buy a pair.

Stars including Gwyneth Paltrow and Uma Thurman invested in a black patent version costing more than £1,100, shortly after they were unveiled in Berardi's spring/summer collection in Paris.

And Victoria Beckham apparently has a snakeskin pair.

They are going on sale in Browns stores in London, where they have to be ordered up to five weeks in advance.

Toy for boys

The present for the boy who has everything is finally here. A diamond-covered toy car manufactured by the toymaker Hot Wheels.

Valued at US$140,000 (£71,187) - a figure that would normally buy six family cars - the model is cast in 18-karat white gold and covered in blue, white and black diamonds. It has rubies set into its tail lights and even the car's case comes with 40 white diamonds.

The car will be auctioned later on this year with the money going to the American charity Big Brothers Big Sisters. Anyone with some money left over? It will be for a good cause.

Spring is here

At least according to the meteorologist.

For the past few years SMHI has applied a rule of thumb stating that if average temperatures exceed 0 degrees Celsius for seven consecutive days then spring is considered to have arrived. This criterion has now been met.

Even though looking out the window it's not very springlike. Grey, wet and windy. I can agree on the temperature though. It's extremely mild and I have not worn my parka or heavy boots once this winter. I'm not a big fan of snow, but this weather sure makes one think. Is it just a yearly variation or is something bigger going on?

Another one

Many wise things have been said by Carrie Bradshaw.

"Soulmate. Two little words, one big concept. A belief that someone, somewhere, is holding the key to your heart. And your dreamhouse. All you have to do is find them. So, where is this person? And if you love someone and it didn't work out, does that mean they weren't your soulmate? Were they just a runner-up contestant in this gameshow called happily ever after?"

Continuing the SATC craze

George Clooney is like a Chanel-suit, he'll never go out of style.

~ Carrie Bradshaw ~

Addicted to SATC

It's sort of pathetic I know. A grown up woman getting hooked on a Facebook application playing trivia games and quizzes. The scariest is probably that I do know so much about what have happened in the different episodes and series. I'm addicted I guess... And yes I do have the full shoebox collection with all episodes.

I wonder if there is a SATC Anonymous I could go to?

Little lady robbery

There is a police hunt on for an elderly lady in Manchester who tried to hold hold up a Post Office in an attempted armed robbery.

The pensioner, described as a "little old lady" aged between 65 and 70 years old, pulled out a knife, threatened the cashier and demanded money in the shop in Northenden, Manchester.

But she shuffled off empty handed when staff activated the store's alarm.

It is a robbery attempt never less, but if I was the cashier I would probably be baffled as well as being scared of the knife. Little ladies usually don't rob post offices. And maybe that's what she thought, that people should get so baffled so she could get away. Smart lady.

Interview with a monster

The Cookie Monster that is. Elizabeth Blair, senior producer at the American radio station NPR, recently blogged about her fondness for the Cookie Monster. And last week Cookie Monster visited NPR's New York studios, where he and Elizabeth talked about his famous appetite and other important things in life.

Watch the video and get a huge smile on your face.

Cooking failure

When I cook it's very rare that things don't turn out the way they should, but last night it happened. Oven baked fish fillets in a curry sauce with stir fried pasta and vegs. Sounds very nice, doesn't it?

The fish cooked very well in the oven. Probably a bit too much since some parts had started to get dry. The fish didn't taste any thing, not even curry and fell apart when picking it up. The remaining of the sauce was suppose to go on the pasta and vegs, but with not much left the stir fry turned out rather dry as well.

Over all the dish was dry, tasteless and plain boring, and what was left I threw in the bin straight away. No need to keep something I know I will just get annoyed eating. Food should be tasteful and delicious no matter what. I also know for sure that I will never try that recipe again. And today I'm cooking something I know will turn out all right - sweat and sour chicken and rice.

Happy Valentine's

A day that started on a on high note, got even better but then turned into a huge disappointment. A day of many emotions to say at least.

Still after three glasses of wine and a delicious black and white chocolate mousse I feel rather loved. One can't have it all at the same time I guess...

Happy food

I think we all have heard about comfort food, but foods that make you happy. Apparently some sorts of food make us happy and lift our spirits when things are just plain gloomy.

A Little Dessert - Sugar soothes us when we're stressed--or at least it calms down stressed-out rats, which are good models for stress in people. But before you race to the vending machine with a license to binge, know that a little sugar may soothe rattled nerves, but too much will backfire, playing moody havoc with your blood sugar.

Toast and Jam - "Of course we crave bread and other carbohydrates when we're down!," laughs Elizabeth Somer, RD, author of Food & Mood. "Carbs raise levels of the feel-good brain chemical serotonin, which lifts our spirits." But think whole-wheat bread and other whole-grain carbs, because they also stabilize blood sugar levels--unlike refined grains

Yogurt and Eggs - Numerous studies show that getting more of the omega-3 fatty acid called DHA in your diet makes you happier and smarter. Even people battling tough-to-treat depression feel as much as 50% better when they get lots of DHA.

Popeye's Fave - No wonder he was always in such a high-energy mood. Spinach is full of folate, a B vitamin that's a must for making feel-good serotonin. Like DHA, folate is potent enough to ease clinical depression, say researchers.

Black Bean Dip - Black beans, like most legumes, are a nifty source of iron. And if you're low on iron--as many active women are--you can be tired and have trouble sleeping, turning you into Major Grouch.

I think I can vouch for all of those things besides the spininch and black bean dip. I have it from time to time, but probably not enough to feel a change in my spirits. To lighten my spirits I would probably go for some sugar and of course toast and jam. It helps every time.

Going for a curry

No visit to London is complete without having Indian food, or a curry. Having spent so much time in London my friends had high expectations of me finding a good Indian place. And I actually think I did. The Delhi Brasserie on Firth Street. Still trying to live up the the expectations of knowing Indian food I guided my friends through both Papadums, Tandoori and curry dishes carefully explaining which dishes that where hot and which one that were not.

Wanting to try something new as always I decided to go for King Prawns cooked in a creamy medium hot sauce. The smell was divine and the taste was hot. Maybe not as hot as other Indian dishes I had with London friends, but it was definitely not a medium spiced sauce. My friends also got quite spicy dishes and in the end we were all dipping the remaining nan-bread in Milo's very mild and creamy Chicken Tikka, just to cool of our pallets.

Regardless of having had both water and wine through out the the evening I woke up 5 o'clock the next morning dying from thirst. Cia also woke up and between the two of us I think we drank almost a litre of water before happily going back to sleep again.

Oh well, at least my friends will never forget the the Indian food they had with Cathy in London... Very spicy.

Camden Market

Just one week I ago marvelled how things had changed at Camden Market and now part of it is gone. Sad. Very sad.

I hadn't been to the market for about 4-5 years and was quite surprised to see that most of the food area had been covered with a roof. Part of the Stable Market had been replaced with built-in stalls made of glass and steal. The area around the old Horse Hospital, where Jo and I spent many Sundays rummaging through antiques and vintage cloths, had been torn down for further developments.

That old cinema memorabilia shop on Camden High Street was also gone and so was the toy/gadget shop next to the railway bridge. Feeling both a bit disappointed and old I realised things were just not like they used to be. My Swedish friends liked the place though and we had a great Sunday browsing trough all the stalls. A bit too touristy and made up for my taste now, but never less both Camden and the market is special to me. My 20's and all those crazy and careless things one did...

Caught on tape

Or really on someone's mobile phone. Not sure about the meaning of the heading though...

Finishing line

The project I've been involved in at work for the last 18 months is finally coming to an end next week. At the same time as I can't wait to finish up I feel a bit sad that is over. Our group have become so tight after everything we been through, and now it's over.

An old boss mine always referred to Post Project Depression when you had worked with something for a very long, long time and than it's over. You feel lost and empty, and wonder what to do next. I can't say I feel lost and empty, since I have three more project lining up for me, but next Wednesday will be special. It's over!

I left my...

heart in London as usual. Along with winter blossoms, clear blue skies, people and places that all make up the best city in the world. Being home again it takes a day or two to get back to normal and stop feeling blue. Thank God for tea, biscuits and loads of photos.