I am currently in the countryside, and the last time I was here I said goodbye to my mother. It has been a tough time, and I have thought of her a lot. She has suffered the last years but she has had good health care support. However, it feels alright to be able to say that she has had a great life. Travelling, a nice home, dogs, family, nature, sports etc.

Memory diseases also affect the family a lot. Especially my father has had a difficult time. Personally, it is the very first time somebody so close passes away. I have chosed to be open about my feelings, and it has been a sound way to handle life. To face death is a challenge, but it happens to everybody. It has taken time to mourn my mother, therefore I have cooked so much, but that has helped me.

I am very happy to have so supporting collegues. They have shared some of their life experiences and been very understanding. And maybe, I can give extra support to my customers and their families. Also carrying the burden of disease.

My very best wishes to Norway today since it is national holiday. I saw Norwegian flags in Stockholm this evening, and I put my flag on the table in honor of Norway. Norway will always have a special place in my heart. When I was in Norway I did a lot of exercise and I still go training, even more now. So, yesterday I thought of Norway since it was there I started to run (løpetur) more actively. I remember that I trained for “Midnattsloppet”, and that it was very tough in the beginning. To run three kilometers without stopping and losing my breath. Now when the light and not the least, the temperature is rising I will do more running. Yesterday was very nice.

My writing inspiration is slowly returning and I feel happy for that. Maybe it depends on the weather, I don’t know. I always think of piano music this time of the year. More than usual. Last weekend I learnt about Yann Tiersen, a French musician and composer. The piano will always be a big part of my life, and I share this part of music with you. Comptine d`un autre ete – l`apres-midi. Very beautiful.

Relations are difficult and complicated. When I was 13 years old I had a pen-pal. I don’t know how he found me, but he wrote to my high school. He studied at a private school and searched for friends in other schools to write letters to. I didn’t mind, so we exchanged some writing. At that time I had no idea of what I wanted to do or study in life. He wrote that he wanted to become a diplomat. Since I didn’t know what a diplomat was, I remember I asked my best friends mother to explain. She told me that it is a huge subject and a delicate profession, and it is a lot about words. How you formulate what you want to express in a way so you don’t step on anybodies toes. I understood that it was complicated, and I was surprised that it is a profession. I understood that I would understand the meaning of diplomacy better later in life. I am happy that I got to know this family when I grew up. It is so nice to share memories. I don’t know where my pen-pale is today, but I hope he became a diplomat.

To deal with my mothers passing away, I have made a lot of dinners and baking. That is my strongest memory of my mother. I have searched for various recipes and I have cooked. This has also reminded me of a time period in life when I was really doing a lot of “kitchening”. I have so many cooking books. My favourite magazine was “Allt om mat”. If you are interested you can try this recipe, it is very spring inspired (https://alltommat.se/recept/entrecote-med-salsa-verde/). With fresh potatoes.

Today is a beautiful day in Stockholm. I have a day off, and I am looking forward to running in the beginning of June. And to cheer me up, I share this, my favourite, from Fawlty Towers with John Cleese (Basil) and Connie Booth (Polly).

Time passes and I focus a lot on training right now. I feel that it is good for me to have this course to look forward to. Now it actually is a lot of light in the mornings as well as in the evenings. Perfect for running. Usually, I turn on the tv and listen to CNN after training. That made me think of the presidential election next year. It is some time since I heard anything political from the USA, but there has been a lot written about the Mueller report (Report on the Investigation into Russian Interference in the 2016 Presidential Election).

Swedish newspapers are preparing for the presidential election in the USA 2020. I found this headline, and they already conclude that it will be a dirty election. Even worse than 2016. But no Russian interference.

I like dogs a lot. They are cute, adorable, fun, faithful etc. No stop of words. One day, I will have a dog of my own that I will go training with. Currently, I have to borrow a dog for walks, but that is ok since it is impossible to have a dog at home. And I cannot bring a dog to work due to allergy exposure.

Recently, I decided to join a running course, “blodomloppet”. It was a long time ago I participated in something similar. It is within a month, and I had to find a new watch since my old one doesn’t work anymore. I will start to measure my pulse again. This watch also has a GPS, and that is good so I don’t get lost. Tomorrow I will start more actively with my exercise.

I also focus a lot on cooking and I try to find new recipes every week. My favourite hobby. Spring has arrived and soon I will pick stinging nettles to make a soup, and rhubarbs to make a dessert. Yammy, don’t you agree?