Trying dad's camera for a change

Let me crawl into this song

Might have listened to it 500 times today alone.

What I've been up to: hanging out with my kids and my brother's kids

Cousins six days apart. 

Måns, who looks exactly like my brother used to.

I love Rut.

It's a very long break.

What I've been up to: Leon's Bar Mitzvah

What I've been up to

Brunch at Petra's

Mamma!

Sometimes it looks like they're advertising something but what?

New York water fountains?

Sometimes it looks like its advertising something but what?

Mindfulness?

sometimes they look like they're advertising something but what?

cell phones?

sometimes they look like they're advertising something but what?

Skansen?

Butterfly effect

Today, for the first time in my life, I saw a leaf shaped just like a plump, smiling mouth. Then it started walking and I realized it was no ordinary leaf but a butterfly.

But the weirdest part of this whole experience was witnessing anyone besides my mom thinking bananas that ripe are still delicious.

Sharks!

rookie pic-taking advice

1. Use/buy/borrow a camera that's fits nicely into your hands.

2. Is it too big? too bulky? Chances are you won't bring it with you no matter how great it is. No camera with you=no pics.

3. Learn the difference between what you see and what you get. 

In my case it's making sure the whole foot is in the picture and some more ground below it. 

I struggle with this. It's the one big difference between what I see in the view finder and the actual shot. 

Proof above. This pic would have been so much greater with a little ground for Niki to stand on. 

4. Take many pics. This second pic is better footwise (just a little more ground!), but I love Niki's expression in first shot more. 

So in short: bring camera, snap away, try to get whole body including feet into frame.

it's not enough to debuten a profession in pics, but for blogging, it will get you far.

Did I tell you what happened at the Åland bathhouse?

Went to the greatest pool in Åland.
While waiting for Niki to shoot out of the waterslide, a large 13-year Finnish boy splashed out in front of me.

Coming out of the water, he was ouching and complaining.

Me: Are you ok?

Boy: Yes. But I hurt my knee. I already had a wound on my knee.

Me: I see.

Boy: You want to see my wound?

Me: (Thinking NO!) Sure.

Boy: See? (shows off largely healed graze on knee).

Me: That must have hurt.

Boy: Yes. You know how I got this? This wound?

Me: No, how??

Boy: It was... a TIGER.

sure it was. but thanks for wanting to impress!

yes, there's even a horse in this pic

I love cities. I feel about cities the way other people seem to feel about the ocean, which they annoyingly manage to pronounce in italics. 

But even I can appreciate the fact that the heart of my city looks like this.

I love you Stockholm.

Walking through the woods, was surprised to run into this turtle

Ni som läser på svenska

har kickat igång expatte igen.

välkommen hit: expatte.blogspot.com!

MY NEW BOOK IS OUT

Dear St Tropez, maker of tanning products

Dear St. Tropez, as a person who tend to shy away from the sun I have pale skin. I bruise easily and mosquitoes LOVE me. As a result, I have white legs with lots of bruises and bites.

But I am also vain and thought I'd like to show off my legs. Recently, I've been told by a few people that I have great legs. I've never given them much thought but since I don't drive and love walking, I use these legs a lot. Sometimes I even use them to run.

But I digress. 

I'm writing to you because I spent a lot of money on your new Gradual shower product. 

In the past 7 days, I've used it 7 times, to build a gradual tan. 

But it doesn't show at all!

My legs are just as pale, bruised and bitten as before. 

You're turning me into one of these people I have little patience with in stores: 

dissatisfied beauty shop customers. I feel it's hard to contain dignity while complaining about a product supposed to give me a fake tan. But I shall do so. 

I will try to return your product today. 

disappointed greetings

-emi

IMPORTANT UPDATE
Product has now been returned and I have been fully reimbursed. The disappointed end consumer is now more content. Especially since a magazine writer friend of mine said she had 7 unopened tubes of self tanner I could have if I wanted them. 

My daughters

Niki is now 7,5.



Vanja is 13,5.

On confidence

Every summer we go to places out in the forest, by remote lakes. No running drinking water. No hot water. No dishwashers. No WCs, just wooden outhouses.
No TVs. No WiFi.

Entertainment comes in the shape of listening to the radio, picking blueberries and swimming in cold lakes.

Every little thing in each house seem to have always been there and shouldn't be replaced.

Like the very old toaster.
At first, you think it doesn't work.
But it does work, you just have to sit by it, keeping the lever down the entire time its toasting.

It's like it's lacking in confidence and thinks it couldn't possibly toast without help. Without holding your hand.

It's touching/annoying.

In recent years I've had self-esteem issues. Doubting I can do what I know I should be able to.

I feel connected to this toaster.
Now I just need a toaster to come hold my lever.

Would you rather be a sparrow than a snail?

I mean, who wouldn't?

Such a poor question, Simon and Garfunkel.
I have a more interesting preposition following the bus seat debacle a few posts back.

Would you rather be

ps. Your vote is anonymous. Nobody needs to know your true identity!

Do you share this nerdy dream?

I dream of having a metal detector and using it to find treasures.

Apparently I have two butts?

Niki informed me that the top of my back looks like a butt. 

What summer has always looked like to me

this is the island where my parents have been 

participants/members/owners in a commune since the 70s.

interiors look like this

The self-appointed guard of Pavlovas

Bus seat etiquette

Today I was taking a bus for a little over an hour. The bus was quite crowded so when I was boarding there was only one free double seater left. There was a few seats left in the very back row, but we all love a double seat right.

I was happy to see it and as I neared it and was just about to sit down, the woman behind me said "I'm sorry but I was getting that for myself and my husband".

And instead of saying "but I'm in line before you" I just said a sour OK and went down to sit at the very back.

She didn't even say thank you.

But then as the bus started rolling, revenge was mine as the seat stealing couple were sitting right behind a little girl watching a Pippi movie on loud volume, no headphones.

Karma, bitch.

Would you have moved like I did? Or would you have stood your ground on the seat?
So humiliating.
There were plenty of other single people sitting on double seats in front of us. Some of them had even done the sneaky sitting in isle seat trick.
But I was the only one asked to move.

Crank up the volume, little girl.

leap of summer

cold and rainy bath apprehension

about to return from the end of the world

åland might be the complete antithesis of nyc