A blog by an Irishwoman, written in both English and Swedish, depending on what humour is on me....
En blogg av en irländska, skriven på svenska och engelska.
Just scroll down to find the English bits among the Swedish, or vice versa.

Ta Gaeilge agam freisin, más é an rud é go bhfuil éinne eile le Gaeilge ag léamh mo bhlagsa.

Ich verstehe auch ein bisschen Deutsch, je parle un petit peu francais och klarar av lite norska med.

Wondering about the background of the blog? They're the Cliffs of Moher, in the neighbouring county, County Clare, 8km long, 700m high, and magnificent. Well worth a visit if anyone is around the West of Ireland



Tuesday, August 31, 2010

photos


3 great knitting books, Knitting without tears by Elizabeth Zimmermann, Respect the Spnidle, and The Knitters Handy Book of Patterns, my 3 latest acquisitions, (that website play.com is just toooooooo easy, and postage is included in the euro price stated, what more could you ask for!)


My 15 yr old daughter S knit this sweater in first 2 weeks of August this year, we got the yarn from Aunt E in Kristinehamn, and daughter just took off with needles when she got home. This is her first sweater, she has knit scarves, bags, tubular socks, hats and a cushion cover before. She is now teaching herself crochet from one of my many books and doing very well.Well done S!

Sunday, August 29, 2010

only 2 days left to 1st Sept

Only 2 days left to 1st September, that's when I go back to work (school, I teach)!
One child goes back tomorrow, 2 more start on Tuesday and me and little son start back on Wednesday.
Back to the routine, which is not a bad thing, actually, I get more done in an average workday than I'd get done in 3 days during the holidays, well it feels like that anyway, I suppose what I mean is I achieve more when I am under a deadline. When I am on the long summer school holidays, there's no deadline and days flow into each other.

I'm not so bothered about going back to work, it's just the amount of work one has to do at home before you get to work and then the work you have to do after you get home from work!!!
all will be well...
I hope you all enjoy the rest of the weekend.
liz

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

an autumn feel to the day...edited to incl English



Wind turbines,in Vänern, off Hammarö, Sweden, July 2010


Idag kändes det som höst tyckte jag, dvs, höst av finare sort, det var blåsigt, med regnskurar men mycket solsken, och lite kyligt i luften.
Fram på kvällen var det klar blå himmel, man kunde se hur långt som helst, och jag kände hur sommaren har börjat avta nu, och hösten gör sig hemma hos oss,
jag väntade vid fotbollsplanen på att dotterns träning skulle vara klar, och jag ville inte sätta på radion i bilen, bara lyssna på naturens ljud, känna brisen på ansiktet och känna hur skönt det var att ha på mig en varm kofta och ändå känna kylan omkring mig. huuuuu...
Solen går ner tidigare för varje dag, man märker det nu, även om den stora skillnaden kommer i september.
Today felt like autumn I thought, I mean of course the nicer type of autumn, crisp, breezy, a few showers but bright and sunny and with clear blue skies. It got cool in the evening and standing at the side of the football pitch I could see for forever, the air was so clear. Wonderful to just be there, listen to the birds, feel the breeze and feel the chilly air, even if I had a lovely warm cardigan on to keep the chill out...

Bara några få sköna ljuvliga bittersweet dagar kvar tills skolan börjar igen. Idag var jag och röjde i mitt klassrum, nu ser det ut som om upp till 16 barn skulle kunna få plats därinne, tack och lov, så skall det se ut,
det finns förstås mer att göra men det tar jag allteftersom...
de sista skolböckerna förväntas imorgon, imorgon ska jag också betala skolans 'frivilliga' avgift, för de två stora tjejer (gissa om det egentligen är frivilligt eler ej...)
och nästa vecka är det skola igen!!! för allihopa!!! NO!! YES!! NO!!
bra att komma in i rutinen igen, bra att få något vettigt gjort med dagen, inte så bra att ständigt vara på väg nån annanstans...
så är det...

Just a few wonderful bittersweet days left until school starts again: Today I went and cleared out my classroom, so now I have space for 16 children to sit in there, which is how I want the room to look.
There is of course more to do, books to arrive in the post, 'voluntary' registration fee to pay at one school, (it's up to you to decide whether the volunary contribution is really voluntary or not!)
and next week it's school for all of us again! Nooooo!!, Yessssss!, Noooooo!
it will be good to get back in the routine again, and one achieves something each day, but I will be run off my feet, always rushing to the next place! Such is life right now...


återkommer kanske med kort engelsk översättning
God Natt, mycket sent, har precis avslutat den där översättnings grej jag gjorde åt Cappamore Youth Club, gäspppppp.... trött, nattenatt....

Good night, I got back here with the English translation, after all, and now it's late, translation work for the Youth Club just finished and I'm off to bed, yawwwwwnnnn, so tirrrrreddddd.... g'night!

Friday, August 20, 2010

lekplats safari, Swedish playgrounds, playgrounds galore...


The train at Mariebergsskogen, Karlstad


Plikten Slottsskogen Gothenburg
This is pretty much how we spend our time in Sweden, if we're not in a lake swimming...


Plikten in Slottsskogen, GBG, in the evening


Plikten again

Friday, August 13, 2010

a trip to Mellerud, a parcel and a prize!

Hi all, a quick update,
I've been very busy this morning, at 11am this morning I drove to the nearest large village and spoke for almost 2 hours to a small group of teenagers from the Youth Club there, who will be going to Mellerud, Sweden for a cultural visit at the end of August. A friend of mine had spotted a small notice in the local paper, the Limerick Leader, about the group going to Sweden and possibly needing some help with translation, basic phrases etc, so my friend told me, I called the contact number and there I was this morning, spouting forth on Sweden, the food, some of the traditions, etc. I even had typed out some basic phrases and how to pronounce them phonetically.
I go back again next week and will meet with a larger group, 20 more children and their group leaders to possibly give a similar presentation and to do some translation.
I have even found a reference to the visit online, see this edition of Melleruds Nyheter
Very exciting!
EDITED TO ADD: the link to Melleruds Nyheter seems to go to the most uptodate version of the newsletter, and so the bit about the Irish visit has already gone, but I'm leaving the link up, as at least one of my readers and possibly 3, are nterested in what happens around Mellerud!!! (L i Vänersborg, S i torpet, och K i Killaloe)

The postman arrived this morning before I left, with 2 parcels for me! One was a spindle and some gorgeous yarn called Northern Lights 3, (how could i leave that behind me, with a Scandinavian name like that?), which I had ordered online from THis is Knit in Dublin.


Ashford spindle, top-whorl, and Northern Lights 3 wool, to spin on the spindle...


The other was a skein of incredible hand spun wool which I won , yes , repeat that, I WON, in a competition on Ullmaja's blogg, see the link down to the right...

the wool is partially hand-dyed, you probably can't see this in the photo, but there's a lovely dusky pink in the yarn too...

Klipp från själva blogginlägget....
Andra garnhärvan från vänster är ett entrådigt, tunt garn, helt i egen ull, delvis färgad.
Hamnar hos Liz, på Irland!

Jag blev överlycklig när jag läste att jag hade vunnit, jag har aldrig vunnit nåt på bloggen förut, och nu tycker jag att av alla de saker man kunde vinna att hemspunnet, hemfärgat garn är det bästa man skulle kunna tänka sig!
Tack så mycket säger jag till Ullmaja! Jag ska verkligen sticka mig något roligt med detta garn!
Now I need to get the camera sorted to take some photos, but it's raining outside and I'd prefer to take the photos outside for once.
regards
liz

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Images of Gothenburg, bilder av Göteborg

Så här levereras posten i GBG!



Järntorget, kl 7 på morgonen



OskarFredriksKyrka




ett imponerande hus på Linnegatan, kan det vara korsningen Olivedalsg eller var det Prinsgatan?

Monday, August 9, 2010

IKEA

A short note:
Jag sitter hemma i Limerick och äter kanelgifflar, ser fram emot köttbullar och lingonsylt senare, med lingonsaft till, varför det? jo, jag körde till IKEA Dublin igår och köpte bl annat svensk mat!
Edited to add photos:
Here's a few pics of the food that has been purchased:

Fläder saft, lingonsaft, hjortronsylt, kanelgifflar, pepparkakor, och Ikea kex.

Elderflower cordial, lingonberry cordial, Cloudberry jam, cinnamon rolls, ginger biscuits and IKEA biscuits.



apple pie and custard

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Here are a few more pictures from our holiday in Sweden:

Husband was delighted, his favourite second hand record shop in Gothenburg was still alive and kicking, 16 years later, Dirty Records.



After 2 nights in a hot humid Gothenburg, we got the bus and train to Karlstad, where we stayed in a house in Hammarö, which is actually the neighbouring district to Karlstad.

The following days were spent doing out favourite activities when in Sweden, ie, swimming and eating Swedish food, visiting Ikea, visiting the library in Karlstad, meeting M's mother and his friends and family, and generally taking it easy.


swimming


the stone bridge in Karlstad


more swimming



Farmors födelsedagstårta den 14e juli


jumping on the trampoline