A nice weekend with Sam

It's actually quite nice that I don't feel I have anything much to say. Sam and I are having our first regular weekend for a long time. Since before Christmas it's been too cold, or too snowy, or too dark to go to the park, or all of the above at the same time. And last weekend Sam was ill with his asthma (which meant a trip to hospital, but everything was ok) although it was really cold and snowy.

But this weekend, the weather has been comparatively mild (around zero, but it feels warmer), it's sunny, Sam is in good health, and it isn't going dark till nearly 4.30pm. So we have made the most of it visiting the park to go sledging and on the swings twice yesterday (as did every other family from around here judging by how busy the park was yesterday. Look behind Sam. Where all the people are is a free ice rink in the park. How cool is that? Alas I cannot skate, and I dread the day Sam asks me to take him, all the Swedes will laugh at me. Perhaps I should get some lessons in secret!)

As much as I enjoyed going back to London last weekend, and at Christmas, it has been really nice to just have a weekend alone with Sam, doing nothing other than trying to keep a smile on his face (and I think I have managed to do that, apart from the photo below when Sam may of sledged straight into the bank of tyres (that protect the sledger from the bench behind it). No harm done other than a little fright. (I did aim him much further right but he gets so excited and bounced around and changed the direction. But he is still in one piece)).

That's not to say I don't enjoy seeing everyone, and four weeks today we will have Granny Pammy and Grandad joining us, and a couple of weeks after that, the newly engaged Uncle Dave and Auntie Liz will be here. Add to that a couple of my friends threatening to come over, and my calendar is nicely busy.

As you can tell, I am still in a relatively happy state of mind although there is no particular reason for it, but it is easier to cope by thinking positive.

My social life is quiet, Anna seems to have ditched me, but I did have a night out with work last week, and we have another next week, as the whole team are playing Boules on Friday at this place.

Work is tough, but hopefully if I work hard it will get easier. I need it to work. I occasionally worry too much about what will happen if I cannot do the job to the satisfaction of my boss, but hopefully that won't be the case, and she has been nothing but supportive. She knows how much this job means to me. And it is a great company. I do feel I have lost a bit of my confidence, but hopefully it will come back. And if it doesn't, I will just have to pretend!

So there you have it. A quick update. And some photos from yesterday. Lots of my friends have cute kids, but none of you have cooler kids. Check out the photo of Sam on the right in his Elmo t-shirt that I bought him last weekend in Marks. The coolest kid in Stockholm.

Sam the headbanger

It's a shame the sound is so poor on this, but I reckon Sam is going to be a rocker when he grows up... Check him head banging to Nirvana!

40 years young in London

Last weekend was spent in London for Nicole's 40th birthday. If I said I did not go to bed until 4.30am and that I was still hungover on Tuesday, that will tell you all you need to know. It was an awesome party. Nicole and Marco, thank you both for a wonderful evening. It was lovely to see everybody, and lovely to crawl into my bed on Sunday after a very hungover journey home....

One of these two is 40, the other 26.	Kate, James, Dave, Nic and me!
The bath, full of beer and ice. Now why did I have a 3 day hungover?	And the cake. Not sure I had any of it. Probably not given how I felt.
Kate's caption for this photo of Danielle was "who me?". Nice work Kate!	Have a kiss for such a fabulous caption!
99 red balloons	Photo of Dan and Kate taken using a Hisptermatic app. on an iPhone

An absolutely positive blog

As promised a blog. It won't be a long one as Sam is due to wake up in the next 30 minutes, and then I either have to convince him he wants to watch Liverpool v Everton (unlikely) or find something to do in the rain. That's right, rain, not snow. Which would be fine except, it is slush city on the pavements outside, and tomorrow morning the pavement will probably be like a skating rink (as the temperature will drop below freezing tonight). I will be holding on to the buggy for dear life as I take Sam to nursery.

But I mustn't be negative.

This weekend our work moved from an office on the outer edges of Stockholm, to a new office 15 minutes walk from my flat. Nice... On Wednesday we stayed late to pack up the office, in return for pizza. I was sitting chatting to an American guy who moved over from California to Stockholm for a lady, and I asked him what he missed about California (the weather and his friends) and he asked me what I missed about London (the weather (which is more that I am struggling with Stockholm's freezing termperatures, than I miss London's grey skies) and my friends) and a female colleague butted in, and said that she had never heard me speak positively about Stockholm.

As I calmly pointed out, we weren't slagging off Stockholm, but stating what we missed about where we lived, and there are good things about Stockholm that I do like... When challenged my list did centre around how much more kid friendly Stockholm is than London, but even so, it was a positive list (and next time mind your own business, but like most Swedes, she is probably very proud of Stockholm).

On a positive note, I am excited about the office move, when the weather improves, I will be able to walk to work when I don't have Sam (I would be lying if I said I will be walking in January and February when it is -8), and cycle when I do have Sam which will be great fun.

And so to the positively fabulous photos below. Yesterday, Sam and I had a lovely morning visiting Carina and Tony and their two little girls, Elsa and Mildred. As you can see, Sam became a rock star for the morning and serenaded Elsa (in the purple wig), and we both had a lovely time.

It's London for me next weekend and Nicole's 40th which I am really looking forward to. And on that absolutely positive note, I shall end this blog.

No news, is just no news

Sorry I didn't post anything this weekend, Samuel was with his Mamma (he was really pleased to see her after two weeks (as he should be)), and I spent the weekend cleaning my flat, going to the gym and watching every single episode of Peep Show.

We had a public holiday on Thursday and it snowed so hard, poor Sam couldn't take his cart out for a walk after his lunch nap. So here are two photos of him looking slightly disappointed by the snow (and yes, that is how dark it is at 3.30pm in Stockholm).

I promise to try and take some photos this weekend and post up something more interesting, in the meantime, I shall be "getting on with it"....

I'm dreaming of a London Christmas....

And so it is, that mine and Sam's week in Berkhamsted / London has come to an end. Can it really have passed so quick?

It really was a lovely week, and we managed to catch up, albeit briefly with lots of friends. The flip side to a lovely week, is that it makes going home to a city where I have no friends, and no life outside of work even harder.

But I shan't dwell on that for too long, instead I shall wish everyone a happy new year, and I hope you like the pictures!

Reading his new book with Granny Pammy in the pub on Christmas day	Grandad trying to put on Sam's shoes (which is harder than it looks)
A newly engaged Uncle David gives Sam a lift home	Opening presents
Fun at the table, after a delicious Christmas dinner cooked by the fool in the hat	The newly engaged couple get talked into having their photo taken for Facebook (please note the ring in the picture is a temporary ring, actual ring to be bought)
Apart from Uncle Dave and Auntie Liz's stairs, Sam's favourite thing in their house was their amazing bath	At the Science Museum on the 27th, with new girlfriend Isla (my friend Kate's little girl)
Eve, Sam and Isla	Eve on the merry-go-round
Sam and Daddy on the merry-go-round	Sam with his new haircut
Uncle David reading Sammy a book	2011 welcomed in by Dave, Liz, Andy and Ella
For our last afternoon in London, we hooked up with the girls again and Sam, Isla and Eve became the art at the Tate	Sam dining with the ladies