Stock...holmer time!

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. That's how the book that I forgot to bring with me starts, but this trip has just been the best of times. Aside from putting up with the obligatory Corless obscenities, but I've grown to know and love those.

Anyway, we arrived here on Friday and were kindly met at the station by nobody, as apparently Michael didn't get our text message, but once we did manage to make contact he pointed us in the right direction and met us half way. After the brief walk to his ridiculously well-located flat we quickly made ourselves at home before heading out on the town.

I've just had to check what we actually did that night as my goldfish memory isn't helping right now. Jenna will now fill in the blanks:

'We got on the tube, then we went a cool bar that overlooked things.' At this point I will interject to clarify as her description is patchy at best. The bar was a nice outdoor place up on the top of the hill which had a cracking view across the town. I let Michael order drinks from the bar as obviously my Swedish is non-existent and I thought that this could be his moment to shine. After hearing him confidently order the drinks...in English, I decided that it wasn't. There then followed a bit more wandering and a nice dinner at All Bar One - (to help us get a feel for Stockholm, we decided it would help if every place could be compared to its London equivalent, hence visiting Notting Hill, Oxford Street and Covent Garden). It then rained. But the weather men said it would so that was no surprise.

Fortunately the next morning brought us blazing sunshine, which must have melted all of the snow which I'm sure Scandinavia is meant to be covered with all the time. The down side of that was that I forgot to pack my shorts, so had to embark on the longest trek in the world, in Saharan temperatures, in my jeans. But it was still good. We walked all day, all over Stockholm, seeing all of the various sites - it really is a very nice place, surrounded by water and trees and other such niceties. Jenna adds: we went around a nice island, some nice green bits, high views, old town, castle, ICE CREAM, boat, fun fair island, bus, flat.

Then after a quick nap (Jenna/snoring MC) we went and played mini golf. This was not a successful venture. I did not do well. Stupid Swedish stupid ramps and stupid holes that are too small for stupid Swedish balls.

Then we went to the fancy restaurant (Trannan) and had Toast Skagan (which was too oily for MC, but fine for us). The meaties had yummy meatballs, and I had to disassemble half a dozen crayfish. Badly. The waiter tried to help, but even that didn't seem to work. I splashed everyone with prawn juices. Again, this was not successful. The bits I got were good though. Then we went and played pool and I won lots of games, so I liked this bit.

In between all of this, myself and MC tried a multitude of Swedish beers (I know, I was surprised they make beer too). I would attempt to review them here but I can't remember what they were and they all tasted pretty much the same. 

Finally, we arrived at Sunday - feeling knackered from Saturday's long march, we decided to take it easy and sit on a boat for much of the day, heading out to a royal palace, where we had a good wander through the gardens and the palace, and saw some sheep and geese. And the majesty of the £9 sandwich. Which to its credit was very tasty. After the return boat trip and a Daim ice cream, we climbed many many stairs to get to the top of the city hall tower for a brilliant view across the city.

We are finishing our trip by heading to the cinema in a minute to see Bridesmaids.

Many many thanks to the man for putting us up, and putting up with us, for the past few days - it's been really nice to catch up again and to see that he's nicely settled in and looking after himself.

I'm signing off now so I can catch the end of yet another rude/crude anecdote which sounds amusing.

Jenna befriends a local	Hanging around in Stockholm
Us and a palace	Dave, Jenna and a sunburnt chest

Happy anniversary

One year ago today, a very sad, very nervous, Englishman was on his way to Heathrow Airport with a suitcase that weighed an impressive 43kg (I was charged €100 for excess weight, it should have been far more than this but the lady felt sorry me). I really didn't want to move to Sweden, all my friends were in London and it looked like finding a full-time job would be mission impossible.

My first day in Stockholm I spent working at Global Water Partnership (GWP). I had contacted them before arriving in Stockholm and they had offered me some part time work. Without working at GWP, I am not sure I would have survived. I met some lovely people there, and they all wanted to help me. The first thing the lovely folks at GWP helped me with was finding my first flat in Aspuden (if you recall, finding a flat to rent in Stockholm, is like winning the lottery, almost impossible), but most of they helped me take my mind off things.

Finding a job was still proving elusive, and I felt an almost constant pressure on myself to get one, otherwise, when my contract at GWP was up, I would have to return to London. By the time October arrived, I was desperate because the lease on my flat in Aspuden was up and I had nowhere else to live and the job front was very quiet. I knew that by the time December rolled around nothing would happen for a few months, and I did not have the money to just sit in my flat in Stockholm and wait for the phone to ring.

I kept looking for both a job and a flat, and I was lucky to find an amazing flat right in the middle of Stockholm. I am still in this flat today, and it looks like I can be in this flat for a long time as the owners are in America (I have some vague plans to sell my flat in London and buy in Stockholm, but we'll see when that is). The flat is still as empty as it looks in the picture on the left, Sam and I prefer it that way!

I also had found myself being interviewed for two positions. One was a familiar role, working for an organisation and looking after their website, and the other was working for an agency, a role I had never done before.

In the end, I was lucky enough to be offered both roles, but I surprised myself by taking the unfamiliar role because I felt it offered the best long term prospects. I cannot tell you how happy I am that I made that decision. I started at JG Communication on December 6th (my birthday) and straight away I knew I had made the right choice. The people there are amazing, friendly, warm and welcoming. There is a large ex-pat community within JG, and they knew what I was going through. The security I felt through having a full time job really helped.

After Christmas in the UK, I decided to try and be as positive as I could about living in Stockholm. I had a great flat, a great job, and I was starting to make friends. It had been nearly a year since my relationship started to break up and I felt that the only way was up. As odd as it sounds, as soon as I decided to be positive, I felt so much more happy. The Swedish winter was still there, and some days it knocked my new found positivity, but not enough to break it entirely.

In February I met an amazing lady called Ulrika. Our first date was at an Indian restaurant, and it was ok, so we went out again on a disastrous date, after which we decided to become friends. Of course over time, Ulrika couldn't resist my English charm, and eventually she gave in and we have been in a relationship now for three months. I am very lucky to have met her, and she makes me really happy. She has the nicest bunch of friends in Stockholm too, including Carro and Mark, whose wedding I was lucky enough to be invited to. That was one evening I shall never forget.

But all of this neglects to mention the reason I moved here. Samuel Roy Corless. As hard as Stockholm got, as bad as the winter was, I never once regretted moving here because he is worth it. I am so happy to say that the divorce has never seemed to dampen his spirit once, and he is a wonderful little boy. I wish I could explain in words what he means to be, but I cannot.... I just hope he knows how much I love him. Friends have said that what I have done in moving to Stockholm has been really impressive, but I honestly answer, that it just seems very natural because of the love I have for Samuel.

So there we have it, my first year in Stockholm. My newly married friends Dave and Jenna are coming to stay with me this weekend, so I think it is entirely possible I will be having a drink tonight to celebrate making it through the first twelve months. At times it was really difficult, but now I couldn't imagine living anywhere else. And who would have thought that a year ago?

Summer fun in London and Berko

Sam and I spent the last weekend in London. Well, Berkhamstead which is were Uncle David and Auntie Liz live. We had an amazing time, caught up with some friends, and got spoiled rotten at the zoo, cinema and fair....

Two out of three of Barry's daughters.... and Kate	Sam on Uncle David's shoulders
Mr and Mrs Roberts and Mr Peer	The legend that is Steve Lodewyke, and legend in the making Lucy...
Sam was taken to the ice cream van and was very insistent that he wanted an orange ice lolly. It seems he quite likes them!	Steve and James, together in perfect harmony
Daddy, I'm scared of these mask wearing weirdos!	Can I put on the mask and join in?
Sunday afternoon we chaved it up down the fair in Berko, with Gareth and his son Jack (aged 2)	Make it go faster!
David is very excited at seeing a camera, much to Gareth's embarrassment.	Walking home from the fair is almost as much fun
Monday, we went to Whipsnade Zoo, and Sam wanted to go on the train (of course!)	And the bouncy castle!
Watching the sealion show	A black and white horse. Odd.
A hat-trick of Corless boys	Running down the hill
Giraffe	Sammy vs. a lion in a staring competition. Lion lost and turned away first. Don't mess with the Sammy...

Auntie Kate comes to Lorgues again (and blogs for the second time)

Another stay in Lorgues is coming to an end. It's been a week of sunshine, some showers, BBQs and baguettes, and Pam's awesome cooking. But more important than all of that: Sam did 2 wees in his potty. The first was a big moment indeed. He also left a giant poo under the garden table but that was not such a big moment; more of a low point. Talking of low points, getting stung on the arse by a wasp was not so great.

It's been a very relaxing week - reading, sleeping, eating, swimming, lazing in the sun, more sleeping, more eating, and some boules at the Lorgues Boulodrome. Nice.

Sammy has grown up a lot since I last saw him in Berko at Christmas. He is talking a lot and still completely excited by anything with wheels, especially the "big camper van" he sees every time we come home. And he can't get enough of going in Granddad's car.

Sammy is growing up bilingual in English and Swedish. He knows to speak to us in English but has been dissing me in Swedish, calling me "duma" which means "stupid". He thinks he's being clever but we're on to him. I keep telling him it's because he likes me - a bit like pulling girls' pigtails in the playground. But saying this just brings on another round of "duma, duma Kate" and I have to try not to laugh.

The only downside to the week (other than being at close range to MCMC for a week, of course) is that I didn't have the pleasure of seeing neighbour Robert in his obscenely short budgie smugglers. I'll ask Michael to keep a lookout and blog if he gives them all the pleasure. It's a treat for sure.

Anyway, the pictures below will tell you a little bit about the week spent here. I leave this afternoon - Roy and Michael will drop me at the airport and pick up Ulrika-ka-ka-ka who is flying in for a few days. I think the neighbours may think he is some sort of lady-magnet: one in, one out...

OK, time to catch the last few rays dans le jardin. Thank you for having me, Pam and Roy - it's been lovely. Bisous x

Afternoons spent at Alan and Mary's pool - scene of the arse stinging incident	Swimming in a hat. Not normal.
Nice	Ball head hat
Kate and Roy	Salut!
Sammy chillin' in Lorgues	Lorgue village centre
A walk in Site St. Barthelemy before the thunder storm	Cave exploring
I was making it rain for Sammy. Really.	Pooh Sticks. I won.
Scenic	Where's Kate?
Beardy	Sammy rocks my summer hat at St. Aygolf
MCMC doesn't rock it quite so much	Roy + Hat = Cool
BBQ'ing in the rain. Wet.	Damp
Bbbrrrrrmmmm	Sammy having a thunk
Pam is very on-trend on our last night out	Kate and Pam
Alan and Roy (with his bedtime milk)	Hotel du Parc
Pam and Roy	Pam wins the hat-wearing competition