Today I emailed for several hours, baked these delicious lemon drizzle cakes, and watched Halloween Town. I can't believe I'm moving to England in 2 weeks. There is so much to do.

home again home again

After a very long and hectic 2.5 weeks we're finally home. As soon as we got to the apartment I immediately unpacked everything, sorted dirty washing and put on a wash, put away everything else, went food shopping and made dinner. And I mean literally straight away. No time like the present to whip yourself back into shape. I really love home comforts. While holidays and meals out are amazing, there's nothing better to me than making my own bed with fresh sheets, filling the fridge with essentials, and getting back into home life. Domesticity is my everything. 

Home

While Leo has gone out to a meeting (8pm on a Wednesday?! Oh, but it's for something special, trust me) I have snuggled up on the couch with a cup of breakfast tea (fiiiiinally!) some delicious 70% cocoa chocolate, and I am now going to binge-watch the Pretty Little Liars episodes I missed. Life is, in oh so many ways, absolutely wonderful. I have lit a candle and am enjoying that briefest of moments at the beginning of Autumn, when everything is so very slowly getting ready to change. It feels, to me, like the gods of weather are inhaling one huge breath before they blow a gust of wind and everything comes twirling to the ground. It's a great snapshot in time.

holidaying

Brb, in Croatia playing with a gazillion cats.

the most relaxing sunday

I haven't had an at-home, total relax, normal person Sunday in a very long time. I would say a few months. I've either been working, had guests, or been on trips. I know, woe is me with my burgeoning social life, but sometimes all you want is one of those rainy, lazy Sundays where you bake, eat nice food, and watch endless reruns of Grand Designs. Yesterday, the change in seasons was clear. It didn't stop raining and blustering all day long. I started the morning by baking bread and a chocolate cake, as you do, while listening to the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack.

In the afternoon, after some unfortunate studying and note-taking and delicious lunching, we settled down for a serious Grand Designs marathon. We have a projector, which makes the experience of watching tv a million times cooler, like having a mini cinema in your living room. Add to that some serious hygelligt couch and duvet action and endless cups of tea, and you have one cosy Sunday right there, my friend. I had to take a break after about episode 3, and started doing some clearing out. I did a trial run of packing my clothes to move to the UK, and in the process filled a black bag with things I don't use or need. I can't wait to fill at least one more and bring it to a charity shop. Downsizing always feels good. 

2 more episodes of Grand Designs, some snacking on leftovers from the fridge and cupboard (it also feels good to empty endless jars of lentils and cans of things that sit in cupboards for too long!), some nice Weisbier and a bit of chatting about the future, and it was the end to a very successful, relaxing Sunday, ready for the week ahead! I can't say this week will be a bustling hive of activity, I plan on studying, hoping to secure accommodation for when I move country all too soon, and sell some items. Oh, and pack for our 3 week long trip to Croatia. The stress of life, eh ;)

This was our favourite, a Japanese-inspired home for a Japanese lady and her husband in Wales clad in Japanese larch and Scandinavian spruce

Their outdoor hot tub with the man himself

inequality in the UK

unfuckyourhabitat | how decluttering helped me be better

I grew up with a hoarder's mentality. De-cluttering did not come easily to me. It's only now, at the age of 25, that I can safely say I am relentless in my pursuit of ordered and minimalist spaces. At the same time I have matured, and become relatively calm and happy.

I came across a website yesterday called 'unfuckyourhabitat' and honestly, I felt relief while scrolling through it. I'm not alone! In fact I'm really really really not alone! On the Tumblr page people post pictures of their before and afters. Relief. Sheer relief. We are not alone.

People let their personal spaces get in such a bad state, it's no wonder they're associating their emotions with how their rooms look, the room become a manifestation of their inner anguish. Mens sana in corpore sano should really be in bedroome sano. How I keep my homes and personal spaces affects my mood, energy levels and happiness, and I never want to go back to the clutter. 

Living in a minimalist space with clean surfaces, clear walls and carefully organised storage space that hides all my sins from general consumption (I do not want to see my folded clothes or toiletries, towels or shoes, no matter how tidily organised they are) has helped me so much in focussing and ordering my thoughts.

UFYH have a handy list of everyday tips to help messy minds. Go take a look! Here's some of my own tips:

Post: Sort through it immediately! Luckily I love getting the post, and will check the postbox numerous times a day if I can. Yay, post! I can't stand letters or envelopes lying around, so once they're opened they're either stuck up on the magnetic board (bills) or in the recycling (nonsense). I (sad sad) rarely get cards or letters these days, but generally when I do I leave them somewhere noticeable where I will remember to reply with 3 or 4 days, and then I store them in a scrapbook or diary. If it's a very nice card, it might get stuck on the wall, especially if it's one Leo's mom made. 

People should send more recreational post, it's a wonderful thing. If anyone wants a card, give me your address!

Storage: I love the kind of storage space that has lots of shelves, drawers, hanging space and cubby holes, and that allows you to put EVERYTHING, and I mean everything, out of sight. I put things away in a fairly orderly fashion (not obsessive, just so I know where each item is), know they're out of sight and not a mess, and enjoy my clean space. We are lucky enough to have a basement crawl space and all our DIY stuff; drills, woodworking things, suitcases, paint etc, live there. 

Minimalism minimalism minimalism: It's no trick of fate that we live in Scandinavia. Both the Scandinavian and Japanese styles of architecture and home decoration appeal to me enormously and being here, having access to all the delicious furniture and designy-things, is heaven. Minimalism, to me, is a hugely important style and concept. Flowing and uninterupted clean lines, bare floors, multi-functional spaces and tools, all encourage free thinking, an uncluttered mind, creativity.

I try to avoid making any space overly-intimate or personalised. Very few personal pictures, a bedroom that is just a bed and a chair, a bathroom with only shampoo and soap left on the sink on a regular basis. Having a small home is a blessing in disguise.

Cultivate good habits: In London, we lived with an elderly Pakistani lady named Jamal, who is both my cooking and cleanliness inspiration. She is such a wonderful woman, so full of folk wisdom and good advice for healthy eating and tidy hom-ing. She simply will not tolerate mess or clutter. Because of her I wash the dishes as I go when cooking, clean everything in the kitchen away before bed, do my washing very regularly, and make the bed and straighten the bedroom every morning. I also understand the importance of using fridge leftovers before they go off.

Be relentless in striving for a clean space: I love to wash out jars after I finish them and put them in the cupboard, same with boxes, plastic bags for shopping, yada yada the beat goes on. But a lot of the time cupboards get filled, things go unused, and the clutter takes over. Realistically, be it cosmetics, clothes or cooking utensils, we only ever use a small subsection of the crap we fill our homes with. And that's the truth. 

I do not buy new cosmetics on a whim, instead find a good brand I love and buy giant versions of that (Urtekram organic shampoo, 1 litre for 90kr, thank you Danish supermarket gods). When I travel, 100ml travel bottles from IKEA filled with my favourites. Discourage people from giving scented hand lotions or shower gel gifts. Nobody needs 5 lavender scented foot scrubs they'll never use.

Recycle your junk. Take entire bags of unused clothes, bedding, towels to the charity shop or clothes recycling facility. Sell the unused tools, the excess furniture. Get all your clutter together and sell it at a flea market too. Go through the boxes and boxes of papers you keep, scan and upload important things, keep the true essentials (birth certificate and the like), and chuck those payslips from 2008. 

It's your space, they're your things, but remember they are just things. You are not defined by your stuff, unless you want to be, and I think that's a bit sad. Get rid of your junk, enjoy your home, spend time outdoors, enjoy coming home. 

And for goodness sake, take the bin out as soon as it gets full!  

summer's end

We're in the final weeks of summer over here. Flip flops every day is no longer a sufficient footwear choice, and we've had a few rainy/stormy days lately. Since I'm finished up at my job I'm supposed to be productive; preparing for my studies, 2 proposals, holidays, all that stuff. 

But I've been fairly lazy, if I'm being honest. I've been pottering around at home cleaning, doing laundry, making essential oil with my new lemon balm plant (!), entertaining guests, reading my Paul Krugman book (the closest relation to 'work' right now) cooking, and generally doing things not taxing on the brain. I also spent a good few hours cleaning up the computer, and sorting all 19,000 pictures into appropriate folders. Good grief.

Today is Leaving Cert Results day for all the school leavers in Ireland, and I'm thanking my lucky stars those days are long behind me (7 years!) because boy, was that a stressful experience. All the anxiety, stress and strain of it, just to be told you either get into a course or don't. From there it all starts at a blank page again. Conjugating irregular verbs and solving for x aren't much use for most of us in the real world.

Leo has managed to get his hands on a sourdough starter from a colleague in work, so later today we are making sourdough, blancmange, and some tasty Autumnal dish from the Irish cook book I picked up at the library. Our evenings are filled with swims in the sea, watching a Cold War documentary, and drinking a lot of tea, both breakfast and lemon balm. Life, it's pretty good.

 

camping in sweden | skanör

It's funny that we live so close to Sweden and, aside from the occasional trip to Malmö , I haven't ventured much around Sweden in the time I've lived in Denmark. Last weekend was incredibly sunny so we decided to go on a camping trip to Skanör, which is about 30km from Malmö. We packed up our stuff and paid our 120kr or so to take our bikes with us across the Öresund bridge, and that was it really as far as spending any money went. 

We did have a quick fika, coffee and Swedish cinammon buns (when in Sweden!) and sat on the grass to eat them. Then we headed off. Our cycle took us through secluded cycle paths, gravel roads, and a lot of farmland. We even took a shortcut through a few fields that were being irrigated. 

We stopped in a closed highschool and ate hotdogs and had Coke in the yard. It felt like we were in a dystopian movie, on the run from the law. At least, that's how it seemed to my overactive imagination. The day passed in a haze of sunscreen applications, stupid pink hat flying off my head, cycling and hydrating. We cycled through the most beautiful reserved area on our way to Skanör. Sheep, wildflowers and lots of beautiful butterflies.

We arrived in the evening, and headed to a beach, where I promptly napped. Unfortunately I couldn't relax, because these little black flying bugs loved me, my towel, but ESPECIALLY MY GREEN BAG. And that's not the last we'll hear of them either. 

I was restless and creeped out by the flying bugs, so we did a scope of the area, walked around the marina, refilled water bottles, and decided to find a place to camp. There was another beach on the other side of the marina, with rows and rows of summer chalets. After another cycle around the town (so many Swedes sitting out enjoying their summer houses and eating nice food), we headed off to make our camp.

I had never camped out before, just on a beach, but in Sweden you can basically camp in most places without it being illegal, so we made the most of it! The tent was the cheapest one we could find, and popped up in no time. 

We had our dinner of avocados, bread and sticky peanut butter straight out of the jar (the best meal!) and then got ready for bed. As the last of the sun set on the horizon, we noticed, aside from our black flying bug friends, THERE WERE MOSQUITOS EVERYWHERE. Leo swatter about 5, but there were more and more, so we dove into the tent. It was like something out of a horror movie, and as we zipped up the last of the zip, we just managed to keep them at bay outside. Well, aside from that one sucker that got in, and he soon bit the dust. 

I knew there would be no night-time peeing for me, lest I perish.

Ok, so the tent did the job of keeping the bugs out, and it kept us warm, but because it was so cheap it was absolutely soaked on the inside in the morning. We slept very well, all things considered, especially because we also brought our budget air mattress with us! In the morning I was the grumpiest I have been in many months, and I had had just about enough of those flying black bugs. I woke up in the early morning to the thought that it was lashing rain, but all it was was the pitter patter of a thousand tiny black bug friends on the roof of our tent! :o 

We packed up our things, slower than I would have liked as the tent had to dry up and folded away, and then it was time to head off again! Finally, breakfast. We packed up our bikes, managing to put our large bags on the back and smaller bags on the front handlebars/basket so our backs had lots of air circulation. Very important in the heat. More sun block, hats, and away we went!

Breakfast was the most delicious breakfast I have ever eaten. Hunger is the best sauce, and we stopped in the hyggeliest Swedish cafe for waffles, cream, jam, and endless refills of hot creamy coffee. I have never felt quite so sated.

And then it was time to do the whole thing in reverse. We stopped for a nicer picnic lunch on the grass amidst some farmland, made good time, sang and joked, and then before we knew it we were at the train station. A surreal weekend for someone not experienced in the art of camping, but I think we made a good job of it. I think next time I came, I'll get a tent with a double layer, and stay away from the sand dunes where those bugs are. Other than that, a great time was had by all. Many thanks to Leo for being my emotional support system during the numerous flying bug incidents and in the morning when I felt more irritable than a bag of cats. You my homeboy.

sunday

Working on a weekend is not something I enjoy. Working in sweltering heat in a non-breathable outfit that literally renders you invisible to those around you (hashtag housekeeping) is something I enjoy even less.

 This is what my Sunday looked like. Are you depressed yet?

Caramel frogurt as I waited for a delayed metro

Not one to wallow, I induled myself in some frogurt, and then bought two pastries and a packet of crisps, because if ever there's an excuse for junk food, it's after working on a Sunday and the train home is delayed.

When I got home we went for a swim in the sea. We are so lucky to live right beside Kastrup harbour, with the Øresund Bron right there in front of us. As a Bron | Broen afficionado, you better believe I am loving that fact. 

The water was so beautiful. Leo assures me it was perfectly warm, but I held back. Just jumping into large bodies of water is not something I am comfortable with. After a full 10 minutes of humming and hawing, I just did it. Completely worth it. There were some nudist enthusiasts bathing nearby. I am going to miss this free-spiritedness. It seems so silly, the rules we force ourselves to conform to. 

After the swim I felt completely invigorated and refreshed. We watched Milk (having read up on Harvey Milk lately it seemed like a must) and then spent the night looking out at the thunder storm lighting up the sky. And it hasn't stopped raining since. Since it's my day off, I really don't mind. 

it's good to be home from time to time

I had 5 whole days in Ireland, just the right amount of time, although as soon as I start to settle in to Ireland's charming and often frank ways it's time to move on again, and I'm left feeling a bit deflated and sad. I love my home so much, and look forward with immense excitement to returning permanently (maybe?!) in about 3 years time. In the meantime, these little visits will have to suffice. 

My trip was a healthy mix of family time, making up elaborate games about Star Wars and Ninja Squirrels (not my idea) with my nephew, sleep overs with friends, cake eating, and lots and lots of chatting. It was perfect. And the delicious weather only made things sweeter. I just wish I could have frozen time and kept it going for ever.

A little nighttime football. I learned to do a header!!

All my childhood/teen diaries

Henrietta Street, a famous row of old tenements, mention in Joyce's Dubliner's (which I just finished reading!)

A long walk from town to Stonybatter for cake, and a stroll around the surrounding areas led to some classic Dublin sights, like these rows of ex-council houses. The north side of the city will forever be my favourite.

 

I love reliving old experiences when I'm home; a trip on the DART, meeting my childhood and school friends, going to my favourite spots like Bewleys, but I also love discovering new things, new coffee shops that are fantastic, driving around town which is completely new to me, all the experiences, smells, memories, tastes and sights mingle in my brain and leave me feeling a bit sad as I walk through the familiar sights of Dublin Airport (although a lot has changed there since the 90s and seeing my dad off on long business trips, or going for a nighttime drive to see the Christmas lights).

I long for the day when I call Dublin, or Meath, or Cork, or wherever I end up, my home. To be among familiar faces, banter on buses, fall into familiar slang, all the things that feel so natural that I left behind for so long. I'm basically ready to go back. I just have some things to take care of first :) Namely, the small business of a PhD must be attended to. But really, a mere bagatelle.