Bat fit: Kick off for 2015

Ouch! I'm heavier than ever... haven't I written this before? Yes, I have. Reasons for this are: I eat too much sugar, too large portions of food and sit most of my time. So, it would be reasonable if I lost weight if I changed those things, right?

Last years motto for Frannys Bat fit 2014 was Cleansing and a cleansing year it was. I cleansed my life from a toxic job, a job that bored the hell out of me. The problem with too many workplaces are that the hierarcic structure is not for the companys best but for the bosses in charge. As an employee you are not supposed to say your opinion or try to change things for the better. If you have ideas, keep them for yourself. And for god sake, it's better do do nothing at all than to do something wrong. It may sound harsh and I may sound bitter but I have learned to never trust people again.

One of the best desicions I've made was to start my University studies again. I've got following questions so many times now: But how do you cope with work and studies at the same time? You can get sick again. Well the best cure from my now gone depression is the studies. I once again got cleared that I'm NOT stupid and I'm capable of doing hard work when it's motivated.

My goals for Bat Fit 2015 are following
1. Skip sugar, eat smaller portions and eat more healthy home made food. I will also stop eating sandwiches for breakfast and have a green smoothie instead.

2. Start almost every morning with yoga. I have already started and it feels great eventhough I look more like an elephant on the circus. I will also have a goal that I will take a walk from work (12 km). I will go to the local pool and swim 1 km as I did before, almost once a week.

3. I will do a good proffessional job as a teacher and be the kind and cheerful one as I started. I'm actually very impressed by myself and my great patience :-)

4. I will keep on with my studies with second University degree.

Breaking silence

Well hello there!!

It took over a month to revisit my blog and I do hope I haven't lost any readers along the absence. 

I changed proffession and got a shitload of work. 45 hours per week is not what it is as a beginning teacher. I have been working every single minute I got left. I just barely finished my university assessements and have one to go this semester. 

I have in only a couple of months experiencing all the problems you can get as a teacher but thanks to great colleagues and the best boss I EVER had, I got the support I needed to handle those issues. I can frankly say that I have never in my 22 years as an employee had a boss that supported me completely in an issue were a third person is complaining about my work. Can you imagine how great it feels?

Due to all the busy days and nights this was the only humble decoration I accieved for Christmas this year. A tiny tree and a few branches on the mantelpiece. The other members of the family thinks it's ok. The younger ones are more interested in the gifts anyway.

We also visited the local Christmas fair and at a booth was a lady who made these rustic crowns out of cans. So beautiful I had to buy one. It reminds a bit of the traditional wedding crowns some brides are using here. She also cut out similar patterns with a cutting torch on used oil barrels. I will definitely buy one of those later.

I do hope that next semester will be not as busy as this one. I will definitely try to discipline myself to schedule my time better to get time to exercise. Maybe that will be my goal for next year. 

Crawling out from the crypt

Thank you Ms.Misantropia for the giveaway. I'm looking forward to read it and I hope it's not that corny as the movies ;-). I also got a card letter in my first letter and a book mark fit for a dark novel.

So were the hell have I been?

I have been working a huge part and trying to keep pace with my studies at the same time, more on that later for you who are interested. 

We didn't throw our annual Halloween party because of my tight scedule. But pumpkin cupcakes it was and Alfons carved out the huge one . The inside gave a huge batch of pumpkin puree to bake and make tasty stuff.

A tip when you carve out the meat of the pumpkin. Bake it in a pan tightly covered with an ovensheet on low heat to get a nice puree with all the flavours left.

The rest of the time has evolved around technology and science only, even at my sparetime. Oskar and his class mates joined the First Lego League challenge. It was an exciting game. They had a good chance to win but as a sensor failed to work an the other didn't have the equal calibration, they lost the semi.

We also visited the science museum for kids. Where they have a simple and harmless laboratory. My bunch are making lava lamps on this photo.

 I had to buy the Monster High Halloween pack. The magazine is ridicilous, I hate the effeminated texts in it. The craft stuff was nice and I finally have a real ink pen that works for my lefthanded writing. Yay!!

So why do I work so much? Well I teach two different math classes, I also have a class in chemistry, then I'm an examinator for some of the third grades exam assignments and I'm a mentor for a couple of students in my first grade class. This could fill my time completely but I also teach second technology and scientific specialisation. In these two last classes there are no books, no material to use, and no material to find. I teach my scientific class steel plant technology, hot forming of steel and material technology, because that's something I have knowledge of. The technology class is worse, they ought to learn mechanics like transmission, hydraulics, and pneumatics and so forth but I can't find any books of good standars. I have no idea what other technology teachers are doing in this case, this course is very new as well. I have this weekend to work on this and to do my own schoolwork, an essay about environmental sustainability work in school.

I say bye for now. See you maybe in another month...

Winter is coming

I wonder what the Swedish army is looking for in the Stockholm archipelago. Well Sweden is one of the few countries in Europe that has not joined NATO, so we're pretty sure who has visited our waters uninvited....The world got just colder. 

After we decided not to throw a Halloween kids party, I was not sure if I would even have the time/strenght to decorate. But as the stores picked up things with lovely autumn feel I decorated a little bit. It actually didn't take long time. 

The game table is decorated in the mood of the Seventh Seal

The booklet under the glass dome is a biblical one with the title " The sin against the spirit".

 The bookshelf in the background is actually a curtain that I just had to get when I passed the shop window of Åhléns. It's perfect in my dark cosy livingroom.

I have spent most of my week in the sofa, watching the two Seasons of Hemlock Grove. Perfect to indulge some gore along with the recovery of a horrible flu that caught me in fever for five days. D-vitamins, bee-pollen, painkillers and warm tea id my arsenal of weapons.

The worst thing with this flu is that it has attacked my ability to think properly, it feels like when I was sick with depression and ptds. 

Another mini glassdome I recently bought. I know I'm a sucker for glass domes. The striped cloth is hiding a batch of applecider vinegar to be finished soon.

A few decorations at the kitchen shelf. The cone is a papercraft that was made the first autumn in this house.

We still harvest red paprikas from the three buckets I brought indoors before the frost.

Next week will be my last few days at the old job. What a relief and what an excitement (and huge performance anxiety) to start the new job. This will give me the opportunity to see if teaching really is something for me. 

How to find calm and silence, or at least trying to.

It has been an insane period and it's not over yet. I was asked to come and have some lectures earlier than supposed because they didn't have any teacher for my coming classes. I asked for permission to get leave of abscense at work to go teaching and got it. So I work at my old work a little more than half time, work as a teacher in math and technology half time and study half time. That means the woken hours evolve around work and studies only. There will be no time for social stuff for a while.

To calm down I light candles even at daytime. There's a lavender scented tea light in the glass and drying flower seeds on the counter and a few drying small onions. A candle and seed place.

To avoid noises (kids, tv, buzzing, tinnitus) I listen to background sounds like this playlist.

Or if I'm in for another mood

I can't listen to voices while reading therefore these kind of sounds are perfect and calming. 

We have a lovely autumn and I try to look up and enjoy the colours and falling leaves. I hope everything will be settled when next year arrives.

The last dragonfly of the year, saved from a cobweb. It look a bit ragged.

More pumpkins and another work outfit

So this is my second work outfit. I'm not happy as you can see because I've gained weight. It's not easy to loose it either when I have to sit all the time and study. The black jeans have a waxed surface and the shoulders on the shirt sits on my upper arm. 

We almost got frost degrees so I picked the last pumpkins to let them ripen indoors. I also picked the maize. 

I have a new blog post with a recipe of delicious tomato and chili marmalade. Hop over if you're curious.

I have taken time off from work two day to stay at home and study. My boss is completely fine with that, he even suggested it for me.

CorpGoth- Mid month status report: Fitting in at my new workplace

I visited the parental meeting at the school I'll be working at last week. I didn’t have to say anything important, except showing myself and do a short presentation, it went well. I had roamed around the stores for some professional clothes the day before and went home soaked in sweat, oh how I hate to shop clothes. I call the fitting booths, faschism booths because all the disadvantages of the body appear in full drama in the merciless light. Along with this post Corp Goth monthly status report is very fitting for showing what I shoped for the parental meeting.

My Restyle rib cage bag was changed to something so plain it almost is invisible. It’s also another vanishing bag that transforms to a black hole once you put something in it, if it had the colour blue, I could say bigger on the inside. I have ordered a LED-light to be inserted in it from Johan but I don't know when he will have the time. It is made of real black leather,  I’m a carnivore and prefer real leather that lasts longer.

 It’s only a glimpse as I didn’t have a tripod or a photographer, but I hope that you get the idea of the jacket I finally found after running around the whole city, so many cardigans and chanel jackets but no suit jackets (not in my size anyway). I found this one at H&M it is tailored at the back and straight at the front. The fab thing with this one is that the shoulders didn’t went sloppy on my narrow and sloppy ones, it’s usually the big problem with fitting. I also found a long sleeved midnight blue top, it looks slim but hides my belly, it has fake leather pads on the shoulders. I will definitely buy the other colours of this one. The necklace was a gift from Johan bought at ebay.

 The shoes of the brand Ara are also a bit plain but oh how my feet loves them. The heel is 2 inches and very comfortable, perfect to walk and stand in. The toes shape reminds a bit of Fluevogs ergonomically shape and the leather is thin and smooth, clings to your foot like a glove.

 I bought other clothes but that will be another post. 

The autumn leaves are shifting colour now and I tried to fold a rose from maple leaves, it was very easy.

I harvested 3 of my pumpkins the other week, they are heavy and a hollow sound is heard when knocking on the bottom. Let there be pumpkin muffins, soups, pies etc and lovely Jack’O lanterns!! Still no frost even if we have reached the other half of September.

September moonlight

Lovely September got it's cold hands on the garden. Even if the flowers blooms in bold colours the longer cold nights and the mist turns the leaves in autumn colours.

The weather is forcing the nature merciless to sleep.

 This was the single flower I got from the scabiosas I sow. Not much of a gothic garden right?

Oh I'm actually too busy to have time to write or even think up a post. Therefore I just post the photos I took by my phone camera. I took a walk to the youngest schools parental meeting the other day. Dressed like a typical slouchy mum, careless.

The long boring walk that goes by our garden

Back home I was at last able to see the last supermoon, like a giant flashlight.

Johan met me on the way home and I forced him to the graveyard to take a stroll around the graves. Tried to take some photos. It was a lovely night

I attended the parents meeting at my new job yesterday night. I was so nervous, but it all went well. I did NOT wear clothes like the ones in the photo above. I have actually roaming the town to look for more professinal clothes. It wasn't easy when all the clothes sizes stops at the size smaller than yours. The big size department had soo boring (slouchy) clothes, nothing for a pro-teacher at a private school.

I'll be back with photos of the things I found....

I have a new career

The reason to my long absence is a few hectic and tumultuous weeks. 

It started with a conversation with a colleague that left both of us filled with anger of a situation (not each other). I really felt that I needed to make a change, which I was working on since I study. My phone rang and a women called me for an interview for a new job, what a weird coincidence. I had sent a request to an employment to different schools in the community over a half a year ago and only went to one interview that didn’t gave me another job.

So, I went to the interview with lots of stress and a migraine that made me feel very dizzy. I don’t have many memories left from the interview other than that I thought that they were asking very nice and no  interrogating questions. I was home from work with my stiff neck and headache the day after.

I waited two weeks without a reply and called to hear if they needed some more information or references but thought they had found a registered teacher. They apologized and wanted to see me again. They offered me a temporary post since I’m not yet  registered. It will be a full time employment teaching math, chemistry, technology and natural sciences at high school.

I feel overwhelmed, excited, exhausted, stressed and happy at the same time. The pressure of my studies this semester is huge.  I’m really concerned about all the assignments that we have to achieve this time along with beginning a completely new profession.

I have also concluded that I need a new wardrobe, completely more corporate. Jackets, cardigans, trousers, flat shoes, shirts (haven’t worn shirts in ages). My body has changed from hourglass to apple the last years and all my old clothes are useless though in mint condition. Thursday night will be my first commission at my new work on a parent meeting…I really need a jacket and trousers until then.

Carousel Ink

 I got a cutely wrapped parcel last week from Carousel Ink. I love the steampunky victorian carnivale style they design their comfortable clothes in. I'm more than satisfied with the clothes that I got.

Here's a blurry photo of me wearing the hot air balloon leggings you can see that the print is actually a bit more gray than white, but nevertheless I love them.

The second item was this skirt. It's great that the waistband is a stretchy lace. 

What else has been going on here while I was absent? Well the studies started again wich is a good reason to stay away from blogging and internet. The garden has also it's peak when it comes to harvest. I have so many apples that I have to use my imagination to not let them go to waste (wich many with apple trees does here). The jar on the photo below is my test to make apple cider vinegar. I have also a batch of apple wine fermenting in the kitchen. I will leave a report in two months.

Book piles

 So many books, but so little time. Lots of books has been bought this summer both for studies and for recreation. The recreational books will have to wait for a while now because the semester has began and there is lots of reading and writing ahead. This is a pile of books that has to wait it is; The whole Harry Potter series, I will read them for Alfons at bedtime (it's great that he says the books are better than the movies), The Steampunk bible (couldn't resist), Flood of fire (bought at the Steamcon), The diary of Årstafrun (a diary from 16th century), American Gods, and Sustainable living by John Seymore. The pile actually tells a lot about my interests.

Here's a few books read this summer that I wanted to review. Hollow city was bought earlier this year in English because I didn't want to wait for the Swedish translation, but didn't have time to read it until the summer vacation came. I actually prefer it in the original language. Hollow City is the following book after Miss Peregrine's school for peculiar children. It is full of adventure and dangerous enemies. The book is actually a long escape that starts in the first book and I do think that this particular event could have been cut down a bit. Maybe the writer wanted to include all the photos and weave the story around them. 
I can tell you that this is not the end of the story, it continues in a third book not ready to be sold yet. 

My heart beats for chemistry and this book is amazing. I haven't found it translated wich is a darn pity. It tells about poisons and the darker aspects of chemistry. Like, what happens when a corpse is decomposing, how long does it takes ( wich is cruical for the forensics), how to preserve a mummy, odors of hell, drugs and poisons. All the substances are scientifically described and their consequenses along with real and fictional stories. So if you can read in Swedish or maybe find an English version, I higly recommend "Ond Kemi" by Ulf Ellervik. He has also written a similar book about the chemistry around joyments (sex, food and feelings).

This is my non-feng shui-view while reading books in the bed. Piles of clothes, unmatching curtains and a skeleton. My book shelves are brim ful and today I will go to Ikea to buy another book shelf for my student books. 

Me and the boys went to a town an hours drive from home last friday, because the youngest would start the bandy season. It was a warm evening outdoors and very cold in the arena. When you have kids training sports it's necessary to be an attending parent, it is also necessary to get along with the other parents to make everything go smooth. I really tried to talk to the others, but was completely ignored, it's not the first time this happens. I must have looked like a fool not worthy to talk to or something, maybe it was that I didn't wear any sporty leisure clothes. While the others sat on the rood loft I was by the ice, fetching balls (bandy = balls, no pucks) and lacing skates, who was the sporty parent now?

Oh, before I stop my babble I will recommend you to read my other blog Along the green road where I write about healthy food, vegetables and a bit of gardening. If you have a citrus tree I give you a tip what you can do with the leaves.

Look the firework has started! I love my African lily, Agaphantus.

Festival weekend

You asked for a photo with my dreads in. I'm sorry to show a head not filled with dreads. I have to make more of them. The blurry photo below is shot with my phone in the bathroom but I hope you can see the back of the hair. The real hair is shoulder lenght.

This is my outfit for the thursday with the dreads. My fav Eva I Walla skirt a simple top, stripey tights and army boots (Invader). The short necklace is a raven claw grasping a marble. I look goofy on the other photos Johan took because he was making faces to make me laugh. 

Most were dressed down at the festival, wich made my simple outfit look dressed up, wich is dissapointing, would love to see more cool outfits.

Arkona was a nice surprise. The singer was very energetic and dramatic with her gestures and a whole wolf skin wrapped around her. She demanded people to make a moshpit in front of the stage and then played russian folk songs in Ska pace.

Friday was a migraine day, horrible, so I wasn't able to arrive until 8 pm to see Amorphis that were great. I love their melancholy tunes.

For saturday I styled my hair in 50's style with Ali's brooch as a hairpin. Johan bought a top hat at one of the stalls and they took photos for their Facebook page on us wearing hats. 

 Sabaton were great. They played a double set with all songs from Carolus Rex in Swedish with eight Carolus soldiers on stage. It was supposed to be a part from a play, but since the play based on the songs of that particular record were so popular they had to prolong it and therefore could only join with 8 soldiers from it and no acting. The second part was played with lots of fire and fireworks in the same style as every year.

One thing annoys me with this festival. There are so many different bands playing but I saw very few people from Falun (hometown). Those who were there all days was people from far away. Just one hour Sabaton played the normals entered with their baby carriages and kids and left directly after even if it was yet one more band to play. The good thing with this festival is that there haven't been a single fight or argue, everyone is happy and friendly.