My goal is the 5th of September 2026 – good that I signed up for the next women’s 10-kilometer right away. Training requires discipline. No late nights. Two hours today, and I was in good shape, which means it was great fun. Not hard. In Norway, I went to Elixia after work on weekdays. On Sundays when we were off, I had an early, tough Sunday session. Four to five hours of exercise per week. I am searching for that focused Elixia Norwegian feeling. Tomorrow I’ll watch a bit of Vasaloppet and then Power Step before lunch. Attention is required to reach the level I was at before.

For those of you who are wondering how the updated diary is going, it will be ready towards the end of March. I’m learning to navigate the new environment. It needs to be fine-tuned. Writing & Leisure will also be refreshed.

I developed my writing in France, and in these times of the Ukraine war, it feels good that the French Marine is visiting the south of Sweden. Sweden is currently classified as a very unsafe country to travel to. Canada 🇨🇦 is saying “Exercise a high degree of caution in Sweden due to the threat of terrorism”, see https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/sweden

Sharing some French music.

Stay safe 🐾

My friend Anu did her medical residency training in the UK, and I visited her when I was in Norway. I worked at Boots Pharmacy, and every year we did something together as part of staff development to become even better as a team. We traveled to London once and did a study visit to one of Boots’ flagship store pharmacies on Oxford Street in central London.

I was in charge and had worked in Norway for a few years. When I spoke, it was Norwegian-Swedish. As a gift for Boots, we had a Norwegian flag that was placed next to a Portuguese flag in their office. I never had to use my prepared statement at the airport security check. A Swedish woman, with a Norwegian flag? My colleagues were happy.

Currently, there are difficult times in the world. It feels safe to constantly carry the years from Norway with me. Many collegues were military trained and worked as civilians in pharmacies. I trained at Elixia then and am now trying to recreate the same feeling.

This Tuesday, I focus on training. In the countryside, I usually do my jogging and finish with a cool, slow dog walk. Lady is no more. Molly knows for sure that she is a source of inspiration for the next book. You can tell in the photo below. In Stockholm, I was lucky enough to find the dog Benno, who looks a bit like Lady. He lived in Switzerland for a while but has now returned to Sweden. He is always happy when he gets to devote himself to his `social media’ in Humlegården.

Finally, I think we should definitely reconsider Pehr G. Gyllenhammar’s proposal that Norway and Sweden should merge. Gyllenhammar was stopped by Thorbjörn Fälldin, I remember.

Stay safe 🐾

No matter nationality, I believe we share universal human values such as music. Everybody understands music. Sometimes we feel that political leaders are wrong, such as von der Leyen, Putin, Trump, and Zelensky. We obey to conform to order.

I have always loved to move my body. Running, dancing, working out muscles, etc. A feeling of freedom – probably. Last Sunday I went to my usual Body Pump training. The lights were off even though there were people present. I turned on the light. A few minutes later, the leader arrived. The electrical power cord was gone. No music. We continued with sound only from a cellular phone in a big exercise hall.

We are in the fasting month, and we say welcome to Ramadan. I usually have Modifast® now and then for a month during fasting time. Good for me! I just heard from Nadia that we are waiting for the right moment to start. Ramadan starts on Thursday or Friday, depending on the moon.

To my American family 🇺🇸, with vibes from London 🇬🇧:

Last Sunday I was in London. Spring vibes with green lawns and blooming daffodils. It was popular to walk through St James’s Park near Buckingham Palace. The birds were cute and curious, and there were even three green parrots in a tree. My friend Anu loves parks because they are so exotic. Her husband has gotten big birds for their garden in Colombo. Similar to St James’s Park. In Sri Lanka, it is as natural to pick fresh mangoes in the garden in a similar way I pick apples in the fall in the countryside. Contrasts make life exciting.

The streets around St James’s Park were blocked off due to ongoing demonstrations concerning Palestine. Similar to Stockholm. I wanted a break from war. It felt so much better to rest my eyes on the birds and laugh at memories together with my friend.

Travel gives me energy, and it shows in my workout. During the pandemic years, I updated my sportswear, I remember now. I found some colourful hair twists in London that are intended for training. We always pay a visit to Harrods, and I couldn’t resist buying! Exercise requires discipline, and I am now in my little sports bubble.

When I started my doctoral studies, my supervisor was careful to say that everything takes time. `The dough has to rise. It takes time before you get to drive Formula One.’ We had a common interest in ordinary literature that I appreciate a lot in retrospect. My interest in language has taken a big place. So far, I have translated into English myself, so linguistic nuances are my own. Migration of my diary has gone well, and it is now on two webhotels. The new blog needs fine-tuning before it is released. Hope you will follow 😊. Right now, I am considering translation into Spanish because my Spanish-speaking friends want me to learn Spanish. I understand a lot, but I only know a few sentences.

Why not end by sharing everlasting Robbie Williams? I love his lyrics.

My passion for languages started at Uppsala University. I was asked, ‘Are you studying humanities?` A little question that has shaped my life. Anu, my friend with the lovely cake, is now working at a London hospital as an MD. She reminded me of life in Gothenburg, where we met through science. I had arranged an early breakfast for PhD students at a French café, with croissants and espresso. There is no doubt that languages need to be constantly updated.

I had some photo glimpses in London that I am sharing. Suddenly, I may feel a special vibe about something I’m trying to catch. Below, I am sharing some sweet photo moments. My camera had to work some. I found a photo from 10 years ago in London. These photos are really before and after the COVID pandemic. More or less, I have worn sports clothes these pandemic years and not cared so much about clothing. I need to change. At least I have changed to high heels. I bought a VOGUE magazine for inspiration to get into the right mood.

Today is devoted to the power step. My favorite training. Lots of coordination, strength, and fitness. Aiming for that before the COVID feeling.

Stay safe 🐾