My way home
27 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
I’m going back to Sweden today! And since my internet access is limited there, I won’t update this blog until I get back (maybe at some point…), 29 Dec. London, you’ve been great to me, this time too. I feel quite at home here now. So til I’m back, don’t forget about me!
Mustacher, ugglor och möss
27 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
in Pop
Last night in London yesterday! Me and Tom went to The Wilmington Arms and Goo Nite to check out my personal favourites Moustache Of Insanity. (Horowitz was supposed to play but unfortunately, they cancelled 
Next time!) It was great, they even played “Fan vad jag hatar kaktusar”, with Bill on lead vox, amazing!
First time I saw them was at På Besök in Malmö, and even my sister, who’s not really in to music, liked them! I think that’s a good thing. They’ve been described as “Casio-Moldy Peaches with facial hair”, and that sums it all up quite well. They are more awesome than Bruce Willis. How can you not love a band that looks like this? You’ll hear more about them from me soon, I promise.
One of the support bands was Owl + Mouse, a really really sweet uke duo with brilliant songs and harmonies. Hope to see them again soon (I suggested them as a Fika band, but we have SO many great bands coming up this spring, it might be hard to squeeze them in…).
Also, Camilla from the wonderful diy record label WeePOP! played wonderful songs between the gigs. I totally adore WeePOPs records, they’re hand crafted and really really cute. Yes, and she played “It’s my party” as well, I love that song. Check out WeePOP! here.
I am astray in my head, and that’s in everything I do
22 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
in Ponies
Monday morning, and I’m always singing Bad Cash Quartet in my head when I go to work (possibly out loud sometimes as well, by mistake…). Although, Mondays are not so bad when you’ve got 26 wonderful horses to say good morning to!
This is my last week at Mudchute, but I would like to stay longer. It feels like I’m on to something here, with my riding, and it feels really good. Today I had a lunge lesson (which is the same as the swedish word sitsträning), or actually, two! The first one was on the slightly naughty pony Peggy, who likes to buck off kids. She didn’t even try to get rid of me though, so no worries mum! And then I had a proper lunge lesson on Frani. She’s such a nice horse, and completely on voice command, which is convenient if your working on your position. Lunge lesson is my favourite at the moment, I don’t have to think about anything but my riding, I could do that every day. Relaxed knees, low heels, steady hands… There’s so much to keep in mind and to practice on! But I’m getting there. Slowly…
It’s supposed to snow here this weekend. I think snow chaos in England is something like 5 cm… Not really looking forward to it, I thought England was supposed to be at least a bit warmer than Sweden? I can take rain, but snow is just useless. It can come for Christmas and then go away, thank you!
I prefer autumn!
Pointless post
19 Nov 2010 1 Comment
I just realized I haven’t been writing about Mudchute one single time since I got here! I don’t know why, maybe it’s because there’s not much to say without getting really really geeky. But I actually started this blog just so I could write about my work placement, so I promise, I will get better at it. Next week! This week has been way to long and now I don’t want to think about horses again until Monday. But I like it there, very much.
I think me and Tom are going to Norfolk this weekend. I hope it will involve to tractor driving and walks on the beach. Now I’m gonna bake a kladdkaka and pretend it’s Christmas. I just wish UK had some sort of glögg tradition. I want to drink glögg! Especially my mom’s home made glögg, but any glögg (Blossa 2010? Saffranssmak!) will do.
Hej älskling!
18 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
in Pop
Yesterday was Fortuna Pop night at Cargo! I love when a gig is so close you can actually walk there. Just down the street (in pouring rain of course, this is England!), very convenient. Fortuna Pop is one of my favourite record labels!
Allo Darlin‘ played. If I’m going to make a list of best bands 2010, Allo Darlin’ will be on top of it. I must have seen them fifteen times or so (in my defence, we usually end up playing at the same festivals), and they’re just getting better and better. Absolutely wonderful pop songs, a great show (they actually look like they’re having FUN when they play, how many other bands do that??) and they’re just as good on record as they are live. And the best thing of all is that they don’t seem to realize how bloody good they are, they’re probably the nicest band I’ve ever met. This Indietracks I got to play on Bill’s bass, it was actually quite exciting!
Yesterday didn’t disappoint me, they were awesome! And I was in the best of moods, because the brilliant Scared To Dance DJ played my favourite Jens Lekman song AND my favourite Those Dancing Days song before the show. Because I danced and sang along, I got a new friend on the dancefloor. Indie pop unites!
I didn’t take any pictures (as usual) so here’s one from when they played at På Besök in July. Tom took the picture, of course.
Now I’m gonna watch Never mind the Buzzcocks (today’s Noel Fielding fix) and celebrate that I might have sorted out my future the next 6 months.
Flapjack fun
17 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
in Pop
This is all going so well I almost feel a bit seasick. From an email I got from an old friend (with a lot of !!!!!!s in it, which was great) concerning our February release at Fika Recordings and a decision to do my Groom Certificate Exam, to a successful making of home made flapjacks, a walk in the sunshine, an invitation to a friend’s gig on Thursday and a New Years Eve ticket from Copenhagen to Stansted. I haven’t got a return ticket. Yet. That decision is still to be made. But I’m sorting things out in that area as well, slowly.
So I now decided what recipe I should use for my first Fika release and what tea it should be. Ooooh, we’re getting there! Just need a logo. I just recieved an excellent drawing from världens bästa Håkan aka Joueur Noir and I think it’s going to be great. I can just hope he will send some of his drum machine songs to me as well so we can put them on cassette. He’s the most talented guy I’ve ever met!
Anyway, now I need to shut down and study. Hoofs and feed in Swedish and some BHS teaching in english. Eating flapjacks, drinking tea.
Singing Adams
16 Nov 2010 2 Comments
in Pop
I’m finally finding some energy to go out and do stuff after work. The first couple of weeks, I was so exhausted from mucking out, sweeping, carrying hay bags, tacking up, riding, skipping and, hardest thing of all, trying to keep up with English conversation, that after work I just went home and straight to bed. Now, I can actually stay awake long enough to go to a gig or so! Yay me!
So yesterday, me, Tom and Ste went to Lexington and a Singing Adams gig. I can’t really help it, but every time I go to a gig and people start talking about ex-member of the blablabla and cover of dead guy blablabla, I always get in a really bad mood and wish they could get out of their nerdy indietweebloodyworld play some 80s metal instead. Luckily for me, the DJ did just before Singing Adams got on, and I actually enjoyed them quite a lot. Finally some half-distorted guitars, some mad drum-skills (top three pop drummer in my book!), some shouting brilliant pop songs and some nice stage behaviour. A good contrast to most gig I usually go to.Really nice Lisa-pop. Hope their record is as good!
I wish I had time to get my camera fixed so I could start taking pictures again, but until then, here’s a pic I didn’t take. I just borrowed it from here. Thank you!
Today is my day off, since I worked Sunday last weekend. At 8.15 a guy decided to warm up his motorcycle just outside my window for about one hour (at least, that’s what it felt like). After that, some builders thought it was a good idea to start banging on various metal objects. Then, the fire alarm at the school next to our house went off, and one billion screaming children ran out on the schoolyard. Now, when I’m wide awake and unable to go back to sleep, it’s all quiet and nice again. Wonderful.
Fika!
14 Nov 2010 Leave a Comment
in Fika
Fika is the most important swedish word. It’s almost like afternoon tea, but you can have it at any time of day. It can include cakes, sweetes or sandwiches (sk “ostfrallor”) and most often filter coffee or some horrible Lipton tea.
Fika can be done at hipster cafés in east London or in your very home, but the absolute best place to fika is a traditional swedish kondis (aka konditori). A kondis is packed with old people, old-fashioned homemade cookies (napoleonbakelser, tjillevipp, a lot of different wienerbröd and so on), ugly furnitures and horrible “art” and design attempts and – this is the most important thing – it’s almost always quiet.
I’m afraid I can’t tip you about my favourite Malmö kondis (since I got SO many readers, it’ll be so in and cool in just a few days and I won’t be able to have a whole room all to myself anymore), but here’s a picture.
Yes, and the thing I actually wanted to say with this post is that you should check out our new record label Fika Recordings. First four releases in February, on cassette! Whiiiiiiiiiiii!
Countrycooking
12 Nov 2010 2 Comments
in Pop
Yesterday I decided I was going to do something else than work, ride and watch Scrubs, so me and my friend Johan went to Luminaire and a great alt country/folk gig. It was arty, pretty, and actually quite nice countryish catchy songs. I got really confused by talking two different languages, I said “tack” to the door guy and started to speak english with Johan, but hey, that’s just cute, right?
Now I’m gonna cook. Me cooking often involves cursing, burning, swearing and sometimes the fire alarm goes off and I usually end up on the floor crying or looking for something. I’m such a great chef! Today I’m gonna try and make rårakor. I couldn’t find any lingonsylt, but hey, any jam would do!
Min älskling
09 Nov 2010 2 Comments
in Ponies
I miss my pony. He always brings the best out of me. On him, there’s absolutely no problem of sitting correctly, keeping your hands steady, your heels low, your hips relaxed. You just get on his back and go, just start dancing, playing in tune, from the first step to the last. 
Even when he’s jumping around and doing his silly Conrad-walk and spooks and throwing his head up and down like a maniac, it still feels soft and balanced and relax and FUN!
And then I remember our first two years together, all the tears and all the fall offs and all the failed competitions, and realize that you can only get somewhere if you’re really really stubborn and ready to work hard. At least I got the first thing. I guess I’ll be fine (even if today it feels far from it). But I still miss Conrad.
