bedroom

we have two new friends in our bedroom. a nightstand that we got for free when our neighbour moved away. she also loved vintage stuff. furniture and china and kitchen details from the 50s and 60s.



and a cupboard for t-shirts and jeans and pullovers and skirts that don't need hanging up. we got it second hand and it was rather expensive, but i love the decorative details, the colour and the fact that it is old and has been around for a long time. it is made of solid wood, and i think we will have it forever. considering that, it probably wasn't so expensive.





doesn't it look pretty? it's all in the details, i think.

kitchen

that we have a new apartment in the new city in the new country seems like a wonder. to call the rental market in the greater stockholm area a disaster would be an understatement. if you want to rent an apartment in sweden you have to either queue for a couple of years (in stockholm and uppsala that would be 10-15 years for a decent place to live in) or rent "second hand". that means that you rent from somebody who rents, but doesn't need their apartment for a couple of months or a bit more.



we were unlucky and got to experience the worst part of the housing situation first hand: the stress on the rental market benefits frauds like nothing else. not only did we lose a lot of money, we also went through a couple of more than stressful weeks looking for a solution. knowing that i'll be homeless in a week's time was one of the worst feelings i have experienced so far. thankfully, vackra-kläder-joanna offered us her old apartment in the south of stockholm and let us live there during november. joanna, you are an angel!



now we rent a wonderful apartment (second hand for 1,5 years) with a huge kitchen (the pictures show some details) and lovely neighbours, and i have started looking for a job. i take one step at a time, and rather slowly as well. there are not that many positions out there at the moment. until the end of the month i get unemployment benefits from norway, but we'll manage well even if i don't find work immediately. things start to look brighter - and the sun shines a little longer each day.

green box

not only do we have new apartment in a new city (uppsala) in a new country (sweden), we also started a new life concerning what we eat: we ordered a "green box". which means that every wednesday we get a large box with ecologically grown veggies and fruit delivered right to our door. it greatly reduces the schlep-factor in grocery shopping, is not much more expensive than buying regular vegetables at a supermarket, the quality is higher and we even get information about where our happy apples grew up.



so far we have only tested it for one week, but i'm really happy about it. we get three different sorts of fruit and six sorts of veggies (whereof usually at least one kind of sallad) and i try to come up with fun recipes to use them. i would say that each week there will probably be at least one fruit or vegetable that i usually wouldn't buy or have never bought until now. definitely challenging!



another good thing is that come summer we'll try out the completely swedish box - not only organically but even completely locally grown. i have to admit that with all the beets and roots during winter it is just not as attractive for us right now. we really don't like beets. at all.

for those of you living in sweden, we order lilla mixlådan from ekolådan. i'm sure there are similar offers in germany and lots of other countries. check it out!

edit: in germany you can google "grüne kiste" to find out if there is a service like this close to where you live. i also did a quick search for "vegetable subscription" and there seem to be a couple of programs in the states as well as in great britain.

new city, new apartment, new life

everything is kind of new. even though we already moved in the beginning of last november, i feel like we only moved here just at new year.

a new country, new city, new apartment, new life.



the last half year has drained me completely, i lost all my energy and initiative, and the last thing i felt like was blogging. even though i formulated ideas for blogposts at least three or four times a week, i just couldn't sit down and write, much less for the world to read.

but now. i started a new blog (which i will link to in due time) but really want to blow life into this old one again. the new one will be more work and less life. this is more life and less work. at least that's the general idea.

oslo, 22.07.2011

things like this only happen elsewhere.

suddenly everything seems unreal.

the silence after the blow is uncanny. eerie.

i'm ok, i think.

back from paris

last saturday we came back from paris. we rented a wonderful tiny apartment (found here via nano) close to the gare du nord, and enjoyed our time there tremendously, despite the weather being mostly cloudy and rainy.



in no particular order or preference, we did indulge in the following:

we...
* ate (and bought) lots of good cheese
* drank lots of cheap wine (we found a fantastic wine bar in montmartre)
* took a trip up the eiffel tower and felt seasick 300m up in the air
* drank tea and bought macarons at ladurée
* took a tour on the canal (which was mostly nice, but rather longish due to dubble-locks and other obstacles such as unlifted bridges taking lots of time)
* ate lots of croissants for breakfast
* drank more wine
* bought perfume, a green beret and kusmi tea as souvenirs



* visited the louvre and stared at the masses staring at mona lisa (however, i was amazed by the raft of the medusa. it really was as awe-inspiring as i thought it would be.)
* visited notre dame and sacre coeur
* got engaged on our 5th anniversary in a little park on montmartre
* ate lots of fantastic french food (there were two amazing restaurants just around the corner from where we stayed, called Chez Michel and Chez Casimir - i heartily recommend both of them!)
* saw the kubrick exhibition at the cinematheque francaise (best exhibition i saw in a long time)

breakfastparty

it was my birthday last saturday, and i invited some friends over for breakfast. having a breakfastparty is something i really love doing - no trouble with neighbours, it's easy to prepare and always appreciated by the guests who get a fancy meal before heading for work or whatever else they have planned for the day...



i got lots of flowers and other nice presents - a pressure cooker from my parents (practical!), some kusmi tea (anastasia, delicious!) and best of all, a boat trip to copenhagen in the beginning of may!!!



by the way, this is not the breakfast from saturday, but the leftovers on sunday morning =) we had carrot cake, rhubarb muffins and fruitsallad (one kiwi was all that was left from that..). and tea and orange juice.

new home

we moved. now we have a larger apartment with a real kitchen (as opposed to mini-kitchenette) in a more quiet part of the city. we also have this on the ceiling:



isn't it wonderful? now we'll need to find a lamp worthy of hanging there.

i also got the news today that i will start as an intern at "Film fra Sør", a filmfestival for films from africa, south america and asia. fine things are happening!

sunshine in small doses

when i think about spring i get really homesick.. i hear it is 15°C in germany, with sunshine and snowdrops and crocuses and ice-cream!





so, until the sun finally decides to come out and melt all the snow away we have to make do with sunshine in the form of colourful sunny tulips...



instant spring for little money!

maria amelie

two days ago, one of my best friends here in norway was arrested, to be deported to russia as soon as possible. she came to norway 9 years ago with her parents, has not been to russia for 13 years and doesn't know a soul there. they went underground when their plea for asylum was declined, and ever since she has tried to live a more or less normal life - despite the more than difficult situation she found herself in.



for me, as i wrote before, she is more norwegian than some norwegians i know, and i would gladly offer her my residence permit for this country. she is one of the bravest people i know. by writing a book about her life's story, she dared to give the group of illegal immigrants a face, she dared to speak up and point out what's wrong in how this group of people is handled here. norway prides itself for their high rate of deportations, and their politics when it comes to refugees seems to be more to protect the authorities and laws than to act humanely and protect people in need.

maria amelie has done nothing wrong other than coming to a strange country as a child, and adapting to the situation. she learned the language, got herself an education, made friends. is that wrong? she was honest and is now being punished for wanting to live a good, normal life with work, paying taxes, eating out and meeting friends.



if you have a heart for a young women standing up for herself and her situation, please sign this amnesty international petition on her behalf. it takes you only a minute and will make a difference for her and other refugees. it will mean a lot to me. thank you all.

pictures from here and here

an afternoon at the park

working 7 days in a row is not good. if i say that, believe me. it is no good idea. i've been there. twice within 6 weeks. today was my free day after such a 7 workdays week. i would need another one of those free days tomorrow, but that's not possible. so, today i slept forever, had a good brunch and then we headed out for a walk in the park. the sun shone brightly and we enjoyed the brisk autumn air. it was almost like vacation, with waffles and everything!











































also, i started breaking in my purple mint vintage justin boots. the leather is hard as hell, so the breaking in will take a while...



















there are so many nice spots in the park, it's always hard to decide where to take pictures. the stairs seemed like a good place today. and the bushes. they're still green. i might just be able to convince myself that autumn hasn't arrived yet...











































skirt, scarf, bag: vintage, thrifted
boots: justin, vintage via etsy
jacket: thelin
rings: vintage and etsy

pictures by pixelpark

ulovlig norsk

two days ago, my friend maria amelie published her first book. and it's not just any book, but her autobiography. the story of her life. the story of how she and her parents ended up in norway as refugees, got refused and then went underground. the story of how she, against all odds, took a bachelor's and a master's degree at trondheim university. how she lived a full student life and at the same time didn't even exist on paper.

it is not a book about the general situation of refugees, or about norwegian politics, or about a system that obviously does not care about individuals. however, it is about the consequences of these things for her as an individual. it is a personal story, and it was written because she didn't want to lie anymore. maria also wrote it with the wish to give the reader a new perspective on their own lives.

























these last days, from when i first heard about her background until reading through the book, i have been amazed. i feel deeply honoured that i may call this extraordinary person my friend. she is more norwegian than some norwegians i know. she is always full of energy and so positive, looking for new challenges and making her friends happy. she is one of the most generous people i know, and has - even before i knew the truth about her - been a great source of inspiration for me and how i want to live my life.

i wish her all the best for the future. i wouldn't know anybody else who deserves good fortune and luck and a fantastic life more than she and her parents.

a perfect sunday summer evening

last sunday we headed out for a nice sunny evening at a small lake close to oslo. we found a spot for ourselves, set up the barbecue, had a beer and enjoyed the sunset...



















i had prepared some yummy shashlik with squash, chicken, shrimps, onion and bell peppers











































summer calls for shorts, converse and pretty t-shirts



















next time i'll pack my bathing suit and take a swim!

about small apartments and space

well. something must have gone terribly wrong with the physics in my boyfriend's apartment when i moved in. suddenly all my stuff seems to double both in weight and in space. and the apartment seems to have shrunk to about half its size. i don't know. and the boxes just won't disappear.

first day

... at work.

yes, i found a job quite quickly here in oslo, and this is where it is:

























the norwegian opera. a beautiful building, isn't it? i feel quite enchanted by it and very privileged to be working in it.



















oh, and no. i have not suddenly become an opera singer. i just became a simple ticket seller. but, better than nothing and the job will serve me perfectly for the time being. it's not only a first step into the norwegian culture field, it is also well paid - and oslo is quite expensive. and then of course i'll get to see loads and loads of opera, concerts and ballet!

job search

so, being arrived in oslo (with most of my stuff still waiting at the customs - i never thought moving would be so difficult, couldn't norway just join the eu and that's it?) i have started to look for a job and recently (well, i handed it in personally today) applied for one at the german embassy here in oslo.



















however, since everything happens so sudden (*hand in thesis - merry christmas - happy new year - pack - move - here i am*) i had neither a professional picture to add, nor any recent references from previous jobs. the former i fixed somewhat halfprofessionally (advice: do not copy this procedure since i cannot guarantee success) with the help of a holiday picture and photoshop, while the latter i fix today by writing my own references and mailing it to my previous bosses. let's hope they are nice and sign those without further ado. and let's hope they don't think me unprofessional at the embassy.

moving to oslo, selling things

yes, it's finally happening and faster than i expected. i'm moving to oslo, in with my boyfriend. after 3 1/2 years of travelling back and forth it really is time. my parents arrived today and i'm sorting things and throwing things away and packing. it's like hell broke loose.

this means that this little blog-break will last a little longer, until everything is packed into boxes and moved to oslo.

however, until the end of this week (saturday 9th) you get the chance to buy a few of my treasures which i sadly enough have to leave behind - i can't take everything with me and need some money, oslo is expensive! i don't have the time to put things up on ebay so i'll try and just use the blog for once. paying via paypal since this is easiest and fastest. send me an email at froeken_lila [at] web.de if you are interested in anything. and of course the prices named are only suggestions. i ship to europe, but don't know exact fares so please ask if interested. i also apologize for the mostly unphotoshopped and therefore large pictures - so much to do, so little time...

green and red 70s carpet bag, 10€ (shipping Germany: 4,50€)




















70s suede and fur bag (they sold a similar one a zara, i think), 8€ (shipping Germany: 4,50€)


























70s leather clutch, 4€ (shipping Germany: 4,50€)





















friies & company black art-deco style bag, 10€ (shipping Germany: 4,50€)





















vintage red 80s laura ashley sundress with a flower print, size 34/small 36, 15€ (shipping Germany: 2,50€)


























light blue 50s retro pin-up/rockabilly blouse, divided by h&m some years back, size 38 (taken in a bit so it might fit a 36 as well), 5€ (shipping Germany: 2,50€)

























vintage orange-red longsleeved wool-dress (really warm, perfect for winter now!), mod-style from the 60s, fits size 36. sadly enough i found a few holes, but they might be fixed easily. the belt also has suffered a little, even if you don't see it on the picture. 15€ (shipping Germany: 4,50€)


























vintage 70s black and silver sleeveless sweater, size 36 (shipping Germany: 2,50)


























moreover, i also sell this white mini-skirt from h&m young (i did't have time to take a picture myself, hence the link to i say shotgun who wears it beautifully and features some other bloggers wearing it), fits a small 36 i'd say. it has a brown spot on one of the lower layers which is invisible when you wear it and it should go out with the next wash. i never wore the skirt. 5€ (shipping Germany: 2,50€)

today's words of wisdom

"We se(ns)e what we need to se(ns)e in a given context. We are not all confused, even if we are wrong."

"Our sensate bodies [...] do not operate in the transcendent realm of truth, but in the immanent kingdom of the real."

Peter Corrigan in "The Dressed Society"

in other words: i do not need to question every single word i wrote in my thesis, but must trust that my senses did not betray me.

lüneburg, fall

on sunday i went for a long walk with a good friend. we went through the old town, which is beautiful with small, really old houses, none of which stands straight. behind the old town lies one of my favourite places, the kalkberg. its a smallish, very steep hill in the middle of the town, a nature reserve and you feel so far away from the city, even though it's only a few meters away...

all work and no play

this is how my workplace in the library looks like:



















books, paper, pen, computer, water and some stuff we're not allowed to take inside but do anyway (hidden behind the computer =). i keep the mobile on quiet-mode, as well as the computer. i also have a book-wagon for myself, at least until the end of the month. it's nice not having to schlep all your books back and forth all the time. i try to keep it nice from the outside - how about some coffee-table book on vanity fair with reese witherspoon??
















and this is how i looked like on wednesday - the lighting in the library is rather bad, so the picture was very yellow and i did my best with photoshop but there is only so much one can do. it almost got too blue instead...

























pullover: h&m
skirt: h&m, thrifted
cardigan: thrifted
tights: ?
flower-brooch: gina tricot
boots: topshop