Not working

Autumn and self employment at their best.

A park in action

Observed at ten thirty in the park, a normal weekday:

• A film team making a movie or some kind of documentary.
  
• School children practicing various sports led by their PE teacher.
  
• Toddlers in yellow vests walking in line behind the nursery teacher, holding on to a rope to not get off track.
  
• Three latte-dads dressed in sporting outfits and in deep conversation while pushing their one-year-olds in trendy buggies towards the playground.

Twenty years ago I suppose the school children would still have been there and may be even the film team. But I doubt the yellow vests and the rope would have been present. And the latte-dads are more likely to have been moms without lattes.

A park of our times.

Different ways of beginning the day

The day began with an hour of giving yoga and ended with two hours of receiving yoga. Somehow the meetings and emails in between left less of a footprint when summarising the day. Tomorrow starts with a flight to Gothenburg and ends with a network meeting. Contrastes embellish, but I think I know how I prefer to begin the day.

Trapped

1-0 to telly tonight. Gym, work and books - all beaten by the telly. And it's not even that interesting. What is the magic trick used by telly that others seem to be missing?

Aching feet

Two days in high heels, running around the city and the real estat summit of the year, my feet are still aching. With age it takes longer to get over hangovers from both alcohol and high heels. I can live with drinking less but I'm not resigning to foot-friendly comfort shoes. So I just have to accept the feet hangover and rest in a horizontal position to ease the pain.

Team lunch

And after-lunch activities.

The office this morning

New favourite bar

Second time this week. I like!

Teddy bear impact

"Adults are less likely to cheat and more likely to engage in pro-social behaviours when reminders of children, such as teddy bears and crayons, are present."

From Harvard Business Review September 2011

May be not the kind of research where you can isolate the result to only one variable, but apparently serious enough to justify an article in a highly regarded management magazine. More teddy bears in the conference rooms and a set of crayons on each desk! I may try this in one of my client's offices where it wouldn't hurt to increase the pro-social behaviours...

Twilight zone

Dawn. The time that marks the beginning of the twilight before sunrise. Precious and limited. And often missed. Moving deeper into the autumn month, dawn is now part of my morning experience. According to tradition, meditiation and yoga are often practiced at dawn before the mind is filled with impressions from yet another day. So...time to leave for the yoga studio with a body that is just about to wake up.

Things you can do on a Monday...

...could include having a glass of champagne to celebrate a girlfriend who got married two days ago.

The smile didn't leave her face and when she checked her mobile to see if there was a message from him her eyes sparkled. It was impossible to miss the cascade of love and romance that surrounded her.

The second happy love story lifted to the sky in less than a week. That I'm aware of. There is bound to be many more. Love is certainly in the air.

Enjoy the missed deadlines

Deadlines and yoga are rarely discussed together, but somehow this quote made it to our workshop. Note to self to remember when meeting unreasonable deadlines for silly reasons take up too much energy!

"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."

Douglas Adams, English humorist and scince fiction novelist

Dinner party in rural Stockholm

The ground rule from our hostess was simple: no talking about children or family life. Not a problem; that left us with plenty of other things to talk about!

Charming J treated us with perfectly made amuse-bouches while we were sipping the chilled champagne. A three course meal cooked with precision and care. After the main course we took a play break resulting in many laughters and new conversations. And while the rich chocolate cake melted in our mouths the topics jumped all over the place from oatmeal to Victoria Silvstedt to Swedish female authors to mention a few.

A lovely evening in lovely company with new and old friends. I think we all recharged our batteries and went to bed with a smile on our faces.

When I describe the perfect hostess, I have Charming J as a role model.

Teacher's workshop

Time to extend the teacher's toolbox.

Proposal

I had forgotten how difficult proposals can be. I'm not proposing marriage (not sure whether that would be easier or even more tricky) but rather a big training solution for a really big company. Exciting times and I'm back to my roots. Old London memories spring to mind.

Highlight of today

A lovely lunch with my lovely mum. I'm so lucky to have such a great mum. Someone you can't choose yet someone who impacts you for the rest of your life and someone who will always be part of you whatever you do. Goes for my dad too, but today it was mother-daughter lunch.

A silent thought of gratefulness.

Love story

She met him at the bar an evening when she wasn't even going to go out. Six months later they are moving in together. It happens. She was attractive before, but now she is radiant. Merveilleux!

Twentytwo hours with my English family

A surprise party that lasted for almost twelve hours. BBQ, cocktails, live music. And some rude English humour. Precious T had done a splendid job organising everything as a big secret. Then a treasured sleepover with my English goddaughter. The sweetest teenager she is. We had a long chat in bed this morning and she told me all about the summer holidays. She is so grown up at the same time as the little girl inside of her shines through. Can't wait until she is brave enough to get on the plane to come and visit me on her own in Stockholm. May be next summer...

London in two hours

What do you do? I say Harvey Nich, Westbourne Grove and coffee at 202. It's like a Cliff Hanger; the drama stops when it's getting really exciting. I have already planned for the next episode.

Now time for secret celebrations and longed for reunion!

Sunset in Spain

Work environment

Answering emails and planning is so much more pleasant from a terrace in Spain than from an office in Stockholm. I love the wireless network and working virtually. That's it for today. Time for a long walk on the beach before packing up for my following destination. The sun will probably be less generous, which will be compensated for by my lovely English family. And may be, just may be, some shopping. London next.

Bonjour

A morning that began with sun salutations to greet the sun, just the way it was intended to be. A coffee and light breakfast enclosed by the stunning view. A long run-walk combo along the beach while listening to breaking waves and scenting the soft fog from the sea. A stop to pick up some fresh bread. A swim in the pool when nobody else is around.

The royal way to start a day.

A terrace with a view

Sitting on a terrace with a glass of wine, watching how Spanish life goes by. The panoramic view offers a smörgåsbord for the greedy. Action such as paragliders in the sky and matadors in training in the practice bullring next door, surrounded by the sun setting behind the mountains and the endless sea horizon. Life in Spain caters for all sorts of entertainment.

Looking for cream?

If you want to find cream in Spain, don’t look where the rest of the cold dairy products are to be found. Apparently there is no need for Spanish cream to be kept cold. Must have something to do with the Mediterranean cows as this seems to be the case for milk as well. Then something clearly happens to the milk when it turns into yogurt and cheese, because they are found in the fridge in Spain just like in most other places.

Let's have lunch

In the last two years we have bumped into each other about four times. Every time we say "Let's meet up for lunch soon". And "Do you have my number?". Then we say "I think so, but if you have a card I might as well take one to be sure." Not so long ago I found a number of business cards from the same person.

The problem is not the number. I think we both know how to get hold of the other person. Why do we still play the let's-have-lunch-game when we clearly are not going to? It's probably because there is no quicker way to end an awkward greeting to someone you once used to know but have lost touch with. The polite way seems to be to suggest lunch. Which would be even more awkward. Which is probably why it never happens.

The spontaneous lobster

"Why don't you come over for some lobster and champagne?"

Nice one. Not an offer I get every Friday evening. Especially welcome after hours on the unglamorous train from Gothenburg. Sometimes life is fair. It kind of knew what I needed to get the balance right between glitter and dullness.

Banana feeding technique and birth order

Somehow she manages to be completely present in the conversation at the same time as she feeds the baby with a banana without hardly looking at him. My lovely friend with three lovely children. The banana feeding technique is a skill she has practiced for the last five years. With number three it is possibly the lack of adult conversation that drives the need to make the baby understand that he can't have her full attention all the time. He is used to sharing her and he doesn't seem to take it personally.

No wonder we grow up with different characteristics following the birth order. The first baby being given the full attention all the time. The household is practically run by the first born. Until there is a number two. And a number three. The roles change, different group dynamic and from a chaotic situation the new conditions are slowly settling in. A family striving for harmony, balance and efficient team work in a perfect match. Family FIRO.

Conference break