All inclusive

A party of twentysix, covering three generations, arrived in Egypt after a very early start. Now we are all equipped with a blue bracelet which gives us access to anything we like in the gated hotel community, which includes a mall of different restaurants and bars. Yes, wine and beer are also included.

Not sure where the gym is, but probably wise to find out.

The beginning

"The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do."

Apple's "Think Different" commercial, 1997

The beginning of the biography. The life, the lessons, the moments of truth. It arrived in the mail yesterday. More than sixhundred pages dedicated to the life of Steve Jobs. Timing is perfect as a week in Egypt starts tomorrow.

How to ruin relationships

One of the top ten when it comes to ruining relationships at work is the yearly budget process and allocation of central costs. There simply isn't a win-win scenario. The frustrations, the number of emails, meetings and after-meetings. Painful and draining for everybody involved. There must be another way of dealing with this.

Blog anniversary two

The second anniversary came and went, all in silence. There is a question of what happens next. When the inspiration to write here transforms into something else, when there are no more updates, when there are no more readers. Where is it then? Has the blog served its purpose? Are there more things still to come? Sometimes I wonder.

When in doubt do nothing, just give it time and it will all become clear. And then the usual everything is exactly the way it should be right now.

Short and sweet

Big family, beef stew, apple crumble, sweeping leaves and bright autumn sun. A bit of a tradition and the short and sweet summary of a lovely autumn weekend.

Chicken à la Mirva

A good motivator for cooking for friends is to buy a lot of food and store it in the fridge. Eventually you start to feel stressed as the best before date gets closer. To bin everything would be an insult to the environment and all the starving people in less fortunate circumstances. So there is really only one option: cook it all and invite someone over for dinner. Seems to work.

Not my new career

Inhale, step forward with the left leg. Exhale, follow with the right leg and deepen the forward bend. Inhale, rise while keeping the arms extended. Exhale back to mountain pose.

Probably my most frequently used vocabulary from the last couple of days. Tired of my own voice, fed up talking about the breathing that I can't do myself as I'm busy giving the instructions. It's all clear - yoga instructor is never going to be my full time job.

Wondering what Kate is up to?

Apparently designing jewellry. Must say I prefer this over the so so Top Shop collection. What's next? Don't think she has given singing a go yet.

A day of snapping

Stupid questions, undeserved criticism, annoying complaints without substance and unrealistic expectations. Snap, snap, snap! I'm impressing myself with my sharp snapping technique. Until the boomerang effect kicks in and it comes right back at me. The sour aftertaste of snapping is as pleasant as the morning breath the day after bottles of wine and cloves of garlic...

Note to self: Hello! You can choose your attitude and control your mood.

Just looking

Some things don't change

The station staff at High Street Ken are still around after more than five years. At least one lady who always used to work during rush hours. I guess London Underground knows how to look after their employees.

Breakfast at Baker & Spice

Belgravia favourite.

Tabloid highlights

The celebrity way (read Gwyneth, Elle and of course Kate) to prove they haven't got to the grey-hair-age is to show black roots on an otherwise blonde head. Really, if it was a real re-growth it would be grey. But no. Rather than fixing the roots to match the rest of the fake colour, they fake it twice according to a reliable source.

This important piece of news was uncovered in today's Daily Mail. Together with other important news such as how to get out of a car the Royal way. Knees together, pushing your Royal self out sideways.

English bedrooms

This morning I woke up in a New England styled bedroom. The conference hotel is no doubt sponsored by Gant and it was tempting to pack the bathrobe before checking out. Tomorrow I will wake up in an Old England styled bedroom. Change of bags and notebooks and off to airport. London - I'm coming!

Strategy conference

In an environment which encourages big thinking.

The first hours of the day

Perhaps the best time of day. Or may be the second best. An hour at a favourite café with the perfect latte, freshly squeezed orange juice and a delicious sandwich. An hour to observe, reflect, catch up on emails and possibly write something creative to my new web site. If this is second best, then the best hour was between seven and eight together with my yoga group. They are so receptive and the atmosphere they create in the room is like velvet for the soul. Such a rewarding feeling to guide them through the early hour of the morning and to see their relaxed, smiling faces when they leave the room to start the rest of the day.

Someone said that you teach yoga for you and you do your own practice for your pupils to have something to give back. There is something to it.

December city weekend plans in progress

I have a few European capitals left before I can say I have done them all. Perhaps the most surprising 'capital gap' is Berlin. Now there is a possibility that the gap will be addressed before the end of the year. A week before Christmas I guess all capitals are pretty, even the ones I have turned down for the last two decades.

Walk and talk

Four hours and two walks, one following the other. The second walk covered challenging decisions when it comes to work and career. The first walk covered everything but. Two lovely friends who can listen and engage in discussions that matters. New angles and input on questions I have pondered for a while.

Tired feet but lighthearted. A silent thought of gratefulness for having such lovely friends.

Unforgettable

For some unexplained reason, today I picked up a book which is one in a pile lying by the telly to hide an ugly cable. The book was 'Unforgettable places to see before you die' by Steve Davey. I opened it and found that one of the places Davey suggests is Lake Titicaca in Peru. I have been there. It's some time ago now but I remember its beauty and deep colours. Like someone has played with photoshop and boosted the colours a bit too much. But it's real.

Some of my memories from Lake Titicaca were great learnings although I didn't really enjoy the experiences when they happened.

On the night bus from Cusco, where we ended our trekking of the Inca trail, to Puno, the gate to Lake Titicaca, I lost a bag. I can't remember what was in the bag, except for my travel diary and all my films from having travelled around South America for three weeks. Photos from the Galapagos Islands, Quito and mount Cotopaxi, the Inca Trail and Machu Picchu, Lima and you name it. All to be developed back home, all kept safe (I thought) in a small bag inside the bus as opposed to in the big backpack in the bus storage. In my naivety I didn't keep the bag on my lap but rather put it on the shelf above my head. Somewhere between Cusco and Puno someone left the bus together with my bag. Five or six undeveloped films never turned into the beautiful and memorable photos I had hoped and the likelihood that anyone on the Peruvian countryside ever read my Swedish travel diary is probably close to zero.

After some time, I learned that my memories and my experience of a fantastic trip didn't sit in the photos nor in a diary but inside of me. Seeing the pictures of the rare animals on the Galapagos islands in Davey's book (yes, he also suggests that the Galapagos islands should be visited before you die), I can smell the sea and the air and I remember how close we got to all the amazing animals who didn't see human beings as natural enemies. I remember the group we travelled with, I remember how we had to wash our shoes not to bring sand or earth from one island to the next. And more than anything I remember the sensation of swimming with sea lions.

Another memory was my constant altitude sickness. It started on the Inca Trail and got progressively worse as we stayed for a few days in Puno by Lake Titicaca. I mistook it for a tummy bug and tried to treat it as such. Swollen, sick and tired. Impossible to eat much at all, I lost more weight than I needed. Back at sea level in Lima, I returned to normal and I had learned that my body doesn't agree with heights. Lake Titicaca sits 3 800 meters above sea level.

A trip that I will always remember. One part I did with my sister, the other part with a girlfriend who is no longer in my life. Why? Some things are hard to understand and may be they are not meant to be understood.

Steve Jobs in our lifes

I think a majority of blogs today will address the world's loss of Steve Jobs in one way or another. The reminder of who he was and what he did is on our laps and in our hands. It would feel disrespectful to pick up the MacBook and not dedicate a silent moment to the great person he was.

Steve Jobs made a difference and had an impact that changed how we use technology as part of our daily lifes. Our iPhones, iPads, iPods and MacBooks are probably as present in our lifes as our friends and family. Without them we are naked and alone.

So although we don't actually know him, there is a big empty space which he used to occupy.

Shop shop

It doesn't happen very often that I walk into H&M's flagship store without finding anything to buy. It happened today. Nothing looked attractive. Not even the elastic hair bands. I left rather disappointed but perhaps also relieved. This means I'm allowed more shopping in London next week... I can't imagine walking into any of my favourite shops on Westbourne Grove, Kings Road or Highstreet Ken and leave empty-handed. I would say the not-shopping-risk when in London is close to zero.

Mothering the body

The kidneys are the mothers of the body. They continue giving when there is nothing more to give. So to do the Butterfly yoga pose is a gift to the kidneys to restore their energy and strength. One of many things we learnt in this evenings class with my favourite teacher.

Peeking into another world

I was trusted with the task to collect a gorgeous Princess from nursery today. The playground in the park on the way back home proved to be a whole new experience. The Princess knew her way around and enough people to have a good time and all I had to do was to follow.

Lunch time

Mashed apples

Every year I have this idyllic dream that I will collect tons of apples, spend a weekend in the kitchen with a pretty apron and make lovely mashed apples and all sorts of apple cakes. The fridge will then be loaded with sweet vitamins that can be defrosted and enjoyed when needed the most. Every year the dream stays a dream and I end up buying the mashed apples in the grocery store. Mashed apples which probably contain as much preservatives and other unwanted additives as they contain apples.

This year the dream was realised. With the exception of the pretty apron. The freezer is now filled with one hundred percent organic mashed apples and my urge to spend time cooking is gone.

A milestone

The start of the rest of the journey.