I just bought Babyliss hotsticks from eBay, for less than half the price I had found them in Sweden. What I forgot was that british plugs and swedish ones aren't the same. So tomorrow I will have to buy an adapter.

Today, when it was a bit cooler - only 20-25 C - we went to a lake for a swim. This is on the way home. I think I posted a photo with Vendela and Valeria climbing that tree too.




This time Maja wanted to "climb" too.

It had all the required pieces and was easy to put up - yay!

Now we're going out to try putting up the new pavillion. I hope it goes smoothly.

I don't have the software that I need to get better screenshots, but I think you can make out the vital parts of my new dream project (after I've finished pimping my 16th century dresses and made my husband's new ca 1300 outfit). It's Betty Grable's yellow suit from Pin-up girl.




I love everything with it: the colours, the little jacket with its shoulder pads and lining from the same fabric as the blouse. The blouse, which may be a peasant top or only be gathered in the front. The gored skirt with it's wide waistband with a notch in the middle, like on my green tartan skirt, though smaller.

I was totally exhausted when I returned from the wild forests east of Gothenburg, where Valeria, her dad, his youngest and I had gone to pick up Vendela from her riding camp. But after bribing Vendela (with chocolate) to go buy lots of chocolate for all of us I feel that I have got some of my energy back.

30 degrees C outside, a little warmer inside, lots of pain and a slight hangover. But I'm reading Joan Thirsk's 1988 book Economic Policy and Projects about economy and consumption in 16th and 17th century England.

I had a really weird romantic, vageuely erotic dream about a friend tonight. Now I'm trying to remember the details and why that person was so interesting in the dream.
I was good in the dream though, and went home to my husband instead of going to his place with the rest of the gang

The pride of Sunderland:




( More )

Or maybe they do and I don't know about it. In any case it was lovely strolling down the main street yesterday, listening to this song - made me feel young again.

Well, you all know that already. 28-30 C/82-86 F both out of doors and indoors is just too much. (No, we don't have A/C in private homes in Sweden, but then we don't emit close to 20 000 kilos of CO2 per capita either, despite long distances and a cold climate.)
It would have been nicer if our house didn't retain heat so well, but it was built fairly soon after the oil crisis in the 1970s so it's very well insulated and built to store heat. But I'll get use to it, or at least more used to it.

I may die from an overdose of panna cotta. I've just been to my friend Kristian's birthday party and I am sooo full.

Maja got better during yesterday and though I was dog tired after a night that mostly consisted of holding a bucket for her I survived the day. I even had some pleasant interaction with our house guests: three teenagers who are stying with us over the weekend because they're going to a festival here in town. One of them is my cousin's stepdaughter and then it's her boyfriend and a friend of theirs. I've met the stepdaughter and boyfriend briefly once before, but they are all very nice and perfect house guests.
After Rickard came home from work I went to a shoe sale at a shop that sells comfortable shoes, most of them suitable for my special insoles. I got these for approx. 135 dollars/82 pounds. They're all leather and made in Europe (= no child labour and reasonable wages and working conditions).







The white ones I bought mainly to wear with 16th century clothing. I ralize that the rubber soles are all wrong, but I like the uppers so much. They had similar, very 16th century looking ones in red and black too.

The day that started out so nicely ended badly - Maja got a really high temperature and started being sick. Lots of times; in fact as soon as she drank something and in between that too. So I've been half awake most of the night - she fell in a deeper sleep around 5.30 and then we woke at 9, which was nice.
She still has a temperature and she was sick after drinking water in the morning. Now, however, it was one and a half hours since she drank some squash (she needs the energy) and she hasn't been sick yet.
But in all this I forgot to cancel a lunch date I had today, with another fashion researcher. I hope she's not upset. I have now sent her a message on facebook, but that's half an hour too late.

Instead of working today I first went to the police to get a new ID-card and a new passport (since my ID expired last summer and my passport is almost falling a part and I need some kind of identification), then some shopping (medicines, sewing notions) before my mum took me and Maja to the lake.

After the bath:



And then I went to work to prepare for the move next week.

I am about to expose my own lack of pop cultural knowledge, by saying that I had never seen Gentlemen prefer blondes until yesterday (OK, knowledge isn't the right word, since I knew all about, but I hadn't seen it). I had no idea it was such a great film. But, in any case, what really surprised me was this homo erotic dance number. In 1953? Hollywood?



I adore Jane Russell in this film.

1. I can buy thin wool from herzeloyde for Rickard's tunic.
2. I just made a new, fitting pattern for a coif for Rickard. Unlike the old one it doesn't depend on pleating at the neck to make it work.

I really, really want to make little 1940s hats - any suggestions for instructions patterns etc. are very welcome.
Not tha I can make hats right now, I have to finish the last part of my master's test by making a tunic, a surcoat and a new coif for Rickard. In like two weeks. Unfortunately I don't have any wool that I want to use at home.

The increased arthritic pain was apparently the first signals of more illness - I feel a cold coming on and will probably stay home today. Maybe rest and tea will cure it.

I found this shoe store through a forum I recently joined. They have lovely ladies' shoes in size 8,9 and 10 (UK sizes). Unfortunately they only deliver to the UK and Ireland, but for UK ladies with big feet and UK gents who like to wear women's shoes there might be something you want there.