Nani to hospital

Today we finally got around to take Nani to hospital for sterilization.
Everything worked like a charm. A small hole on the side of the belly and that's it.
No medicine, no bandages or annoying, old fashion plastic funnel.
Now she is sound asleep next to her person in life, Nicholas.
She was more anxious than usual going in the taxi.

Finally she settled down in Leya's lap.

Nicholas was heartbroken when we left Nani at the surgery table.

Rain

I'm the kind of person who loves rain. As long as you can stay indoors, that is.
We rarely have rain here during winter time, so it was a strange, but cozy, feeling when it started raining today.
It's been three months since the last rain so it was about time.
A rainy view of the neighbour's garden from our bedroom.

Crochet by Anna

My friend Anna has made beautiful creations from vintage saris.
A bowl...

A mat...

Visit her Pinterest here and her blog here. (Sorry, but it's in Swedish).

Update from the movie shoot

I never went to the shoot. Since Leya went home with Eva, Nicholas and I ate an amazing dinner just the two of us.
Marianne had a lot to tell when she came home after a long day. She was so tired.
She was singled out for a scene and the 150 Nepalese extras thought she was a movie star.
She was dressed by a stylist in clothes from 1996.

You could never tell this is Jake Gyllenhaal. A beard and a baseball cap is a perfect disguise for him.

This is how he looks like without the beard.

And this is Josh Brolin.

According to Marianne they looked much shorter in real life, like celebrities always seem to do.
Today I found these news. Hilarious!

Movie shoot

Tomorrow Marianne will be an extra at the Kathmandu airport for the movie shoot based on the book "Into thin air".
Please read more about the fim here.
Keep an eye open for the coming movie "Everest". Maybe you will see Marianne.
I will probably go there tomorrow afternoon to see if I can get star strucked by Jake Gyllenhaal and Josh Brolin.
My mom took this photo of Mount Everst when she and my mother-in-law flew to us from Delhi.

Birthday party

Today it was our landlord Santi's birthday so we were invited to the roof top "restaurant" serving delicious Newari food.
Here you can read more about Newari food.
Marianne and the birthday kid Santi.

Shopping

Today we've been to town working and shopping.
Happy Marianne found these beautiful bead bracelets that are made by women who, for some reason, can't leave their home to get a job.
This company goes to their house with the material and that way they can earn their own money.

If someone is interested in buying these bracelets, just let me know.

School

Leya loves to play "mam mam" or school as we say and this time Angel was a very good student.

Marianne

Yesterday our dear friend Marianne came to us for the fourth time. Two times in Delhi and now the second time in Nepal.
She came straight from Thailand where she spent Christmas and New Year.
She is planning a trip to Bhaktapur and Nagarkot and of course, the favourite, Pokhara.
AND she is going to try for Annapurna base camp. Very brave and so typical our adventurous Marianne!

Cute dog in a box

This is one of our street dog friends. She managed to fit in an old box outside one of many small shops in our street.

Lice

There are few things in the world I hate. I try not to hate, since it's a very destructive way of living, but I can't help myself when it comes to lice (löss).
I truly, from the bottom of my heart, hate lice!
Today Leya and I spent 4 hours in the cold bathroom. I looked through her hair almost hair by hair to catch all, very fast hiding lice and their disgusting gluey eggs.
Tomorrow Leya will take a shower with lice shampoo, that for some reason is completely natural. If it was up to me I'd shower her in some kind of poison. Just kidding! (Or not).
Then I have to keep checking her hair for several days. We have tried to find someone who could do this for us, but that person, or should I say woman, has to be skilled at the picking technique and I'm surely not.

My new best friend

I can't complain about the chilly weather, since we have warm clothes and roof over our head.
But investing (20 USD/125 kr) in this little halogen heater was the best spent money in a long time.
It's like having a sun in the bedroom.

Happy New Year!

We had a fabulous time yesterday, on New Years Eve, with our landlords and their friends on the roof top terrace.
The grills were warm fires.

One of the guests was really good at magic and Leya made big eyes when he made a coin disappear and come back.

Then we played bingo and the atmosphere was so happy and friendly I just sat there smiling, glad to be a part of the moment.

Downton Abbey

The English TV series Downton Abbey is the best series ever made.
I'm in the middle of the 4:th season and I love every minute of it.
Love, death, happiness and evil conniving. That and fabulous clothes. What else can you wish for?

Favorite place

I think all people have a few favorite places here on earth and one of mine is at the Boudhanath stupa.
There is a small coffe shop where they don't even have tables, just a few stools outside.
There Leya always eats an icecream and I drink an iced peach.
In the afternoon the sun is shining, it's near a pigeon feeding spot and people are walking around the stupa, always clockwise, mumbling the mantra "Ohm mani padme hum" with their malas, a 108 beads necklace, running through their fingers, bead by bead.
This place is a perfect spot to take a breath, relax and enjoy life.
Since we love dogs and this beautiful dog, who we have named Boudha Nani since she is a nougat colored version of our own Nani, is coming to us every time we go there the place has grown in value even more for me.
Last time we were there, just two days ago, we realised that Boudha Nani was very pregnant, so we hope she will find a warm, secluded place to give birth and bring up the little ones and next time I will buy a chocolate muffin instead of a banana.
Banana wasn't her favorite and I want to share this peacful moment with her.
Next to me sleeps Tarzan, another of our friends.

Strawberry

Today we ate strawberries, which is very strange for us since we use to eat strawberries in June in Sweden.
And we couldn't believe it! It tasted just like proper Swedish strawberries. Very taste!

Happy girl

I think Leya is the happiest girl on the planet right now.
Getting a whiteboard from Santa's wife was a huge surprise and spot on for a girl who loves to play "mam mam" (school) and beat her mom in Tic-tack-toe (tre i rad).

Merry Christmas

We wish you all a Merry Christmas!

Christmas decorations

My sister and I have completely different taste when it comes to decorating the home.
Like my mother said when she was here: "No wonder I'm a little schizo with two daughters who are so different."
This is our kitchen table with colorful Tibetan ceremonial table cloths.

And this is my sister's beautiful ginger bread house.

Fever

I'm not happy about having fever, only one day before Christmas.
I hope I feel better tomorrow and that no one else in the family catch it.

Santas in Sweden

My mom is very creative and a little crazy. In a good way.
Every holiday she comes up with new ideas and Christmas is her favorite time of year.
Her Santas this Christmas are so cute.
Santa is sitting in the kitchen with a doll in his lap, keeping mom company when she is cooking.

This is Santa's wife telling a story to her bearded (?) elf babies.
It looks as if she needs a haircut.

Distracted

My dear husband is so distracted.
The other day he looked like this:

And yesterday I found him like this when I came home from town. Apparently he know about it, but didn't care enough to turn it right.
As far as I know a V neck on the back is not in style yet. But you never know.

Puja at Boudhanath

It's really exciting to live close to Boudhanath and witness these big meetings.
Since they have the meetings outdoor, next to the stupa, we are all invited to join.
Listen to the chanting.
See Part 1 here.
So many monks and nuns had gathered for this occasion.
See part 2 here.
Here are the leaders.

You can see the hierarchy clearly. The leaders in the front, then the monks and nuns with an orange sheet and in the back they only have the marron sheets.

Christmas pottering

Every year we use to fill the kitchen table with colored papers, tinsels, fabrics, beads, glue, scissors, yes, everything you can turn in to something Chrismassy. And Christmas carols on the stereo of course.
This year I had to threaten the kids that Santa wouldn't come if they didn't come to the kitchen and create with us.
They'd rather stay in Leya's room playing school.
Kids of today!

Lucia and birthday

Yesterday, the 13:th of December we celebrated Lucia, just like we do in Sweden every year exactly that date.
Read more about it here.
Yet another holiday we celebrate without really knowing how it all started.
Anyway... It's a welcome holiday in Sweden since Lucia and her followers bring light, songs, saffron buns and ginger cookies.
We celebrate Lucia as close to the Swedish version as possible and people we meet in the streets are very surprised to see the little girls with tinsel in their hair and candles in their hands.
Here we visited a shoemaker.

The same day it's Nicholas' birthday so it's double festivities.
For some reason Nicholas is holding our neighbor's dog Blossom.

We ended our day with a fabulous buffet at Hyatt Regency Hotel. The best birthday present ever!

Magic crystal

Today Leya got her first magic crystal.
She was so happy!

Dolly

I just got the sad news that one of my dear Facebook friends died a few days ago.
I can't believe it! She was always encouraging and inspiring me with her comments.
Rest in peace, Dolly Sandhu! Our loving prayers go to her close ones who have lost a precious family member.

Tree house

When Leya was playing in this house at Fun Park,

Nicholas and I spent time in this charming tree house. Oh, I want a tree house like this!
I just have to find the perfect tree and I know it's out there waiting for me.

ebay.in

Today I've started to sign up for different sale sites in India. I'm promoting Prana nail mat in India from every angle I can find.
I had to borrow the manufacturer's bank and id information to pass all sorts of verifications.
Entering ebay.in was as difficult as I imagine taking over Pentagon is. But I did it, after too many non-happy moments.
Click here to see the Purple Prana nail mat listing.

Christmas tree

I'd promised Leya we go Christmas decoration shopping today and somehow we ended up in a narrow alley.
Deep inside, in a side street, there was this amazing Christmas shop with all decorations you could dream of. If you fancy glittery, cheap Chinese Christmas decorations that is.
For about 40 USD/250 kr we got a tree, lots of balls and Santas and everything else we desperatly needed to get the real Christmas feeling, far away from mom and her over the top Christmases.
It was so great when Leya asked if we please please could buy two and I had the money in the pocket to say: "Why don't we buy two in each color".
It sure was one happy girl in the taxi on the way home.

Plumber

We haven't had hot water in the shower for two weeks now.
This is how it works with handymen here:
You have one handyman for each area, like plumbing and electricity, and if they have gone to their remote village and are gone for a month you don't call someone else. You simply wait until they come back.
It doesn't matter how long time they are gone. You don't call someone else. You wait!

Videos from the wedding

Below you find short videos from the wedding. It will give you a more intense feeling of the people, the colors, the energies and the singing and dancing. Enjoy!

Click here for video No. 1.
Click here for video No. 2.
Click here for video No. 3.
Click here for video No. 4.
Click here for video No. 5.
Click here for video No. 6.

Suresh and Muna

Please click here to see the photos from the wedding.