Lollipops school

As you probably know Leya is not going to school right now and we have waited for the universe to send a suitable school our way.
We are tired of the high pressure, non-Nepali speaking schools with huge classes with the only focus on exams results.
The other day the principal of a new school bought paint in our landlords' paint shop and they started talking.
Our landlords' son realised that Lollipops school could be a good school for Leya and today we visited the school.
For one year they have had lower classes in the small house with the garden full of toys and coming year, the Nepalese new year starts in the middle of April, they will start with the classes 1 to 5.
They let the kids play, they are allowed to speak Nepali, they will pick Leya up right outside our house with the school van, they provide breakfast, lunch and snacks and the classes will be small, at most 12 students in each class.
For the first time in months Leya was excited to go to school and it was so nice to see her laying in the grass and throwing the basket ball in the school yard.
The first year the admission fee is free and naturally the classes will be even smaller since their school program is new.
This is good for Leya since she is in a period in her life when she feels a little insecure and don't like to be in big groups of kids.
This is the kind of small, family-like school we have been looking for and finally we found it.

Plane crash

From an early spring to the coldest days this winter. What just happened?
Yesterday a plane crashed outside of Pokhara. The first report says it crashed because of bad weather.
All 18 people on the plane died since they had nowhere else to go but crash land in the jungle.
Since 2010 it has been six plane crashes with at least 97 people killed.
The pilots don't have adekvat education to fly in the extreme conditions you find in Nepal and many of the airports are located in narrow valleys.
I would never recommend anyone to fly domestic in Nepal.
God bless their souls!

Rain

After a long winter and months of dry weather we finally got some rain.
I just love to fall asleep to the soothing sound of rain.
Now it's definately weather change towards warmer temperatures, even though it's rather cold right now and the heater has given up for this winter.

Prayer flag print

If you think that everything is made by high tech machines this will show you how most things are made here in Nepal.
I suppose you have seen the Buddhist prayer flags.
They come in thousands and thousands, especially in the area where we live around the Buddhist Boudhanath stupa.

We have found a man that is sitting in his small shop printing flags all day long and he gave me an idea.
I think the prayers are so beautiful. I have no idea what they say, but they feel soothing and peaceful.
Why not print on fabric and make, for example, cushion covers? So I cut a few pieces of old saris I had at home, I have a few as you can imagine, and went to him today.
He smiled and thought I was a complete lunitic, but he printed them for me.
First he rolled black color at the block print laying in front of him.

He put the fabric on the block print.

Then he rolled the fabric like a dough.

Voilá! Fantastic result!
Here is a print with prayers and LungTa, the Windhorse.

And here is Tara, who is a Buddhist diety.

Winter olympics

For a Swede the olympic games are a natural part of your life.
Yesterday we watched the crosscountry skiing sprint with three Swedes, of six, in the mens final.
When a Norwegian, a Swedish and a Russian fell in a curve, down hill we screamed so loud I think we scared our neighbors.
There is actullay one Nepalese competitor. Last winter olympics he ended up in the 92:nd place in crosscountry skiing. Fingers crossed he'll do better this time.
And how did this final end?
We were beaten by a Norwegian, we always want to beat the Norwegians, and came on second and third place. We snatched the third place thanks to the fall.

Chopsticks

Today we ate at a Chinese restaurant and Leya tried eating with chopsticks.
Frankly neither Nicholas or I had any hope for her to succeed since we both have tried several times and failed.
We couldn't believe it when she she picked up the food and ate it like she had used chopsticks all her life.
She even asked if we could buy a pair and when we asked the restaurant they were kind to give her her very first chopsticks.
When we came home she ate a can of corn with her new cutlery.
It's sure great moments like this you want to look back to and remember when Leya grows up.

Japanese films

Leya and I have found our common passion for Japanese animated films.
They are beautifully made and the stories are amazing.
Our favorite so far is Howl's moving castle. Watch the trailer here to get an idea of what we love so much.
We can also recommend:
My neighbor Totoro
Arrietty
Laputa: Castle in the Sky
Wolf children

Leya - our little designer

Leya has designed her first dress!
I must say the Barbie movies are encouraging and not at all stupid. Which I thought until I saw one.
Thanks to Barbie, Leya is full of confidence and excitement to design her own clothes.
She draws the clothes, buys the fabric and goes to the local tailor in our street to have it made.
See the film here from when she went to the tailor.
Here is the final result:

We are so lucky to live in a country where it's actually affordable to make your own dress:
Fabric 5 USD/35 kr
Making charge 1 USD/7 kr
The dress was so cheap to make that I of course paid some extra.
Today we bought fabric for the next dress. Very exciting!

Wedding party

This evening we were invited to a "small" wedding dinner just one minute walk from home.
During the wedding seasons we could probably go to the party palace every evening and eat. No one would question what we were doing there.
Becoming wedding crashers would definitely be an option. At least when it's time for me to cook dinner.
Mamma Mia! So many guests! The whole neighborhood was there.
One big outdoor hall...

And one big indoor hall.

Lots of food, free icecream and open bar.

The wedding couple is sitting on the stage the whole party receiving congrats and gifts.

This is the groom's parent's house at night. So beautiful!

Making malas

Today I went to Boudha to design malas for our new customer Kelly in Australia.
I had good help from these guys.

Angel came with me.

Wedding band

Even though we've lived in India and here for more than four years now, I don't think we'll ever get used to the wedding party bands and their loud noise.
This morning we were brought back to this world with trumpets and drums and they didn't play the same tune. They kept on for hours.
You are welcome to listen here.
Well, well. We know the groom, who lives two houses down the road. He owns the small coffee shop at Boudhanath where I love to spend time with an iced peach drink and watch people walking around the stupa in the sunset.
We ran in to him yesterday and he invited us to the wedding dinner on Thursday.

Sunday buffet lunch

The absolutely best way to spend a Sunday afternoon is with a buffet, an outdoor warm, soothing jacuzzi and a long, hot shower at Hyatt Hotel.
I love dessert!

Portrait

I must say he captured her dreamy gaze.
Leya wants it framed in a pink frame. Not surprising at all since pink is her color at the moment.

Face sketch

When Leya and I went to Boudhanath today, to continue the festivities, we past a sketch artist who sat there all alone.
On his handmade sign he had crossed over 300 rs (3 USD/20 kr) and written 200 rs (2 USD/15 kr) instead.
His business was clearly not in demand, so I sat down Leya in the chair and asked him to sketch her.
A few minutes later people were gathering around Leya and when we left he had customers lining up to get their face painted.
Curious about the sketch? Well, check in tomorrow and I'll show you.

Happy Lhosar!

Today the Lhosar festival began.
It's a three day Buddhist New Year celebration. Read more about it here.
It's a little bit confusing since some Buddhists celebrate now and Tibetan Buddhists celebrate losar in about a month.
I had the pleasure to buy a cup of coffee to an Ani, Ani means Tibetan nun, but she has no teath so she didn't want anything to eat.
Ani and Ani, two ladies meeting over a cup of coffee.

Chocolate mousse

We have found the best chocolate mousse in the world at Roadhouse Café at Boudhanath.
Leya had her first today and I ate it for the third time.
A milk coffee and this tasty chocolate mousse is truly a match in heaven.

Blessings

Today we sent wooden malas, a necklace with 108 beads, to a customer in USA.
As usual, when I have the chance, I blessed them at a holy gate at Boudhanath.

Baby

Today we got the fantastic news that my little brother Suresh and Muna, who got married last November, are pregnant.
He's in complete shock since it wasn't planned, but I'm super happy to have a baby in the family.
Suresh wants a boy, like most Nepalese parents, since the oldest son will take care of the parents when they get old.
I hope it will be a girl, so I can buy these cute dresses we took photos of today, to update our Alibaba site with news for Spring/Summer 2014.

Weather change

The weather change towards spring is here.
That also means fever and cold, so we are taking it slow for a few days.
Both Nicholas and I are under the weather, but we'll be fine.

Bhutanese political prisoners

We are buying handmade, natural incenses from a Bhutanese man and last time I went to his shop I saw these bags.
The adorable handbags are double sided, hand (I really mean HAND) embroidered by Bhutanese political prisoners. By both women and men.
This kind man had bought the bags unseen just to support these people who has been imprisoned for speaking their mind about democracy.
Coming from Sweden, a land ruled by the people, it's difficult to fully understand how it's like to live in a country where you will be thrown to jail for at least 15 years for speaking up.
Let me know if you want to buy one the bags and support these brave people.

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.