I shall pass through this world but once....

I have neglected you terribly. No posts published and no comments on your posts either for quite a long time. As you could read in my last post time is playing tricks on me. Don’t know what’s happening. Is it a world wide conspiracy? Is there actually 22 hours instead of 24 now? I seem to be running faster and gasping for air …..I do funny and interesting things most of the time so I am not really complaining about that but oh how I long for some “reading and cup of tea time” lying on my sofa. And how about some chocolate too while I am at it! Come to think of it, last weekend was of the sofa and chocolate variety…..

I spent a lovely weekend with friends in Stockholm. Dear friends! Spending time with them is like being held in a warm hug. Or entering a world full of warmth and joy of living. They mean a lot to me and I miss them terribly when I am not there. Such friends are rare!

We spent saturday walking about town in the beautiful autumn weather. I had my camera with me of course....

We strolled about town looking at people....and inside the occasional shop of course. Speaking of shops. I have admired my friends beautiful Kilim pillows and carpets for a long time and this weekend she had promised me a visit to the carpet salesman. Oh joy! My only experience of oriental carpets was reading the childrens book about Ture Sventon as a child. In the book is a carpet salesman called Mr Omar and he gives Ture Sventon a flying carpet….. In the book Mr Omar is a very strict person wearing a fez. So you can imagine what I was expecting.

Mr Omar and Ture Sventon


But when meeting the salesman in the flesh so to speak it was love at first sight. So much love that I will dedicate a whole post entirely to him. In a very near future… And of course I fell in love with the carpets and pillows too and had to buy me one. More about that in the next post too.

I will show you inside the shop really soon....

Yesterday they presented this years Nobel prize winner in literature. Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio. As always it makes me feel quite stupid. Through the years the times I have heard the author in questions name before are rare and read an actual book even rarer. Suddenly all newspapers are full of articles about the authors fantastic work and I can’t help wonder why I haven’t heard about him before. If he is that fantastic? And every year I say to myself “you really must read one of the books” and every year I end up not doing so. How come? I read a lot. And I mean a lot. But not the right books apparently.

Right now I am reading a book that made a real impact on me. It’s an autobiography written by Anders Andersson who is 83 years old and who started out as a pig farmer in the south of Sweden and after his retirement ended up in France growing olives. He started an art gallery on his pig farm just because he loved art and his firm belief is that everything is possible. This all sounds a bit corny and the book really isn’t that well written but it is breathing life! And hope! And the joy of being happy and still curious of life at the age of 83. And it’s not only that he himself is living a good life but he tries to makes other peoples life good to. Not by being a “do-gooder” or doing charity work but by being there and being someone you can count on!

I went to listen to him reading his book a while ago. And that too was love at first sight. Wow! Such a charming man! And good looking! A journalist asked him what the secret of a good life was

- Don’t surround yourself with grumpy people! he answered. The rest is just down to good genes.

That’s says quite a lot about the man himself doesn’t it?

There is a quote in the book that sort of sums it all up and it makes me cry every time I read it. It says:

I shall pass through this world but once.

Any good thing therefore that I can do or any kindness

I can show to any human being let me do it now.

Let me not defer it or neglect it

for I shall not pass this way again

One day when I am gone – in hopefully many years to come – I hope that I have lived my life just like that!

Take care

Jeanette