Wednesday 25 February 2009

... having a pancake party!

Hej!

Sometimes I just dont know where the days go...It really doesn't feel like 10 days since I last blogged!
My Mum and Dad have gone home, and left the flat in a very good state...all my cardboard is gone, and I have lots of good practical stuff (kitchen roll holder...plastic tubs...all the things Mums and Dads are really good at!) So thank you both very much...and I miss you!

Since they have been gone I don't feel like I have done an awful lot really! I didn't do an awful lot this weekend...was my first weekend without plans and having to do stuff, so I didn't do much at all! Caught up on some sleep, played some playstation, watched some films...just had a very nice time really!

Now I don't know if you all are aware, but yesterday was shrove Tuesday...(Semla day in Sweden, or Pancake day if you are English) Semla is like a cream bun, but with a layer or marzipan like substance under the cream too...its quite nice :)
But still not a patch on Pancakes. So I had a pancake party last night! Was really nice...had a mixture of people from my team at work as well as some friends I have made while being here through a friend I knew from the UK. Was a good time had by all me thinks :)

Tomorrow I am going for some drinks with some of the guys from work, and then Friday one of my friends who is the singer in a band is playing at one of the local pubs here in Helsingborg...so I will be attending that too!
Then Saturday I am going to Lund with my friend Kerry, not for anything particular, just to have a look round I think...but should be good.

Then Sunday my girlfriend Sarah is coming out again for a few days which will be really good as I miss her lots! It will have been 3 weeks since we saw each other...and I am coming back to the UK for the weekend on the 6th, but she has some free time from Uni and flights were really cheap so she is coming to see me, then we fly back to the UK together on Friday and I come back the following Monday...so we get 8 days together :) Yay.
I also need to apologise to her, as my main valentines day present is rather late...but I think it should make up for the lateness...I got her a Wii :)
I also got her some very nice White roses delivered on valentines day, so that should be worth quite a lot. (white and not red as I know she pefers them....see, I am very nice really!)

My Swedish is coming along really well too...I think :) I have done quite a few lessons now, and am doing my verbs, adjuctives, numbers, colours and all that jazz...so thats pretty good :) And I enjoy it lots too, so thats even better!

So what I have learned this week :
I like pancakes lots
My flat can accomodate 18 people without too much trouble
I am really enjoying my Swedish lessons!
I miss my nephew James but get to see him when I get home :)
I can't wait to see Sarah!

PS. Got a Wii...so lots of fun times ahead :) And I think I deserve a very nice present in return for my very nice present!

Sunday 15 February 2009

...having an early Valentines day, and having my parents visit

Hej!

Well I guess I will start at the end of the last post...and start with Saturday 7th Feb...Kieron and Sarah's early valentines day! As we would not be with each other on the real day we decided to have Valentines a week early, and it was really nice! We didn’t do an awful lot, just really enjoyed the day together and went for a very nice meal out at night.

Kinda makes up for spending the real valentines day with my parents...! Actually, it was really nice too! Mum and Dad arrived on Friday night in Copenhagen, so I went to meet them at the airport, and we stayed in a hotel in Copenhagen centre. Saturday we then spent looking around Copenhagen...I can say it is a really beautiful place! It was cold but sunny, and walking around wasn't too bad. There is loads to see and lots of museums (we didn’t do any on this trip) so I am pretty sure I will go back. I can definitely recommend it! But...it is expensive!

So my parents are still with me today, and we spent this morning walking around Helsingborg. Its quite nice to show people around, as it makes me realise how much I do actually know about it already!

There is also a 'love and light' festival taking place in Helsingborg this week, which is basically lots of different light shows on the buildings and stuff around town, all with a 'love' theme. We didn't get a lot of time to look around, as we were tired and hungry, but I am sure I will have more to report on this later in the week :)

Wednesday this week we had an evening out with work. We went bowling, and then for drinks after that. Was a very fun evening, even if my team didn’t win...or actually even do that well! I scored 118 and then 158, so I was very happy with that :)
It also makes it easier to get to know people through a social outlet...and I think I am doing quite well!

I have also had another 3 hours of Swedish lessons, and apparently I am progressing quite well! I am still mixing up my German and Swedish, but I think it is getting less, and I am definitely able to hear more when people are talking now!

What I have learnt this week:
Copenhagen is very nice!
It is definitely worth learning the local language as soon as possible.
It is really nice to get visitors from home :)

PS, Pictures are good for remembering things you try and imagine when you don’t have it with you.

Friday 6 February 2009

...finishing off the house, and getting my UK stuff

Hej!

Well this week and a bit have been really good, and quite fun!
I have had 3 visitors since my last post...but only 2 staying with me, and also all my stuff from the UK arrived, so my apartment is feeling much more like home now. I have also built all my furniture, so went to buy some more...!

Also had a few nights out with people from work, and made more friends and all that jazz...so it really is starting to feel like I live here now...in a good way.

I do have to say a massive thank you to Sarah, as while I have been at work she got sick of looking at all my UK delivery boxes (yes, I really am that lazy that I didn't unpack my boxes for 3 days) and so unpacked my stuff! Thank you :)
I did unpack my TV though as soon as the delivery men left though, and the Playstation, so i'm not that lazy!

So the spare room is completly finished now, apart from the lights, and the same for the lounge too. Oh, but I still want a coffee table and probably a rug...but I haven't decided on that yet.

Last night we had a 'grodan' night out...I don't know why the afterwork club is named 'frog' but I guess its interesting at least! We went on one of the ferrys that cross the 'sound' (the stretch of water that seperates Helsingborg on the Swedish side and Helsingor on the Danish side) it only takes about 20 minutes for the crossing, but once you are on you can stay on as long as you like :)
So we had a meal and a few drinks, and were on there for about 3 hours, and had a very nice evening.

Weren't that many people I knew that were there, but Sarah and I managed to position ourselves opposite a very nice German lady who was happy to talk English to us all night, as well as my friends Emma and Cecilia who of course know that I know very little Swedish so were also happy to talk English...thanks guys!

Oh, and on the talking Swedish front I had my first Swedish lesson this week! It is a one on one lesson, so I actually felt like i learnt alot in the 2 hours...we covered the alphabet, numbers, months, days of the week and the good old 'Jag hetter Kieron. Vo hetter du?' (ok, so the spelling might be off, but thats how you say it!) it means my name is Kieron. What are you called? We also started on the books I will be using, so I have 3 books at home that I am trying to look at...its actually really good fun! So I might keep you updated on the staus of my Swedish too :)

So what I have learned this week:
Where you stay feels much more like home once you have your own old stuff there
I actually like learning Swedish!
I think I am going to need a car....

PS. Feel better soon, and thanks for staying so long :)