I went early this morning to have blood taken for tests, in conjunction with my next dose of Zessly on Thursday. It was the first medical appointment that I’ve had since my last dose on June 25. I’ve been so used to dealing with medical issues, that this long in-between stretch caught me by surprise. Hoping it continues this way with big long gaps of nothing happening medically with my body.
It’s the first day of a 2-week vacation if you don’t count the weekend. I’m taking it pretty easy today (after having to set that early morning alarm on my first day off!). I’ve read a bit, played some iPad games, worked on the jigsaw puzzle that Lisa gave me, gone through and cleaned out cabinets, drawers, and closets in the study, moose bathroom, and the dining room; emptied the dishwasher, handwashed dishes, and had lunch. The annual Flyinge flea market is coming at the end of this month, and I want to make sure that I’ve gone through the house and removed things to donate to it. And in the spirit of multi-tasking, I’m listening to Spotify’s Discover Weekly while writing this post.
Karin and I texted back and forth yesterday and this morning, and we now have movie tickets to see The Odyssey on Friday at the IMAX in Copenhagen. The show is at 2:15 pm, because the 6 pm show only had seats left right up in the front (no thank you) or decent seats at the 9:45 pm (!!) show, which I said no to. Going to see a 3-hour movie that starts at a quarter to 10 at night would have meant getting home at 2 am. Double no thank you. She and I also decided on a date for me to go to Copenhagen and do a secondhand shopping expedition in Copenhagen with her next week.
Yesterday, Debbie came over to hang out in the afternoon and have dinner with us. I had invited her on Friday but told her any day this past weekend was fine and she came yesterday after her kids left. I was actually surprised she was willing, because she had her kids there for 2 weeks and I would have thought she she would just want to relax and be a slug. But I was very glad she came, it was lovely to just hang out and chat, and show off our garden. Anders hung out with us for a while on the deck as well. I served a big appetizer tray with prosciutto rolls, manchego and brie cheese and crackers, raspberries, strawberries, and the last tiny bowl of our cherries.
It was a beautiful day yesterday, sunny most of the time and a perfect temperature. Today is the same, and I hope the rest of my vacation continues in this vein. During the morning, Anders pickled two more jars of our cucumbers, and made 2 small jars of cherry marmelade. He had already made a jar of cherry chutney, and I think he has pickled 6 jars full now. He was in charge of dinner as well, which we very much appreciated. He marinated chicken breasts in yogurt and grilled them, and served roasted potatoes, onions, and carrots (all from our garden!) with the cherry chutney and a crème fraîche sweet chili sauce. I added little side salads of spinach and cucumber (again, from our garden). For dessert, we finished off the yummy almond cake that Lisa and Meghan brought us. Debbie was super happy about the big batch of pasta salad I had made for her to take home, and Anders gave her a jar of pickles as well!
I’ve written a big list of each room and the things to go through and clean out. And in the course of the first 2 rooms, I have already added a few other items to the to-do list. Found the handles for the cabinet in the dining room that has been missing them for 30 years (!) and took out all the paper money in various currencies that we have had sitting in a container to take to Forex and see if I can exchange them. I also have to swing by Flyinge plantshop and get a gift certificate before Saturday, and I’ve texted Carys to set a date for me to bring her the AIC supplies and drinks left over from the Independence Day party.
The other night Anders was flipping through channels and ended up on an old 70s movie with Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn. The Swedish title was something weird, so I looked it up, and discovered it was Foul Play, which was a favorite movie of mine when I was a teenager, after I saw in the theater in 1978. Watching it now, I was struck by how full of sexual innuendo and casual misogyny it was, because all of that certainly went over my young teenage head. Goldie Hawn was mesmerizing. She was SO pretty and funny and engaging, and her hair was quite frankly something to watch all on its own, haha! Chevy Chase was quite good-looking in a sort of goofball way, and Brian Dennehy was in it too. I always liked him, he seemed to be everywhere when I was growing up, but looking at the list of movies and shows he was in, I wonder, because most of it was stuff I’ve never watched. Strangely enough, just now a song by Kate Hudson (Goldie’s daughter) just came up on Discover Weekly and I liked it so I added it to my playlist.
What room should I do next? I have a feeling I will need a nap sometime soon. I didn’t sleep well, had very intense weird dreams and woke up so early after staying up pretty late. I told Karin to come home if she wanted to help when I get to her room. Martin too, but he’s so busy right now, training as a manager while his boss is on vacation, and his 2 best friends are in town for a short time too, so I suspect looking through his closet and bookshelf is the last thing he wants to be bothered with. I told Anders I wanted him to go through his clothes as well and he just groaned. I’ve already done a quick scan of mine, and put a few things in a donation bag. I had started looking at books, but they’re so hard. I want to sit and read every one of them. 😀
Mood: relaxed
Music: Kate Hudson—Talk About Love