Linnéa Nordlund & Quick Quest

Happy Birthday Mathias, 42 days early!

Mathias found a jacket he really liked, so I bought it for him as an early birthday present. It's gorgeous!!! Bought at Brothers for 2495 SEK,

Yesterday me and Mathias went to Trosa to visit his parents at the country house in Trosa, a pitoresque little town one hour south of Stockholm.
We ate some dinner, drank some tea and coffee, Mathias helped out building on the shed and I talked a lot to his mom. I really like his parents :)

Me and Vasara did some jumping again yesterday! I put a combination with two obstacles and then built a mini-course with the obstacles. It was so much fun!!

Yesterday I spent one hour polishing, brushing cleaning my shoes. I also cleaned out and re-organized the shoe-closet.

Yesterday was a big day for the mares - the were moving in to a new, much bigger, pasture and Vasara was to move in too. And to top it of, there are 4 really hot boys in the pasture next to them...
They went berserk; galloped around and around, bucking, Vasara stood on her hind legs.... They were so happy. I couldn't even bring her in when it was time to ride, they were still too happy and crazy.

I know we've heard all about it during the Olympics, but I just cant stop thinking about it. And in case YOU missed it, or forgot it:

http://www.pawnation.com/2014/02/14/us-olympian-tries-to-save-sochi-stray-dogs

Followed by:
http://www.pawnation.com/2014/02/20/olympic-athletes-rescue-sochi-stray-dogs/

Finally bought a new pair of shoes I can wear this spring. I love them!!

Yesterday we made home made waffles and hard bread! It was so cozy cooking together.

Everyone knows I love Michael kors. Enough said. Give me the bag!!

$358 HERE

Lukas - The World's Smartest Horse - 2009

I've found such a funny old tv-show from 1974, called "till häst" - "in the saddle". It's an edicational show in 13 parts made by Swedish publish service tv aimed towards being a riding school through tv. 
The bad quality film, the terrible voice overlay, the clothes... It's so funny. But the information in it is pretty good!!

My rib has been cracked back into place - amazing I'm so relieved and can breath again! It was so painful to put it back into place, 10 of my vertebraes snapped back and it sounded like we were shooting guns. But it was worth it!
I have a bad headache too and have been working from home today too. So tired, it's exhausting to be in pain!

This beautiful bridle from Claridge House makes me drool. Only 649 at Hööks.

This morning I went to the chiropractor again, but something went very wrong during the treatment; I didn't relax enough during a really scary thing which made it go wrong and one of my ribs got misplaced.... I was in so much pain and couldn't move and cried. We cracked it back into place but couldn't manage to fix it completely because the muscles around the rib was working against us.
So I had to go home, with orders to lay on my back all day and come back tomorrow for an emergency appointment to crack it back into place. 
I still don't know how I made it home, just breathing in hurts so bad. I'm just lying in the couch right now, working on my pc connected to the tv. 
God I hope we can fix this tomorrow, and lucky for me it's Monday so Pia takes care of Vasara.

This is one of my absolute favorite jumping exersices.

It trains both speed cntrol, steering, distancing and makes the horse more sensitive to your command.

Build two obstacles, and after jumping the first one, make a circle to either the right or left side before approaching the second obstacle.

Spent all afternoon with mom, just talking, relaxing and of course eating her delicious enlish steak. 
It's been just great and I was sorry to go home, although it's always nice to get home to Mathias!
Since mom's living so close now I'll be able to visit her more often.

Today was anther great riding day. I knew the arena was booked for trail training, and figured I'd ride outside or in the arena and keep out of their way. But then I spoke a bit to the ladies and asked what exactly they were going to do, and it sounded like the perfect training and like so much fun so I decided to join them.
When I got tithe arena I turned out they were serious, they had so much material and had built 8 different stations, everything from opening and closing gates from horse back and having the horse step up on wooden blocks to pole bending and walking on plastic covers.
We had the best time, it was so much fun and Vasara did really well! The ladies told me that she was so much calmer and braver than most other horses trying it out for the first time, which was great to hear.
I'm definitely gonna join them next time too!!

To visit mom and have Sunday dinner!

Just woke up from a dream where a jumping trainer told me that Vasara had a one degree limping on her front legs, and that "in a competition that will be three degrees, one plus two as a whole" and that I would never be able to sell her and that she had some vet I had to contact because "you can't leave here like this!".
I hate to dream things like this, the feeling follows me all day and ruins everything.

Had to cancel the trip to England with mom over Easter - I can't get rid of my 4 shifts at the stable. Such bad luck that I got so many these 4 single days. 
Disappointed. But we can always go another time.

Spring is coming.

Me and Vasara did some jumping today, and it was glorious! I was so euphoric afterwards and filled with hope and purpose again.
Since this was the first jumping we've done since something like July last year, we took it very easy. We warmed up with a small cross before building a tiny 55 centimeter fence. 
We jumped approx 10 times and I my suspicion that Vasara would be hard to control due to overjoy did not come true, she did well and was attentive, though alert and energetic!
I think this was great for both of us, to finally get going again and feeling that it worked and her hind legs was ok. I will try to spend one day a week jumping from now on.
So happy!!

Just finished reading the fifth pretty little liars book, wicked.
Spoiler warning below for people only watching the tv-show!

Aria is not doing much except for flirting with a guy at an art gallery, only to find out that he's his mothers internet date. The guy is hitting on aria as well as dating her mom regularly and eventually blames aria for sending mixed signals and threatening to tell Ella.
Spencer is struggling with her fall from graze, with the whole world upset about her stolen essay. To make matters worse, she is not mentioned in her grandmothers will, because she might be adopted.
Emily falls in love with a sweet guy and comes to terms with being bi. The guy is a musician and accepts her for who she is.
Hanna is dealing with monad betrayal and death, and decides to take the thrown of the school before Kate does it, who now lives in Hanna's house. They eventually team up and create a new clique of it-girls with Riley and Naomi. Hanna is bitching than ever and gets obsessed…

This almost makes me cry.

http://mashable.com/2013/07/09/inspiring-animals/

Just sent in this years tax declaration. I am so disappointed, thought I was gonna get lots of money back since I've been paying too much taxes all last year, but alas, the gain I made from selling some stocks to buy Vasara ate up all my extra tax, so instead I owe the big man 300 SEK. 
And I've been looking forward to the nice bunch of cash I was gonna get. Crap.

This is the shoe I want to wear this spring!

1400 SEK from Scorett.

Mom and I were thinking of going to Norwich over Easter - it's the city outside of London where she lived for 10 years - to visit her friends and just relax.
Typically, I've been assigned 4 different shifts at the stable just these days.... And I don't think I'll be able to trade them becuase other people are trying too without success. Everyone goes away over Easter. So, I don't think I'll be able to make it. Sucks!

I need to start planning the upcoming gift-giving occasions.
- Vasara turns 10 on the 22nd of April. She will get a birthday cake like I used to do it for Karro; layers made from Swedish  hard bread (better check she likes it since she haven't had it before) and filling between the layers made from grated carrots and apples. Yum!
- Mathias turns 27 on the 10th of May. No idea what to get him yet.
- Mathias and I have our 3 year anniversary on the 23d of May. Have an idea of what to do but it needs refining.

This Monday me and Vasara fulfilled one of our three start-up goals: we cantered for 20 laps in the arena without her dropping her butt once! That felt GREAT!

I called Anna and asked if she was interested in giving me a training, and she said that of course she was! Unfortunately she was currently in Italy, but when she comes home - I will finally get to ride for a trainer again!

1,5 decimeter a of snow had fallen when I arrived at the stable yesterday. I was chaos - all the busses in several suburbs were shut down, the trains didn't go, accidents everywhere... 5 kilometers from Berga the plow truck itself lay in the ditch. The snowstorm made it impossible to see anything and the roads were incredibly slippery.
And in this, I had to take the bus and walk to the stable since Mathias had the car. Cold and wet? Amen.

Apassionata 2012

Today, one year ago, was a big day. It was a day filled with sick nervousness turned into great joy.
365 days ago, I got my drivers license and was free to roll around the globe.
Since then, I've been driving approx 40 kilometers a day, which totals into 14600  kilometers!
Now it's only one more year to go before the trial period is over. Fingers crossed :)

A fleece with built in heating... yes please!! From Nevercold. 

Sweden: http://www.acreto.se/Webshop/WSNevercold/Vaermevaestar/Vaermevaest-Alaska/Alaska.htm

Train speed control and balance by using poles on the ground in a circle.

The distance of one set of poles is longer and hence should be ridden in a greater speed, while the other set has a shorter distance and needs to be ridden in a controled and slower speed.

After a week of warm spring weather and sun, suddenly winter decided it wasn't quite finished yet.

No comments other than that this is just the sort of people you wish there were more of.

http://www.dogonews.com/2014/2/7/dudley-the-duck-gets-a-3d-printed-prosthetic-leg

On Monday it's time for my third visit to the chiropractor. Last two times we've both been laughing at all the issues I have in my back. Basically he says that all year years I've been riding and lifting heavy things and falling off and mucking out etc, have damaged my back bit by bit and now we need to unlock everything. It's jumping and snapping and cracking when he's working on me - and once he's done well hoist me up in their Redcord system to map what muscles are now unlocked and thereby basically dead from not being used for years, an give me a training program for these.
I'm so glad I decided to do this now, just looking at my mom who can hardly move from her back pain, coming from all the years with her horses.

Yesterday I had two horses to care for, as Renee asked me to help her with her super sweet horse Affecto, who is only 5 years old. He will be a white heartbreaker when he grow up for sure, and Renee is doing such a good job with raising him.

Since not everyone was at the office for the yummie chocolate are we gave Acki for her birthday on Wednesday, we decided to have our traditional birthday breakfast at the office today.

My colleague Acki turned 53 this Wednesday, and we celebrated her with song and cake (French chocolate fudge with hazelnut bottom)

Me and Mathias made an American apple pie yesterday. It was soooo yummie!

I've been using UV-curing gel-nailpolish for over a year and I think it's great - the only bad thing is that its completely impossible to remove, even with all the offical removal products. the only way to get it off is to peel it off, which totlaly breaks and chips and destroys the nail underneath.

well, seems like there is a solution! This peel-off polish only lasts for up to 10 days (mine is there for weeks eventhough Im at the stable everyday) but it's supposed to be peeled away, without damaging the nails.
So same effect and same procedure, but less durable but possible to remove!

http://www.striplac.de/?lang=en-uk

It's 10 degrees outside, the sun is shining... It's spring!

However, the weekend will hold several minus degrees so winter isn't over yet.

This winter have been so weird, hardly any snow, tons of wet and deep mud and really warm temperatures. It's like the anti-reaction to last years winter which was so cold and long that the world almost ended.

I have actually been there to see it live - the most amazing horses and riders and the display of total harmony.

It's high time for me to set goals now that I'm actually riding almost every day.
I haven't dared to befor now because I've been so worried about her back but I realize now that not having any goals makes me feel like everything is pointless and doesn't give me any hope about the future. So, it's better to have goals and fail on the way and have to move then forward than not having any goals.
So, I'll start out with a month long stage. 
By the 12th of April: - I should be riding for a trainer once a week. - we should have started jumping small obstacles and combinations. - we should be able to canter 10 rounds in the arena without dropping the back once.

I am think of giving Anna Ullenius a call and ask her if she would like to give me a couple of dressage and jumping trainings.
Anna had her horse at Lunda when I was there and she is such a nice and positive person, plus a really awesome rider.
I feel a bit hesitant towards Irma as she won't come out to Berga to train, but wants me to go to Farmen which is about 30 minutes one way and crossing roads with heavy traffic. Plus I think he only does dressage. 
So if Anna could come to Berga and train me in both dressage and jumping, that would be so much better. Plus she knows me and Vasara. I think she charges 350, so it's a normal price and what I can pay in order to afford 1 lesson a week.
I'll ask Bella a bit more about their trainings and then maybe go her a call!

LOL - no more shaking the bedding yourself, why not have a machine do it for you....

Just finished reading the fourth pretty little liars book; unbeliavable.
The tv-show really isn't like the books, if they were, there would only be enough material for 5 episodes and no one would watch it because they would hate the characters. But in a book, it works.

For my own sake I will try to sum up the first four books below, they end with the first season, only the road there, and sometimes the goal, is completely different.
In these four books... Arias father is having an affair with Meredith, his student. Aria and Ali finds out, and Ali tortures Aria about it. They move to Iceland for 4 years and when they move back, Arias mom finds out and throws aria out of the house. Aria moves in with Sean, Hanna's ex, but is thrown out from there also after A tells Sean about aria hooking up with her English teacher. Ezra goes to jail, but is released and leaves rosewood. Aria moves in with her dad and Meredith, who is not at all evil, until her mom forgives her after finding out ab…

It's Monday which means it's my day off - But here I am, already itching to go to Vasara and just kiss her on the muzzle.

To train your horse to balance itself while riding in a reversed canter, ride in increasingly bent bows on the long side of the arena.

The tickets are released for Sweden horse show! 4 glorious horse days in November, at Swedens new national arena which happens to be on walking distance from my apartment.
I have to buy the tickets very soon, but I can't really decide which ones to buy. I want the full-show pass which will allow access to all everything all four days, but that costs 2600 SEK so I will have to study the schedule carefully and count single ticket prices to see if it's worth it.
Oh, November!

Just finished playing nancy drew: the silent spy.
It was quite ok, not one of my favorite games but for sure better than the last ones have been. 
I don't guess the culprit correctly, but I did know how I was going to capture him the very first time I saw the place. 
I am happy with the storyline but as I've been for the last for games I'm a bit irritated about how the conversations held with other characters doesn't always makes sense, it feels like there is something missing in order for you to understand where they, or nancy, got it from.
Well, another case closed and I'm really looking forward to the next game which will take place in my old place if living, New Zealand!

Wonderful Marre and Thomas came by for a quick visit, it was great to see Marre and to show her Berga <3

Got this nice pic of my baby from Isabella who was at Berga today to train for Uffe, and the took the chance to say hello to Vasara :)

Today I've spent 5 hours playing the latest Nancy Drew game; the silent spy. It was released several months ago but I haven't had ANY time to play so this morning I started a new game and just played on! 
It's quite ok, but definitely not one of my favorites.

Did a lot of good today, washed all brushes and grooming tools and have Vasara a mane and tail makeover. She is so cute and beautiful my heart breaks.

Since tomorrow's the international womens day, todays inspiring story will be the classic, much told and wel-known tale of Rosa Parks.

Rosa was on her way home from a hard days work on the 1st of December 1955. She was ordered by the bus driver to give up her seat in 'the bacl section' to give it to a white person. She refused, and was arrested for civil disobedience.

Rosa's act of defiance and the Montgomery bus boycot that followed is a pivotal point in the civil right battle.

I've been assigned to the the project manager for our B2C Hejco shop roll-out in the Nordic area! Big responsibility and big step forward. 
Yesterday we had the startup meeting which lasted all day and it went very well.

I'm a huge fan of Victorias Secret and this amazing sating pajama is just screaming for me to take it home.

It only costs $69,50 and can be found HERE.

Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas scores unbelievable 92.300% on the FEI world cup dressage kür 2009.

It's amazing how happy you can become by such a small thing as a candy house.

Yum yum!

An amazing blanket that allows full freedome for the shoulders. This means that it's possible to use the walking machine, walking by hand, lunge etc without blocking the horses movements during the cold northern winter days.

Jumping obstacles in serpentines is a great way to train your balance, distancing, your speed control and planning the way towards to obstacles.

On my way to the chiropractor - shit scared it will hurt.
After that I'm heading to an ear doctor to vacuum my ears since I cannot even lay on the side to watch tv anymore, I can't hear it. Since I built a new eardrum 2006 after the old one was exploded by a doctor I'm not allowed to clean my ears by myself or havy any water in them, so I have to go vacuum regularly (of course I have an issue where my ears cannot handle the wax itself).
Tomorrow I'm going to the doctor to examine my throat as there is a supposed outbreak of streptococker at work and I'm not getting well.
Next Monday I'm going to a new doctor will hopefully describe some new antidepressant medicine for me.
I'm also going to book an appointment with a lawyer for me and Mathias to sign a contract regarding my apartment.
Phew.

Today is a big day; today I've had Vasara for exackt 1 year.
This time 1 year ago we had just arrived at Lunda with the trailer after driving all day, down to Jönköping to pick her up and back. 
This day 1 year ago my horse life started for real, and it was a day filled with excitement, fright and happiness.
I love you Vasara!

I feel so amazingly good now compared to how I've felt the past few months. Why? Because I went to my hairdresser yesterday and fixed my hair and colored my eyebrows and eyelashes.
Now I feel normal again. I recognize myself in the mirror instead of that zombie corpse I've looked like for the past months. Ever since i missed my last appointment with Liza (whom have fixed my hair for 6 years!) and I had to go to that clown who made me my hair chicken yellow and made my cry at the salon (for real) I've been feeling horrible and that of course made me look even worse. That plus all the hard things I've been through have taken a toll.... 
But now I look alive and hot again! Thank god, poor Mathias had to live with a girl who looked like a miserable geek. I feel so good again and not ashamed to go outside anymore.
Grrr baby, very grrr!

Tomorrow I'm going to the chiropractor. Thank god, maybe the pain will go away.
I think I know a few of the things he will tell me: - I have to strengthen my abdominals to match my back. - I have to change technique when mucking out the stall as the twisting motion with the (for me) too short shovel is really damaging to my spine.
I'm quite nervous that it will hurt badly...

Set the alarm at 6 am to be able to arrive at the stable at 7. It was my day to feed, change blankets and let out all 20 horses. When I was finished at 9, I gave Vasara a good grooming before riding out and exploring in the forest for 1 hour.
The I went home and went to bed, coughing and feeling like crap. Why, oh why, won't this flu go away?