what an emotional time i'm having

I decided on sunday night (a bit out of the blue) not to come back to Bollnäs after christmas. For various reasons. I had already booked a flight home (with ryan-bastard-air) for friday the 19th, thinking it would be ok because i'm not taking too much stuff. OOPS! I didn't think I would be taking most of my stuff back again, on ryanair's 15kg limit. So I ended up carting boxes of my shit to the post office, on a little trolley, like an old man, and sending it. It was much cheaper that way. Also it means I don't have to carry it with me all the way home, major plus! Now my big suitcase is about half full so everything will wobble about but hey, as long as I don't have to pay massive overweight bills.
So all week since I made the decision, it feels all i've been doing is eating, sleeping, packing and waiting to go home. Not practicing enough. But only today has it become a difficult decision, as i've realised there are people here who I will miss alot, and lessons I will miss from Fröken (classical teacher) and Jonas Brandin (folk teacher). SPELMANSLAG (which i've annoyingly missed the past 2 weeks). :( It feels like I won't be able to find teachers as good as them elsewhere! But that's probably largely because I am here now. What makes it harder though is that Fröken said to me, after the string orchestra concert tonight that I could begin classical after christmas and that I would be welcome in her class. ARGH! But I know that there aren't enough reasons for me to stay here, and that it wouldn't be worth it (also I have no money anymore, Cath is paying for this and it's expensive, probably a reason why I have guilt dreams most nights). Tonight was the school christmas concert, which was really good, and afterwards a jazz kvintett played a cosy concert just for us, they were really really good. I will miss things like that, they are just so nice! I think thats what started me off...
I am worried that I won't play as much and therefore keep improving, but I also know you need to be more happy and inspired to feel like playing. I feel like i've had this experience and i've done it now, moved to another country, learnt another language which is a big thing really. Learnt things. I am a little worried as I don't know what's next but piss that, who ever does? I'll just have to see. I think it's quite exciting, like next I can do anything! Well it's exciting if i think about it like that, if you think i'm stupid, whoever you are, then shut the fuck up for always telling me to think positively because thats what that is OK! Normal anna would say i'm going back to shitty england to sit about at home trying to get some shitty job with nobody even in the shittiest place wanting to employ me. Somehow I find it possible to be in between positive/negative?
Anyway, party time now, i'm not the only one leaving, Lina is too. I could pretend it's my goodbye party too, though only a handful of people know i'm leaving. The rest probably couldn't give a shit. I'll leave you with some videos of ethno this summer. Watching these, it hit me why there were cameras hovering around the whole week. See if you can spot me and matty and joe! And the end of the second one is cool, england plays out! And check out Marit's speech. Amusing. Ugh, memories seem to crop up an awful lot.

CIAO

xxx

Jul, Jul, Strålande Jul...

I'm feeling christmassy! After a hectic week of rehearsals for choir and class concerts, including an early morning choir concert (7.30am), today was a nice relaxing break.
A group of 6 of us did a lucia concert (i was lucia) in a barn/cafe in a nearby village which was all christmassy and cosy. We got taken in a limosine (swish!) and walked in singing in traditional fashion with candles on my head etc, then we sang 6 songs (in swedish can i just say, i learned absolutely all the words to each one, nobody noticed i wasn't swedish!) and had free fika afterwards which was lovely! Then we got taken back to school in the limo and we also got 100 kronor each! Really nice, everbody said they enjoyed it too! I had quite a bit of wax in my hair afterwards but i picked most of it out now!
So anyway, that was an experience, now I am really looking forward to going home for christmas (less than a week!), especially since we had swedish christmas dinner on friday, which was not nice at all (lots of different types of fish and lots of mustardy weird stuff, and fish eggs and eww..). I can't wait to be home for proper english christmas food, and the christmassy decorated house, and endless films by the fire! And mulled wine! And english christmas carols in the pub! But most of all family time (obviously)! I'm thinking about christmas pressies at the moment, hoping I'll get them sorted in time! It's not very easy this year!

Tomorrow I think I'll bake something (thanks for the recipes marit!)..I'm in the mood and bought some ingredients, but I'm also going to concentrate on uni stuff for next year which is important (and stressful!). I think we also have a rehearsal tomorrow for the class christmas concert (oh yeah!). Gosh I'm busy, I'm just glad I didn't go to this party in Stockholm tonight as I was planning to.
I forgot to say about the concert, we have 2 45 minute slots with fika in between, for the first we are doing a swedish fairytale with music (i'm doing a solo) and for the next we are having a normal concert. We'll see how it goes..

Photos of Lucia up soon, as soon as I get them from parents who were taking them.

Love Anna

xxx

p.s. i hope james gets in touch soon!

Malung, Snow, Books, Boots and Rucksacks

So I spontaneously went all the way to Malung Folkhögskola on Wednesday morning, left at 6.15am to get there at 12.30. When I got there I was kind of worried, as I did not really know where I was, whether I would be welcome or anyone who goes to the school, but somehow I managed to find my way to the fiddle course and introduce myself and take part in the lesson. Made some new friends, got a floor to sleep on and ate dinner, then went to a concert in the church in the evening with people from the music courses playing (including a ukranian girl playing violin and singing who was amazing, and a really really good accordion player, who incedentally had been at ethno sweden and remembered me, though I didn't really remember him!) That was really good. I also met a guy on the fiddle course who coincedentally had been to folkworks 2004, and we turned out to have been in the same class! That was a bit weird, we know lots of the same people too! He was friendly. After the concert I played for a bit with 3 girls from the fiddle course, including Hannah Andersson who went to Bollnäs 2 years ago and I met at Bingsjö stämma this summer, and a really nice girl called Sara who reminded me of lucy a bit! I must stay in touch with them all on facebook now and visit again sometime in the future!

I planned to go home the next afternoon however there was a dance evening that night (it happens every week!) so I thought I'd stay another night. So i sat in on lessons again, tried out the other fiddle course, did a singing workshop, then had to make a trip into malung (about 25mins walk on a main road) through the snow (kind of wrecked my boots) to buy a new rucksack because the zip on my old one had broken. Anyway the dance evening was brill, there was playing list where you could write your name/s down for a 15 minute slot and play in the middle of the room while everyone danced around you. I danced alot and even got a tune together with a couple of people from the fiddle course. That was fun.
I also met a really nice belgian girl called evelyn (oona, she said she knows you!) and we exchanged tips for learning swedish!

Anyway I've been steadily working my way throught swedish childrens books now, which feels really great. I need to pay another visit to the library actually to get more, and it's a great excuse to check out the childrens library area (we all know how much I love them, Bollnäs' is even better than Rättvik's).

Love Anna

xxx

Lucia competetors at the ready!

Ok, who will be lucia has turned into a bit of a competition because one girl is apparently desperate to be it, even though she was lucia last year. I think it's pretty obvious who should get the chance, seeing as we don't have it in England and everyone says they would vote for me, however I don't think there will be a vote (because everyone would vote for me so it wouldn't be fair) so we'll have a lucky dip type thing. Wow, exciting stuff! But I mean, if I win and she starts crying I may just give it to her anyway...!

I also might be going to Malung Folkhögskola to visit tomorrow, but am waiting to hear back from a teacher there if I have anywhere to stay. If I do go, it means I will have to leave here at 6.15am! Early! But I think it will be worth visiting to see what it's like there and it will probably be fun! Also partly to get away from the lessons here...our replacement teacher while Jonas is off being a dad is 'jennikel' a swedish woman who speaks english with an irish accent, has a masters degree in irish music, plays only irish music, teaches only irish music...yes. And last week it took about 3 hours for the class to learn 2 pretty boring irish reels (they can't DO irish, they can barely do swedish!) I had to leave at one point, because it was literally wasting my time sitting there, I have to practice! Anyway I probably won't go even if I don't go to Malung, I can't afford the time and really don't want to learn irish tunes. We should be spending our class time on our christmas concert, which is swedish coincidentally.

Love Anna

xxx

You can't help wasting time on a sunday

I should be... practicing, doing music theory homework, and learning the words to all the swedish christmas songs!

I have been...doing laundry (at least I did that), eating, drinking tea, reading and watching a 60 minute interview with Barack Obama. I think he's a nice man.

Anyway, news is I bought a swiss cheese plant for my room, and called it Damien (Barber). Perks up my room. Some company.

Cath I've just been trying out the swiss throat sweets - tell helm: 'yes, they are nice.'

I'm gonna practice now, here's some pictures of outside my window from the other day:

Love Anna

XXX

p.s. oh and advent starts tomorrow! thanks for the calendar cath! i put it up but it fell down, i'll sort it out now!

Walk

I went on a walk today and fed the ducks the stale bread I found Rowan had left in the cupboard (thanks). I believe It was the coldest walk I've ever been on in my life.

Last night 4 of us did a concert at a cafe next to the garden centre type place. It was for some sort of private party with about 100 people sitting at tables and people giving speeches and prizes etc. Anyway, when they went to get food we played for about 50 mins (we were asked to do about 30). It was fun, and everybody said they enjoyed it, and when we came off stage we were told to tuck into the massive buffet. We had to sit on a separate table among the plants but free food, free beer, and then 500 kronors each which a man came over and gave us, who can complain!

Today, apart from my walk, I've been doing laundry, chilling out, reading, not practicing, and almost getting hit by trains. That was really quite scary.

Also, I found out just now (facebook) that Jonas Brandin (my teacher, and the best one in the world at that) has finally had his baby. This makes me a little sad as he won't be back to teach me for a long time. Maybe ever. :( Babies, who would have them. Today I don't like them, they seem to be everywhere.

Tomorrow is spelmanslag, and lots of practice. Perhaps swimming, I am in need of it, but that means I have to venture out into the snow (theres piles of it now)!

Love Anna

XXX

This is what it's like here at the moment

Outside my bedroom window:

Love Anna

XXX

up/down/up/down/up

is how i'm feeling lately! just about got over a bad chesty cough thing-it hurt to breath! And apart from that i've been entirely stressed out about alot of things to do with what i'm going to do with my life etc. It's a proper bummer that i'm english, the education system sucks and is ballsing my life up at the moment. Basically go to uni in september, or perhaps not get in ever again (because i will have forgotten stuff i did at a-level). If I don't go it means i basically wasted 2 years doing a-levels which were a living hell.

In sweden you can pretty much study anything, anytime. I feel like i'm forced to choose between music and a career or something. All I know is right now, I feel more free than I've ever felt and it's great to concentrate solely on the only thing I love doing. And I love being in Sweden. It just feels like I want to stay, therefore not go to university in england or scotland. But then comes money problems. I can't get funding for studying here unless, for example, I've officially lived here for 2 years, or I get married to someone here..
But I guess it still is an option. (studying I mean.)
And on top of that..things are still stressing me out, like concert tomorrow which 4 of us are doing, getting paid equivalent of around £50 EACH! For 30mins! In sweden they don't think that's alot...! But we just finished rehearsing for this evening and things look more positive. Then there's christmas concerts which are stressful now but they will probably be ok once we get into working on them.
One positive thing is I've been selected as 'Lucia' for the school christmas concert, which is like a saint and a really big thing in sweden. I have to have candles on my head and walk around with my hands in prayer. Wahoo! I've also decided to do more classical music here, so take some of those lessons too because I think it will be good for me. And I would like to.




So I'm gonna get an earlyish night, and go swimming tomorrow morning. (Not in the lake, obviously, it's frozen now)

Love Anna

XXX

p.s. I really wish I had some clogs.

In Recovery

Had an absolutely mad weekend back in Bollnäs, it was just a massive piss up the whole weekend for återvänderen fest, which means like reunion party (people from last year came back). On friday most people arrived and we all went to the Highlander for a session. Massivest session ever, all the folkmusik people came back. It was absolutely packed til about 2am. Then the next day there was fika and a kindof treasure hunt/games and then getting ready and then going to the big hall place for dinner and partying all night - i left at about 4am. So understandably I was a bit knackered. It was really fun though, but I hate days after parties, even when you don't feel particularly hungover you feel low. But we all had a chilled out pizza sunday afterwards and then me and Rowan watched Matilda and bastu'd (sauna) so it was ok really.

We took her to the station this morning and waved her off back to Newcastle, I wasn't that sad because I will see her in about 5 weeks at christmas! The rest of today I planned to do lots of classical practice but bumped into Emma Reid at lunch (bizarre) and found out her band was giving a concert and workshop all afternooon, so I went to that which was really good. I managed to practice anyway, in my room this evening, it's really good being able to practice in my new room! And I am proud that I managed to practice actually, because I really had no motivation. But thinking about it an hour a day (which I have been told I should do by my teacher) is not really much to ask. But I think I still have the blues slightly and am a bit achey, and now I find myself watching a programme about eating disorders! It's the only thing in English, oh dear! But I think my swedish is actually coming on, suprisingly today I found it easy to talk swedish most of the time. It is strange that some days I find it very hard. Usually I am good on mondays though. Tonight there was also no spelmanslag, which is annoying as I was looking forward to getting back into it, so I'll have to wait another week! Oh well.
I think I'll get an early night and finish this belgian chocolate that Oona left for me for letting her stay in my room, and hopefully I'll feel a bit better tomorrow.

Love Anna
XXX

Other than ucassing, I've been busy...

...teaching Notso how to polska...and reeeally wishing I had a name which, if i supposedly was to perhaps get married one day and get a double barreled name, would turn out as something highly amusing.
You know, Harriet Nob, Harry Head - Harriet Nob-Head kinda thing. Rheingans? How unfortunate. Anyway, made myself a couple of hats and a tortoise out of crochet also. Also paid a visit to school which was disturbingly pointless. Oh well!

love Anna

XXX

My classical exercises make me cry.

I've been back in England for quite a while now, almost 2 weeks and I havn't blogged at all though I've been meaning to. It feels like I never went to Sweden, very strange.

So before I left it was (early) halloween in Bollnäs, we had a big fancy dress party, and unlike me I actually made an effort for once, which paid off as I was the scariest! Got a bit too drunk though, and had to get up for a lesson at 9 with Jens Comen from Hoven Droven on friday. But I managed and it was good. Then I packed and gradually saw people leaving, and there were about 12 people left at dinner, which felt quite sad really, although I knew it was only for the holiday.

Then had an interesting journey home on saturday, well I often find long journeys interesting (things you see, people you meet). This journey was comprised of 3 trains, a bus, a plane, 3 more trains and a car journey. I got home at about 11pm to find mended drawers (thanks helm), and all my clothes piled up on my bed. The next day we went for a nice walk up padley gorge and a cream tea at the top which was nice.

The next day I caught the train up to newcastle to visit Rowan, Marit, Lucy and everyone else there. As soon as I got there I went to the sage for a coffee and listened to fiddle band (with Catriona Macdonald!) rehearsing. Saw Matty who was suitably shocked to see me in newcastle and then Rowan and Marit came and we went for a drink with Catriona afterwards. It was really nice to catch up after all these years. We then went to rapper practice at the Egypt Cottage where Lucy and Tom were and I hugged Lucy for about 15 minutes. The rest of the week was spent Bowling with Rowan's new university friends, scandinavian sessioning at the Cumberland Arms, going to the music student's weekly concert (with fidola), going to the university choir (free wine), sessioning at the egypt and occasionally watching Jeremy Kyle with Tom (he doesn't have a job yet), and neighbours! I've really missed that. Oh, I forgot we also had a secret garden themed party where people were supposed to dress up as all the characters and speak in quotes, but only Lucy put any effort into that.

On friday me, Rowan and Marit travelled to Sheffield for the folk festival where they were performing, and just about got there due to Rowan's reading incapability. Spent way too much time at doncaster train station - the worst place in the world - in the past week for my liking. Though you can get name numberplates from the shop there, Rowan got 'Ryan' and I looked for 'Brian' but they didn't have it. Apparently people in Doncaster aren't called 'Brian' anymore. Anyway, James finally arrived in grindleford at 11pm for the weekend, and we saw Jack on saturday, then went to Padley Bonfire which was cosy, and played some very very cold music. All the neighbours were impressed, as they are. Best weekend ever! But then James had to go on Sunday because of his course in Edinburgh, which is too far away, and also £60 to get to, which is why I won't be there this weekend. :( Then me and Rowan had some Rowan and Anna time, watching Little House on the Prairie. Then she went home.

Since then, I have mostly been doing ucas ucas ucas, trying to make some definitive decisions, occasionaly baking, going to the hairdressers with Cath and staying up all night watching the US election which was very exciting. I am currently considering Edinburgh (I've spent all morning looking through the prospectus which came through the door today, and suddenly it was 2pm and i still wasn't dressed). Though at the same time I feel very lazy and go out for a walk, but then the weather gets shitty. I suppose I should make an effort to see my school friends, but something is holding me back. I'm about to start crocheting some wrist warmers for my next door neighbour's birthday which was yesterday.

At the moment I want to do Neuroscience.

Love Anna

xxx

Wahoo!

Maybe I should just get myself a trumpet and do jazz.

Another day starts out well..

..and turns into poo. I think the combination of having a really bad cold, 2 violin lessons (classical/folk) in one morning, lots of boring classical practice with no breaks, then class lessons in the same room for about 3 hours, ensemble, food then more class lessons didn't turn out too well. I want to leave again. But I am going home in 2 days so that's a good thing. My teacher is arranging for me to visit malung to see what the course is like there, which could perhaps also be another option for me, who knows.

But yeah, I feel like the class lessons wasted alot of my time to practice etc today, as I feel frequently, it's very frustrating. But it's also frustrating that more often than not ensemble practice leaves me feeling shit and stopping me from practicing in my free time later. Basically ruins my day a little, like now I don't feel like doing anything, even laundry which I need to do. Jonas talked to me for ages (trying to make me feel better, worse, I don't actually know) about what's going wrong, but I didn't take much in i don't think, he's very cryptic, you would think that's impossible when speaking the simplest English. Regardless, felt shit anyway.

I'm getting increasingly sick of these bouts of lowness, and am starting to wonder if there is actually anything that will help, like moving courses etc. I'm starting to think it isn't because of where I am or what I am doing at all. That really sucks. This all sucks quite badly. What else sucks is that wednesday is party night in Bollnäs. I was actually going to have one, like a moving in party, but that's not going to happen now. I bet people will show up though, being how they are here.

So anyway there are literally concerts all the time, yesterday our choir had a lunchtime concert to some randomers, which was quite bad on my part because of my cold, my voice was wobbly like jelly, but also just generally coming in at the wrong places and singing wrong things because I should have been in bed really, I just like singing in choir it's fun. And last night was ok, I felt a bit better so went to the jazz club, was impressed by the main band but even more by the Bollnäs folkhögskola jazz pupils that played first.

Maybe I should just get myself a trumpet and do jazz.
Love Anna
xxx

p.s. reading back on this, maybe singer/songwriter would be more my scene.

Suprising Saturdays!

I woke up at like 1.30 today, feeling awfully snuskig (rough/gross) and my throat has been killing me all day, thanks to last night. But that was really a good night. So I wasn't sure what to do today, but I ended up going to Lisa's (which is the room i just moved out of, and she moved into) and making a zipwire from the kitchen window to her window because they are adjacent to each other. This was a genius plan well it was Anders' genius plan really, but he left and we decided to do it. It took us like an hour of me standing outside trying to throw a roll of selotape attached to wool up into the windows. But eventually, with some help from some boys, we did it, and it worked. We shall make some improvements on it at a later date (probably tomorrow as it's a sunday). So that was tremendously fun, and now i'm in my cosy cosy room waiting for people to come round and play some music maybe. Then we are going to cook dinner. Yum! I havn't eaten since breakfast actually, i've just noticed i was too busy.

Anyway, the reason I have moved rooms is basically because the guy in the room next door to me was kind of creepy, and wouldn't leave me alone. I could have perhaps put up with it, but Lisa was being forced out of her double room, as a couple sharing a single room needed it. This was slightly unfair I think but anyway I offered to move to house 11, which has less people in it that 5. That is the only downside as this room is so much better: it has internet, it is much bigger, has a telly and hairdryer (not that I am really bothered) and a sofa which folds into an extra bed. I will still hang out in 5 though I think, because I will miss the kitchen gang, and I am one of them anyway so it won't be weird, and it's only a few metres away...

So anyway lina and lisa are here now so I will leave you with some pictures, and I hope James is ok, apparently he is very hungover.

Love Anna
XXX

woah

WHAT a day i just had, it's now 1.30am and i just got back from serious sessioning at the highlander pub (half scottish/half turkish), serious fun had. There was like 5 of us playing, but the whole school came practically. But i am so so so so sooo tired now, after moving rooms today, which was very spontaneous, but a good idea as i have internet in my room now, obviously amongst many other good things. Anyway, i just can not wait to get into my new bed now and sleeep! Shall tell more about it in the morning. Night! Oh and it is so typically beautiful here right now, with a full moon shining on the lake etc blah blah, but it's hard to appreciate it, it just looks like a postcard!

Love Anna
XXX

Concerts and goings on...

It's concert central round here, last night we (literally, there were 3 stages set up in the same big hall and we had to move from one to the other) concert hopped from bertil's magnificent saxohphone solo Joel's beautiful songs, to weird and unexpected (and very loud) suprise jazz. So that was really nice, then massive parties of course as it's wednesday night...and some other weird goings on.
Tonight I performed in a big concert in the church with the spelmanslag and a choir, but I wasn't expecting the whole shabang of eating little paper things/jesus' body and drinking holy wine/blood....but I should have known. I am really not good at those moments of silence and prayers (in swedish),and trying so hard not to laugh or something, and hymns in swedish, though that was slightly better, I could see the words written down. At one point I even got in the way when the priest was trying to get through...when we got off stage it was relieving.
Anyway, now I am in my friend Lina's room, with Elsa and Jonas, they are playing music. Lina has started playing the fiddle this summer and she is stupidly good at it, like seriously it's hard to believe! I give her lessons on sundays sometimes. Maybe we'll toast some marshmallows later...
My brain is a bit like a marshmallow after today, I learned 5 new difficult tunes from a guy called Haidy(?) who came to teach instead of Jonas who was ill (he is always ill). I was a bit dissapointed (besviken, word of today) that Jonas wouldn't come because last week we talked about loads of stuff and I don't want to wait another week to find out if he's managed to sort anything out. But maybe I will just ring/email him or something. And i'm coming home next saturday! I really se fram emot det, look forward to it.

God Natt!
Love Anna
xxx

Yaay

Home here I come...I finally managed to buy my flight home on the 25th of october with ryanair, who is a bastard, but was ok in the end. I have not yet booked a return flight as I am not sure about that right now...
I also talked to Jonas finally about all the things that have been bothering me the entire time i've been here, and it took up most of our hour lesson but it was worth it and I feel so much better now.
In the meantime, me and Martin from classical just went on youtube for about an hour and a half and fell in love with this man, who has given us several ideas about what we could do with stuff in the fridge:



he is insane




Love Anna
XXX

gahhh

i got the dates of our october break really wrong, so i have to start all over again. and i just practiced alot and my fingers feel like they are about to fall off. hopefully not before big rehearsal in the church tonight.
also i can't decide whether to go to linköping festival this weekend, it is like 6 hours drive away, i don't know if i can be arsed and it's quite expensive too. but it would be alot of fun...and me and a friend ended up not going to rättvik to visit my friend tobias this weekend. not that that has anything to do with that. anyway i got a really nice postcard from my parents in italy/switzerland/germany the other day. and i made the best curry ever last night. and i am going to knit a sock. one day. i'm just going to look for some flights first. ooh and i'm talking only swedish now, unless i need 1 or 2 words now and then. but it's really good.

love Anna

xxx

So just for updates (cath) it's been a good week/weekend really, practiced alot, had nice times, went swimming, went to a really nice concert last night in a venue which is like a very big version of someones house, very cosy, bit expensive and miles to walk but was worth it. The weeks here disappear so fast now I've got used to everything, and I almost forget everything that has happened.
Tomorrow the spelmanslag is in a different place, I think we're rehearsing for some concert perhaps? But I don't know where it is yet..I borrowed a bike of my friend to cycle there last monday because i was running late, but it was a bit big and I almost fell off several times which was embarrassing, so I might try and borrow one off a shorter friend tomorrow.
Today I have started (only just, because I accidentally watched swedish idol, which is awful, with everyone in the living room for ages) arranging my trip home in about 2 weeks, which is exciting. I only hope I will get to see everyone I would like to...
My future plans so far are to learn how to knit a sock, and maybe start applying for something at a university somewhere for next year. But I wonder for how long I can put off the latter...
Now I am going to practice for a bit, then maybe cook some dinner.

Love Anna

xxx

The Wobbles and Woes of Anna-Christine in Bollnäs..

..and other things which aren't so bad, but:

Woes (I'm sorry but I have to have a good complain):

• I have an ulcer in my mouth, probably from eating too many sweets, or brushing a bit too well after eating too many sweets. It also hurts a bit because I wore my retainer for the first time in about a year. I went to the apotheke and got some stuff to put on it which is a bit like bonjela, hopefully this will help.
• Just about 15 minutes ago I got pins and needles in my finger and it's not gone away yet..and I get paranoid about these things. (And I've been playing non-stop today, like literally only just stopped.) That's probably why then.
• I have money problems, well more like problems with being able to find out how much money I have and stuff like that, bloody banks!
• I have a cold.
• I didn't say a whole lot of things to Jonas (my teacher) today, but i will email him.
• I miss James, and Rowan, and Cath (not so much, saw her on saturday), and Helm, and Lucy. And Notso.

Wobbles (not so many actually):

• My chin rest started wobbling/creaking a little bit today, I don't know how this has happened and it doesn't seem that bad, but as I said, I'm paranoid about these things. If only helm was here.
• My bow is still on the verge of losing all its hair in one fell swoop but that's ok because Helm sent me a new one and this one is quite good, thanks.
• Felt a bit wobbly earlier, but I think that was because I drank too much coffee. (I had an only coffee day today, weird.)

Other happenings/Things to happen:

• Me and Elin (a girl from classical) spontaneously performed at the open mic concert the other night which went down really well and was really enjoyable.
• We (my class) have been asked to do a concert for an hour tomorrow morning, for some brain damaged people who have been staying here this week. That's what we have just been practicing for most of today as I only found out yesterday because I was in Göteborg. So we're sorted for that, should be fun. There are only 4 of us doing it though, as the rest are away in Stockholm having lessons.
• We watched 'Frida' last night (about the artist Frida Kahlo) which was good.
• We've just decided to arrange a dance evening next week at some point.
• Been playing in gympasalen (the gym) alot lately, as it sounds so good in there and today lots of jazz people came in and listened and joined in and we had a bit of a jam which was nice...ahh all types of music, coming together as one. But shit me, there are some talented people here, especially in jazz, they took over the open mic the other night and i'm always impressed.
• I still have the pins and needles feeling in my finger. It reminds me of that Roald Dahl story...damn which one..about geese or something? ahh 'the magic finger'! Google just reminded me. I used to like that, we had it on tape...anyway...

I'm sure I have missed something out..but there are always more blogs.

Love Anna

XXX

Mondays seem to be my best days...

Yesterday was good, i think i must have practiced for a good 6 hours. Then I heard beautiful sounds from fromolle...and went upstairs and downstairs and through lots of doors following it, and ended up in the gymnasium where Elin was playing and I had brought my fiddle so we played loads of nice music together and it sounded really good in there and everyone looked in as they walked past, it was really fun! Then went to spelmanslag..more playing, i played so much yesterday! Then Elin and Karin had a little party in their reeeally nice apartment. Today however i forgot to set my alarm so missed gehör, for the first time ever, but even though, i missed it which is annoying. Got more practicing to do with the folkmusikklass today as we have to have 2 arrangements for friday. eek

Love Anna

xxx

So i'm in Göteborg...

...having a nice time. Just chilling out at the moment in me and Cath's swanky hotel room, in the huge huge bed, very comfy, just before we're going out for a posh meal with some of her conference buddies. Today Cath bought me a much needed, quite expensive haircut which i'm very happy with, and fika several times around town.
I also went to Göteborg museum this morning and had a look round, there was quite an interesting exhitbition all about the history of the city and its industry, then i went into the next room which was all about the vikings. That was weird. Then I made my way to the book launch of Cath's new book.....'School'. Yep. There was wine and stuff. Then we went for lunch at a vegetarian cafe Cath likes so much she's been every day. It was ok. They had curry sauce!
So Cath's back now and we're going to meet people and go to dinner.
Up early tomorrow..just found out we have to leave at 20 to 8! eek. Means I get back to Bollnäs for like 3 though. But then who really knows if that's a good thing... I am glad I came here to see Cath it was good to have a break from it all!

Vi ses....nog i morgon!

Love Anna

xxx

The leaves are changing colour...

...and I don't like it one bit. I've had a bad couple of days but hopefully now things will start to work themselves out. (Rowan, I always have about 10 different options isn't that right) Crying on the phone to you was a great help. Also I went swimming which made me feel better. Anyway, i've just arranged to catch a train for like 6 hours to Göteborg tomorrow to see cath for like 2 days. Because I am desperate for a cuddle. Coincidentally i've just found out my teacher Jonas is sick, which is a bad thing because 1. poor him and 2. i will have no lesson tomorrow, but it is also a good thing for it means I can see Cathy earlier. Helm just told me he's sent a bow in the post, because mine is falling apart. How sweet! 2 parcels in 4 days...cmon!

Now I must apologise to my kontrabass friend Marcus for being horrible to him yesterday... then I may go and buy candy from Hemköp.

...Also there are so many birds/geese(?) here at the moment...I think they are moving south for the winter or something...there are big groups of them that fly over sky many times each day.

Love Anna

xxx

Fucking Hell..

Sorry, I just can't believe that worked. I HATE computers.
Also look on my facebook for more pictures, and the other ones like germany pics which never got blogged.

x

Hej! So shit me, it's been a while...maybe this time blogger will actually let me write stuff. It's been a right knob lately so i've been keeping a real paper diary, crazy times. Anyway, what have I been up to of late? Well having fun mostly, that always seems to be what everyone ends up doing here, every night. On saturday I finally found the swimming pool in Bollnas, wheey! So me and Lisa went swimming and saunaing, then had ice cream to cool down in a nice cafe. (Special treat) Elsa's mum was visiting so we cooked a massive meal with her and blueberry pie which was nice. Then went to the highlander (scottish pub with turkish owner) later on, we were going to play tunes but it never happened yet. Then sunday was pretty boring. They are always depressing no matter where you are, even though it was really sunny here. Oh well.

Monday was better, I recieved a parcel from home! That was really nice and in it was a key to the basement storage rooms, where rowan and oona had left me lots of things for my room etc, so that was fun:

oops rotate doesn't work.

Anyway, then we went to the spelmanslag, which is always fun and you meet and play with lots of people and it sounds really good. I've only been twice but I really enjoy it. After that we got back and I spontaneously decided to make scones, face scones, so we did. And then we ended up having a party in my room. Maybe cos i'd made it a bit nicer. Anyway, was all good fun, even if nobody left til very late so i am tired today.

tonight i think some people are going to Bollnas jass club to see some people play. Might go, or might sleep, i'm not sure yet.

I have also been doing alot of knitting and crocheting lately (virkira, it's called in swedish, which is coming on by the way) so this is a picture of stuff i made (legwarmers and a hat mainly). But in like 2 days! Because I sometimes do it in bed for like an hour at a time!

I am especially proud of my new hat which I finished today:

In other news, here is the painting in my room which i stole from the corridor outside, slippers that i nicked from lisa's temporarily), ice skates i got given, a drum i got, the book i'm reading, which olof bought for me, to help me with my swedish, cushions i bought from kupan, my braids which are now dredding, but i don't want to take them out, and family which i miss. (whom i miss?) ahh skit samma!

I probably miss you too.

Anna

xxx