5 Things of Oslo Summer

Summer moved on. There is a song with this name, by A-ha. They know what they are talking about, because these guys are from Norway 🙂

The last two weeks I have had this feeling. That summer moved on. In some places in Europe it is still full summer and beach weather on. While in Norway the august brings mixed feelings and mixed weather. Though it has been warmer than usually, without those freezing mornings when you feel like winter is coming :)) Still the autumn feeling is creeping in. The low grey skies, the numerous rainy days, girls in fluffy cozy sweaters…

While some are pondering if today is the last day of summer or not – we know for sure. That there is no way back. We call this time here “sen sommer/tidlig høst” (late summer, early autumn). Before the real autumn sets it and wipes away the sunny memories, I want to look back with gratitude to the leaving summer – and remember my favorite things which it gave to me :))

5 Things – Summer Amore

I landed in Oslo physically a week ago – but it took me some time to land here emotionally and mentally. As I get used to my new surroundings, opening my eyes for their beauty, I still don’t feel for blogging about it.

Sometimes I wonder if I should be writing a book, not a blog :)) Because I have this literature attitude: you have first to live through, to work through, to digest and process – and only then to express in letters. To get the best out of it, not just taking everything on the page. This is a writers’ attitude, I have heard. To write about the past, once it is been processed, not about the present.

The blogger attitude, however, is to document the present, to capture what’s going on right now and share it. Sometimes I do it, sharing my emotion of the moment – but I prefer to wait. So even though I am in Oslo already, finding the pretty patterns in the new mix of life – I will go on with some posts about my life in Barcelona. Where it also took some time (a lot of time) to settle down and start seeing the pretty patterns.

Today is a simple little post about things I like. Five, as I usually count.

lemon memories

summer feeling

fresh press

new mood

wall of fame

5 Things I Light

I used to have this regular post on my blog – about 5 things I like. It comes especially handy when I don’t know what to write about. I go through my latest photos and choose the images I like. And this time I noticed that those five were actually united by one theme – it was all about light. Hence 5 things I light.

Ok, they are not actually five. As you may know, I am not fabulous with numbers. Last time I wanted to share 10 Most Amazing Tips for Blogging, they turned out to be not 10 but 16. And not amazing but mediocre. And not tips but “bad advice” :)) So well, you have to take this with a pinch of salt, as we say it in Norwegian.

And the first thing I like would be something that rimes with it. A bike. I could not hold myself back from this primitive poetry :)) Because the poetry is what makes this life worth living, even such a basic one 🙂

somewhere in Gava

Black and White – At Home

If you know me just a bit, you know that I am a color lover. Especially the bright colors make my heart bounce with joy, because I find them full of life and optimism. I have shared some collections of yellow, orange and lots of pink. I also collected colors in my city and tried to show that Oslo can truly be colorful.

I would never call myself a color minimalist. On the opposite, the more colors I could mix, the better. I would never be the one wearing total black or monochrome outfit. But recently my eye got attracted to this simple combination of black and white. First I noticed it on the streets of Oslo, then in my home, and now I find it in interior and fashion trends, so it seems to be everywhere 🙂

over my desk

5 Things of Everyday

One tiny revelation: the fuller my life is at the moment – the emptier my social media profile is 🙂 And sometimes, even this blog (which is sad).

Whenever I see my facebook feed, there is so much life going on: people eating out with their boyfriends, visiting christmas markets, traveling, having drinks. And the more I eat out with my husband, or have drinks, or visit any kind of cozy market – the less I feel like sharing it. And when it gets even more intense – I feel like going under water. There is so much going on IRL, in real life, that there are no more emotions left to do the social media sharing.

These past weeks have been pretty intense – with good things. After writing several posts on inspiration here and here, I have discovered my own simple truth: the importance of being bored. I don’t know about you, but I need to be bored (in a good sense) in order to create. I need a silence and space to feel the need to create. When there is so much input, I just don’t feel like working on output. My energy goes on digesting the impressions. And no energy is left for making expressions.

In the middle of all this positive turmoil I have found my anchor: my everyday routine. Today I am coming back to the beauty of my everyday things. This post of five things I like, is devoted to them 🙂

my everyday company

Small Simple Things

I have discovered recently that I love small simple things in my life. I really love them – that is, I feel a sweet emotion when I see them, use them, touch them. When I can throw a lip balm, a mobile and a card holder in my little bag and go – I feel small wings behind my back like those of a butterfly. I believe I can fly :)) No, I don’t feel like flying. But I feel appreciation of all the simple things that work in my life – that give me space to breathe and think of other things (which are not things-things).

I came to value simplicity. Surprisingly for myself :)) In my post “Pack lightly. Travel lightly” I dwelled on my philosophy of it. Here I just want to share some actual things, small simple things, that keep me happy.

posters on my wall

Happy Lists

There are days when I get so happy seeing different small things – and then I sit down and list them. Under the title “reasons for happiness”. The autumn sun in my window, the violet flowers on the balcony, the green plants inside, yoga in the morning, a pink coffee cup with a cactus on it…

There are days when I feel neither up or down. Somewhere inbetween, like today. Maybe, it is the sign of autumn, because I feel as my usual enthusiasm goes down to rest, together with the light and temperature. I had a short walk in my neighborhood and was thinking about a new blog post. Post about 5 things has been a while ago. A very long while ago. What can I write there? And then suddenly I start listing all the nice things I see and feel around.

I like the colorful facades of my neighborhood. I like my red coat. I like the smell of fresh pastry from the kiosk. That lovely corner with a cafe, flower shop and a hipster coffee bar. That older man from the flower shop, careful about detail, who once sold me a bouquet of eucalyptus. The freshly painted frame of a barber shop, now in bright yellow. A guy on the orange Vespa. The fact that Vespas are still on the streets.

My Summer Rewind

In my music library on Spotify I find a new folder – “Your summer rewind” (I guess, Spotify creates it by himself – from the songs I listened to last summer. Hello, machine intelligence!). I like to start it when I am working (cleaning) at home. You never know what comes next in that mix. A chill kizomba song, hot Latin hits from last summer, Russian rock from year 2000, some Balcan beat (who listens to it? I share the account with my man – must be his workings. But Balcan beat, really? :))

A fun fact about me: when I was 20, I had a dream of working on the radio. I even got through some competition (sending a cassette with my voice to one popular fm station) and spent an hour on air as “a DJ” (I was just talking, the songs were played by the operator). I didn’t get the job in the end. But it was a fun experience.

I have never worked on the radio since (though my friends call me “a radio” cuz I talk that much), so I use my blog to channel some of that energy :)) A lover of top charts as I am (I loved listening to them on Saturday morning back then), I will make now my own hit parade of this summer. Not of songs, however – but of all my favorite things this season (any radio lovers here, btw? Raise your hand!)

“summertime and the living is easy”

Good to Be Back

I have returned home from my favorite craziest adventure – Summer salsa festival in lovely Rovinj – and I keep on repeating one phrase. “So good to be back”. Wow. I am surprised.

Usually I turn my nose away from the everyday reality (from the need to clean the house, shop my food and cook it myself :)). I post the vacation photos, the feeling of missing it already playing on the strings of my heart. This time, however, I just feel loads of gratitude to the place and the event – but I don’t want to get back into my past emotionally. I enjoy every moment here. And I want to live in my emotional present. To connect with my life which is only happening here and now.

This year – like never before – I am love with my home, my city and the country I live in. I am so used to the feeling of “yuck, this gray and cold place again” – that I even get surprised by my sudden “oh, Scandinavia, how lucky I am to experience this my Norwegian adventure” (adventure? Since when has it become an adventure??? :)) And here are my reasons to love it.

Lifestyle in Details

It’s been a while since I wanted to share impressions from my space – and couple of weeks ago this wish was rekindled by The Moonsoonfamily’s Mom post  in which she generously showed us her place. The post was called “Share Your Home” and I took it as a call to action.

Writing about things in my home in my previous post on minimalism also made me take my camera and document the state of affairs. This can be a visual follow-up on my story: a maximalist trying to change her way into a more minimalistic direction 🙂