A Saturday to remember

When I wake up the next day lying next to this angle of a girl, I can only think and wonder how lucky I am to be in this heavenly situation, this warm embrace from a feline form wrapped along my body from behind, caressing me into a waking state. This is to become a day to remember, for many reasons.
Its time to get up as were helping one of her best friends move into her new flat nearby. We take her bike and I remember it was a long time ago I gave a girl a lift on the packet holder of a bicycle…that’s funny, and I’m smiling to my self in the shop windows as we ride by, thinks this was a childish feeling. And I like it.
The move goes quite quick as these not too much and were 6 or 7 helping. The flats nice and it reminds me more of a flat in England than Sweden which surprises me. Its good meet and chat to these Germans who are very social and speak English very easily to me…making me feel involved and welcome.
We do some shopping for food and make a plan for the evening with a meal. But when we decide to take a short rest to catch up on some sleep. After we have cooked and eaten, we ride over to a bar/club and watch a live jazz band play. It’s a good band and we have fun chatting and making up stories about the band members.

It’s good to be back in Köln

Having been apart from each other for 3 weeks I have a big need to meet this fantastic girl in Köln as soon as possible. I’m on the plane from Berlin to Köln and thinking of her again. I doze off as I’m so tired. It’s been a busy week at the exhibition in Berlin and several late nights and drinks have deprived me of sleep. I’m hoping this won’t spoil my weekend with Caroline. Almost there and as usual, I only have to play back one of my favourite moments in my mind of being with her... (see Blog entry 31 Aug 2006) and I’m longing for her again as the plane lands and I’m sending a text to her to say the plane has landed. Then soon were seeing each other again in the terminal and the hugs and sensual kisses confirm were both longing for each other. We take a quick taxi ride back to her flat and Caro’s telling me all about her school trip with a class of 11 year olds. Back at her place, she’s fixing me a delicious light supper and again I’m reminded she’s good a preparing food I like.
Then to bed and love and then sleeping…together again :-)

In Berlin

So as you will see in this picture, part of my job involves taking part in trade shows around the world to promote the company I work for. I have been in Berlin this week attending the International Rail Exhibition. We share a stand with 5 other companies from Sweden, which is a very good solution for us and ensures were part of a large on stand together.
I’m here with my boss and with two colleagues Tess and Anre. It’s been a very busy week and quite hard work, but we’ve had good fun too. Much of the day is spent talking to customers and partners and in the evenings we have been out in Berlin. I think I am missing between 2 and 4 hours of sleep each night and now its Friday I can feel this. Last night we went to the Hacherscher Markt in Berlin, which is a nice area and has lots of places to eat and drink. We ate outside then went on to some bars in the surrounding district.
Now I’m looking forward to catching the flight to Köln for the weekend and seeing Caro again.

Your just great...

You’re just great, I loved your 2 new blog entries. This me being away thing is hard for you, I can see that and as you say, we have to talk about this so you understand it, it’s a part of being together with me and we can deal with it, together, I’m sure. This reminds me, that you have written “we have to talk about this” several times over the past weeks. I hope we will find the time and that we remember all these points. Most of them are things we can best discuss face to face. None of them are issues in my mind and I don’t think they are in yours either, so we shall take them one at a time as we find time together, do you agree?
I just loved your list, what a fab thing to think of. Lots for us to look forward to next weekend ;-)

In New York anyway…

…well it sound ludicrous but I’m in New York anyway! I tried not to be here, as I have to be in Berlin all next week and planned to use the weekend to wind down and shake off the 6 hour difference. But my flight from Pittsburgh was delayed, big time. I was sitting on the small plane, waiting for its slot to take-off from Pittsburgh to New York. I quickly fell asleep, then waking to the jolt of the plane moving, I thought we had landed, but we hadn’t even taken off, we were moving back to the terminal to re-fuel! When we finally got in the air, the flight was further delayed by air traffic control in Newark and we eventually landed more than 2 hours late, so I missed me connection to Stockholm. These things happen… so I’m in New York again and I’d be the first to admit, there are worse places you could be delayed :)
So Jonas got his way and I spent Friday night with him going out in central Manhattan. We went to a bar for a beer, then to another in Times Square, then to the West Side to a restaurant in Hells Kitchen, finally another drink on the way back to Sven and Sharon’s apartment, where we were staying. The next day we all went to a traditional New York diner for brunch with Sharon’s dad and some of their friends. It’s humid and the sun is out, so we went for a walk in Central Park, which is just a few blocks from their place.

I really like New York; it’s got loads of character. It looks so impressive with its towering skyline, neon signs and yellow cabs. After all the films you’ve seen, every detail you expect it to have is there, the smoking street grates, laddered fire escapes clinging to brick apartment fronts, corner flower shops filled with colour, Italian delicatessen stores, bustling side walks, its all there for real.
I leave on Saturday evening and once again I’m very grateful for my job which takes me to these places and for the friends I’ve made in these interesting places. I’m just a little sad I can’t share more of this time with this special girl in my life. It would be just great to have shared this week’s experiences together with Caroline, I’m sure she would have enjoyed it too. I hope we can travel together soon and I’m thinking of her and how we have so much in front of us to look forward to and experience together. I’m really looking forward to that :)

Outings in Pittsburgh

Even though I’m kept busy with work, I find time to do some other things while in the USA this week. I take the chance to do some shopping at one of the local shopping centres. It’s generally much cheaper in the US and I buy stuff like Chinos, a T-shirt and a pair of Boots, which are all basically half the price compared with Sweden. Last night we were out in Pittsburgh with a customer.
We ate at the Pittsburgh Hard Rock Cafe, which was OK but not the best Hard Rock I’ve been to. The barbeque ribs were tasty and we drank local draft ale. Beginning to tire of our week of meat meals, Jonas and I set out to find something different to eat this evening. We checked out the cinema on our way out, but there was nothing on we wanted to see. I ask a local if there was a bowling alley near by and he gave us directions to a place he knew. We found a very suspect looking Chinese restaurant next to the bowling alley, but we decide to brave it as it was the only place to eat and we wanted to eat something different. We ordered their set menu and when the food arrived, we were very surprised to find it was really good. The owner came with each dish and explained what it was for us; even the cook comes out to check we were enjoying it. The whole meal only costs us 20 dollars each and was great value. We went down into the bowling alley and find out it’s a real old place from the 40’s with some very interesting individuals who look like they might have been working there since it opened. We played 3 games and we had to change lanes 2 times because the old machines were breaking down all the time and an old man had to come and fix them. We had a real good laugh bowling and are happy we braved this less than glamorous location which provided us with a real unusual American experience.

9/11 Flight

9/11 was a truly shocking event and this date is therefore unforgettable for most of us. Now 5 years on and on the very same day, I’m sitting on a plane on my way to New York and then on to Pittsburgh on a business trip. Some of my friends and family were concerned about me being on this flight, as was my girlfriend Caroline. As the plane is less than half full, I suspect that others have chosen not to fly on this day. I really don’t worry about these things and am not concerned. I spend so much time flying and have stopped thinking about accidents with planes a long time ago. But I do respect that others are worried and I hope that everyone who knows me is not too stressed about this flight.
We have just flown over Greenland, which for once was not covered in cloud and looked fantastic. The coast line was mountainous and full of glaciers twisting down into the clear blue sea, which was full of icebergs. Were at an altitude of 12,000 metres, travelling at 886 km/h and its minus 48 deg.C outside. The wireless internet connection is fine and I’m just mailing this message to some friends now.

My great girls

I’ve had a good week with Hannah and Emma at home and we’ve managed to spend some time together eating together some evenings and talking about our lives and what were doing. There growing up…or are grown up now! I’m pleased they can talk to me about their lives, their friends and boyfriends. I have tried hard not to be a disaster dad who doesn’t understand his children and with this week in mind, I’m sort of thinking I managed to get this right with them. I want to keep in touch with my children all through their lives and I hope that even when they move away, that they will always be able to call or come home to tell me about the bad or good times their experiencing.

Work has been tough this week with lots of pressure and problems and I need to try and relax this weekend. I’m off to the US on business on Monday for a week and I will be in Berlin all the following week at an exhibition. After that I will fly on to Köln for the weekend with Caroline and as usual I find myself very much looking forward to that. In fact I can hardly wait to see her eyes and embrace her in my arms again.

Sunday Heaven

I think I got coffee in bed again on Sunday…what could I possibly have done to deserve this…. We sit and chat in bed again and it’s so great that we seem to be able to talk about everything in such an uninhibited way. This girl is doing me so…much…good…I feel younger and refreshed by her smile, and her youth. We talk about her friends and I know they mean a lot to her and her to them too. You can see this from this sms that Tatjana sent me back on Saturday “it will be great to meet the man who makes this wonderful woman Caro fell so happy”. I hope I can live up to their expectations!

We take a walk around the area where she lives in Köln and were discussing our trips to see each other over the coming months and she asks about Christmas. I am a little surprised, but it will be great if we can arrange to see each other then too. On the way back to her flat we buy some cakes and have a snack before we have leave for the airport together. When I’ve checked in my bag, we sit and chat and photo each other in the airport terminal while we wait as long as possible before I have to leave. We decide we should start a series of airport photos of each other, so here is one of them. Were talking about our relationship and the risks involved because of the distance, culture and language, but we have so much going between us, I can only be optimistic and I hope that despite my warnings to Caro, that she believes my love and can also continue to be optimistic and make this work out for us.

Saturday bliss

I find myself waking up to Caro gently stroking my body from behind…she has a lovely way of doing this and it really turns me on in a big way. I lie as still as I can and enjoy the way her smooth hand is bringing my body to life and I wish that this will go on forever…but I don’t have the determination to keep still for long and eventually I turn around and caress her in return. Our skin touching and the contrast in its tone adding to the beauty of our embrace.

Caro has got up and made us coffee in bed and were sitting in bed talking and checking some things on her pc, like words we want to explain to each other and books of films were discussing. The internet is such a good tool for doing this. We plan the day and evening, even though it’s already quite late. Were going to meet two of her girlfriends later on and we text them with our plans of where to meet. We get up and I go out to buy bread and things for breakfast. The bakery is just round the corner and smells so good and its fun searching the other local shops for things I can’t find, I want orange marmalade and eventually I find it. We have breakfast on her balcony and its quite warm outside. We shop for some food for dinner then head off on our bicycles. We ride through the small streets and parks around the outskirts of Köln and stop on a grassy slope to fold out our rug and relax in. Were lying together in the park talking about our families and friends and I’m so happy to be there together with Caro, a loving couple in the park, along with the other couples around us…it feels good to be in this situation again, being a couple on a rug, in a park.

We cycle back home via the city centre and buy some books we have been talking about. Then back at the flat we cook dinner together and we work well in the kitchen at the same time. Caro’s obviously had problems with others in this area, because she comments on it and is surprised and pleased about this, that we can cook together. I think she has added this to her mental list of MrSmith plus points :)

Meeting her friends
We cycle across the city to a small wine bar called BarFly. I’m going to meet Friederike and Tatjana for the first time and I’m looking forward to this. I know Caro is a little nervous about what they will think of me, but I’m confident it will go well. We arrive first and order a great cocktail while we wait. When they arrive, I give them each a hug in the Swedish way and try to make sure I get their names right (I have been practicing them all day in my mind) which I manage to do for once. I think they are nervous about their English, which is actually fine, and were soon talking and laughing about all sorts of things. They are both very sweet. Its good fun and I’m happy we have such a good time together, and so is Caro, I can tell even before I ask her about it. She’s kissing me in the bar and I can tell were being studied by the others and no doubt we will be the subject of their discussions over the coming weeks. I’m careful not to drink too much because I can see that twinkle in Caro’s eyes and I know what that means, and I’m looking forward to making love to her again too when we get home. My mind is wandering already, before we even leave the bar. This is one of the best days I’ve had in a long time and when we get back to her flat, and her bed, it gets even better.

Landing in Köln again

Destination Köln, to meet Caroline, for the 4th time and my 2nd visit to her place. I’m tired and try to catch up on sleep on the plane, drifting off, I’m happy to find Caro slipping easily into my dreams. My Germanwings 2 hour flight from Stockholm arrives on-time in Köln and I wait to collect my bag, wondering how she will look this time, she’s coming to collect me in a friend’s car. I walk out into the arrivals hall to see her waiting for me, looking great and very happy. Its so good to have her in my arms again…kissing and hugging…it’s a long time since I landed at an airport and had someone there waiting for me, longing for me…I cant tell you how good that feels.
She drives us back to her flat and it’s great to be there again. We share a cool beer and I’m delighted to find she has a present for me…its one of these travelling wash bags she has and that I had said I wanted…waiting in the bathroom with a message on it for me. I’m happy I bought her a present too, and she seems pleased with the underwear I give her. It’s late and we are soon on our way to her bed. We want each other so much after almost 2 weeks of being apart and we make love in a passionate and fulfilling way.
On Friday morning I wake alone in her bed. Caro has to work in the morning so I take lazy lie-in. She’s working in a school and we have arranged to meet up later on when she’s finished after lunch. I eat some breakfast and take the bicycle Caro’s borrowed for me and cycle to meet her. It’s a beautiful ride along the side of Rhine which is just a few blocks from her flat. I stop on a small grassy patch on the bank of the river and strip to my shorts as the sun has come out and it’s suddenly hot. I bought a small German phrase book when I was in London and now spend a bit of time trying to get to grips with some of the basic German greetings and stuff…this is going to take time! Caro arrives and after a chat about her troubles at work, we ride back into Köln and stop for coffee and light lunch one of her favourite cafes. We pickup some shopping on the way home. The area she lives in is small streets, full of small community shops and has a nice busy and local feel to it, despite the fact that were just a short walk from the city centre, I like this a lot. Our evening spent eating out at a local Tapas Bar and again were deep into stories about our past and discussing our lives and comparing views on these things. Its very easy to talk openly about everything with Caroline and that’s very important for both of us and to our progress together.

On-line chatting

Yesterday I was on-line to Caro for ages. We seem to be able to communicate very well in this way, using e-mail or MSN. In a way I prefer to talk and call each other sometimes, but I also like the way we can be very intimate and stimulate each others minds and hearts with words. Really looking forward to seeing her again on Thursday night and as I’m arriving quite late, we won’t need an excuse to jump straight into bed together...looking forward to that :-)
I’ve been out playing snooker this evening with some mates, which is one of my favourite things to do these days in an evening. For now I usually get to play once every week or two and am getting better, slowly but surely.

Matters of the heart

What’s important for me in a relationship? I woke up this morning with this big question on my mind again, its one I have been trying to spend time on over the last few weeks. I try to and decide what’s important for me in a relationship and relate this to my girlfriend Caroline. But each time I try to think about it, all the things I have in my mind get mixed up and I find it hard to focus on them and I end up giving up with the process and hoping it will be clearer next time I try, but it isn’t. Why is it like this?
There are so many different factors that make a relationship good and I think we have already established that lots of them are working for us… the attraction to each other, the form of our bodies, the way we touch, caress and kiss each other… the way we make love to each other. I’m a big believer in the chemical factors, the taste of a kiss, taste of the body and scent of each other and all these are working for me. The “like the same things” list like food and music is growing too. We still have lots more to talk about and get to know about each other and what makes us the people we are, what made us the way we are and what we want from life in the future… but my heart is beating faster when we meet and when we have intimate moments and this thing with the heart is perhaps at the centre of this relationship question… its very important and difficult to understand sometimes… but it feels good.

Friday night…

Thank-god-its-Friday… busy week at work and with travelling and some late nights… I feel in need of a good night out. We start the evening off with some after-work drinks on the balcony with Josip and Jonas… that’s good. Then into town to Söder with bags of beers, to a friends place for drinks and take-away curry. The evening is interspersed with an exchange of raunchy sms with Caro…even some pictures…just how drunk was I? We go on to a favourite bar on Södermalm called Metro on Götgatan, a cool, laidback place with a relaxing lounge environment. All-in-all a great evening, even if a little too much intoxicating drink was consumed….but you need a night like that sometimes. Just a little hard to get up today ;-)

Business in London

London is a good place to visit on business as my brother Michael and sister Zoë live there. I have a major rail project developing in London and so I’m in London for 2 days to visit the customer and system integrator for a project meeting. Michael lives in central London not far from Tower Bridge. I stay with him instead of a hotel, that’s much nicer and gives me a chance to se him. He’s just moved into a new apartment, which is great and even bigger than his last one! On the Tuesday evening, I meet up for an after-work drink in Canary Wharf with Michael, Zoë and Lindsey, a girl friend of theirs. We sit outside and have a few drinks, chat and laugh about life, and then we eat at one of the restaurants nearby. It’s good to be here and see them and I’m glad I have a good relationship with them despite the distance.

I hope I can bring Caroline here some day soon to meet them too. Its less than a week to go before I will see her again in Cologne and I am hoping the coming days will go quickly.