A day in Holland

I flew to Amsterdam last night to be in Holland for a meeting today. It’s always a bit of a pain to travel for just one day away, as you need almost as much stuff with you as you do for a week. I also miss two evening away from home in a week when the girls are staying with me. I took the last flight on Tuesday to Amsterdam and stayed at a hotel near the airport. The hotel was OK and had a good wireless connection, so I was able to check e-mails and Skype with Caro. We had a long chat about her feelings for her flat in Cologne and how this is affecting her at the moment. She’s giving up a lot of things with her planned move to Sweden, like her job, her flat and a part of her life, and I can understand this is a big thing for her. This will no doubt lead to more conversations like this over the coming months and it’s not so easy to know how I can help, as I’m the one staying in the same place. I hope I can be a good listener and support her during this period. If it was possible for me to move just now, perhaps things would be different… but we’ve agreed on this as a way forward for us and we will have to deal with both the bad and good sides of this solution together.
The business meeting went well in Holland and I’m on my way home now. At the airport I sit in the lounge updating my blog and checking e-mail again. How did people ever manage before wireless LAN’s and laptops! The flight at 20:15 to Stockholm will get me home by about 23:15 if I’m lucky.

More decorating

I'm re-decorating Hannah’s room this week. It had dark green wallpaper which nobody liked and so we had agreed to re-paint the room. I sanded and filled the joins in the paper and border and sanded it all down last weekend. Now I’ve painted 3 walls twice with white and Hannah is going to help with the red colour she has picked for the other wall. It should look quite cool when its finished.
This reminded me about when Caro was in Stockholm in the week after Christmas… when we re-painted my bedroom together. This was very successful, not only because the room looks so much better and brighter now, but also because we worked so well together in this task. We agreed on how to do it and had fun decorating together. I’m sure we will find other similar decorating projects in the future and I’m looking forward to them already.

The new Bond Film

Caro and I went to see the new James Bond film, “Casino Royale” together with H&E at Christmas. It stars Daniel Craig, who gets the thumbs-up from me as the all new Bond. The film has a more convincing feeling to it than the previous films, where the tech gadgets are more realistic and the dialogue catchy and less comical. Bond is introduced to the audience as a rugged agent who’s just being promoted to his 007 status. The film starts with a great chase, which for a change is on foot and not in a vehicle. The new bond girl is pretty and not stupid. She has some catchy dialogue that Bond has to work on to keep up with. The only disappointment for me was that the Austin Martin he drives has an all too short lifespan in the film. There are some good twists in the plot that create suspense almost to the end of the film. All in all, a good film to see at the cinema and well worth the visit.

Snow

So after a long grey winter we at last we have some snow in Sweden this year. It came last weekend and has been here all week. Not so deep, but the 5 to 10 cm was enough to cover everything and it’s kept cold, around -6 deg C, so it’s still stuck in the branches of the trees.

This is a view from my balcony.

Crazy flight weekend

Had a flight booked to Cologne for Friday, but I was really missing Caroline all week… we chatted on Skype, sent lots of mail, sms… but by Thursday I felt I had to see her as soon as possible…
solution…
Fly a day early to Cologne!
Yep, I just booked another flight on Germanwings and left work at 17:30… was packed "light" and on the bus at 18:30… only to find the 20:05 flight was delayed due to a big storm in Germany. Had planned to arrive outside her flat as a sort of surprise, but in the end I had to call and discuss my arrival with her as the flight didn’t leave until 23:30. My girl came to the airport to collect me a 01:30 in the morning… but it was all worth it, to see her there waiting just for me… another special airport hug and kiss from Caro, that made this delayed flight so really worth while.
Back to her flat as quick as we can, and despite the late hour, were appreciating each other in her bed until the early hours of the morning.

Friday and Caroline was off to her course and I stayed at home and worked on my laptop, phoned to some customers and answered lots of e-mail. Did a little shop at lunch time and smiled as the helpful shop keepers discussed the produce in German with me…must start learning this language :)
Caroline came home and we dropped off her car and went for a walk… then she stopped at Katja’s for a “boyfriend” chat and I picked up some stuff and cooked dinner for us.
We played a little backgammon and chatted then went to bed.

Saturday… we go stuck in bead again and had a great morning rolling around in bed. Had breakfast and rode bicycles into the centre of Cologne to do some tea mug shopping… but with no big luck. Then it poured down with rain and we went to Starbucks for a fika. Had a long discussion about Caroline’s plans to try and study in Maastricht for the first year after the summer, and that she has really made the decision to come and live with me. Lots of mixed feelings here… I was happy she’s made a decision… and some little initial concerns about what the course in Maastricht will mean for us being together. But after I’ve had time to discuss this more with her, and think about it… I now I see its probably not a problem… and a good way for Caro to take this big step in her life.
We go out for a really good dinner on Saturday evening, to a little restaurant we’ve talked about before not far from her flat. It’s an Iranian cook and a little Lebanese’s inspired food…very good food…. And again Caroline takes the opportunity to tell me she’s happy she’s made the decision to want to move and live with me… and this feels very good and I’m very happy were both working towards making this happen. I just love this girl.

Sunday… and were just taking it easy again, getting up late and having a sort of late breakfast again. We take a walk along the edge of the river in the wind and sun… look a little exhibition…..but as usual were running out of time. Borrow the car again and Caroline drives me to the airport. More airport pictures to keep up our tradition… must be a good one there this time. And now another trip is over… but some big moments and big commitments to me from Caroline… my girl, my love and the one who wants to live with me…wow… this is really the start of a new part in my life…. And I’m really looking forward to living together with her… wherever we end up living in the long term!

Time

Time has its own relevance for everyone
What feels slow for one can feel quick for another
What seems like a minute for one, can seem like a age for another
When I think of you and me, I think of what we have already experienced together
…what we have learnt about each other
…and what we have achieved together
And all this makes me feel so very good about our relationship and our love
So think of this and not the relevance of time
Because these feelings and more relevant than the passage of time

I Love You Caroline

Sunday Breakfast Contemplation

As I eat a piece of toast with honey and Chevre cheese on it, I’m sitting here thinking of my great girl. During our chats on the phone this week, she told me that she has decided she wants to try and move to Sweden in the summer this year. I had hoped we could live together sooner rather than later, so I’m glad Caro was able to come to this decision herself…. this is great news… I’m very happy. I also know this will be a big challenge for us… especially for Caro. But it seems were both determined to deal with this in a realistic way, and at the same time focus on our relationship and our love... and that we’ve found partners in each other who we believe in.
I was also thinking about some of her great qualities. I was so impressed with one of the Christmas presents she gave me, a backgammon board, which she made herself. Incredibly well made and a fantastic gift. Then the other week she helped decorate my bedroom. It had very dismal grey wallpaper which needed to go. We sanded, filled and painted the room together…as a team…and she was very good at this… and I was happy we worked so well together on this little project… and this practical side of her personality reminds me that this is one of the reasons why I love this girl. She’s smart, intelligent, practical, lovely and sexy.

Loving you

It’s been a beautiful 2 weeks together and I’ve so much enjoyed this time with you…with you in my life, in my flat, in my arms. You’re a girl I can share everything with and this makes me feel good inside…and loving you and knowing your loving me back… and this is what’s so important.
I want to love you and I want to be loved back.
I’ve tried to explain the importance of this to you over the last week, when we’ve been discussing our relationship, so I hope you have been able to understand this.
I think this love is what drives me on with our relationship, gives me the will power to make it work, despite all the possible hurdles. This love can make anything work… the rest we can work out together and as long as were strong and believe in our relationship… then I’m convinced we can be very happy together.
Love Richard

A German film

While Caroline was here in Stockholm we went to see another film together. The original German title was “Das Leben Der Anderen”….in Swedish its called “De andras liv”. Set in 1984, it’s about a Stasi agent in the secret police of East Germany who gets personally involved with the people he is watching.
It’s a while since I’ve been to seen a foreign film, so I’m not used to reading the Swedish sub-titles. I kept looking at the people and forgetting to read the text. It was a good film which brought tears to my eyes at least twice. I really liked it and I think it gave a very vivid view of what it was really like living in this pre-unified era in Berlin. Caroline like it too, and as always, I enjoyed her by my side in the cinema…my girlfriend and me watching a film together…one of my favourite pastimes.

New Year 2006/7

We were back in Stockholm for the New Year. We decided to cook a leg of lamb for our guests, Martin and Lotta and Josip. H&E had decided to be out with their friend this year…their growing up bit-by-bit. The lamb was cooked on a low heat for 4 hours and was really good and much appreciated by our guests. We started with some Champaign and then ate the lamb. At 11:30 we went out and climbed the hill in Haga Park to watch the fireworks, pop a bottle of Champaign and welcome in the New Year. We had a great view all over Stockholm and it felt we had lots to be happy about and look forward to together. Back in the flat we played a game an had some more drinks before going to bed at 4:30.

Our first flight together

Had a few more days in Cologne, visiting friends of Caroline, going out and many great hours making love. On Tuesday we took the train South, to visit Caroline’s mum who lives near to Stuttgart. I really like travelling by train… talking, kissing, and listening to music…and all sorts of strange people to look at to. We shared the carriage with Mr Splendini and his assistant, who was unfortunately not well and caused quite a commotion during the trip.
It was good to meet Caro’s mum and her brother. Her mum was nice and tried her best to talk to me in English, even if its not her strong point. Florien was friendly and took a walk with me across the fields near the house, speaking very good English and telling me about his life and interests. Unfortunately both Caroline and I picked up a bug and were very ill during the night and were very week for a few days. Can’t remember ever being so ill…first time I’ve ever lost 1.5 kg at Christmas! Anyway, it was good to be there and see where Caroline had grown up and meet her family. On the Friday we took a plane from Stuttgart direct to Stockholm. This was another first…first time we were travelling on a plane together. And we spent a lot of time talking about the options for our future together…in the neutral air space between Germany and Sweden. It made me feel very emotional…had tears in my eyes…looking into the eyes of this very special girl I love.

Christmas Eve

I can see it’s a big mistake to not keep up with my blog entries, as I’m having problems remembering in which order I did things over this Christmas period.
Being back at Caroline’s flat in Cologne felt very good and being with her 24 hours a day now seemed very natural to me. On the Saturday, we made plans for the coming days and did some shopping for food during the day. I put the final touches to my rhymes for Caroline’s presents and attached them to her already wrapped presents. Caro had organised tickets for us in the evening to the Köln Philharmonic Concert Hall to see a Christmas performance by Bach. We met Friederike and Matias who were also at the concert. It was a really good performance and a special thing to do at Christmas… I was a little tired and nodded off just a few times during the first half… but I was refreshed during the interval with a glass of Champaign and the second part was more enjoyable… especially with my girlfriend by my side.

Christmas Eve was such a great day for us both. We really spent the day as we had planned, together and at our own pace…the way we wanted it to be. We spent the morning in bed and opened the first of our presents together. We had a late breakfast and went for a walk into the city centre. It was only a few degrees plus and we followed the river up to the Cathedral, which we decided to visit and take a look inside. It was quite dimly lit inside, but various areas were lit up with candle light and looked very pretty. I suggested we each light a candle too, and that we could remember someone. I could see Caroline was moved by this moment and suspected she was thinking of her father. I held her and we left this great church together, both perhaps with a tear in our eyes, thinking of the ones we had remembered. We jumped onto a bus and got home quickly, both keen to get warm again and continue our Christmas day. We opened the remaining presents… mine included a backgammon game, which Caro had made herself… I was very impresses with this one. Then we made wonderful love together, celebrating this special day in our own very special way. In the evening we cooked salmon and ate our Christmas dinner together… then later on, we went out with Friederike and Matias to a club and danced to disco classics until late into the night. This really turned out to be one of the best Christmas Eves I have ever had… thank you Caroline… this was special.

Friday...on my way

After a very busy week, I have at last left work...I need this break and I need my girl. Just some last minuite things to fix...take Hannah and their stuff over to their mums...and finish packing. In a bit of a rush now...dont forget the things in the fridge! and my book and the Christmas presents. Throw my bag on my back, and head for ths airport bus...just in time...I catch the one I wanted to get. Check in, pass security...and relax...on my way. I call Caroline and we agree to meet at the airport, wonder if she will make it to the airport in time this time? Call my Auntie Carol and my Dad and say Happy Christmas...and sit n write rhymes for the presents to Caroline...looking forward to being together with her for Christmas. On the plane...write and doze...land a little late... and Caroline is waiting for me, and that kiss, that hug...my love, it´s so good to be in your arms again.

Christmas Market

I landed in Munich, then a short wait and a 1 hour flight to Cologne. No time to waste, I take a taxi from the airport to get to her flat as quick as possible. As usual we had a beautiful evening together and woke in the morning having enjoyed our loving hours in the bed together. Caroline was attending her course on Sunday, so I sat in bed and wrote some stuff on my PC, read and had a relaxing time. Then I walked around her neighbourhood

And took a few pictures of Cologne and found the Starbucks where we should meet up. I like this feeling of sitting in a café and reading and waiting for my girlfriend to turn up and come in and give me a kiss and a hug. We went to one of the small bars and had a coffee and a light snack and wrote Christmas present lists together (another first for us). Then we went to a traditional German Christmas Market and enjoyed the atmosphere, found a present for my sister and drank a mug of Gluvine…very Christmas’y.

We had a great evening together…ate some food and talked about lots of big and small things in our lives…and then to bed. We got up together and I left for the airport. Leaving her is easier these days…and I knew it would only be 2 weeks before I would be back for the Christmas holidays.

A week in Delhi

It’s strange, but after all my travelling, this is my first trip to India. I’ve wanted to visit India for a long time, but never got around to it, so I was pleased to get the chance to make this first trip with my work. The visit was as usual mostly work, but I had the chance to get a little taste for what this great country has to offer. My boss Magnus has been working on this project for some years and now its time for more of us to get involved. The flight via Munich to Delhi was business class, so a little more comfort than usual, but I arrived with much less sleep than I needed on Tuesday morning in New Delhi. The hotel was centrally located and had quite a neat trendy design and the room was very comfortable.

Business wise, the week was very intense, with an almost continuous schedule of meetings with our Indian partners and the Indian Railways. The railway in India is the largest in the world and being the largest single employer in India and the world, it’s a big organisation to get to know and work with. It’s also a separate government ministry with a complex political and bureaucratic organisation. We made several visits to the ministry building to have meetings with the board members and ministers. It’s a large building where life revolves around finding room numbers and waiting patiently for people. The Indians have a special style when it comes to meeting procedures. Usually you enter their office and sit in a small sofa group, while the current visitor conducts their business. Then, when their finished, your invited to join him at his desk, or he might join you on the sofa to have a cup of tea. Drinking tea is a central part of almost every meeting in India, some times also with some food. Most of the senior staff have an army of assistants, who hurry in at the push of a button, to bring tea of food of documents or what ever is needed.

We had planned to try and meet a least one of the 3 government ministers for the railways. We had a good chance to meet one and he was in the parliament that day, which was debating an important amendment to a railway bill. His under secretary was a very nice guy and had helped us to meet people in the ministry during the week. He said the minister would return after the parliament, so we came back later in the afternoon, but we were then advised he had gone directly to his residence after the late session. The secretary asked if we would like to see the minister at his residence. Yes we said, a little surprised by the question. And so off we went with our taxi, which had waited for hours outside for us, which is apparently quite normal! At the ministers residence we were introduced to him and sat in his reception room where we were offered whiskey and small things to eat. He was very social and as we talked about our project and India. He explained a little about his political role. It’s expected that politicians in India are available to the people, and so such meetings were an everyday part of his job as a minister. It was quite an experience and key lobby meeting for us.

As usual we had very little time for our selves. We did manage to go for a walk one lunch time and visit the bazaar at Connaught Place, a sort of centre point for Delhi. It’s quite a run down area with shops and stalls and an underground bazaar. Having found some things to buy, it was fun to bargain and haggle with the traders and it seemed quite easy for us to negotiate down the prices. I also bought a pair of Levi jeans which were about half the price you’d expect in Sweden.

Not so unexpected...most things around the streets are very dirty and there are people sleeping at the side of the road and small children run along side you and beg for money. It’s hard to deal with this and feel comfortable with it while were living in our luxury hotel next door to all this poverty. There are still more than a third of the Indian population living below the poverty level, which is just 1 dollar per day! At the end of the week I am tired and looking forward to flying home. I will stop in Germany on the way and spend the rest of the weekend with Caroline in Köln…so much looking forward to this and to cuddling up beside her and sleeping.