Relaxing and soaking it all in

Christmas is over and a new year is soon born. Crazy how time flies. Me and Sam have tried to relax and enjoy the holidays as much as we can. It's been really nice to have some days off from work even if I do have the luxury to work from home nowdays.

Next year will mean a lot of changes for me and Sam. First, we have to fully decide where we want to live – Sweden or Australia – and we need to start the process of either him trying to get a permanent visa in Sweden or me getting a permanent visa in Australia. Then, I need to find a new job because I'll not be able to keep the job I have now in Sweden IF we choose to (and can) stay here. Sam will start to study part-time and work part-time within the food industry (so proud of him). So yes ... these are just some examples of what we need to think about next year.

But until then ... 

We have been doing a few adventures lately, we both bought bikes for each other as Christmas gifts so that resulted to a trip to the beach. I love my bike! So much freedom but it's a bit scary riding on the roads where the cars are, haha.

Oh and! Sam helped me yesterday to colour my hair with henna (the red one from Lush) and even though the process was a bit annoying (hehe) I absolutely LOVE the result.

Check out my Christmas blog

Do not forget that I also update my Christmas blog this time of the year – in Swedish. This year I have been struggling a bit with the Christmas spirit but I think I'm starting to feel that familiar feeling bubbling inside ... better late than never. 

Merry Christmas! 🎄♡

Trying my best to get some Christmas spirit

Here is a new vlog of me trying to get into the Christmas spirit. 

SPOILER: It goes ... okay 😀

(In Swedish)

Itchy scalp – Natural remedies & other tips

Not long after I moved to Australia my scalp started to itch ... a lot! I thought at first that I might not have been so good with washing off the schampoo so I started to be more thorough when washing my hair. But ... the problem did not go away.

I tried new products with less chemicals in them and also tried to pour olive oil and coconut oil all over my head. Did not work ... 

So after a lot of researching and asking around I finally tried one more thing ... apple cider vinegar. I mixed apple cider vinegar with water in a glass and took it with me when it was time to shower. I washed my hair with schampoo and then conditioned the lengths of my hair. While the conditioner were (hopefully) making my ends nice and smooth I poured the apple cider vinegar mix on my scalp the best I could. I waited for about 5-10 minutes and then I washed it off – I didn't wash my roots for too long though, just enough to wash off most of the apple cider vinegar. 

Then I dried my hair and waited ... and I noticed it did not itch as much. I repeated this shower ritual and after a week I could feel a huge difference. IT WORKED. 

 WHY DID MY SCALP ITCH SO MUCH? 

❥ pH levels not balanced?

❥ Too many bad chemicals?

❥ Is the water in Australia not filtered enough?

❥ Am I using too many products after my showers?

❥ Do I have an infection?

❥ Am I allergic to something?

❥ Is it my bed sheets?

Honestly, I can't say for sure what the reason were for my scalp itching as bad as it did but obviously the skin was dry. The apple cider vinegar has anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anti-fungal properties. 

IMPORTANT: And from what I have read ... the best result will be with the apple cider vinegar that contains "mother", it's supposedly a pulp substance and that's where all the good vitamins and minerals are hidden.

 MY RECOMMENDATIONS 

Remember, I'm not an expert, but this worked for me so I thought I should share it. If you choose to try it on your scalp and hair, please do it at your own risk. I know I'm not inventing the wheel here, I'm sure many of these tips can be read on other pages, blogs and such – and now here on my blog as well.

❥ Please, try not to scratch.

❥ Drink a lot of water daily.

❥ Try another schampoo and preferably as natural and chemical free as possible. 

❥ Avoid too many products close to your scalp. 

❥ Avoid using a hat, wig or a scarf too much if you can. Let the scalp breath.

❥ Brush your hair so the natural oils can spread.

❥ Meditation. Stress and anxiety affects the body and can make your scalp itch.

❥ Make and use natural hair masks once a week.

❥ Try a scalp scrub made with salt, sugar and coconut oil.

❥ Do not wash your hair everyday.

❥ Finish your shower with pouring cold water over you hair, hot water can be damaging.

❥ Apple cider vinegar mixed with water over you scalp after using the schampoo.

❥ Read about it somewhere, not tested it myself yet: Two-three tbsp of baking soda mixed with water makes a good paste to spread on your scalp. Leave it in for 5-10 minutes before you rinse your hair = a natural schampoo that helps balancing those pH levels.

Everything starts from within, make sure to eat healthy and less of the not so healthy stuff – with other words, try to avoid eating too much meat, fried food, candy ... and drinking drinks that have sugar and/or alkohol in it.

BUT ... If nothing of this works I recommend you to go and see an expert/doctor. It's not good having an itchy scalp for too long, it could be a sign that your body is lacking some important vitamin or mineral. Also ... it could lead to baldness/thinner hair.

Good luck!

Is it already "tredje advent"?!

Here is a new video update in Swedish.

A Day In December

Yesterday was a beautiful day, me and Sam spent most of it at the Botanic garden in Melbourne. We had a picnic, talked and enjoyed the beauty around us. The park had not many visitor so it was a luxury to be there.

Today is the temperature 39°C(!!!) and very windy. Both me and Sam have been tired all day, not had that much energy to do anything yet. We did manage a short yoga class and meditation in our living room earlier. Maybe we'll have some more energy when it cools down – I hope. 

I have a hard time getting into the right Christmas spirit, my body thinks it's summer. I love Christmas, the best holiday of the year if you ask me. I even have a Christmas blog that I start to update in August/September every year. So ... this is a very weird time for me. Oh well ... I guess not the biggest problem in the world, haha. Hopefully I'll be more jolly soon hehe ... *hope*

Short peek of how my weekend was ...

Rain, football and ... pads

Yesterday it rained so much here in Melbourne, I'm glad I didn't have to go anywhere. It kept raining for hours and then out of nowhere it stopped. Nature, how amazing you are! 

It was not just a rainy day yesterday, it was Melbourne Cup Day and that meant a public holiday for all Australians – not for me who work for a Swedish company. People bet on horses, drank beers/champagne/wine and just celebrated their day off ... in the rain. We had some friends over, it was nice too. And dry!

I'm not feeling great today though, I think Sam gave me his cold so I've been sneezing a lot. My head feels heavy and it was hard sleeping because I could not breathe properly. 

Anyway ... Last week, on Friday, me and Sam met two of his friends (Michael and Beth). We went to a football game, my first real football match, and watched Melbourne being beaten by Sydney – not what we wished for but Hey! ... it was cool to be there and I understand why many people can enjoy this, happy vibes. 

And before I end this post this time ... look!! Haha, some "knowledge notes" when switching pads. I don't think I've seen it before (not like this) so thought that was cool. No wonder why women are smarter than men ... haha, jokes aside. This was clever. 😉

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Swedish summary: 

Igår regnade det extremt mycket, i flera timmar! Det var Melbourne Cup Day vilket innebar att många i Australien hade en ledig dag som de kunde spendera med vänner, satsa på hästar, dricka sina favoritdrinkar samt njuta av en ledig dag. Dock blev de flesta av dem genomblöta innan solen dök upp. Stackarna. Vi hade några vänner över och firade hemifrån. Ingen här blev genomvåt så det var ett plus haha ... Dessvärre har jag ändå blivit förkyld. Tror att det är Sam som smittat mig. Huvudet värker en aning och näsan är stundtals täppt. Frustrerande!

Förra veckan var jag på min första fotbollsmatch, ganska roligt faktiskt. Jag förstår att många uppskattar att gå iväg och kika på en match då och då. Det är så skön stämning och en gemenskap där som jag förstår att många söker. 

Missa inte bindan på bilden ovanför! En liten kunskapsnotis sådär mellan bytena. Smart!

First vlog from Australia (in Swedish)

Here is my first vlog from Australia and it's all in Swedish, right now that feels the most normal. Maybe, in the future, I might do some videos in English as well ... who knows!

Bloggers who travels or/and move abroad

I have been searching for other bloggers that update about their everyday life in Australia – and who are NOT only writing about beauty, fashion or "the perfect life". I want something real and I want to be able to relate, I suppose ...

This search has not been easy but I have found some that I can add to my list, here is the whole list: 

❥ Emmy – Bortabrabloggen.com
The writer is a Swedish woman named Emmy who's been living and working in Melbourne since 2010 and shares a lot of good tips on her blog for people like me.

❥ Linn – Linnwiberg.se
Written by a Swedish woman named Linn who lives in London (it's interesting for me to follow other swedes trying to live a life outside Sweden too). She writes about her everyday life, she's very open and shares a lot of beautiful images.

❥ Johanna – Tokyoyo.se
This Swedish woman, Johanna, lives in Japan and shares wonderful images and tips from her life there. I have always been interested in Japan and its culture so that's why I think Johanna's blog is a delight to follow.

❥ Jake – Wheresjake.com
Just discovered Jake and his blog. He's travelling around the world and will maybe visit Australia during Christmas. It will be very interesting to follow him on his journey.

❥ Alice – Nouw.com/aliceeedin/
Also a new discovery, this Swedish woman just recently moved to Melbourne/Australia. Same here, it will be very fun to follow Alice on her journey so far away from Sweden.

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

If you have any more blogs that you want to recommend, please comment below. I would love to read about: 

• People (both swedes and none-swedes) who share about their everyday life in Australia.
• People (both swedes and none-swedes) who share about their everyday life in a country different from where they grew up.

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Swedish summary: 

Jag letar nya bloggar att följa. Jag vill utöka min lista så om ni har några tips på bloggar som ni tror att jag kanske gillar, kommentera gärna!

We have an apartment!

We are not being lazy over here, it has really been something every day. We finally moved into our apartment* this weekend and that, as you can imagine, was a workout. It feels nice to have our own space and when we have more things in place I'll post some pictures (of course!!). Even though the weekend was busy, we did manage to squeeze in a Wedding fair on Sunday – our friends are getting married so we went there with them to get inspired. I pointed Sam a little extra to the ring-section (hihi) – I took two photos of some cool dining decoration/launch area ... a bit bohemian, don't you think. Love it!

The location of our apartment is P-E-R-F-E-C-T. We have cafés, restaurants, a park and close to the trains/trams/buses ... and so much more in the area. We are not complaining at all.

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Swedish summary: 

Vi är allt annat än lata här borta. I helgen flyttade vi in till vår lägenhet, äntligen! Det var en hel del att göra, våra kroppar var helt skakiga när vi var klara. Trots detta lyckades vi klämma in en bröllops-mässa också, två av våra vänner ska gifta sig så vi följde med för att inspireras. Jag puttade Sam lite extra åt ringarna, hehe. Däremot fastnade jag själv för en matplats-dekoration (eller vad man nu vill kalla det). Bohemiskt och fint, eller hur?

Måste bara säga att vi har verkligen perfekt lokalisering/placering av lägenheten. En hel del härligheter som kaféer, en park, tåg, affärer och mer alldeles i närheten. Älskar´t!

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*Later, when we have landed a bit, I will write a post about our chase for an apartment. It was not super easy but obviously not impossible.

World Vegan Day – Melbourne

Me and Sam went to a vegan event in the city this weekend. It was awesome! So much good food, products and interesting people. The event was free and you could try some samples for free as well. Sam was so happy to see all the cool food products and talking to the smart people selling it all. Yes, we bought a few things, believe it or not but most things were not crazy expensive.

Right now we are putting all our energy into finding a place to live and we might actually have something BUT ... I don't want to say too much until pappers have been signed. We have had a really good time with Sam's family but it will be nice to have our own place and make it to our home.

➺ Can't wait to get back into good routines again when it comes to working out, eating well and writing/drawing/reading. It will be awesome! 

 

 

 

Yes, even the dog food is vegan(!!). 

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Swedish summary: 

Sam och jag firade World Vegan Day i stan under helgen. Vi gick till en vegansk mässa där det fanns hur mycket härligt som helst: produkter inom mode och skönhet men också mat, dryck och snacks – till och med hundmat(!!). Det var riktigt intressant. 

Hittills har all energi gått till att finna ett boende och det kan faktiskt vara så att vi har något på gång men jag vill inte säga för mycket förrän alla pappren är påskrivna. Hoppas! Sams familj har varit fantastiska men det ska bli skönt med ett egen hem. Längtar!

Work, Australian accent and a pelican

Australia delivers as one could say. The Melbourne weather is special, sometimes you can have all seasons in one day but most of the time, in my opinion, it's pretty great. I have now been working for a week for the job I have had in Sweden and so far everything seems to go well – my co-workers have been very nice to me and given me a very calm week to be honest. Again, I am grateful that I can work for them for another six months before I have to quit or pause my employment. We'll see what happens.

My English is improving everyday as well. I wasn't bad before, I speak better English than I write, but I am getting more comfortable and less scared of making mistakes. The Australian accent though ... oh boy. I really need to concentrate sometimes. It's almost like I get hypnotized byt the accent that I don't always register what they actually are saying, haha ... so bad. Like I said, I'm improving at least. Baby steps forward.

What about all the poison animals? Haha, no but honestly, I have seen a few spiders but nothing too scary. Yet. Yesterday I saw a pelican (see picture below to the right, it's hard to see but it's there) and I thought it was so cool!

Today it's already Friday (I've been in Australia for a little more than a week), me and Sam are going into the city to do some shopping and maybe have some drinks with friends. Later we'll get back to Sam's brothers house (we're still looking for a place of our own) and I think I might draw or write if I can. Tomorrow we will go and see four different apartments and probably apply for them all – I just HOPE that we will get our own place soon.

Have a great weekend!

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Swedish summary: 

För det mesta är vädret i Australien helt fantastiskt och jag mår gott av att veta att sommaren är på väg. Jag har haft min första arbetsvecka och det går bra. Vännerna på jobbet har varit mer än snälla men nästa vecka får jag nog mer att göra. Så tacksam för denna möjlighet och trygghet fortfarande. 

Många djur har jag sett här i Australien, för det mesta spindlar och fåglar men inget som var alltför läskigt. Igår såg jag en pelikan och det var jäkligt coolt!

Språket går bra, ibland förtrollas jag av den australiensiska dialekten och tappar bort mig men jag övar. Det blir bättre och bättre. Idag blir det shopping och drinkar i stan innan vi åker tillbaka till Sams brors hus. Vi letar eget boende för fullt och imorgon ska vi gå på hela fyra visningar. Jag HOPPAS att det snart blir vår tur att hitta ett hem. 

Trevlig helg!

Renting out my apartment

JUST TO MAKE THIS CLEAR: THIS IS NOT A COLLABORATION.

Before leaving Sweden for Australia I needed to rent out my apartment – I'm leasing an apartment and I wanted to rent it out as "second hand". Why? Well, I don't want to loose the apartment and also, I want some security after my one year in Australia.

Step 1:
I started with a post on Facebook and I had some acquaintances who seemed interested but then backed out. After a few recommendations from friends I decided to use a site called Samtrygg. I just put up an ad on their site and then opened my calendar for viewings of the apartment. This was a bit scary for me and I really had to go outside my comfort zone. I didn't expect that so many people would be interested in my apartment considering my rent is not so low. But, to my surprise, I did meet some cool people that could be potential tenants.

Step 2:
After the first viewings I got a call from Samtrygg. We talked about the potential tenants and what I thought about them. In my case, I liked two out of five the most (two didn't even show up) – and at this point I still had three or four booked viewings on other dates. I wanted to have all of this done as soon as possible but in the end, I still decided on having three more viewings. BUT. One of the potential tenants were very interested in the apartment and could not wait. I decided that a quick deal might be a good idea. So I told Samtrygg that I was happy to go with this tenant. Samtrygg quickly took down my ad on their website, cancelled the viewings I had left and started the process.

Well, the potential tenant did not have all the papers ready and therefore asked if I could maybe wait a bit. This was a warning flag for me and I just told Samtrygg to put my ad back up. I had no time to wait for a "maybe". So this sucked a bit. I had a few more viewings and met a lovely young couple that seem to fit perfect. Again, I started the process via Samtrygg. This time it went better!

Step 3: 
When I had decided who was going to be my tenant, we wrote a contract via Samtrygg. After this, I needed an approval from my landlord as well. More papers to fill in and send away – if my landlord, for some reason, would say "no" then the contract with the tenant would not be valid anymore. BUT, the landlord approved. Woop woop!

Did all go well?
Everything went very smoothly. Before leaving the apartment for the new tenant I had to clean out all the clutter and dust, pack my things, write an inventory list, write an/fill in a inspection list with the new tenant and have all the keys ready. It was hard work but I was truly happy in the end.

Finishing words: 
All in all, the whole process with Samtrygg went fast. Because I might not be available during all hours of the day from Australia, my mom will (very kindly) be my contact person in this case. I think it's important to have someone who can represent you when you can't. 

THIS was SO awesome to check off as "Done" on my to do-list. 

Swedish apartment – living room 

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Swedish summary: 

Innan jag drog till Australien ville jag hyra ut min lägenhet i andrahand då det kändes som en viktig trygghet. Det är som sagt inte lätt att få lägenhet i Stockholm, iallafall var det inte lätt för mig. Jag provade först intresset på Facebook men det var något svalt, därför gick jag på vänners rekommendationer – Samtrygg. 

Samtrygg är ett företag som hjälper till med allt möjligt när det kommer till att exempelvis hyra ut sin lägenhet. Dessutom har de ett trygghetspaket som gör att alla parter känner sig något säkrade i denna deal. Trots att det var krokigt och jag hade något bråttom då jag hade en hel del andra saker att göra innan min Australien-resa gick allt smidigt. So far so good!

In a place they call "Down Under"

I landed in Australia Wednesday evening last week and took the rest of that week off. What a beautiful welcome I got! Sam met me at the airport and we acted like giggling teenagers. It was around 7 p.m. so we just had a quiet evening at Sam's brother's house (we are renting a room here until we have found our own place). 

We have been very lucky with the weather, the summer is really on its way! For me, this is of course a crazy feeling considering it is autumn in Sweden and winter is coming. Just the idea that I'll celebrate Christmas in summertime is hard to take in. It will be interesting for sure. 

Today is my first workday from Australia and I really am lucky that I have this opportunity to work from here. It will only last for about 6 months but it's more than enough. I will mostly do graphic material/designs and such, which suits me perfectly. 

There is a few things I want to fix this week: 

• Open up a bank account.
• Get an Australian ID.
• Get a Medicare card.

I already have an Australian phone number, thanks to Sam. The best thing about it is that I have Internet connection wherever I am and ... that Sam can call me if I for some reason get lost, hehe.

 

 

Psst: If you ask me, I think that the botanic garden in Melbourne might be the best place on earth. I love it!

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Swedish summary: 

Snart har jag varit i Australien i en vecka. Resan gick över förväntan och det dröjde inte alls länge innan jag var i Sams armar. Jag tog ledigt de resterande dagarna som var kvar av förra veckan och det var fantastiskt. Sommaren är snart här! Givetvis är känslan märklig då hösten nu är i Sverige. Tänk att jag ska fira jul mitt i sommaren? Obegripligt. 

Idag är första arbetsdagen här och jag känner tacksamhet. Tänk att jag får jobba härifrån och lugnt får komma till ro?! Wow, vilken grej! 

Det är några saker jag önskar hinna med denna vecka så jag hoppas att det ska gå smidigt med det också. Tjing!

En videohälsning innan det bär av ...

Wow, it took me some time to decide if I was going to make this a public video or not. In the end I just felt that it was too complicated to have it private and try to share it with my closest family and friends. So I made it public ... 

The video is in Swedish but you can choose English subtitle (not the best but its there). I have not decided if future videos should be in Swedish or in English, I guess time will tell. 

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Swedish summary: 

Det var mycket velande innan jag beslutade för att göra videon offentlig. Jag orkade inte med krånglet att försöka dela med specifika nära och kära, det var lättast att bara göra det tillgängligt för alla så därav mitt beslut. Än vet jag inte om alla videon kommer att vara på svenska (så som den ovan), jag antar att tiden får avgöra det. Det går att lägga till engelsk undertext (dock inte den bästa). Vi ses!

Before going to Australia: Packing a life

Around 09.00 am tomorrow is when my flight to Australia departs. All on my 'to do'-list is now done and I don't think I can prepare myself anymore. Well ... 

Okay, we have one more thing to do ... squeeze in my life in to (very few) bags. The bags I can check in were maximum two and their weight together can be 30 kg. Hand-baggage can weigh about 7 kg. Well, I think I will have luggage that will weigh about 40-41 kg in total – so 3-4 kg overweight. Depending on how strict they are with the bags that I will check in (1-2 kg too much) ... I think I might be okay. 

I have cleared SO much (my sister and mother are happy about that, they got it all). I hope I don't need to leave anything else. My mum and sis will take me to the airport so they will be able to take whatever I might have to "toss out". ❣

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Swedish summary: 

Imorgon, omkring 09.00, går flyget mot Australien. Nästan allt på min att-göra-lista är klart förutom den där biten med att packa ner mitt liv i väskor – och inte så många väskor bör tilläggas. Jag tror att min övervikt ligger på 3-4 kg totalt, och om de inte är alltför strikta med väskorna jag checkar in så bör det vara okej. Ifall jag nu inte skulle ha turen med mig så kommer både min syster och mamma vara på plats för att ta med sig hem det jag måste plocka ut. Håller tummarna att det blir som jag önskar!

Before going to Australia: To do list (Update)

It has almost been a month since the last time a made a post here and the answer for it is simple: I'm preparing as much as possible for my trip/move to Australia. Remember the to do list I made? Well, I can check off a few more things now:

Visa (a Work Holiday Visa so I can experience AU)	Done
Valid passport	Done
Rent out apartment (As a "second lease" so I can have it back after AU if needed)	Done
Travel insurance (In case of anything happening)	Done
Write proxy (So my mum can make decisions for me in Sweden when I can't)	Done
Clean out the apartment (Leave only the things the new tenant might need)	Done
Buy ticket to AU	Done
End subscriptions (Like Netflix, HBO, etc)	-
Write out copies (Of my passport, ticket, visa, etc)	Done
Pack travel bag (Will do this closer to my departure)	-
Plan with work (So I can keep my job the first 6 months by working abroad)	Done
Change address for postbox (So my mail won't bother the new tenant)	Done
Finish the course I'm taking (Health influencer)	(Ongoing)

So right now I'm living at my mum's house/apartment. It is crowded with my sister and her boyfriend there as well... and let us not forget ALL my stuff. But it is also very cosy, I have to say. Most of my boxes will eventually be stored in my mum's basement – lucky me! 

I can still not understand that I'm soon leaving Sweden (for a longer period of time) in just 2 weeks. I miss Sam so much so I can't wait. I think that it will feel like I'm going on a vacation at first ... maybe after 3 weeks or so it will hit me that I'm suppose to live in Australia for a while. Crazy! 

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Swedish summary: 

Tiden flyger iväg och jag har inte bloggat på ett tag. Det finns en väldigt enkel förklaring, allt mitt fokus har lagts ner på att försöka förbereda inför min resa/flytt till Australien. Tack vare detta kan jag nu bocka av fler punkter på min "att göra"-lista. 

Just nu bor jag hos min mamma tillsammans med min syster och hennes kille. Det är lite trångt men mysigt. Jag har tur som har min familj som alltid ställer upp. Jag har inte riktigt fattat att jag ska åka till Australien och bo där under en längre period. Galen känsla. Men jag saknar Sam så otroligt mycket nu så tiden får gärna rulla iväg lite till så att vi snart får vara hos varandra igen. 

Fast Chocolate Cookies (Vegan)

My friend came over today and I wanted to offer her something nice as "fika". I didn't have the energy to do something too advanced so I searched for a simple recipe and found one for chocolate cookies. I changed the recipe a bit because I didn't have all the ingredients at home. It was a success!

So, if you don't have much time but want to treat your guests with something yummy and homemade try this recipe.

Ingredients:

❤ 2 dl flour

❤ 1 dl sugar

❤ 4 tbsp cacao

❤ 2 ml "clean vanilla powder"

❤ 2 tsp baking powder

❤ 1 pinch of salt

❤ 1 tbsp agave syrup

❤ 1 big tsp of peanut butter

❤ 1 big tsp coconut oil

❤ 75 g melted vegan butter

Do this: 
Turn on the oven, 175°C.
1). Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl. 
2). Add syrup, vegan butter, peanut butter and coconut oil.
3). Roll small balls and put it on a baking plate with parchment paper.
4). Bake the cookies in the oven for 12 minutes.

When the cookies are done they will be a bit soft so let them cool down. 
After a while, they will get the perfect cookie consistency you want.

Enjoy!

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Swedish Summary: 
En vän kom på besök och jag ville bjuda på något trevligt till kaffet. Jag orkade inte göra något avancerat så jag valde ett enkelt recept på chokladkakor. Jag gjorde om receptet som jag hade hittat och resultatet blev en succé! Testa!

Face mask – Turmeric and coconut oil

Why this mask? Because it can ... 

• ... clear up your skin from acne breakouts
• ... protect skin from sun damage
• .. have anti-aging benefits

How?
Mix coconut oil and powder turmeric in a small bowl. Apply on your face and wait for at least 15 minutes before washing it off.

Turmeric has many anti-inflammatory benefits, both when it comes to beauty care and as natural medicine. My advice: Make sure to always have it at home!

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Swedish summary: 
Gurkmeja blandat med kokosolja blir en mjuk ansiktsmask som kan rengöra ansiktet, skydda mot solskador och ha anti-åldrande effekter. Smeta på ett tunt lager över ansikte och hals, låt verka i minst 15 minuter innan du sedan tvättar ansiktet rent. Voila!

Do you find politics boring? I do.

It's true. I'm one of those people who always say "I hate talking politics because It's just too complicated". BUT, with that said, I know I need to change my attitude. Why? Because politics is effecting my everyday life, the future of this planet and the people I love and care about. Why do I feel the need to write about this now? We have our political election here in Sweden on the 9th of September. So many, including myself, don't know enough about the political system or about different Swedish parties.

What is politics?
It's about power and about making decisions.

What kind of power and what kind of decisions? 
All kinds. Power and decisions when it comes to the economy, the environment, the health care systems, the school system, the people ... and so on.

Do you need a reason to care about politics? Here are some of mine: 

So where do we even begin? 
Choose a topic you're interested in, maybe "Heath care" or "Equal rights". Go into each party's website and read what they think about the topic. Do you agree? Don't you agree? Go on to the next topic you find interesting and then keep going.

Please, do not give up. If you vote without knowing or if you choose not to vote at all, that will still give power to someone – this might be a someone or a party you do not agree with at all. 

If you want to read more about politics in Sweden, please read my articles on Plant-huggers.

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Swedish summary: 
Jag tycker att politik, precis som ekonomi, är tråkigt. Den största anledningen är för att jag inte förstår majoriteten och för att många gånger används långa onödiga ord för sådant som kan beskrivas mycket enklare. 

Det är dock viktigt att vi röstar medvetet under valet den 9 September. Varför? För politiken i ett land/samhälle påverkar ALLA människor. Om du inte röstar eller om du väljer att rösta på ett parti du inte vet så mycket om kommer du, med största sannolikhet, ge makt åt fel människor. DET kan påverka ditt liv och din framtid på sätt du endast har mardrömmar om. Så, läs på, åtminstone litegrann.

Heat, ice cream & a walk in the woods

This year, the summer in Sweden has been incredible, it feels like you're in Greece or Spain. It already started to get warm in April but it really hit us in May and many swedes were scared that this would result in a not so sunny summer. Well, the sun kept shining on Sweden and it has been a crazy hot summer – and it's not over yet.

For many swedes (and stores/companies) I believe this heat has been a chock. It might have been fun in the beginning ("Spain in Sweden, awesome!") but most swedes are now tired of it. I've heard many people here longing for autumn. What do I think? I love summer but it has been sweaty not having any air-condition or fan in the apartment. Right now, it has not felt necessary to buy any of these because the idea is for me to soon leave Sweden. But we'll see ...

Today, me and Sam walked, via the woods, to a beach called Nyboviksbadet. It was a beautiful little area where people had picnics and played in the water. It was nice to cool off a bit and enjoy the nature. When we got home we had some vegan ice cream – it was heaven. Now we are planning to have vegan pizza for dinner – yes, I'm still blaming it all on me still being on vacation *haha*. 

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Swedish summary: 
Sommarhettan i Sverige fortsätter. I april när det började bli varmt välkomnades denna värme med öppna armar och i Maj när hettan slog till ordentligt var de flesta av oss rädda att den inte skulle hålla hela sommaren ut. Man kanske ska vara försiktig med vad man önskar sig? För de flesta har nog denna värme varit en chock och de flesta svenskar verkar vara redo för den svala hösten. Jag njuter vidare men däremot hade det inte varit helt fel med en fläkt hemma. Nu tycker jag däremot att det känns onödigt att lägga pengar på saker till lägenheten då jag ändå ska åka till Australien för ett år i oktober. Nog kan jag hålla ut en liten stund till ... 

Idag var jag och Sam i Nyboviksbadet och svalkade oss. En skön belöning efter vår skogspromenad. När vi kom hem åt vi vegansk glass och snart ska det bli vegansk pizza till middag. Ja, jag skyller fortfarande detta gottande på semestertider.