kribban | Entries tagged with valpurgis eves

Yesterday was Valpurgis Eve, and it was okay. It wasn't fun, even though M was over and we had the exact same food as we always have, and champagne as we always have. It wasn't bad, either. It was like every single other holiday these last couple of years; sufficient.

The last holiday I really enjoyed was my birthday in 2015. I keep repeating the formula, without getting the same results.

I'm not happy.

I'm not unhappy. I'm not suffering and I don't have any huge life problems. I'm just not happy, and that's okay.

The happiest I've ever been was spring 2014. I probably won't feel that way again for a long time, and that's okay too.

Happy Valpurgis Eve! As you may know, Valpurgis Eve is a bit like my personal New Year's Eve - it's the beginning of the summer half of the year. I'm in a really good mood these days and like last year, Malin is here and we're watching the festivities on TV rather than going down to the harbour as I did for ten years straight.

Even though they brought the fireworks show back, I'd rather be at home with my friend (who hates crowds and never goes to these things) than there on my own.

Last year SVT:s Valpurgis Eve program was so bad that I wrote an angry letter. Apparently I was not the only one who complained, because this year they're showing a live coverage of the celebrations in Lund, one of the big student cities instead. We'll watch that shortly, and as soon as my food delivery arrives we're having cold cuts & champagne!

There are two big student cities in Sweden that are the hotspot for Valpurgis celebrations. My brother and his family lives in the other one, Uppsala, and during Valpurgis Eve there is traditional ceremonies as well as public drinking for a 12 hour period all over town. :)

Tomorrow my parents come, and on Sunday the selling of my condo begins, but tonight there is party!

Current Mood: happy

Here is a video I shot on Valpurgis Eve. There has always been a huge fireworks show at the end of the ceremonies, but this year the city counsil had cancelled it due to environmental concerns. I was very disappointed. The fireworks show is usually the great draw, and if they don't put it on next year, I probably won't go.

Still, the bonfire was nice, and this year it was lit by detonation, and not by a man with a torch in a row boat as has always been the case previously. XD

Current Mood: tired

Going down to the harbor for the Valpurgis Eve celebrations now.

Had a bit of a bad mental health day today, which meant I couldn't study as much as I wanted, but I'll manage more tomorrow (and maybe even tonight, lol). The exam isn't until Friday and I have only (!) 180 pages left. I think I can manage that.

Or at least, I can learn how to find the short cuts. ;P

I've got food and cider in the fridge, the weather is pretty okay, and I'll probably drop in on the corner bar on the way home and buy one of those strange, yummy drinks.

I slept in late this morning, so I'll stay up way past midnight tonight.
I'm not in a festive mood, haven't even listened to the radio or watched the TV today, but the sounds of car horns and singing students have been heard all day.

My brother lives in Uppsala, the student town of the country, and there the celebrations have been intense as always. One person I follow on Twitter said that people started drinking at eleven am in Uppsala, XD.

Happy Valpurgis Eve!

Current Mood: calm

It's Valpurgis Eve!

I worked until one, did some shopping, cleaned and did laundry. I've eaten cold cuts; chorizo, serrano ham, avocado, shrimp salad, vegetable, and had a couple of ciders.

I went to the traditional ceremony in the harbor as usual. There was a big crowd as always. The chamber choir gave a lovely performance and the fire works were better than any previous year.

There were three asian tourists there who took pictures of everything, including me, and we smiled and waved at each other.

On my way home I did what I've always thought of doing but never have - dropped into the posh corner bar and bought a coctail. I had a strawberry/raspberry vodka thing that was quite yummy, although it's way too expensive to do on a regular basis!

Now, it's almost midnight, and I've had some more cider and will in a bit eat hazelnut-chocolate ice cream. Yummy! In other news, things are good. :-)

Ragnar, my cat has been sick all week. He kept puking up his food so yesterday I took him to the vet for the first time. They did some blood work on him and then signed him in for the day for IV fluids, stomach medicationa and X-ray. I picked him up in the evening and paid the 450 EUR it had cost. Pricy, but it was worth it. I got some special intestinal diet food home with me that I'll be feeding him. Tonight he has only vomited once. Let's hope it stays that way.

Current Mood: full

Wow, the years just keep rolling by, eh? It feels like it was just Valpurgis.

Today I worked until one pm. After that I went to the SPA where I had an appointment. I had never been to the SPA before, but had gotten a voucher as a Christmas gift from my company.

I had chosen a facial treatment. It was nice, but TBH it wasn't worth the 45 EUR it would have cost if I had bought it myself. After the treatment I sat in the jacuzzi and the sauna for a bit. I bought ice cream and cider on the walk home. The sun was shining and there were lots of students out. Today the high school seniors put on their graduation caps and wear them until graduation in five weeks.

I always feel a bit nostalgic when I see them, seeing as I'm thirty and I never really had the youth I wanted.

In the evening I got my monthly grocery delivery and went to the festivities in the harbour, as I always do. I missed the first song and the beginning of the spring speech but it was still nice. The choir and the fire works were great, as usual.

Now I'm eating a serrano/mozzarella salad with olive oil and drinking my cider. For dessert I'll have chocolate ice cream.

I've rented a movie, which I'll see now.

Happy Valpurgis Eve!

Current Mood: cheerful

Today is Valpurgis Eve, probably the only holiday I post timely reports on every year. ^^

Unlike the last couple of years Valpurgis Eve is on a work day this year. Since tomorrow is Mayday, a national holiday, I have worked half a day today and will have tomorrow and Friday off. Friday is a "squeeze day", a day sandwiched between a holiday and the normal weekend which therefore is off as well ;-)

So I have a four day weekend coming up.

In two hours there is the traditional bonfire downtown. There'll be a speech, singing of traditional songs, a big crowd full of drunk people and a huge fireworks show.

Last night I bought two bottles of cider and some food I'll have once I get back. I'm having salad with serrano ham, mozzarella cheese, salami and rye crisp bread. For dessert I bought Tiramisu. I hope I don't get too drunk, hehe. Time for coffee now.

Current Mood: excited

May Day today, and it's back to work tomorrow. My time off has been productive - shopping, gym, volunteer work, paying bills & reading loads of fanfiction (yay!)

Valpurgis Eve was nice. I went to the festivities like I always do. The speech was nice, the fireworks were awesome, and the wind was cold, but I wore tights under my pants so I came prepared. Afterwards I went home and ate mozzarella/serrano salad and Gino (baked fruit with white chocolate) for dessert.

Only thing that was different from previous years was that I didn't drink anything.
I haven't had alcohol for a long time, haven't had tobacco since Easter. It just feels like too much of a hassle to get drunk & depressed and then tired and hung over or sick from the cigarettes.

Call me virtuous.

New things since last year is that I've made a bigger comittment towards working out.
It has always been my dream to become fit, and I'm gonna make a shot at that.

My life is in a "transit station" right now. I feel my life and myself will change a great deal over the next few years, and I welcome that change.

The old life ended when my relationship ended and it has taken me a couple of years to finish mourning. Now I have nothing left to loose.

It seems unlikely to me that I will be living in the same city in five years. In fact, it seems unlikely that I will be the same person. Hopefully, some of the flaws will have been filed away and more parts of my authentic self (that I feel stirring under the surface even now) will have emerged.

My goals right now is to save money and to work out so that I will be healthy and have a strong body as well as saved funds when I figure out what to do with my life.

I have two dreams that I thought up a while back. They are:

A rewarding, meaningful, adventurous job.
A handful of friends who are close like family.

And with that I am off to the gym.

Current Mood: optimistic

Today is Valpurgis Eve and I've just come back from the festivities down at the harbour. Woah, deja vu.

2003
2004
and 2005

I guess you know the drill by now. :-) The bonfire was smokey this year and the fire works were awesome.

Life sure has changed for me, but one year from now I'll have a great home, be less lonely and in a better place emotionally.

This year it's not just Valpurgis Eve but also the king's 60th birthday. The whole day there has been special programming on the TV. He is a very loved king.

I went to the supermarket and did my monthly shopping today. I also bought lots of nice food stuff for tonight. I bought a whole chicken to grill which i will eat with salad, french fries and sour cream. Time to drink cider!

Current Mood: amused

Back from festivities*. Looking smart. Getting drunk. Lit all the lanterns on the (glassed in) balcony. Happy Valpurgis Eve! Spring is here!

* This year's speaker was boring but the choir sang OK and the fireworks were totally awesome, even better than I remember. And the whole thing took only took thirty minutes, which was a good thing since it was really cold.

Current Mood: pleased

Just back from the celebrations. They were very short this year which was good. The choir actually sang the most famous Valpurgis song well, the fire works show was as always awesome, and Kjell - Telge's president - did a great job as the Spring speaker (funny, covered everything and not too long.)

A brief backstory here - the 1999 Valurgis celebrations was the first "Södertälje-event" I ever went to and it played a huge part in making me feel welcome. I was 19 and had only been living here for about three months. Fastforward five years later, I have a job here, know exactly where my loyalties lie and have never regretted my decision to swap cities.

Tonight I, just as I was recalling previous years and wondering if this year would be the first time I would meet anyone I know there, met one of my co-workers, Annelie. A short, middle-aged hilarious woman with enthusiasm up the wazoo and a great big heart. We chatted and it was nice. Due to the effiecency of the ceremony I caught the nine thirty something bus (it was very something, something tonight due to the huge crowds.)

And now I'm home and back in my fancy skirt, to catch Europe welcoming ten new countries into the EU. Spring is here.

Current Mood: peaceful

Valpurgis Eve is here! Am at work now. Managed to do all of my cleaning last nigght and Malin has promised to do hers now. Since it's the day before a holiday we only work 0800-1300, which means I only have three and a half hours left!

Then it's home to Malin and having our first BBQ on the balcony for the year.

But first it's down to the cafeteria for the traditional half-day rice pudding and ham sandwhich. All my co-workers have already gone down!