When I had police escort home.....

Walking home in the dark one evening after work. When I turn into my street I saw policemen and some people standing by a striped plastic ribbon closing off the street. I walked up to the closure of the street. A policeman asked me where I was going? I said that I was going home. He asked me where do you live?  I pointed towards my house. I asked what is going on? There has been a robbery in the shop around the corner and we do not know if the robber is still around hiding. - Eh, I see. The police offered to escort me to the main entrance to my house. I lived on the second floor. So no escort to my own front door. I was scared walking up those stairs to my door as the robber could have been hiding there. 
I could see the shop from my kitchen window and there were plenty of policemen and police cars. After a while I also saw them carrying out a dead person with a white cloth covering the body. I then understood that it was not only a robber it was a murder as well. I felt a really horrible feeling in my stomach. I read the papers and it was a robber who killed the owner inside the shop. I could have met the murderer? I could have met him hiding outside my door!!! Really horrible thoughts!  

It is not Big Brother who is watching you........

I lived in a small apartment on the 2nd floor with my boyfriend. On the other side of the road was another house. So the neighbours opposite us could watch us as they had a view straight into our living room and so they did...An old lady was sitting in her window looking out almost constantly. We moved out and 15 years later we thought that it would be a nice idea to go back and see how our old neighbourhood looked like. It looked exactly the same! We looked up to see if we saw the old lady....to our huge surprise she was still sitting there watching the neighbours! Really!? 15 years!!!

 

Outsourced airport safety????

We were leaving Greece to go to the UK and the flight was delayed. It was really boring sitting there for hours so we were looking around on the other travellers. Suddenly we saw something really strange...we were sitting close to the x-ray of the hand luggage and the staff looking at the x-ray screen. There were two men with civilian clothes checking the hand luggage content on the screen. Normally it is the custom/police who makes this kind of checks. A man in uniform approached them and asked is everything alright? After a while the two men called for the man in the uniform and said: - So long it is time for our flight now. Bye bye! The real custom were now checking the luggage again! Who were these civilians? Did the officer take a brake? Was this a charade? Did they really check the luggage? Or did they cover up for the officer? Do we dare to fly? Many questions...no answers...anyway no bomb exploded and we landed safely back in the UK.

Confused restaurant guests and mistaken identities

People are funny sometimes and maybe a little confused.

A couple was leaving the restaurant but they thought the window was the doorway out and the owner said: I think it is easier if you walk this way instead and pointed to the main exit.

Also a lady was on her way into the kitchen and the staff stopped her and pointed her to the right direction to the restroom/WC/ladies.

My husband was also a bit confused when he ordered wine from the chef who happened to be out in the diner area...  

On the same subject, something that happened some time ago: I was on the way to the ladies and I passed a table and one of the women asked me: - Could I have another spoon please? I responded I do not work here. She was really embarrassed.

At another time I had just arrived to a restaurant and a lady asked me: - Do you have a table for 4 people? - I replied I do not know as I do not work here. She was really embarrassed.  
For some reason I really fit in...

Do not touch my friend!

One late night at the disco....one girlfriend was fondled by a man. He grabbed her both breasts and said: - You are too good looking for this place! Obviously he was drunk or a pervert. She walked away without saying or doing anything. She told us what happened. I asked her to point out the culprit and I walked up to him and said: - Do not touch my friend! and then I pushed him away.
Just think how surreal his behaviour and his comment is...Really!

 

The soot woman

Have anyone of you returned to work to find that your workplace have had a fire during the night. The building still stands but everything and I mean everything is covered in black soot? I have had not only my apartment covered in black soot but also my workplace covered in black soot during the same year. I could almost be called the soot woman.  OK so we returned to work and it smelled bad too. So we had to start to clean the tables and chairs so we could sit. In my point of view this was not a healthy work environment but what could we do!? Anyway..I mean Really!? the same year a fire at home and a fire at work!!! Just typical me...what is the chance of this happening the same person the same year? 

Grabbing of the first degree...

So we sat down at a restaurant for a nice dinner at a balcony with a sea view. We looked at the menu and while doing that my husband said: - Look down below what a beautiful old car! I stood up as I could not see it sitting down and I leaned forward. Indeed that was a beauty. I stared at it and at the same time I was reaching back for the chair without looking back as I was intending to sit down again. I grabbed something alright....but it was not the chair. I had just touched the holy part of the restaurant owner...boy this was embarrassing! Really!?

A white bat!?

The Swedish archipelago is so beautiful and unique. We booked a weekend at Grinda värdshus, Grinda island in the archipelago for me, my husband and my daughter. One morning we sat outdoor and ate breakfast. My husband went indoors again to the restaurant to get some more bread from the buffé. He returned and said: - Did you see the huge white bat they have hanging on the wall? I looked at my daughter and said: -No we did not. Really!? A white bat!!!?? My daughter went in to see this bat and she came out smiling saying: -But dad, it is not a bat it is a deer crown. I laughed so much so I cried. I asked him how he could you think that it was a bat!?  

Naughty moves at the night club...

I was out dancing with a friend at a club and she was passing a man and when he passed him he pinched her breast. She retaliated with pinching his backside but afterwards she thought that he might have actually liked that instead of it being a retaliation or punishment. So, what did she do? She went back to find him among the crowd in the club and she pinched his Willy instead. He did not know what to do so he laughed a little and shaked his finger like saying no, no that was naughty. Well, all that was really crazy!  I do not know if it is necessary to mention, but I would never have had the guts to do it or believe it is an ok thing to do.

Blood and feta cheese in what blog can these two be combined - in mine!

When my husband was in the military service he was for sometime placed in Athens at the supermarket for officers and their families. They can buy food for a discounted price there. One day a fellow conscript (värnpliktig) worked behind the counter and an officer wanted to buy feta cheese. It is then cut manually after how many grams he wanted. The conscript/värnpliktig asked my husband and the other soldiers:- Do you know what happened today? I accidentally cut my finger when slicing the feta cheese and then gave the officers his feta cheese with blood on it and the officer refused to take it! I am really surprised that he did not want the feta cheese! My husband did not know what to respond...the man was obviously not mentally sane.

I cannot open my windows!

We are now proud owners of a newly painted beautiful house. The sun is shining and we wanted to open a window for some fresh air. What!? I cannot open the window! Oh no, the painters have forgotten to close the metallic window clips-hook (fönsterhake)  in an upright position which means that I cannot open all the 8 windows on the second floor. As the hooks obstruct the window. The windows are too high up in the air so I cannot so anything. I contacted the painting company and they were quickly here to fix it. So now we can open our windows again. Isn´t that just typical that it had to be my house they forgot it on? I am just asking myself this...I mean really!?

Why I do not intend to ride a horse ever again

When I was in school I had a horse crazy friend who persuaded me to follow her to a camp for horse crazy kids. During a weekend you would be able to ride horses if you cleaned their poo and cleaned the horses and gave the food and so on. So small kid butlers for the horses. We arrived and installed ourselves in rooms with lots of beds for all horse lovers and I. I had never been riding a horse before so I was given the kindest horse they had. A real mountain of muscles! It was huge! I climbed up and was riding with a few other horses in a paddock. There was a naughty horse who suddenly kicked my horse´s buttock and my "kindest horse of the stable" suddenly stood on his 2 legs and not his 4 legs. So, I flew off the horse onto the ground between the muscle legs who just missed me. I survived with only bruises. The horse loving manager said: - Now you must up quickly again and sit on the horse otherwise you will be scared for the rest of your life. So, I sat on the horse again so scared but I did not show it. I asked them: Can I jump down now? 
Have I been sitting here long enough?
It was time to go to bed. Some kids thought it was fun to go through my things and took my shampoo and poured it out and put toothpaste in the lid of the shampoo and other not so very nice things. It made me sad. I did not feel welcome there. Next day I did not want to ride any horses but I was persuaded to ride a pony. On those tiny horses my feet almost touched the ground. So that felt safer than the muscleman horse. We went for a horse ride and everything went well until my horse got thirsty. So the pony went to a ditch and bent down which ment that I fell over its head and found myself sitting in a ditch.
That is it! No more horse riding ever again!

Travelling with creams...not a good idea

My retired mother-in-law and father-in-law were going to travel and I told them: - Remember that you cannot take creams and liquid with you in your hand luggage on the plane. My mother -in-law replied: - Yes, yes we know. So, when it was time to travel we drove them to the airport and followed them to the entrance to the passport control. Kisses and hugs and off to they went. We could see them putting the hand luggage through the x-ray machine. My mother-in-law who do not speak English was first and it went well then we saw that my father-in-law was stopped and the safety guard was looking through his luggage. Mother-in-law saw this and started to walk back to her husband but another guard told her to stop and to stay away but as she did not understand she continued to walk. He guard grabbed her coat and pulled her away and pushed her out in the transit area and the doors closed so she could not see her husband anymore and she was totally alone and she did not know what had happened with her husband. When we saw that we laughed our heads off. We are a nice family..really! I told a guard that I could help them interpret if they needed. He yelled to his colleagues inside that if you need it we have an interpreter here outside. They did not let me in. So, we saw my father-in-law getting his luggage back after the search and he finally was re-united with his wife. So, before the doors closed we saw them talking loudly waiving their arms and the door closed. Later on, we found out that they had two expensive creams in the hand luggage. The guard found one but missed the other. So, I can promise you that they will never travel again with creams in their hand luggage.

When I was joining the Estonia´s Next Top Model 2013

During our recent holiday in Estonia we went to the new opened Rocca al Mare shoppingcenter in Tallinn. We went into a store called Seppälä which I have not seen before. They had really nice clothes there and I was busy looking at the clothes. Suddenly I was standing in a film set with about 8 thin girls who clearly were models and they were dressed up and standing in a row. Two presenters were speaking infront of them. A filmcrew with cameras, light and sound equipment were standing all around them. No audience just them and us shoppers. The film crew did not stop me so I just walked in on the set...so watch out there when you Estonians watch your show later this year. If you see a blond woman looking surprised in the background...it is me!!!

Mr Reinfeldt our Prime Minister

 

When the Moderata partiet came to power we got Mr Reinfeldt as Premier Minister in Sweden. My husband really liked the fact that the taxes were lowered and we got about 1000 SEK (about 100 Euros) more in our wallets. So, one day in the mall Gallerian in the city of Stockholm I saw Mr Reinfeldt with his son and two bodyguards coming towards us in the escalator going up and we were on the other side in the escalator going down. So I said to my husband - Hey look who is soon beside us it is our Prime Minister. When we were just beside him my husband starts to waive and said - Hello!. The body guards staired and I saw how they were trying to figure us out...Who are they? Are they dangerous?or crazy people? Shall we shoot them? Mr Reinfeldt waived back to us.  I asked my husband but why in the World did you talk to our PM? He answered well he is the only one who has given me money back. Not to mention that when he sees famous people he gets a bit star struck and it is sooo embarrassing... Another thing I would like to mention is that my husband actually met our PM yet again this time in a fast food restaurant. I would like to point out that our PM orders his food himself and do not let his bodyguards or anyone else do it for him. I think that this is a good characteristic, so well done Mr PM!  Fortunately my husband did not say anything this time!

 

Not one of my proudest moments....

I worked as a train/bus guide from Sweden to Greece with another girl (20 years old). It was mainly retired travellers who made this long trip. It was our first trip for me and my fellow guide. We were accompanied with a male senior guide who was going show us how it was going to be done. Well it was very exciting for us two rookies. During this trip we had several embarrassing moments. So, let me tell you what happened. At one point we had a couple who just took a sleeping wagon on the train which had 4 beds when they should stay in a two bed refused to move. That meant that we had to mix all the guests and us guides and to sleep in the same rooms with them. I had to stay with a couple and when I was going to enter the top bed using the stairs the husband gave me a slap on my rear end. Not a very good start and I did not want to mention this so his wife would know so I did not say anything about it.  At one stop during this trip we had to get up very early in the morning to take a bus and we instructed the customers of the importance of being on time to the bus as we were going to catch a train.  Who overslept!? Us rookies guides did. A hotel employee came and knocked on our hotel door saying that the bus was waiting for us. Guess if the bus full of guests made comments on our late arrival to the bus!??? How embarrassing!
Finally, when we had arrived to Athens me and my fellow female guide met two men who started to talk to us and they asked if they could see us again. We didn´t really want to but answered yes that we would meet them outside the hotel in the evening at 20:00 o´clock. At 20:00 we had a dinner with all the guests and we had no intention of seeing these men again. Suddenly in front of about 20 guests the men came walking up to us at the dinner table and somewhat annoyed and angry said that they were waiting for us and pulled us out from the hotel and the dinner. Now how awkward what this!? Really embarrassing and again we had funny comments from our guests. So we left the guests to go out for a dinner with two angry men. Really!???   Not one of my finest moments I must say.

When I was a potential bankrobber....

When I was about 10-12 years old me and my friend dressed up in different costumes just for fun. One evening we dressed up like a very fat (cushions both front and rear) old couple. I was the grandad and she was the granny. This is what young kids think is fun so that is what we did. We decided to go for a long walk limping around with a cane and talking with old darker voices holding hands and to pretend we actually were a grandad and a granny. The first poor man we met had a dog in a leash and the dog growled at us as he understood that something was not right and was suspicious. Then we met no one until we arrived to the little shopping center close to my home. There a taxi driver saw us and we thought that now we better hide so we walked behind the shoppingcenter and at the end of all these houses we peeped around the corner of the bank. Who was waiting for us there?! Yes, the taxi driver in his taxi. He had followed us! We understood that he thought we were maybe some kind of bank robbers dressed really funny....we hurried home and we never walked around like that again...

Guardian angels exist

When I was walking to school when I was about 7-9 years old a car stopped beside me and a man lean out from the window and he wanted to talk to me. I do not remember what he said but I do remember that I thought it was strange. A woman who knew me and my family came walking behind me and the car. I was about to answer the man as I had stopped and stood on the pavement. Our family friend also stopped and bent down to the cars window and asked him what he wanted. The car just speeded off really quickly and he did not say a word...That was really scary.
If our family friend had not appeared and if she had not reacted what could have happened!?
I was very lucky that day I am sure of that. She was my guardian angel that day.

Looking for Mr Svensson!?

When I was a kid my parents helped our neighbours living on the above floor with babysitting their son. Well he wasn´t exactly a baby maybe around 8 years old. His parents Went out for a dinner and he stayed with us. We were playing indoor late in the evening and suddenly we heard footsteps above us. Our neighbours were not supposed to be back so us kids me, my brother and our neighbour took a tennis racket, baseball bat, a fish net and other stuff we played with and stepped silently and slowly towards his front door. When we saw that the front doors window was smashed we started to scream and ran back to my parents who were inside. We told them that someone had broke the window. So my dad walked to their front door and we kids hide behind his back so very scared and curious. Out came two men. My father asked what they were doing. They replied: We are looking for Mr Svensson (for you non-Swedish I will explain..this name is used when describing a common Swede) . They obviously were taking some kind of forbidden drug and were trying to steal to be able to continue to get more of the drug. We did not see that they had taken anything but my dad had phoned the police before he went out to face them. The burglars left and when the police came my father described them and the police did get them. The police said that when they spotted the burglars they had throwed away the tools they had used for the break in. So, when the neighbours came home their apartment was untidy and the burglars had left some really nice footprints on a white sailcloth...
I love the explanation of why they were in our neighbours apartment!! Really awkward!!!

The Greek drama

On a vacation in Gytheion, Greece we were having a nice dinner by the sea. Suddenly a police car drove up to the restaurant. Two policemen walked up to the restaurant owner. The chef also came out and the waiter. A heated conversation started. The police wanted to check some paperwork but the owner was not happy about that. Screaming, yelling and with hands waiving up in the air. The owner screamed: You home wrecker/family destroyer! One police now phoned the headquarter saying that there were trouble at the restaurant and wanted back up. Then the owner and one police started to fight and the chef and waiter tried to pull the owner away from the police. The situation calmed down and the police left. So this surreal dinner was made into a Greek drama and we had the front row to watch it. I just say: Really!?

Smoking is smoky!?

I was living in a house with 5 floors and a tiny elevator. My daughter was not even a year old so I had her in the pram in the elevator. We could almost not fit into the elevator as it was so small. One day we were going to see some friends who had a photography shop around the corner to my house. We had just been in their shop for about 5 minutes after leaving the elevator and then we heard fire engines and then saw them. We thought where is the fire? So, we turned around the corner to check it out and the fire was in our house! Oh my God! There was black smoke coming out of the building and it smelled really bad. We could not enter the house so we had to stay outside until we got the ok from the head of the firebrigade. So, what had happened? Above our floor there was an evening school for teenagers. They had thrown cigarettes in under the elevator. On the ground floor under the elevator the landlord had put old car tyres who had started to burn. This kind of smoke I have heard is very dangerous. What would have happened if I and my daughter had been trapped in the elevator - we would most certainly have died.  When we could go back into the apartment Everything was covered in black soot. We could not live there until it had been cleaned....and it smelled really bad. So, who´s house had to burn well my house of course....

You can hardly guess what animal crossed my road today?

Today I got a bit of a shock...the bus I was travelling in almost ran over a huge dog..eh no..what!??  Really!?? It was a wolf. I have never seen a wild wolf before. What a shocker!

Our home = toilet?

When living in Athens we had a bag lady living at the entrance door to our apartment complex.  Her home was the actual doorway. As she had no toilet she sat down between parked cars in the street and made number 1 and number 2. She later on invited another lady so then we had two bag ladies living at the entrance of our house. Inside the house the landlord adopted stray dogs. These stray dogs urinated on the elevator floor and just outside our door. So before going out of our apartment we had to check that there was no pool of urine before we stepped out. I am glad my mother did not come for a visit as she would have wondered how I could live like this. Not to mention when the garbage collectors were on strike....I am REALLY happy I do not live like this anymore.  

To Russia with love

I worked at a travel agency who had trips to Russia. My job was to administrate visas to different countries. A Swedish man tried several times to get into Russia but his visa was always rejected. He claimed that CIA was chasing him and that CIA was following him and had him under surveillance. Needless to say but I do it anyway..he must have some mental disease. One day he arrived at the travel and somehow he managed to push a piece of furniture so it hit his head. He immediately said that it was CIA who tried to hurt him. Well one day he actually got his visa (by mistake by the Russian embassy) and he showed up with all his belongings to the bus. He could not take all of it on the tour bus but as far as I know he did finally get into Russia. I guess they kicked him out again as quickly as they could.

Goats????

Talking about strange names...yesterday I met a girl and her name was GETTER. In Swedish that means GOATS. I have also met a man who´s sure name was Frankenstein.
That is kind of cool actually.
I had a teacher and his name was Ingemar Bergman. When he travelled to Russia they did not believe that his name was Ingemar Bergman as in their mind there is only person with that name and that is of course the famous film producer but the story ended happily as they double checked with the embassy and they let him in to Russia.

Where is the most unlikely place to find an empty ice cream package/box???

My mother sold her house for 7 years ago. Now the buyer of the house contacted my mother and claims that it has a hidden fault and wants a lot of money (60000-80000 SEK/8000 EUR) to repair a leak on the roof. He also claimed that my parents had put an ice cream box inside the ceiling to gather water. This ice cream box should have appeared when they opened up the ceiling. So my old mother is now upset as she has pointed out to him where it is possible to get a leak and how to avoid it. Also she had paid for an inspection of the house and other houses had this problem which the new owner was informed about. I have never heard of someone who found an ice cream box inside/above their ceiling and it was definitely not put there by us. My mother won the case and the new owner has to pay for it himself...but come one..an ice cream box!?