January 2022

1st Jan 2022

My son and his entire family as well as I were taking a walk in the afternoon. The funny thing was, that good neighbors, with three boys around the age of my grandsons, were leaving their home for a walk at the same time. Though we made company. It made it much easier to take a little longer walk, because the kids were occupied with each other and didn’t think about the walk. Usually my grandsons are not very good in walking – even for their age. They just don’t like to do it. Therefore they also had been asking if they are allowed to take their scooters, but they were not.

I was preparing the evening meal again. A pizza was a good idea for the still existing left overs of the Christmas food. Tharsiny told me to make them with tortilla bread and I did, but I only get four tortilla bread on the two plates. I had to cut two of the tortilla breads as well for fitting the plates. At the end of the meal, the boys were not really satisfied and Tharsiny told me, that they usually eat a whole tortilla bread themselves. I am not used to their big appetite, often they don’t eat much.

During the evening we did neither do a lot nor talk a lot, but I decided to leave the upcoming day – using the ticket I already have (the one I could not change). Samuel offered me to go to IKEA on the way to the train station. I was happy about it.

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2nd Jan 2022

As we agreed the evening before, my son did drive me first to IKEA and afterwards to the railway station in Södertälje, which is the closest one, where the train for Katrineholm not only is passing but also stopping. At IKEA i bought some small things like special trays for some of my drawers – in the kitchen as well as in the living-room. I also found a desk lamp, which hadn’t been on my list, but I have thought about before.

It didn’t take long time at IKEA, though we were going to a café in Södertälje, having a snack and waiting for time going by. In good time, Samuel was taking me to the railway station. Actually the train was more than 10 minutes late, but what are 10 minutes.

Well at home, I did pick up all my clothes, I have had with me as well as the items I had bought at IKEA. The clothes were for the laundry basket, the trays I put into the drawers right away and I was very lucky, because I had chosen the correct sizes. Now my nice cutlery, which I had got of my parents, when I was 18 years old, is separated in the different partitions of the trays and it doesn’t only look nice and like I like it, it is also easier to find the different kinds of them. In the kitchen I have a new tray for my knives, which save the sharpness of the knives’ edges.

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3rd Jan 2022

Putting away the receipts of the day before, I also sorted the older ones. Some of them I throw away, because it didn’t make sense to save them for longer. I usually don’t save receipts for longer than three years, some I only save for a month – when there are no real warranty involved. During the entire day I was thinking about the desk from my son Samuel, which I will get home soon. I think, I will give the one I have now to the Red Cross secondhand shop. They have carpenters, who can fix it.

After noon I also changed the elastics of the Scottish face masks, though I can use them. I did contact a seller on Facebook Marketplace about a travel cot. You may be surprised about it, but I was thinking about, that families with babies or toddlers may stay at my home, when I have a travel cot. This idea came to my mind, because I feel lonely and do not have many couch-surfers here in Katrineholm. Unfortunately, I should have picked up that cot in Nyköping, which had made the cot expensive for me, because I would have gone there by train or bus.

Thinking about my bike packing trip to Egypt, I was thinking about to buy padded trousers, a small backpack for bikers and a rain cape by the reasons below:

Padded trousers – I did not know before I was going by bike in the UK, that there are. Having a butt, which hurts, when biking entire days, I was happy to get to know, that there are ways to comfort me.

A small backpack for bikes – I found the belt bag I used getting to heavy as well as I couldn’t have it secure and in addition to it a belt. By losing weight during the ride, I really needed a belt. Furthermore I found, that the little bag for my smartphone was hard to take with me into places the way it is. Therefore I have got the idea, that a little lightweight backpack may be better.

A rain cape for bikes instead for the rain trousers and the rain jacket I read about, that people are using and appreciating. I will give it a try, because the rain trousers get wet inside as well by lack of breathing and they are always hard to put on, when they are necessary. My rain jacket is not dense enough against the rain either. It only stops me getting wet for a little while.

I was surfing the Internet for a long while and discovered, that the Bikester online shop has the largest selection of VAUDE articles. As I already wrote last year, I like that make because of their sustainable items. I was also looking for special shoes etc as well, but decided to order only one of the named and explained stuff and I only did it already, because they were for sale. The backpack was reduced about 40%, but only in one color. The other colors weren’t. I chose the cheapest one, of course, because I don’t care so much about colors.

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4th Jan 2022

Most of the day I have been reading, but was also to a private address, buying second hand underlays for glasses and cups of cork. I had been thinking about to buy some more before and took the opportunity, when I saw them on Facebook Marketplace.

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5th Jan 2022

Even this day I was ordering online, but only some nuts and hemp seeds – I make vegan drink of it, because it is very healthy, but I don’t like the taste very much. By using the drink only for my smoothies it doesn’t matter.

I had to stay at home for hours, waiting for the delivery from the supermarket. Afterwards I was going to my close by grocery shop and picking up my parcel from the Bikester online shop. Yes, it is correct. The items already arrived. Back at home I was opening the parcel immediately, of course. I was OK with the backpack and the rain cape, but the padded trousers were to big for me. Though, in spring I will go to the shop and try out a different one, but not only different in size also trying out padded under-trousers instead. I did see too late, that there are of the same make.

There were still time to spend before my Zoom meeting in the evening and I was already for month looking for a carpet beater. I had tried to find a secondhand one without success and won’t by one online. I try to reduce my online shopping. Luckily I found one at a local shop – I could see that at there online site. Though I did go by bike for buying one and I also bought two new sheets for my bed at the same shop, which I was really in need of.

I was attending Zoom from my netbook – I often do, but it has no Bluetooth. Late that night I was looking for a cheap headset available in a local store. I found one, which seemed to be OK and ordered it for picking it up myself at the shop during the upcoming day.

Samuel and Tharsiny should have visit me – with the desk, the following day, but there was a snow storm announced, though he did sent me a message, that they are not coming. I was happy about their decision. Safety first!

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6th Jan 2022

Even we didn’t have the snow storm here in Katrineholm, it was very cold (around -8° to -10°C) and no weather for bicycling. I should have bought secondhand window lights at a private address, called them and told them, that I will arrive later than agreed, because I will walk the entire distance. I was told, that I could come the upcoming Saturday. I was happy about it, because it was on the other side of town as the shop, where I had to pick up the headset.

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7th Jan 2022

I already wrote last year, that I have a lot of foodstuff, which is getting old. Among them I have dry-yeast. Therefore I made a pizza dough, but I only used a quarter of it, the rest I put in the freezer. I read, that this should be possible. I am already excited to see if it will work.

It still is really cold – I know, far away from -40°C, but I feel very cold already. Luckily my apartment is warm and cozy. I also happy, that the laundry-room, which I used this evening again, is in our basement and no need for going outside.

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8th Jan 2022

I was working with my dress, which I am going to upcycle both before and after I chatted with my son Marcus by Skype. The job did not get ready. I have got a couch-surfing request of a young German girl. It is for 6th to 9th Feb. I agreed to host her, but also wrote, that I only do it if she is fully vaccinated (2 vaccinations and the booster). I never heard of her again. I think, that is bad. She should almost had sent a reaction on that. Luckily she is an exception, most of the people on couch-surfing knows common sense.

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9th Jan 2022

I had a bad night with only a short time of sleep. Though I didn’t a lot during the day. I mostly read respectively watched short movies on the Internet – especially about re- and up-cycling. Some of the ideas were really good.

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10th Jan 2022

We meet in person at SPF (an association for retired people) again and we have had the monthly meeting with a couple of male artists/singers, who performed with songs from the 1950s and 1960s. It was nice. We also had coffee and a snack – we have to pay for it, but there was no vegan or vegetarian for me, though I took the sausage off the bread. I thought, it depended on, that my girlfriend Irene was not a helper in the kitchen this day. Usually she is, but this day she had another, more important appointment. By the way, we were only around 30 people, usually we are up to around 100. After the performance, there was a lottery. We could buy shares, when we arrived. I had bought four of them – together for 20 SEK, because it seemed just to lite for me to pay 5 SEK with our “Swish”-system. The first number of shares called was one of mine! I could chose from gifts on a table and there was nothing better 🙂 than a 1-l-bottle of Portuguese wine. I didn’t have expected this and did not have a bag with me, though I was holding the bottle in my hands on my way home. I was very careful not to slip on the icy surface.

In the evening I listened to something called VeloTalk, which I had found on Facebook. It was about the EuroVelo routes and some people were asked in advance to talk about their bicycle trips. At the end, they told us, that they are looking for other people to share their experience. Though I wrote an email, before I was going to bed, and offered to talk about my bike packing trip to Glasgow, adding, that I didn’t use a EuroVelo route, because there was none, were I have been cycling. I can already tell you, that I was bookmarked for the next VeloTalk in April.

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11th Jan 2022

I ha found a travel cot for sale on Facebook Marketplace, which a family in Katrineholm was selling. Though, that afternoon I was picking it up. I was going by bicycle to pick it up and was happy about that, because the cot was much heavier as I had expected. Unfortunately, it was not so easy to have it balanced all the time on the rack of the bike. Even I knew, I had to push my bike with the cot on it, I didn’t think, that it was so complicated to take it home by bike.

I also picked up a little parcel with an order from an Eco-friendly company. I regularly buy bicarbonate for cleaning there and other useful items. I no longer use any chemical cleaning supplies. I think it is almost three years ago I stopped with that.

At 6pm, I had an online meeting with the climate group of the association for nature conservation. We had a short meeting, that we could attend another online meeting, which was called “Hope for the climate”. I was listening for around 10 minutes, but the initiator was just talking about those very simple things, I already knew. It was boring and I switched it off.

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12th Jan 2022

It was a lost day for me. I only was on the Internet, mostly Facebook. I should have been to the town hall in the afternoon and made snowmen with other members of the association for nature conservation and put signs about the climate crisis on them, but it was thawing and the snow was very wet. I did not count on, that they would last until next morning as well as I know myself and I am sure, I could not have made one snowmen without freezing too much on my hands. There are no gloves, which can resist very wet snow. In time I sent an email to our group-leader, telling him, that I think, the snow will not last long enough, but didn’t get any answer of him. Though I stayed at home.

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I changed my curtains – back from the Christmas ones. Now I put shorter curtains in the living-room, of which I have two pairs. Once I bought them for our home in Oxie, Malmö. The living-room there also had two windows. I don’t need to explain for my children, why I have different curtains on my windows. Because of the dark, I only put a sheer pelmet in the kitchen. In the bedroom I tried with the black long curtains, but they are a little too long – as they are in the living room, though I tried with the long, light colored ones instead and they are perfect. I have to fix the black ones as well as the patterned curtains from Portugal, which are very too long. I’ll see if I have time before the summer month. I also changed all of the tablecloths.

Furthermore I sent my daughter Maria photos of her, she had asked for as well the history of her early growth.

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14th Jan 2022

I was demonstrating for the climate in front of our town hall again. I also had an appointment with the woman, who offered special lights for windows. We had agreed, that she will meet up at 1pm in front of the town hall, but she changed her mind and asked me first to come to the railway station instead and earlier than agreed, even she had written before, that she has no opportunity to meet me before 1pm. Though I messaged her, that I cannot come directly to the railway station and also was wondering, why I should come to the railway station. She offered to meet at the market place instead and asked me for the earliest time to arrive there. It was actually very cold and rough weather this day and my fingers were very frozen, though I agreed to meet her soon at the market place. Well there, I asked her, if we could go inside – there is a passage, where it is much warmer than outside. She told me, no, we have to do it right away and also she put me under pressure to decide very quickly. First we didn’t really agree about the price, but she told me soon, my price will be good enough. I had asked for the electrical contact, but I had missed and she did not tell me, that the electric cable of both lamps were put together – which I cannot use. It is only practical for a big window – not for two different. Though, at the end, I paid the price I told her (it was less than she asked for, of course) and she were going home, meanwhile I was going to that passage for warming my hands. I didn’t see the mess until I got home. Anyway, I had to apply other electrical contacts, but wrote to her, that the lights were not the way I wanted and she had not told me about that special cable. I also told her, that I will leave them back. She agreed and I was welcome the upcoming Saturday. That you can follow this concern easier I write the whole story here, even part of it happened in the future. I cannot really remember if it was on Thursday or Friday, but she sent me a message, that she had become sick. I wished her to get well soon and ask her for contacting me as soon as she was healthy again. After more than two weeks without any message of her, I tried to reach her, but she had blocked her phone number. Though I bought other contacts and fixed the lights as good as I could, but when putting one of them up, the fuse for the kitchen broke. I think, I will go to a shop for lamps etc and asked them, if they repair lamps/cables. I hope, it will not be too expensive.

At home again, I did contact a former couch-surfer of mine, who is from Egypt and lives in Cairo, telling him, that I will come to Egypt for COP27.

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15th Jan 2022

My couch-surfing friend from Egypt called me in the afternoon by messenger, which is a part of Facebook. We had a very nice and quite long chat in German. I think, he was happy to exercise his German. I am so happy, that we after a lot of years still can have such a fruitful contact. He also invited me to his home, when I am well in Egypt.

As usual on Saturdays I chatted via Skype with my son Marcus. Afterwards I answered a lot of questions of my daughter Maria by email. I didn’t forget to congratulate my second cousin’s husband for his birthday, of course.

Last but not least I finally finished one of my projects – it is the dress, you can see on the first page (the blog post about up up-cycling). I also had time for to hem the Christmas cloth for my table in the living-room. As you know, I bought the fabrics at the Red Cross secondhand shop just before the time of advent. Even I had fixed the shape, I had not hemmed it before.

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16th Jan 2022

That was one more unproductive day, I only used the laundry room in the evening.

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17th Jan 2022

One of the first things I did was to congratulate my son Daniel for his birthday. He turned 38 years old.

I played boules with the group of retired people, I use to. I was in pair with a man, who hadn’t been with us before. First we were not good at all, but we got better and better and won the last game. All together, we did get the last but next placing of five teams.

I decided to sent back the cycling pants with the padded butt, because of the size. They actually were too big. I don’t like to sent things back, I buy online, but I was thinking about, that I always lose weight, while traveling and I cannot use pants, which are already too big from start.

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18th Jan 2022

I was reading all day – related to my planned trip to Egypt.

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19th Jan 2022

I was making oat and hemp drinks in the morning. Before I thought to put the bottle with the hemp drink in the fridge, I shook it one more time. Unfortunately the lock did open and some drink was coming onto my kitchen rag. Though I had to take it away for going with it to the dry cleaning (actually, it will be cleaned with water, but only the dry cleaner has such a big washing machine as needed), when the weather is better. Later this day, I made a pie. I made a bottom, I never had done before. Unfortunately, the pie tray was leaking. – It was a pie with butternut pumpkin.

I also was to the nearby supermarket/grocery and ordered some more hemp as well as nuts online. All was organic grown. Later I attended an online meeting of the the tenants’ association. It didn’t leave a lasting imprint. Next time I’ll write down, what meetings are about.

During the night, it was stormy and snowing. Though I was falling asleep very late. I think, I wrote before, that I feel very uncomfortable, during very windy times and storms.

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20th Jan 2022

Also this day I read a lot again. By that, I’ve got aware of, that parts of Sweden were without electricity by the storm. I was very happy, that it was not close to me and also my children were not impacted.

In the afternoon I was keen in baking buns and a chocolate cake with coconut flour. Unfortunately the cake didn’t turn out well.

My housing company service was calling about the washing machine. The delivery is delayed around a week.

I also was working on another project and was close to get it ready. In addition to that I made a new sign for my Friday demonstrations. I made one, which I can have around my neck, that I don’t need to hold it with my hands.

I also was interviewed for a podcast for warmshowers. It was planned a time ago, now it finally was done. I don’t know yet, when it will be broadcasted. Anyway, I did get praise for my easy way to talk with the interviewer.

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21st Jan 2022

Time again for our weekly FridaysForFuture demonstration. Irene was with me. We were talking about secondhand items and secondhand shops and though, I came to talk about a rocking chair, that I have seen in a secondhand shop close buy. I have never been in there, but Irene had been. She told me, that she made really bargains. The rocking chair was for 500 SEK, not really a bargain, but it seems to be much better, than the one I have. I was looking at that chair for several weeks and thinking, if it is the meaning to be bought by me, it will be left until the time I have the money for it. This day I was entering that secondhand shop, asking for the chair. I tried it out and it seemed to be, what I wanted. Though I asked for home delivery and told them, that I have a rocking chair, that I will leave to them. Like almost the most of the secondhand shops here in Katrineholm, also this one receives items for free and the profit is for social engagements/groups. I was told, that they work together with someone, delivering items, but it costs 200 SEK. The shop assistant and I agreed, that she will call him and afterwards call me for trying to get a better price for me. I paid for the rocking chair, got a receipt and was going home.

This evening I was early to bed.

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22nd Jan 2022

I was already up around 8am and hoovering part of my apartment. When I had put the vacuum cleaner on charge, I had breakfast. Directly afterwards I packed a parcel for my son Daniel. I filled it with the items he had forgotten at my home that Christmas in 2019 as well with the gift, Tharsiny had sent with me for him. It was not heavy, though when I left it at the post office in the grocery store, they told me, I can sent it as a big letter, which I did.

I chatted with my son Marcus by Skype as usual and did continue clean my apartment as well as I made my laundry in the laundry room. I was a little disappointed about my neighbor to the left of me, because she had not finished her laundry, when it was my turn. I told her, that I am not happy about it. In the future I will try to avoid to book the laundry after her session. Unfortunately the dry cabinet still is broken, though I had to use the dryer for my bed linen instead.

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23rd Jan 2022

The day was starting well. I had decided to cook spring rolls. Last year or maybe already the year before I had bought spring roll wrappers and it finally was time to try to make own spring rolls. Though I took all the ingredients (vegetables) I would like to fill it with out of the freezer before even have had breakfast. I also found a nice recipe, but I didn’t make the spring rolls this day anyway.

In the afternoon I have got a video-call from my son Samuel. He asked me about my wishes for the shelves for the hurts of the secondhand desk, I was promised of him. The shelves he made then of another top of a desk. They were a little thick, but working. He could only make three of them of that top, but that was the minimum I wished and I was happy with them. He told me, he don’t really know yet, when they will come and visit me and have the desk with them.

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24th Jan 2022

I would have liked to attend the boules games, but I had a sore throat and, because not knowing if that was a COVID-19 symptom or not, I stayed at home. Anyway, I finally made those spring rolls, but I was getting very disappointed, because the wraps did brake in the oil. I ate them anyway, but decided, to buy frozen spring rolls in the future instead. I was very unproductive the rest of the day.

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25th Jan 2022

I tried to upload the photos of my up-cycled dress on my blog, but it was not working, though I tried to find out and have seen, that the fee for the premium version was not paid yet. I had got a reminder, that my debit card had run out and had put in the information of my new debit card. I had expected that the amount would be withdrawn from the new debit-card automatically, but it was not done. I also was in contact with the support team and got the answer, that the premium option will not run out before mid of February. I was disappointed, that this was not true, but transferred, the amount needed. It took a couple of days before my blog was on premium again.

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26th Jan 2022

I have got an couchsurfing request for 30th of Jan until 3rd of February. Unfortunately, I pushed the “yes”-button instead of the maybe, but sent a message, that she is welcome, if she is fully vaccinated as well as I can’t really understand, why she want to be here for such many days and explained, that here is not much happening throughout the winter month and how far it is to Stockholm as well the price for the tickets. I never heard of her again, even she should have had confirmed or declined.

I also got another request. That one for the 6th to 9th of February. It was a guy asking. I pushed the maybe button and asked him, if he is fully vaccinated. He answered “unfortunately not” and did understand, that I don’t host not vaccinated people.

The secondhand shop called me about the rocking chair, asking me, if it will be fine, when they deliver it upcoming Tuesday at 12:30pm, because they will pick up other furniture at another place at 1pm. I answered, that it will be fine.

I read the magazine for retired people, which is a membership benefit of the association. There was not much I missed, because I already had got it online and was done fast. I don’t really understand, why I get the paper edition even I chose to get it online.

I actually ironed kitchen clothes and similar and uploaded later the photos of my up-cycled dress. It was automatically displayed on twitter and a women I know in Hamburg, put a message under it, saying it is cute. I was happy about it, because I was not sure, if the dress was looking good after the change. I up-cycled it, because it was a little too short for me and had no pocket. I really need pockets – even on my dresses.

Before going to bed I soaked hemp for making hemp drink the upcoming day, because I read, that hemp otherwise has unhealthy ingredients.

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27th Jan 2022

My new washing machine arrived! And it is a really good one as it seems. There are so many useful programs as well as it is possible to change the heat and the speed of the centrifuge for most of the programs. It is, e.g. not possible to choose a higher heat for the wool program.

I was feeling active again and baked a kind of gluten free rolls of flour I had bought one or two years ago. At the first part of the pandemic I bought a lot of different flours and other vegan products, trying to become totally vegan as well for not going crazy by staying at home all the time. Unfortunately, I also got a little depressed during that time and did not use much of, what I bought. It really is time to use it – and finally save some money.

I also watched a life video with the title: Concrete visions for a sustainable economy. Sadly this video also was boring. I thing, it was more done for much younger people than me – people, who don’t know much about all these challenges.

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28th Jan 2022

I was not going to our weekly demonstration for a sustainable future, because I have not received the result of my COVID-19 test. I did get it around 3pm and it was negative as usual. I think, there are people, who have a natural “fighter”, not accepting such virus, also partly it depends on the vaccination and that I am usually not joining crowds.

I read a lot again this day – on the Internet as usual.

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29th Jan 2022

I was reading since early morning and did not have brunch before 11:30am. I really don’t like doing that and get bad conscience, when it happens.

After I have chatted by Skype with my son Marcus, I made a to-buy list. I don’t listen to radio and have no CD-player, though I put a combined on my list as well as a humidifier. I am thinking about such a ceramic container, one can put on the radiator, because the air in my apartment is very dry. There were also minor things on the list. Anyway, I have no hurry to buy those things and try to find them secondhand.

I have got the budget of the “Green Party” (miljöpartiet) in Katrineholm by mail and was reading it as well as I did made notices, what I will talk about/ask for with the other members on our first meeting for this year.

I have got an email from my dancing club, that the next class is postponed, because there were not enough dancers joining – which, of course, has to do with the pandemic. They hope, we can start in March.

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30th Jan 2022

I finished my other muff, which is warmer as the first one and sewn of the rest of the fabric for the first one. I also used other rest fabric and also rest yarn as well as elastic I had bought for another reason, but could not use it the way it was thought.

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Again, I was thinking about to visit Mexico as soon as possible – not this year, of course, because of COP27. I was interested in to find a way to go there by boat and had earlier found a cargo sailing ship. Though I was checking that again and looking for if it is possible to go with it as a passenger. I found that and another one and yes, it is, but it still is expensive. Maybe, it will be cheaper after some years.

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31st Jan 2022

I still had a sore throat. Even I know it is not COVID-19, I stayed at home, because I won’t infect someone else. Anyway I have the feeling, that my sore throat may be a kind of allergy. Of a chance I wrote about, that one can get a running nose (rhinitis) of products with gluten and I decide to try it out and skip gluten in the future, but I still have a lot of food with gluten and I will eat all of it. I don’t like to throw away food and I have lived with rhinitis for all my life, though I can handle that a little longer. I was proven wrong, thinking, that either one has a gluten disease with stomach ache or there is no problem with gluten.

I made some small adjustments of e.g. my dressing-gown. I planned it many years ago. The sleeves are too long and I finally shortened them. Finally I ordered items from the online-pharmacy. I try not to order so often, though I bought medicines as well as creams.

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February 2022 is coming soon