lazy lunching

My class was canceled the other day, so I snuck up to the 4th floor of my building (which is oddly only a landing at the top of the stairwell – but it’s well hidden) spread out my emergency office blanket, ate lunch, and watched netflix.

 

shoe per diem nov 11, 2011 – old friend

shoe per diem nov 11, 2011 -, originally uploaded by piaktw.

Yesterday it was a new friend, next day I had a semi-regular lunch date with one of my oldest friends. We used to go eat a lovely vegetarian buffet at the nearby department store restaurant. One day we decided to go elsewhere, found a pizzeria that serves vegetarian cannelloni which is pretty awesome. We’ve gone there since, on our semi-regular lunch dates.

She in Blundstone
Me in El Naturalista Iggdrasil oxfords, light brown – and since it was a week I had promised myself to wear at least three new socks, a pair of chequered ones from SockDreams (naturally)

26/1.2012 – guest appearance by woody

26/1.2012 – guest appearance by woody, originally uploaded by julochka.

shoe per diem on ice (tho’ that’s hard to see) and featuring woody the cat.

~ julochka

p.s. yes, i’m kinda spamming the place today. it was a good shoe day, what can i say?

frozen world

frozen world, originally uploaded by julochka.

a peek through the ice into the frozen world below.

¨ julochka

icy

icy, originally uploaded by julochka.

a little guest appearance by the birthday girl here at our house – she got these wanna-be uggs for her b-day. what can i say, the price was right in H&M.

we’ve finally got a bit of colder weather – not enough to freeze our lake for skating, but we did find a frozen puddle to play on. we are still wishing for snow, as we haven’t really seen any yet this year.

~ julochka

shoe per diem nov 10, 2011 – a new friend

shoe per diem nov 10, 2011 – a new friend, originally uploaded by piaktw.

The day I met a friend face to face for the first time and not online. It was an awesome day, in most every aspect, we spent 10+ hours walking, talked, vegetarian food shopping, had a bite to eat, walked and talked some more. And the sun shone. We really clicked and actually, the older I get, the rarer that is, so this was a truly blissful day mainly because of that.

She hearts purple and liquorice – hence wearing purple Converse and, I’d imagine, happy about the bags from neat liquorice shop ‘Lakritsroten’ (The Liquorice root) being purple.

Me – El Naturalista Tesela winered oxfords, teal lace socks from Sock Dreams

Summer days

I’ve spent a couple weeks tripping around the country sans camera but sadly I’m back at work now. It’s pretty quiet so went down for a mean as milkshake by the water for lunch. Yum!
L x

shoe per diem jan 3, 2011 – all purple

shoe per diem jan 3, 2011, originally uploaded by piaktw.

I was so happy about my spanking new purple Tesela boots – but really, their colour that looks great in natural outdoor light did get put to great shame with my hairdresser’s perky violet Dr Martens! They’re adorable.

PS Not too happy about the fact that one zipper fly fell off and disappeared on the first day, hours of use though. Will get it fixed tomorrow. But paying a fair deal of money for El Naturalista’s good shoes you do expect the quality inspection to be top notch, don’t you…? DS

PPS Going to my hairdresser is always a way to ensure a good shoe meet. There have been a few of them here on SPD now DS 

shoe per diem nov 1, 2011 – last root filling day

shoe per diem nov 1, 2011 – last root filling day, originally uploaded by piaktw.

Yes, on the first day of the new year 2012 I remember the shoes worn two months ago, the day I finally had my last root filling. Something that brought a lot of pain on many levels during 2011. Coincidently I wore the same pair of shoes at my first root filling in April.

2012 will not not not bring that kind of awfulness. Because I say so.

My shoes: El Naturalista Rana Tharu lace boots in black (the only black shoes I wear, but honestly I do regret a lot that I didn’t went with the winered ones instead…)

Her shoes: El Naturalista Angkor oxfords

Happy new shoe year!!

31/12.2011 – shh, we told the kids it was already midnight

31/12.2011 – shh, we told the kids it was already midnight, originally uploaded by julochka.

i know there’s no shoes in this shot, but i wanted to wish you all a happy 2012! i love how your shoes and the adventures they go on make me smile! here’s to more happy feet in 2012!

~ julochka

shoe per diem oct 28, 2011 – tintin and new shoes

shoe per diem oct 28, 2011 – tintin and new shoes, originally uploaded by piaktw.

I’m thinking it would be nice to post the last remaining SPD photos before New Year’s…

On the last weekend of October I inaugurated the fab new shoes from ART and we went to see the Tintin movie.

As I’m still suffering from the calcaneal spur I got in Lisbon I sadly can’t say these shoes are very comfortable in combination with that. But I’m sure they will be one day again.

Movie was quite entertaining though.

And as always, the socks rocked.

26/12.2011 – beach boots

26/12.2011 – beach boots, originally uploaded by julochka.

it was a bit breezy at the north sea, but surprisingly sunny and about 10°C. after a big storm blew through last night, there was a lot of detritus on the shore.

hope everyone had a great holiday!

~ julochka

It’s been aaaaaggggeeeessss

But I have enjoyed watching all your posts. Here are my feet post run on Xmas eve. It’s HOT out there and it’s only 8.30am

Sitting by the water daydreaming of my holiday L x

Summer time & the living is easy

Caught the cable car up to the top of the Botanical Gardens on Thursday and had lunch on the grass in the sun.  L&P, potato top pie, jandals. Life is good.

L x

rockin’ the solstice

rockin’ the solstice, originally uploaded by julochka.

red bumpers. grey tights. still no sign of snow.

~ julochka

(p.s. guys down under, this means summer will soon be over for all y’all. ha!)

DC

My son and I went to Washington DC this weekend and finally made it to see where the Obamas live!

My son really wanted me to boost him over the gate to see how far he could make it until the Secret Service tackled (or tasered) him…but I managed to talk him out of it.

New Skates

I started roller skating last May. I’m on my second pair of skates now – I’ve skated in a couple of co-ed roller derby games and it’s way fun.

My first pair of skates were a size too large and cost $50. I’ve upgraded to a better fitting  pair of cheap skates (get it?)  with the hopes of springing for awesome skates later in the spring if I’m still at it. I’ve replaced the wheels and bearings once already.

Tags: roller derby

10/12.2011 – handmade market

10/12.2011 – handmade market, originally uploaded by julochka.

spent the weekend participating in a handmade market in shopping center mary’s in vejle. lots of area artisans, but customers were few and far between…it seems the handmade movement has most decidedly skipped denmark.

in the upper left, sabin’s new winter boots – they’re by Campus – especially for horsey people!

~ julochka

Giving out sweet treats

Helped a friend run an event in the park today. My job was to give out free ice cream to kids. It rocked.

9/12.2011 – oh shit

9/12.2011 – oh shit, originally uploaded by julochka.

spotted today in a danish kindergarten and photographed with iPhone 3GS crappy camera. you could only get away with this in denmark. but it’s kinda fitting with my purple bumpers, don’t you think? 3rd season running?

~julochka

Shoe per diem on the go

We may be close to ending 2011 but I feel like i’ve just entered it. This is because I have got myself a proper smartphone and I can blog righthererightnow. This wis what you cool folk have been doing for a while. So here it is, my first live from the scene spd post. Taking a break from work and sitting in a secret park with my colleague. Hi, summer!

shoe per diem flashback

shoe per diem flashback, originally uploaded by julochka.

29/6.2010 – i just ran onto this and had to share. taken in iowa city. baseball. iowa. it doesn’t get more american than this, people. i might have even shared it at the time, but forgive me, it’s grey, dark and wintery and i’m in need of summer memories.

~ julochka

shoe per diem oct 25, 2011 – birthday in sintra

shoe per diem oct 25, 2011 – birthday in sintra, originally uploaded by piaktw.

A good portion of my birthday of 2011 was spent in little quaint portuguese town Sintra – I saw three castles up close and personal that day and even more in a distance. One of them was spectacular as far as location and outside architecture were concerned, my castle buffness got its fair share of castles that day.

In the evening we had a lovely vegetarian buffet – I wish it had been easy to find good vegetarian/vegan food in Lisbon… ah well, at least the trip was rounded off in the best of ways; castles galore and good vegetarian food for birthday girl!

baby feet

baby feet, a photo by SusanKurilla on Flickr.

27/11.2011 – muddy feet

27/11.2011 – muddy feet, originally uploaded by julochka.

we’re using horse shoes (and riding boots with argyles) as our shoe per diem again. it’s storming like crazy and it’s very muddy out, so her legs are very muddy. we couldn’t really do anything about it.

~ julochka

post-running relaxation

Stacey and I ran our second half-marathon last weekend. The next day, we drove back to the city. The half-marathon was about three hours away from where we live so we took a few rest stops along the way. One of them was here, one of the coolest beaches I’ve ever come across in this country. I want to be there right now.

south pacific shoe per diem

Been MIA for a while but haven’t forgotten to snap SPD shots. These two were taken in the lovely island of Samoa two weeks ago. I did a lot of lying on the beach with my book admiring the crystal clear water. It was beyond blissful.

shoe per diem oct 25, 2011 – birthday shoes

well-behaved bobbaloos get birthday shoes for their human, originally uploaded by piaktw.

Look what I found in my bed when I woke up on my birthday! Clearly well-behaved bobbaloos get birthday shoes for their human.

I went with the purple pair, I adore red shoes, rarely purple, but these were the prettiest of the three I thought.

ART shoes, model Tate Eva

out and about

out and about, originally uploaded by julochka.

i actually put on real clothes – a dress, tights, boots and all – and went out among people today! got lots of compliments on the boots. they are pretty cool (by uno denmark). and i like that floor as well.

~julochka

oct 24, 2011 – covet shoe per diem

covet shoe per diem… oct 24, 2011, originally uploaded by piaktw.

I think I may have a new shoe brand I covet too… The ART brand is suspiciously similar to El Naturalista (with headquarters in the same region). But they don’t have that same eco philosophy nor the good-for-feet identity, so I’ll stick to the El for sure.

However, quite possibly one of these beauties came home with me that day… because a birthday girls needs a new pair of shoes, right?

11/20/11

I was supposed to run the philadelphia marathon today, but my knee gave out about half way through my training. i ended up going anyway to cheer on another friend who was running, and took my son. here we are at mile 13 waiting to spot my friend.

Turns out cheering people on is almost as hard as running. I have a hoarse throat from screaming and my hands are sore from clapping!

shoe per diem oct 20, 2011 – nick brandt at fotografiska

shoe per diem oct 20, 2011 – nick brandt at fotografiska, originally uploaded by piaktw.

Realised I hadn’t posted some SPD snaps from earlier in October, so they’re not in order. This was taken on quite a harsh, cold, windy but sunny Stockholm day. The first day you could really feel the winter was coming – but now, a month later I still feel grateful for everyday without snow!

Anyhow. A photo exhibition with wonderful animal photographer Nick Brandt at our awesome photograpical museum in Stockholm, called just that “Fotografiska”. It was such a beautiful and heartbreaking exhibition. I bawled my eyes out.

If you have the opportunity, GO SEE!! Read more about the exhibition and Nick Brandt’s fantastic work here.

11/18/11

I’ve always been rather fond of the glasses/mustache on the wall near wear I park when I go into town….in fact it’s probably why I prefer this lot above all other places to park.

shoe per diem oct 24, 2011 – when in belém

shoe per diem oct 24, 2011 – when in belém, originally uploaded by piaktw.

One apparently has a traditional custard pie (Pastel de Belém) or two. Unfortunately neither of us liked them very much. But it was a nice rest on a very, very windy day by the river.

And hey, still no socks!

leafy wellie per diem

8/11.2011 – leaves, originally uploaded by julochka.

the sun hasn’t shined since november began. that’s typical for denmark. it almost killed me my first november here. but at least there are crunchy leaves on the lawn and my cheery blue wellies (tho’ they’re getting rather dirty) to get me through. that and a lot of wine.

~ julochka

shoe per diem oct 23, 2011 – lisbon street

shoe per diem oct 23, 2011 – lisbon, originally uploaded by piaktw.

Walking the cobblestone streets of Lisbon, Portugal on my little birthday getaway. A trip with pros and cons. One definite pro was the fact that October weather can apparently be like an average summer day. No socks!

Big weekend

Friday night I went to the Festival for the Future opening night and caught up with an old friend who was speaking as a young innovator; truly inspiring. Afterwards I went down to a local mexican restaurant for their Dia de los Muertos celebrations with mariachi band and facepainting – muchos awesomness:

Saturday was Guy Fawkes Night and the city council puts on a $500k display every year. We had front row seats on the rocks, so pretty

Sunday I rode my bike for the first time, all the way out to Red Rocks. Such a mint view:

Then finished up the weekend with a lovely wine in the sunshine and bread shaped like New Zealand:

L x

Ginkgo Biloba

One thing I absolutely love here in Korea in the fall is the color of the Ginkgo leaves-a bright yellow. It is too bad pictures dont always do justice to the beautiful colors. I am not usually a big fan of yellow but here i make an exception. I also love the red of the maples that are also everywhere but they will have to wait for another post.

laura

tye-dye

Mid October we went on a field trip to the Seoul Forest for a picnic and to make some tye-dye scarves at the visitor center. Kinda fun. Wish I could have made one too!

laura

shoe per diem oct 6, 2011 – new beginnings in orange socks

shoe per diem oct 6, 2011 – new beginnings in orange socks, originally uploaded by piaktw.

It was a day with another little step being taken to get on with a new life. Taking control to get it the way I want it. I went with stripey AND dotty socks for that. It was awesome, befitting for the season as well as the mood. Because why restrain yourself?

(Next step is of course two different coloured shoes.)

Socks from Gudrun Sjödén

 

Gumboot weekend

Have been gardening all weekend, and not just weeding but the heavy duty stuff in an attempt to reclaim my jungle. Mum and Dad came over with trailer and a chainsaw and we got through heaps. Absolutely knackered now.

 

Moving on up

I finally got a new job today! Well actually I got it yesterday but I don’t count getting a job till I sign on the dotted line. It has been a long time that I have been looking for the right job, I have had a couple of other offers, but none of them felt as right as this one. So I am very excited!

And you should all be excited too! Why you ask? Because now I will be wearing a wider range of footwear. I pulled these ones out of the depths of my wardrobe to go in and sign the contract. And then they all rejoiced!

Tags: new job day, Shoe Per Diem

Thank goodness for that

After 24 years NZ finally won the Rugby World Cup, as the lovely Miss Stacey mentioned earlier.  This is me on the Monday after the big game. After spending most of my formative years overseas I finally feel like a complete Kiwi celebrating with a pie, albeit a fancypants gourmet wild venison one. You can also see my future hubby Richie McCaw on the front of the paper too, phwoooar!

L x

shoe per diem oct 5, 2011 – fika meet

shoe per diem oct 5, 2011 – fika meet, originally uploaded by piaktw.

After a busy day with various appointments I met up with the in-laws and my mother for fika on the town – one Swedish tradition I’m actually proud of, some call it “when carb meets conversation”, but you don’t NEED to have cake, even if it’s always good, you can just meet up with friends and socialize over a simple coffee/tea too.

It was nice and the weather was awesome for the season. Plus I kind of heart my teal nylons, very perky (from department store Åhléns, if anyone reading this, living in Sweden care to know).

Big foot

Those of you in the non-rugby playing countries… which come to think of it is all of you bar us kiwis, probably won’t have known that for the last six weeks Auckland has played host to the rugby world cup. It was an awesome six weeks, and the city seems so sad now that everything is over. So without further ado, here is the one token rugby related shoe per diem post, just so the tournament doesn’t pass us by without a mention.

That’s me, Vera, a giant puppet and some random little boy who photo bombed us.

Tags: rugby world cup, rwc, Shoe Per Diem

Doom

My favorite street graffiti…the doom in the alley behind my house.

going green

i don’t really have a good reason as to my long absence, but i’m back…and i’ve really missed shoe per diem.

i painted my son’s room bright green this weekend. he’s so in love with the color that he wants to spend all of his time in there now. i have to say, i wasn’t on board with the color at first, but now i’m quite taken with it. not sure if it grew on me, or if it’s the lingering effects of the paint fumes.

shoe per diem oct 3, 2010 – lunch with friend

shoe per diem oct 3, 2010 -, originally uploaded by piaktw.

Met old friend for a nice nice lunch on a rainy day. I still held on to the summer feeling (leggings and no socks). She on the other hand hold on to autumn more or less all year with her Blundstones as SPD.

Ready for Fall

New Doc Martens for fall. Yep.

20/10.2011 – shoe per diem: it’s that time of year again

20/10.2011 – shoe per diem: it’s that time of year again, originally uploaded by julochka.

red furry bumpers. argyles. orange tights. and even a fabulous orange chair at the library in kolding.

~ julochka

shoe per diem oct 2, 2011 – last toy car outing of the season

shoe per diem oct 2, 2011 – last toy car outing of the season, originally uploaded by piaktw.

It was a lovely day spent with friends and also the last toy car outing of the season (alas). Which now makes it officially autumn.

As you can see in snap I’m obviously the only one with impeccable shoe taste. (Although I can’t stand how my silly short socks are visible like that, in fear of chafes I didn’t dare go sock-less and it was too warm for long socks.)

In fact it was another inauguration day, yes, this is my second pair of Iggdrasil oxfords, spotted them online, have in vain looked for another pair in a good colour for years now. So this amber brown pair willingly came to live and work with me.

jetlag ftw!

if there’s an upside to jetlag, it is the ability to easily jump out of bed before the sun has even risen and head out for a run and do some sightseeing while everyone else is asleep.

Excuse the photo’s poor quality. I was out running and only had my cell phone on me. Also, it was quite dark.

Hey there little guy!

Met this charming young man (I am assuming) on my deck this morning. He seemed nice. I’ve called him Sid.

L x

S is for Spring

And right now we are having the typical springtime downpours, so it is nice to look at this picture which I took on a beach up north this past weekend, note how my toenail polish matches the flowers.

And spring also means baby animals. Here is a little girl goat that got rescued by two of my friends, which now lives in their house and thinks it is a cat… it curls up on their laps and sleeps, and plays on the cat’s scratching post… and shadows the cat like a stalker. It needs to be weaned and put in the paddock but right now it’s just so little and cute!

Tags: Shoe Per Diem

Fishy business

On Sunday I caught up with a family friend that I haven’t seen in around 11 years and met his two kids. It was a gorgeous day so we went to the Island Bay Aquarium, where they have a tank that you can play with cool stuff like starfish and sea cucumbers, then went and explored in the rockpools. So much fun!

L x

at least there were daisies…

Today’s run was a sucky one. I didn’t reach the 10k goal I’d set for myself when I got out of the door and returned home 8k later with a heavy head, feeling dehydrated and sorry for myself. But at least there were daisies.

 

Friday fun

Snuck out of the office for lunch at Foxglove with the lovely Ms Kate and Ms Hanna. Goats cheese and mozzarella balls with manuka honey, droooool. Perfect way to lead into the weekend.

L x

flipflops

This was more than a week ago. It might have been the last good day for wearing flipflops. I dont like the thin strip of marble tope brick that they seem to use on sidewalk edges and other places. when it is wet it is like walking on ice!!! Dangerous!

Laura

Summer. Ish.

Since its been getting lighter we have busted out the camp chairs after work to relax in the garden barefoot. Still not quite warm enough for shorts and t-shirts, but it’s getting there.

L x

come to mama

come to mama, originally uploaded by julochka.

whoa, two SPD posts in one day! again, just “window” shopping on the streets in vejle. loved these shiny green hunters…tho’ i’m thinking the next pair will be purple. or maybe silver.

~ julochka

new bumpers for fall!

new bumpers for fall!, originally uploaded by julochka.

look at the pretty new bumpers…i didn’t buy any, just looked, but might have to request some for christmas. maybe zebra ones to go with my zebra purse.

~ julochka

shoe per diem sept 29, 2011 – skogskyrkogården

shoe per diem sept 29, 2011 – skogskyrkogården, originally uploaded by piaktw.

Spent some wonderful hours walking around taking photos at one of my favourite places on earth – Skogskyrkogården (The Woodland Cemetery), a beautiful Unesco World Heritage site, situated in the outskirts of Stockholm.

To stroll around cemeteries is something I enjoy, if that’s the right word for it, a lot, a perfect place to de-stress and contemplate life and living.

SPD; El Naturalista Tesela oxfords
Socks; quite awesome flowery lace nylons from H&M (a place I frequent very less than rarely, for many reasons, but I admit to buying 4 pairs of these because they fitted well aka legs were long enough and they actually reached all the way up to waist)

spring day

Took my floral shoes and happy jeans out to a market on this lovely spring day. Spring days just make like so much better!

 

Cheers for the fricking weekend

Every year for the past 15 years a group of my closest friends have gone to the same spot on lake taupo at least once a year. We usually do it in winter, but this year we saw some sunshine which was nice, especially for the one that gets up last in the morning who has to go swimming.

shoe per diem sept 21, 2011 – tofu

shoe per diem sept 21, 2011 – tofu, originally uploaded by piaktw.

Inaugurating my fabulous tofu socks (from Sock Dreams) on a rainy day with a much needed hairdresser’s appointment. Awesome pair of socks I have to say.

Teamed up well with the El Naturalista Tesela oxfords in winered (which I admittedly would love to have another pair of, but for some odd reason they’re seemingly not available anywhere these days. These perfect days for oxfords in the northern hemisphere…).

Haidresser is wearing a pair of lovely Dr Martens lacey boots.

party clothes

party clothes, originally uploaded by julochka.

these are old favorites – round toed, high-heeled pumps by Bronx, coupled with my mustard silk pleated skirt (from The Gap, of course) – for a party of 7700 people who work for Vestas and their significant others. pretty cool first day on the job for husband!!

roxette performed at the party. who even knew they were still alive?

~ julochka

Off-road racers

Vera and I have officially gone nuts. But don’t worry too much, we will be sure not to ever do it again. Off-road running is hard. In fact the 9km off-road we did yesterday was far more exhausting and challenging than the 21.1km in the hail we did in August. I think the hills in the first shot and the state of our shoes in the second illustrate this better than I can with words.

Tags: hills suck, running, we are stupid

watershed 5k and apple picking

watershed 5k and apple picking, a photo by SusanKurilla on Flickr.

my time today was a full 2 minutes faster than the 5k I ran two weeks ago. then we went apple picking. now, naturally, I’m icing/heating my achilles…

work

My work consists of ‘teaching’ preschool and kindergarten kids, Korean ages 4 to 7 (translates to normal ages turning ages 3 to six this year).  I love the kids so much.  And of course, they all love ‘Laura Teacher’!!!  The school moved a couple of months ago to a new building.  Now, instead of having our own building of 3 floors plus the roof and a garden, we have a 4th and 6th floor plus the 8th floor roof.  To take the kids between the 4th and 6th we have to use the elevators.  The stairs are too dangerous for them.  Here I’m in the elevator with one of my 5 yr old classes (actual age 3-4).  I was trying to get my slippers in the picture but they were moving a little too much.  ^^

That’s my lovely Lora’s face looking up at me in the elevator.  ♥
Between classes, as well as later, when it’s time for the kids to take the buses home (there is a bit of a wait time, since only one bus can pull up outside at a time, and only one group of kids can go down the elevator at once), I often sit and hang out with the kids.

Kate (6 yr old class – just turned 5)  is absolutely adorable.  But once again…. it’s hard to take a picture of kids who move around so much!!

I love the kids shoes!!!  These are Kate’s cute little koala shoes.

laura

Hump day

Today was my first day back at work after having the flu and I was supposed to have a ‘quick’ meeting with one of the committees I’m involved with at 5.15… but an hour and a half later we were still there! Suffice to say it was the most spirit crushing meeting I’ve had in a long time. So now I’m perched on the couch with the most dainty bottle of wine I’ve seen in a long time watching trashy tv. Just what the Dr ordered.

L x

debut

debut, a photo by SusanKurilla on Flickr.

so here’s the deal. I have tendonitis in both my achilles. it sucks. it started about a year ago on my right side, then about 6 months later on my left. it makes running painful. it makes walking painful. it makes wearing flats and tennies painful (yep, even my running shoes, even the cute ones!). it’s a good excuse to drink wine. okay I don’t really need an excuse, it’s just nice to have a back-up. know what helps? wedges, heels, anything that keeps that tendon from stretching. wedges are especially good because they keep my whole foot supported. my doc suggested orthotics. yeah. right. I’ll wear the splint to bed but I’m not wearing orthotics. I don’t wear granny panties, I’m not wearing granny shoes. so here are my new wedges. they were on clearance, I’d have lost money if I didn’t buy them, right? my other new shoes to be shown soon… they might not have been on clearance…

welcome back, spring!

Spring has started and Saturday was a good hint at the wonderful days we have coming our way (even if the past couple of days have been a bit chilly). Stacey and I spent our morning (well, late morning) wandering around Ponsonby road checking out the market stuff, drank apple cider, pet someone else’s dog and shared a delicious pizza for lunch. It was a really good morning and the quickly snapped SPD picture doesn’t do it much justice.

 

Of late

I’ve been super busy lately and neglected to post for a while so here is a quick update…

I’ve been snowboarding:

Bowling:

Did some more snowboarding:

 Then there was that time it snowed in Wellington:

Followed by some more boarding:

And on Sunday I went to the Argentina/Scotland Rugby World Cup game:

Now I am broke, but happy.

L xx

casino carpet

Went to a wedding today.  Ash (Moroccan) and Nara (Korean).  It was at a typical Korean wedding hall, though it was fancied up a bit being in Gangnam and all.    The small Moroccan crowd in the audience livened it up a bit, as did Ash’s singing of a Korean pop song for his new bride.  I couldn’t get a good pic from the wedding because I was a bit back with too many things in the way.  After the dinner I went to the nearby casino (Lucky Seven at the COEX Intercontinental) with a group of old friends.  Casinos are great if you have control.  I lost 20,000 won (about $20) but then won it back plus 10,000.  Yay.  Had drinks while playing and chatting away.  Then a free midnight snack meal – I had kimchi chigae (kimchi soup).  Casino floors are always interesting.  The landing on the stairs up gave me some ideas for glass painting (I wasn’t thinking of pictures at the time).  This was the floor in the little dining area.

laura

Washing and worshipping

And reading. Not a bad Friday afternoon!

rockin it. hard

rockin it. hard, a photo by SusanKurilla on Flickr.

girls night out with jsc.

another 5k kind of day

another 5k kind of day, a photo by SusanKurilla on Flickr.

waiting in the rain

waiting in the rain, originally uploaded by julochka.

just another rainy day in denmark. you can tell the summer has been hard on my wellies. i’m thinking the next pair will be purple.

~ julochka

ouch

ouch, a photo by SusanKurilla on Flickr.

after a 5K on saturday then another 4.6mi on sunday, tendonitis in both my achilles had me on the couch most of the day alternating ice and heat. it was a great excuse to not to do a darn thing all day.

nap time

After a school picnic today the baby class was tired. Nap time! They’re just too cute!

laura

waiting for the train

waiting for the train, originally uploaded by julochka.

yup, it’s boot and sweater weather (we’re still being hit by the leftover winds from that stupid hurricane irene). got on the vintage brown leather boots (need to make husband polish them, they need it) that i bought oh-so-long-ago at bloomingdale’s in chicago. yes, i’m so old now that i can dig into my own closet for vintage wear.

~ julochka

dolce fare niente!

i’ll admit, there hasn’t been a whole lot of shoe activity going on around here. i’ve been dividing my time between the pool and the beach and feeling quite alright about neglecting footwear for a while. unfortunately, that’s about to end. as of this weekend, i’ll be back in the southern hemisphere and back to real life. but it was good to get a slice of your summer, northern folk. thanks!

shoe per diem sept 10, 2011 – big yellow bunny

shoe per diem sept 10, 2011 – big yellow bunny, originally uploaded by piaktw.

The Big Yellow Rabbit, by Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman, was a part of summer art exhibition in Örebro city called “Örebro Open Art 2011“.

We finally managed to see it on its last weekend there and it was utterly wonderful!! The whole town was filled with art installations, during three summer months, some more pleasing than others. Apparently it had been criticized by people and several artworks were vandalized (by smallminded and nasty people).

Read and see more about it here

I wore (inaugurated actually, but please, no need for a shoe intervention, really) a pair of very green maryjanes that day, perky happy shoes. Comfortable, well, if you don’t count the two matchingly painful blisters I got on each heel. Ouch.

Despite them, the day was great and the bunny was the BEST!

fab boots (even if I do say so myself)

fab boots (even if I do say so myself), originally uploaded by julochka.

another shot of my new UNO Denmark boots…quite flat, which is unusual for me in boots, but so cute with the purple and black that i couldn’t resist.

that’s my zebra purse down there beside them…that zebra woulda died anyway, so might as well make something beautiful out of him.

~ julochka

horse shoes

horse shoes, a photo by SusanKurilla on Flickr.

took my mom to Napa Valley, CA for her 85th birthday. It was JUST US for 3 whole days. Loved it. More pics of our stay at RustRidge Winery and B&B on my flickr page.

new boots per diem!

new boots per diem!, originally uploaded by julochka.

yay! at last, some new shoes from me! they’re soft black and purple leather and by Uno Danmark. they were massively on sale and i couldn’t resist. you will be seeing more of them in the near future, as autumn is definitely here and it’s boot-wearing weather.

shoe per diem sept 5, 2011 – bears, bobs and pot holders

006, originally uploaded by piaktw.

On an otherwise slow day there were at least three perky pot holders finished, the arrival of two new tiny adorable bobbaloos (welcomed by a third) and I was wearing my Berliner bear Birkenstocks.

How was your September 5?

And so it begins

Soz, but I had my first outing at the beach yesterday. The sun was nice and warm, but the water still to cold to swim in. I enjoyed lying there and reading a book though!

shoe per diem aug 27, 2011 – flower picking

shoe per diem aug 27, 2011 – flower picking, originally uploaded by piaktw.

Just like last year we spent the official last summer weekend picking flowers at one of my favourite spots, organic garden Växplats Nybyn.

I filled a large basket with glorious flowers and now, some two weeks later many of them are still going strong in their vases. Heart!

SPD: El Naturalista Iggdrasil clogs two-shaded in orange-brown (actually I hadn’t worn them at all this season, so I thought they at least deserved one day of air and wear)

Hello Pukeko

This curious little dude was sniffing around the open door of my office. I tried enticing him in with bread but he wasn’t having a bar of it. Eventually I got bored of him standing there like a peeping Tom, so I turned back to my computer. He shat on the deck and eventually walked off.

shoe per diem aug 24, 2011 – in grandpa’s garden

shoe per diem aug 24, 2011 – in grandpa’s garden, originally uploaded by piaktw.

It was a tough tough choice to get only one pair of the Jobs handprinted slippers. But my heart sang a tad bit more over these – there was a birdie! – and when I saw that the fabric was called “Morfars trädgård” = “Grandpa’s garden” I felt just right. As my (maternal) grandfather was a keen gardener and garden architect (incl knowing every little tiny plant by its Latin name). Myself I pretty much lack any green thumbs. But I adore gardens and nature, to spend time there, just not working in them.

I’m hoping I will be able to wear them out and about a bit next summer (when it doesn’t rain since the soles are cork) and that they won’t be terribly impractical. They are at least lovely to look at and comfortable to wear indoors.

Deery me

Geddit? This past weekend I headed up to my friend’s beach house to have a “welcome spring” bbq and relax. On the way we stopped into a pizza barn and had a beer under the deer. That night we had a bbq and a party and the next day we went out on the boat fishing and for a walk up a mountain. Good times, and I can’t wait for the rest of fine weather to come our way!

 

 

 

shoe per diem aug 17, 2011 – red and blue

shoe per diem aug 17, 2011 – red and blue, originally uploaded by piaktw.

Post dentist-appointment SPD. This day it was only the annual check-up (the next chapter in the rootfilling saga continues in a few weeks, not to worry…) and sigh of relief when there were, touch wood, no holes to be filled.

I met my mother for a fika afterwards.
Her red maryjanes and my blue clogs standing at a train-station which I think has rather pleasing to the eye floor.

first cider press

first cider press, originally uploaded by julochka.

we stripped the ancient apple tree in our yard of the 50-odd apples that were on it. they’re super crunchy, sweet and juicy, if on the small side. we ran them through the chopper and then the first run of our cider press. one liter of fresh, sweet apple cider later, we had had a successful test run. now, to get the neighbors to give us all their apples.

as usual, i was wearing my wellies. sabin had on her adidas high tops, tho’ she actually spent most of the day barefoot. i guess this was early in the day.

~ julochka

saturday night = date night

saturday night = date night, a photo by SusanKurilla on Flickr.

date night = hot shoes. WHBM in raspberry suede = love

shoe per diem aug 21, 2011 – at carl larsson-gården in sundborn

shoe per diem aug 21, 2011 – at sundborn, originally uploaded by piaktw.

On our way back from Dalecarlia we stopped my the lovely home of world famous painter Carl Larsson and his interior design talented wife Karin. We went on a tour there many years ago (highly recommended if you happen to be in the vicinity) now we just snapped a SPD pic.

Both indoors and outoors are so so inspirational – if you haven’t heard of Carl and Karin Larsson before I suggest you read up at the website – and brimming with creative quirks. It’s all in the details.

I was wearing the Iggdrasil oxfords that day simply because it felt a bit autumnal (sad face) in the air and we were to walk quite a bit. I have now put them away again, I refuse to wear autumn shoes regularly. Yet.

3/9.2011 – shoe (and giant mushroom) per diem

3/9.2011 – shoe (and giant mushroom) per diem, originally uploaded by julochka.

it is most decidedly mushroom season out there. i’ve never seen so many different kinds! no idea if this one is edible, but it surely would make a meal with leftovers if it was.

my brown chucks (luckily the blood didn’t soak through) and a peek of sabin’s pink hunter wellie.

~ julochka

bleeding on my shoe per diem

bleeding on my shoe per diem, originally uploaded by julochka.

i had a nasty little run-in with a hawthorn branch today…it poked through through one of those little eyelets on the side of my beloved chucks and straight into my foot about half an inch. bleeding (and quite a lot of swearing) ensued…

on the bright side, it probably means i need new chucks.

~ julochka

shoe per diem aug 20, 2011 – at jobs handtryck

shoe per diem aug 20, 2011 – jobs handtryck, originally uploaded by piaktw.

I’ve been lusting after these granny-style slippers – all of my older female relatives have had these slippers, though with a standard horrific upper sole, not in these pretty, happy fabric style, so they’ve been more than slightly tainted in my mind for many years – for a while now.

The pretty fabrics are from the Dalecarlian design company Jobs. A small family run company which have designed and handprinted (handtryck = handprint) many fabulous patterns over several generations now.

So when we were in Dalecarlia - for the Bryan Ferry concert at Dalhalla, which was magic btw – a couple of weeks ago I lusted after them irl too.

When the shop lady fetched even more patterns from the store-room I knew it would be a tricky choice to choose just the right pair (yes I’m a lucky bunny, they became an early birthday gift)…

So which pair do you think I got? Which would you have chosen?