scaredy-cat

Sunrise today at 3:54. Sunset today at 22:50. Length of day is 18 h 56 min.*

2011-06-22T22:35:00.002+03:00

I meant to take a photo of how light it is even here in Helsinki, which is in Southern Finland. (I have never been to Lapland this time of year, but plan to go some day.) But on Sunday I didn't have my camera with me. Yesterday I was too tired to go for a walk. And today I'm too busy. Sorry.

I can't help but feel somewhat anxious around this time every year. What, it's Midsummer already?? But the summer just began! Where did June go?

For a couple of days I'm filled with fear of summer slipping away before I notice and have time to enjoy it. And I have to say that the word Midsummer feels a bit depressing, because in Finland the summer really has only begun, and more often than not June is a cool month. So I have to remind myself that two-thirds of this summer is still ahead.

Finns tend to make a big fuss about the summer solstice - which is not so surprising considering the fact that six months ago we only had meager five hours of sunlight (or less, if you happen to live somewhere north of Helsinki); BBC describes the Finnish Midsummer more or less accurately here. I'm not going to try swimming across a lake, wasted or sober, but as most of the population in Helsinki, I'm heading out of the city tomorrow. Have a good weekend. I know I will.

*From the Finnish Meteorological Institute website

what's up

2011-05-30T23:16:00.004+03:00

I seem to post on four month intervals now (even my sister asked if I'm ever going to blog again). Funny, but the less you blog the more difficult it gets. The longer the blog-break, the heavier the responsibility of writing something worth reading is - and I haven't felt like anything I have to say lately is worth reading, if I have anything to say at all. I haven't even read that many blogs, or at least not as many as I used to, and I have a feeling I've kind of dropped out of the Blogosphere. here...

However, here's a quick roundup

January and February were crazy-busy. Like so busy I thought after just one week of the spring semester I can't make it. I probably couldn't have made it through the semester, judging by how knackered I was after January...

...but suddenly it didn't matter, 'cause I got an internship in Helsinki, contrary to my own beliefs (I haven't dared to ask yet was it because I was the only applicant, or because I practically begged for them to take me).

So I moved myself and very few of my belongings to Helsinki in March and was once again quite tired from having to get accustomed to a nine-to-five job (the only good thing about being a student is I get to sleep in most mornings) and learn all kinds of new things. The boy kindly agreed to offer accommodation for the three month period...

...which suddenly changed into six months when I got another internship in Helsinki area. SIX MONTHS (that's half a year, people) in the Boy's one-room flat. Yay. Suffice to say that even though I consider myself lucky not having to rent a flat in Helsinki (I'm still paying rent for my room in Tampere), I would never have agreed to living six months with him in 33 square metres. I try to take it one day at a time and not think about the months still ahead, which has worked surprisingly well for me. As for the Boy, he still wants to officially move in with me in a year, and I guess if we survive these six months in one room, living together in a bigger space will be a breeze.

So. It's been a busy spring, even though I seem to have accomplished nothing. And suddenly summer is almost here. It's just behind the corner, and like every year, I'm panicking. Maybe it is because summer, though long awaited, always manages to sneak on us - before I realize it flowers are in bloom every year, leaves on trees are getting bigger by day, and for a breathless moment I'm afraid it's all going to end before I have time to enjoy it. The nights that are getting lighter and lighter, the first timid flowers and the endless singing of the birds - miracles in their own right. I fear it's all going to go as fast as it came, and I'm going to miss it...

new beginnings

2011-01-10T00:13:00.003+02:00

In 2010, I was mostly silent in this space. I think it had something to do with the decision I made when I started this blog: I wasn't going to write about negative feelings. I didn't want to use this space for complaining - though I now see it might have something to do with my inability to voice my negative feelings in general, not just in my blog. But sometimes, like in the past year, this decision makes me mute.

It's not that 2010 was all bad, of course there were many good moments. But when you haven't been blogging for a while writing a post becomes harder and harder. You feel like you have nothing worth saying. And to be honest, I just didn't find the energy. 2010 was quite a strenuous year for me - maybe that's why I've lately felt like I need recharging.

My hippeastrum, bought a week before Christmas, opened nine flowers on it's two flower stems. I thought the third stem, a very short one, would never flower - but now it's budding. I hope something new is budding in me, too.

on sunday

2010-09-08T12:48:00.005+03:00

Last week my mobile phone died. This week my laptop (hard disk failure), just after I said aloud "I wish it would last until I've graduated and have some money to spare". I have a feeling my camera (which isn't working too well anyway) will be the next! I find all this mostly funny*, if a tad tiresome. It's very inconvenient not having a working laptop, but luckily a substitute should be on it's way. Both my "new" phone and my "new" laptop are the Boy's hand-me-downs, so I guess I am lucky. (But he doesn't have a spare camera, so I really hope my camera will last a little bit longer!)

Besides, there are sunflowers on the kitchen table.

*I bet I wouldn't find it so funny if I had lost anything important. I don't think I did.

------------

Viime viikolla hajosi puhelin, tällä viikolla tietokone. Juuri, kun olin päässyt sanomasta "Kestäis nyt vielä siihen asti, että en ole enää köyhä opiskelija!". Naurattaa*, vaikka onhan tuosta oma vaivansa. Olen kuitenkin onnekas, saan korvaavat laitteet ilmaiseksi; käytetty kelpaa hyvin. Nyt toivon, että kamera ei ole seuraava, sille ei ole korviketta tiedossa.

Olen tuplaonnekas: keittiön pöydällä on auringonkukkia.

*Eipä varmaan naurattaisi, elleivät tärkeät asiat olisi tallessa.

it's the first of september and I miss the summer already

2010-09-01T13:14:00.005+03:00

It was a sunny day. But the light is different, autumn light and I can't pretend it's summer anymore.

I walked through the streets I once knew, wistful, and for a while grieved for the summer - it went too fast (always does, in a way). September is one of my favourite months, but autumn? Now? I need more time to adjust!

But autumn won't give me more time, the change is in the air, I collected some signs of it. And I have to succumb.

cloudy with a chance of rain

2010-05-11T02:35:00.002+03:00

I've been tidying up at home (should have done it earlier so I had had time to enjoy a tidy home), packing the last things on my list, even sewing a little. Spotify has played me Au revoir Simone and French versions of the songs from Snowwhite.

Drinking coffee too. In the afternoon I rewarded myself with an apple-and-cinnamon muffin for being so efficient.

And checking the volcanic ash map here. About 2,000 km from here someone is waiting for me to build a clock-tower with legos.

----

Olen puuhaillut kotona: siivonnut, pakkaillut, ommellutkin vähän. Koti on kiva siistimpänä kuin aikoihin - sääli, etten ehdi nauttia siitä! Spotify on soittanut taustamusiikiksi Au revoir Simonea ja ranskankielisiä versioita Lumikki-elokuvan lauluista.

Olen myös juonut kahvia. Iltapäivällä sain muffinssin palkinnoksi siitä, että olin ollut niin ahkera.

Lisäksi olen tarkkaillut tuhkapilven liikkeitä näiden nettisivujen kautta. Noin 2000 kilometrin päässä minua odotetaan rakentamaan kellotornia legoista.

on mother's day

2010-05-10T12:33:00.000+03:00

It rained most of the day - fine persistent drizzle which seemed never-ending. Waking up to the most miserable weather is easier to bear if you wake up next to someone, though (even if that means you wake up stiff because you haven't had enough space in your bed) and have time to eat a leisurely breakfast.

Mother's Day this year meant a dinner at the Boy's parents. There were only 13 of us, as only two of the Boy's three sisters were present. There is a total of 17 people in the Boy's immediate family; this feels like a lot of people, as my relatives can basically be counted on two hands (if I leave my cousins' kids out), and is sometimes a bit overwhelming. Though - like I might have mentioned before - I couldn't find a boyfriend with nicer sisters if I tried!

I seem to have shaken off the flu I caught last week when I was super stressed out. I've been doing things like cleaning my oven and organizing (somewhat) my wardrobe and writing and re-writing a packing list. I think version 6.0 is the last one.

story about a bad day

2010-05-05T18:52:00.005+03:00

Yesterday was a bad day. I woke up with a sore throat. Nothing felt right - I would have just wanted to sleep the day off. The sky was grey and my spirits were low. The evening before I had been too long at the university, and too lazy to walk to the grocery shop, so I couldn't even have a cup of coffee to fortify me.

I had to run some errands, so I ordered myself a big cup of good coffee in one of my favourite cafés. Somehow, even when it's full, this café manages to exude a feeling of calm and peace. In there I feel like I'm in no hurry at all.

And who wouldn't feel better after enjoying a slice of their delicious mud cake under a rose-coloured lamp with strings of glass pearls? (I would never in a million years have a lamp like this at home - but it fits the cafés old-fashioned interior very well.)

Sadly, the cure was only temporary - today the sun has been shining, but I've felt even worse and have sat teary-eyed in front of my computer. But there will always be another day, and more cake!

---

Eilen oli paha päivä. Heräsin kurkku kipeänä, kaikki tuntui kurjalta ja olisin vain halunnut jäädä peiton alle ja nukkua mokoman päivän yli. Taivas oli yhtä harmaa kuin mieli, ja koska en ollut jaksanut edellisenä iltana kävellä myöhään auki olevaan kauppaan, en saanut edes vahvistavaa aamukahvia.

Koska kävelin muutenkin keskustaan hoitamaan asioita, määräsin itselleni ison kupillisen hyvää kahvia yhdessä lempikahviloistani. Kahvisalonki onnistuu aina henkimään rauhaa ja kiireettömyyttä, silloinkin kun siellä on täyttä. Ja kenen olo ei paranisi siitä, että syö palan herkullista mutakakkua? Varsinkin kun sen syö ruusunvärisen helmirimssulampun alla!

Kovin pitkäksi aikaa tuo lääke ei auttanut - tänään on ollut vielä huonompi päivä, vaikka aurinkokin paistaa. Onneksi tulee uusia päiviä, ja uusia kakkupaloja!

sunday

2010-05-04T16:30:00.004+03:00

On Sunday we took a long walk, through a neighbourhood where every garden seemed to be blue with scillas, to a place where it feels like you're miles and miles from the city even though you're almost in the middle of it. It took us over three hours.

I grew up in a part of Finland where these white flowers, Anemone nemorosa, don't grow wild. Even though I've now lived ten years in Southern Finland, seeing them popping up in spring is nothing short of a miracle for me. Unbelievable.

----

Sunnuntaina teimme kolmen tunnin kävelyretken vähän niin kuin vahingossa. Vanhat pihat matkan varrella olivat sinisenään skilloja. Perillä tuntui siltä, että emme ole kaupungissa laisinkaan, ja säpsähdimme sitä, miten lähellä uutuuttaan hohtavien kerrostalojen rivit kaislikon toisella laidalla ovat.

Kasvoin paikassa, jossa valkovuokkoja kasvaa vain istutettuna pihoilla. Luulin aikuiseksi asti, että ne ovat Etelä-Suomessakin harvinaisia - ja vaikka kymmenen etelänvuoden jälkeen olen ymmärtänyt olleeni väärässä, ne tuntuvat silti ihmeiltä joka vuosi. Että ne noin vain kasvavat satamäärin, jossain ihan tavallisessa metsikössä, tai kapealla rakennuksien syrjään jääneellä kaistaleella.

vappu

2010-05-03T17:34:00.006+03:00

I guess you've really become an adult when you celebrate Vappu, First of May, with plenty of eating instead of plenty of partying. That's what I did - and I much preferred it. This year I even skipped the May Day picnic.

The one tradition I very much want to keep alive is the First of May lunch (or perhaps lunner) at my sister's. This is something we started I guess the first year I lived in Helsinki, before she started dating J, my brother-in-law, and I think we've repeated it most years since. My sister is an amazing cook and I really miss cooking and eating together - another thing we used to do when living in a same city, first the two of us, then J came along and we all cooked together, and then when A was born my duty was to keep him happy while the others cooked (when I say "duty" I really mean "pleasure"). I miss all this so much it might be one of the main reasons why I want to move back to Helsinki when it's possible. I used to feel bad about it, but hey, if being with the people you love isn't a good reason for changing cities, then what is?

So this year we celebrated with the addition of the Boy. It felt extra special to have this little party with my sister this year, as she has been through a lot with her cancer in the past few months, most of which I can't even understand. It's times like this when you really remember to appreciate what you have - and I'm happy to see many May Day lunches in the future.

Sister had really outdone herself. We started with pink cava (courtesy of the Boy) or pear lemonade and cute asparagus pastries sister had made with A (A is taking after his parents and showing some serious interest in baking). Then we had my favourite, a wonderful spring salad with strawberries, walnuts, brie and avocado; lamb and fennel with honey sauce; and last but not least, a devil's food cake (my contribution to the meal) with mascarpone, quark and raspberry filling.

The cake was absolutely delicious although very rich and the five of us didn't manage to eat even half of it on one go. It didn't matter - the Boy and I took a chunk of it home with us, and I ate it for breakfast on both Sunday and Monday.

spring fever

2010-04-23T16:50:00.006+03:00

I'm restless. I know I should be working, but I can't concentrate. In anything: not in work, not in re-organizing my wardrobe, not in reading, or watching a movie from beginning to end on one go. I'm happy one day, miserable the next - or often both in 24 hours. I'm planning my future a year ahead, yet worried and undecided about things which will happen (or not) in the next few months. I want change, yet I hesitate - trying to decide whether "seizing the day" would be worth the trouble, or whether I should be sensible. I think: My life is boring, I want to change everything! Then I think: I like my life like it is. I have many plans but I'm not sure which I'd like to realize.

I thought I was too old for these feelings.

I blame the spring.

(This song is playing on loop inside my head. Not that it has anything to do with anything...)

(Tällä kertaa myös suomeksi, koska joihinkin asioihin vieras kieli ei taivu.)

Olen levoton. Pitäisi keskittyä töihin, mutta en osaa keskittyä; en töihin, en muuhun. En jaksa lukea pitkää aikaa, en järjestää vaatekaappia - se jää kesken, mikä on melkein vielä pahempaa kuin epäjärjestys - enkä katsoa elokuvaa alusta loppuun. Tunnen tänään olevani onnellinen, huomenna hirveän onneton, ja parhaassa tapauksessa molempia yhden ja saman päivän aikana. Suunnittelen innoissani asioita, jotka tapahtuvat ehkä vuoden kuluttua, ja samalla huolehdin niistä, joiden pitäisi tapahtua lähitulevaisuudessa - tai sitten ei, en osaa päättää. Haluan muutosta, ja kuitenkin epäröin: onko parempi tarttua hetkeen vai tehdä järkeviä päätöksiä, odottaa kärsivällisesti? Ajattelen, että elämäni on tylsää, ja haluan muuttaa kaiken. Sitten ajattelen, että elämäni on hyvää tällaisenaan. Minulla on liikaa suunnitelmia, enkä osaa päättää, mitä toteuttaisin.

Luulin olevani liian vanha tällaiseen.

Syytän kevättä.

Tämä biisi soi päässä.

last weekend in helsinki

2010-04-21T16:15:00.006+03:00

I walked a lot. Both when it was sunny and when it was raining. The old familiar routes I've walked thousands and thousands of times. And new paths I haven't walked before. I took a walk almost every day. I love walking in Helsinki; traipsing the city streets, looking at all the nice buildings and the ugly buildings too. And shop windows - it's always nice to see a funny or pretty or clever window display. (Though these photos are very atypical Helsinki walk photos...)

Near the railway someone had created bunny art out of the fence & black plastic sacks. Maybe it's a political statement.

There was a good reason to buy two muffins instead of one. Buying two muffins feels special.

When sun was shining even the Boy's small, dark and dreary apartment felt roomier. In the window across the yard a white cat waved us hello.

All in all, a very good weekend.

joys and sorrows

2010-04-20T14:35:00.002+03:00

Um, hello.

I've been away from a long time and hardly know how to write a blog post any more. I have no special reason for being quiet for so long - it's not that I've lsot interest to this space. I've just had a lot to do (or it felt that way, even though now I'm not sure if I have accomplished that much) and little to say. (I started writing a post several times, but never finished them.) I'd like to say I've been living rather than blogging, but really I've not done much of the former either - instead I've considered giving up my apartment as I seem to spend most of my time at the university anyway. If only they'd let me camp in some empty class room!

The year 2010 didn't start that well. My dear, brave sister was diagnosed with breast cancer in January - and even though I decided to believe in her getting better right from the start and save my tears for a time they might be needed, this has obviously affected all my family. I'm happy to say things are looking up - we're all keeping our fingers crossed...

But this year has brought joys as well. As spring has arrived, new babies are popping up everywhere. One of them is baby L, who arrived just two weeks ago. She is the daughter of A and M and the receiver of those booties in the top photo - which, according to the pattern, are the size 0-3 mo, and are ridiculously big for baby L's tiny feet! It's funny how you forget how small newborns are.

As you can see, L is small and perfect (like all the babies are - but she might be extra perfect), and has long fingers and toes just like her mama. I've known A for most of my life, so somehow seeing her baby feels even more special than usual, and I'm honoured to be L's oddmother (like godmother, you know, but without the God part).

Another little person was born on Saturday, when S & V had a son. Also, the Boy's youngest sister is due any day now - maybe more baby bootees are in order?

christmas card workshop

2009-12-15T23:32:00.005+02:00

My home has been a Christmas card workshop this past weekend.

As usual, the cards are not exactly how I imagined them, and some things didn't work like I'd hoped (eg. the silver of the snowflake smudges very easily, so I wonder if everyone is getting a smudged card from me), and I wanted the envelopes to be a different colour (but for once thought better of it and didn't check every shop possible for the right shade of white - yes, that's what I'm like sometimes).

But working on wee small hours (I've messed up my sleep - luckily there are no lectures anymore) paid off, and today I sent cards to all those peeps I won't be seeing before Christmas. All those envelopes stacked up were such a happy sight!

I also sent a little parcel to London; I wanted to send cookies, but that would've been expensive and the cookies probably wouldn't travel that well. I love those stickers I bought a while ago... I'd like to embellish every envelope with them!

In the envelope were piggy things: a dishcloth with a gingerbread pig and a Maileg Christmas decoration. I know I'm probably going to see S & D after Christmas, but mail is always lovely to send and receive, don't you think?

flea market finds

2009-12-08T18:25:00.004+02:00

I haven't had much time for flea markets lately, but I made some good finds back in November. Or was it October?

I just had to rescue these children's books from 1950's - I get like that with books sometimes, if they look especially lonely.... The books once belonged to a boy called Martti Vuorinen. I think it's nice when the past owners have left some traces of themselves in old books.

Pupujussi Gulliver ("Gulliver Rabbit") is my favourite title.

Another great find was this cake lifter, which kind of matches the spoons I already have (they used to belong to my grandparents). It would also go well with the Focus de Luxe cutlery I'm dreaming about.

candlelight

2009-12-07T15:43:00.005+02:00

I've been looking for a candelabrum for a few years - or more like hoping I would happen upon one which would suit both my taste and my wallet. I thought I'd like to have a traditional one, but most candelabras in stores/flea markets are either too fussy or too expensive (or both).

Now, if I had my way and not a million better ways to spend 70 euros, I'd buy the Gloria candelabrum designed for Muuto by Norway Says. I think it would look great with colourful candles, although I haven't decided if I'd like to have a black or a white Gloria.

I won't get my Gloria anytime soon, but luckily last month I found this 50s candelabrum at Pikkuvarpunen's flea market site. Long story short, I met Suki briefly in Helsinki, and now it's mine! It was a little tricky to find small enough candles, as I didn't want white, but now I guess a candlelight supper is in order.

cookies galore

2009-12-04T17:46:00.005+02:00

Even though I don't really bake that often, baking is always a great way to relax for me (given that whatever I'm baking turns out ok - luckily I hardly ever have baking disasters ...knocking on wood here). I feel accomplished and content when I take something out of the oven and know it turned out just right. Beginning my Friday by taking dough (made last night) out of the freezer and baking four sheets of cookies before 1 p.m. made me feel extra accomplished, almost like I was some kind of domestic goddess à la Nigella (even if one glance toward my living/bedroom made that feeling disappear somewhat... I wonder if Nigella does all her cleaning?).

This time I baked another batch of Chewy Cholate Gingerbread Cookies from the previous post and also these cookies with dried cranberries instead of cherries. The reason for this baking frenzy (yes, for me baking two kinds of cookies at the same time is 'baking frenzy') is tomorrow's visit to the Boy's sister. One of the Boy's three sisters lives in Tampere, and whenever the Boy is coming to town, we try to visit K and her family. I'm giving the cookies as a little pre-Christmas present, and since there are three boys between three and eight in the family, I tried to choose cookies kids might like too (i.e. not use coffee and black pepper like I did last year). I have come realize I'll never find another boyfriend with sisters as nice as the Boy's, so I might be stuck with him...

I still have to work on an especially difficult and boring translation today, but I'm looking forward for a relaxing weekend and maybe a little more snow!

it's december

2009-12-01T17:34:00.004+02:00

No snow at all, but the temperature is going to drop below zero, and there's a chance of snow; or that's what the weather forecast says.

Time to open the first door of my advent calendars. (Yes, I've got two - one a gift from sweet A, another a card-sized one I couldn't resist. And yes, I'm nearly thirty years old...)

The cookies I baked last weekend taste like gingerbread, like Christmas. Recipe here.

four months ago

2009-11-27T18:08:00.003+02:00

A and I spent the whole day on the beach on Pihlajasaari island. One of my favourite places to go in Helsinki if it's sunny and I've got a day off. It was a windy day, so not a lot of other people on the beach, and I'd packed lunch with nephew-favourites, like meatballs, peas, cucumber sticks and cookies. We had so much fun A fell asleep on the boat-ride back to the city.

three months ago

2009-11-26T17:16:00.003+02:00

Three months ago I spent a weekend at our summer place with the Boy. It was the end of August; the summer had just turned into autumn, it was still warm. There was time to look at the small wonders in the forest.
I cooked dinner in the light of a kerosene lamp. In the night we marvelled at how many stars you can see when you're far from city lights; no moon either, we could see the galaxy.

Kolme kuukautta sitten vietimme viikonlopun kesäpaikassa. Elokuun loppu, kesä juuri taittumassa syksyksi, lämmintä ja tuulista. Oli aikaa pysähtyä tutkimaan pieniä asioita metsässä.

Tein kaasuhellalla päivällistä öljylampun valossa. Yöllä kummastelimme taivasta, joka oli täynnä tähtiä. Ja linnunrataa, joka sekin näkyi selvästi kuuttomana yönä.

all i want for christmas

2009-11-23T14:17:00.008+02:00

In my family everybody will receive at least one book for Christmas (it's a tradition of sorts), so yesterday I was trying to make up a list to make book shopping easier for Mum. I remember writing these lists when I was a child and then tacking them onto the pinboard in our kitchen - I can't remember ever buying the idea of Santa, and I knew from early on it was Mum and Dad who bought the presents; maybe because my sister is eight years older, and she and I used to sneak in our parents' closet and feeling all the presents there... (but not too much - we didn't really want to know what we were going to get)

After writing the list for Mum I made another list; this is for Santa Claus (and some people reading this blog who might need tips), though, as I don't really think Santa is visiting a disbeliever like me, I might have to buy a gift to myself...

I like practically everything with the Siirtolapuutarha print from Marimekko's new In Good Company -tableware series

I've been a longtime fan of Ashley Goldberg's prints; maybe I should finally get myself one! I'd love to have a bearded guy of my own, but really I love just about every print in her shop. Follow the Sparrows, Trust Your Instincts and A Moment of Solitude are some of my favourites.

I certainly don't need another necklace, but if I did, I'd love to have an illustrated necklace by Susie Gahremani of boygirlparty. There are a lot of birds, and of course I like anything with birds - but this typewriter would suite me quite well, too.

Let's face it, I don't need more mugs either, but after I bought a Pride and Prejudice -mug by Penguin for miss J I've been coveting one for myself. Last time I visited the Korjaamo Culture Factory, I looked at the Penguin mugs they have in the shop - but it's so hard to decide which one I should buy! I've also set my mind to having an orange Penguin book bag.

In my list for Mum I actually mentioned Chef'n G'rabbit salt and pepper grinders. This might not be the king of pepper grinders (that would be the Peugeot pepper mill, I guess), but it would look nice in my kitchen. Which, I'm afraid, means rather lot to me.

To tell the truth, I already bought a Christmas present for myself: this photo calendar by Abby. Haven't got it yet, but I'm really looking forward to hanging it on my wall!

light!

2009-11-22T13:38:00.005+02:00

On Saturday I saw a glimpse of blue sky; it was the first day the sky cleared after what seems like weeks and weeks of grey skies, fog, and rain (even though there has been a sunny day every now and then). At this time of year sunlight feels like a miracle; we get less than seven hours of daylight - most of which the sun hides behind thick clouds - and those seven hours I mostly spend indoors in fluorescent light, which I hate more and more every passing day. It's magic what a little sunlight, albeit weak and fleeting, can do!

(This morning the sun was shining into my bed, and maybe that's why I dreamed I had decided to spend two months in Zimbabwe in order to learn more English.)

Enough time to make coffee with my moka pot and heat some milk.

Enough time to eat breakfast in bed and watch dvds.

There was almost enough light in my flat to take photos (but not enough the photos would be sharp).

I haven't been around much lately. I've been meaning to (actually there were two posts I started but never finished), but autumn has been... ...not hard, at least not all of it; nor have I been particularly stressed up, even though I have had a lot on my plate.

I just haven't had any words.

Maybe I've run out of words - temporarily I hope - because of all the writing I have to do daily, the endless list of assignment and deadlines. I don't have enough words for the blog or letters or anything really that has nothing to do with my studies.

Another thing is I don't have internet connection at home, and I seem to spend enough hours at the university without adding blogging to it.

But slowly, slowly, I hope get my words back...

the last picknick of the summer

2009-08-22T23:12:00.004+03:00

Today I celebrated my birthday on a picknick in a small, nice park near my home in Helsinki. Actually my birthday was on the 7th of August, but this was the first possible day for the picknick I'd been planning - and what a day it was! Sunny and surprisingly warm (compared to the past week), you could forget the summer will soon be over.

In the morning made two kinds of salads (potato & couscous), courgette pancake, blueberry pie and chocolate & raspberry cake (which I swear tasted better than it looked like). Ten of my friends came in the afternoon (plus one baby, and the Boy, of course) and we spent the day eating, chatting, and playing mölkky. I hope everyone had as much fun as I did - it was lovely to have a birthday party for a change (in the last few years I've been too tired/busy/lazy to organize anything), and to see all my friends.

In the last photo miss L (in the front) is wearing this super cool hedgehog hairclip. I didn't seem to get a good shot of it, but it's lovely!

Tomorrow will be spent washing dishes, I guess. I do like cooking and baking for my friends, but I'd like it even more if I had a dishwasher!

more from rovaniemi

2009-08-20T13:16:00.005+03:00

Some photos from miss P's delightful apartment. I really like her livingroom, especially the curtains and the brand new golden wall. (Sadly my camera seems to be getting worse and worse, of all the photos I took at P's these are the best... )
And as always, wherever I visit miss P, I instantly feel welcome and at home.

picking blueberries

2009-08-15T22:47:00.005+03:00

It's blueberry season in Finland right now, and ever since I was in Rovaniemi (check those blueberry pics in the previous entry) I've been wanting to go and pick some. Today sister, brother-in-law, nephew and I took a car and drove some 30 km west for some berry-picking, barbecuing, and swimming.

I looked like a real city girl who doesn't know how to dress for the woods... my companions were much more sensibly attired.

rovaniemi

2009-08-07T23:33:00.007+03:00

On Monday night I caught the night train and traveled over 800 km (13 hours! that nighttrain is s l o w ) north to Rovaniemi, almost to the Arctic Circle in fact. It's kind of embarrassing that I'd never been that far north before - embarrassing considering how much Finland there is even above the Arctic Circle.

The reason for my trip was visiting miss P, who moved back to her old home city two years ago. We've known each other for eleven years (eleven! we must be getting old), and I guess we've always talked about me visiting her parents in Rovaniemi... I'm kinda slow.

And what a trip it was! Rovaniemi was all about hot hot sunny weather, cycling across the city (I love how easy it is to cycle from here to there in small cities), swimming in the river and one lake - we spent one whole day on a river-side picknick, seven kids and fourteen adults altogether, meeting old and new friends, making fleamarket finds, feeling happy and free. I just wish I could have stayed longer, but the Boy's youngest sister gets married tomorrow, so I had to get back south today.

a café where everything's for sale

golden sand!

and lots of blueberries! yes, in the city (although a lot of Rovaniemi seems to be covered with trees)

end of july

2009-07-31T20:37:00.003+03:00

As much fun as I had travelling around all June, I was pretty tired afterwards. Maybe that's why July has been a lazy month for me; I haven't even blogged... and there are many other things I could have done, or should have done, but didn't. But I am not going to blog about things I didn't do and feel even more guilty, I will tell you about the nice things I did do.

In July I

*got a tan without trying (which never happens)
*spent two lovely sunny days with nephew
*read good books
*enjoyed long days on the beach; the water in the sea is really warm
*traipsed around the city
*ate great brunch twice with miss H; here and here (I especially recommend Fanny Goes to Hollywood's brunches)
*made good fleamarket finds
*met some lovely ladies at a knitting/crocheting/gossiping etc. club - hope I'll have the chance to join them again
*wore a dress almost every single day

more from rautalampi

2009-06-26T13:25:00.006+03:00

In true midsummer fashion, the weather was rather cool - luckily only one day was really rainy, so we did enjoy being outdoors as much as we could. Barbecued, read, went rowing on the lake (the Boy insisted on the life vest. even though I thought it rather unnecessary), and swam.

I rarely feel so calm as when I'm swimming, alone, feeling the water around me and hearing only the noises of birds, wind, and water. And there's nothing like swimming when the water reflects the clouds. Perfection.

On the first night the water was 14 degrees Celsius, and it felt icy - it still felt icy a few days later, at 17 degrees, but I still managed to swim for quite a long time. Too bad we had to leave just when the weather turned warmer - I'm sure the water would be perfect right now - but the Boy had to return to work. I'm already planning another long weekend there, though...

midsummer

2009-06-20T14:10:00.006+03:00

Having a kesämökki* ("summer cottage") of one's own is a dream every Finn has, or at least is supposed to have**; I guess the idea of a mökki painted with Falu red and situated by a lake is still deeply rooted in the minds of many Finns, even though nowadays a mökki can be a modern house with all the modern conveniences. Still, traditionally mökki is a place where Finns can be one with nature, with no neighbours in sight.

Come midsummer, the cities and towns in Finland empty up when the Finns travel to their cottages en masse. I, too, have spent most of the midsummers of my childhood out of the city, and even if midsummer in a city can be a good thing (there's something magical about how much a city like Helsinki changes; it's really empty and quiet), it still doesn't feel quite right.

I've spent the last few or so midsummers in Helsinki, due to having too much work to go anywhere, but this year The Boy and I followed the masses, borrowed his mother's car and drove some 300 kilometres to Rautalampi. The cottage we're staying in has been built by The Boy's grandfather in 1950s and is situated by the lake Konnevesi. It's built on a cliff, so the view of the lake is wonderful.

Unlike our summer house on the island, here we have electricity and even running water, so by my standards this is pretty high-tech! There's also a sauna (Finnish mökki isn't a proper mökki without a sauna), another mökki built in 80s and an outhouse. I like how every small building has been built so they fit in the rocky forest landscape; apart from the main building, you can hardly see them from the lake.

We arrived late on Thursday night, or early in Friday. The nights are short and light right now - the first photos I took at ca. 2 a.m.

*According to the Finnish Wikipedia article Mökki, mökki is "a smallish building often made of wood and meant for holidaying ".

**I do know that for some people, staying in a mökki is a nightmare; they've been forced to spend too much time with mosquitoes and people they do not like, and that has scarred them, some for life. Though I bet having a mökki of your own will be the next cool thing amongst those hipsters who have already picked up knitting.

june days on an island III

2009-06-17T23:52:00.004+03:00

Small things make me happy.

I brought the domino set from London (Habitat) for my nephew. He almost learned how to play the game - although the idea of having set rules, a winner and a loser seems to be hard for him to grasp. Oh the innocence of a three year old! (He was more interested in trying to decipher what we had built with the tiles: "I think it's an animal." And, needless to say, we didn't correct him.)
I made a drawstring bag for the tiles in about 20 minutes I had to spare before leaving for the island; I had this Marimekko fabric in my stash, I think it's great.

june days on an island II

2009-06-15T12:26:00.005+03:00

Summer comes a bit later to the island, so the lilacs were only beginning to bloom. There are lilac bushes on every yard on the island, and when they are in full bloom, their scent literally fills the air.

Overgrown can be very pretty, at least when it's summer!

And then there are the apple trees. Oh, the apple trees!

Planted by my great-grandmother, they're old but this time they were full of blossoms.

june days on an island I

2009-06-14T23:42:00.007+03:00

Last week I came back to Helsinki later than expected; left to Tampere for two days the next morning; and spent most of Friday out with a friend; most of Saturday in bed; and most of Sunday in another town making my first appearance with the Boy at a family gathering (his family). I haven't had time to really look at my London photos yet, but here are some from the extended weekend right after I came back to Finland.

It was quite windy and not that warm, but we - sister, brother-in-law, nephew and I - still managed to have a good time. I've always been close to them, and I noticed how much I've missed spending time with them; it's just not same now I live in a different city.

Arriving on a rainy Friday evening. We always seem to bring a lot of things with us... (but mainly because we have to bring all the food with us; no grocery store on the island, or any other store, for that matter)

Luckily the sun shone for most of the weekend. There was time to do some exploring...

...to pick flowers...

...to work in the overgrown garden of my grandpa's cousin's house (which we are allowed to use)...

...and to play too...

...to prepare most meals on a barbecue, and even eat outdoors one day...

...and then wash the dishes, trying to use as little water as possible, because water has to be gotten from a well and then heated on the stove...

...so good time was had by all.

Quick hello...

2009-06-05T15:07:00.003+03:00

...before I leave for our summer place for the weekend (photos from last August). London was sunny and warm, Helsinki is rainy and cold and has no peanut butter flavoured Kitkat Chunky. Sigh.

I'll be back after the weekend by the sea.

and then I disappeared again

2009-05-27T23:13:00.005+03:00

This time the reason was an especially nasty cold. Just a plain cold, nothing serious, but it had me in bed for a week, and only now, two weeks later, I'm beginning to feel like myself again.

It's no fun being ill especially when the summer is taking big leaps outside and you have lots of things to do. Well, half of those things were left undone - I was going to sew a new dress for the Saturday wedding, and wash the windows of my flat before leaving Tampere. But I still managed to enjoy the early summer a bit, and of course summer isn't going anywhere. Here in Tampere the wood-sorrel is in bloom everywhere. It's very pretty, light green and frail, white flowers.

In Finnish it's called "fox's bread" or "cuckoo's cabbage".

Next, very very soon, there will be lilies of the valley everywhere. But I won't see them, I will be in London.

2009-05-12T16:56:00.004+03:00

I disappeared to
study, visit Helsinki, practise a final speech for a class, spend hours finding the best budget hotel in London, visit the Boy's parents, write assignments, have three deadlines on one day, try to plan summer, read Hamlet (for an exam), smell the spring, study more, visit Helsinki again, have my allergies kick in, have a proper Sunday roast at sister's, knit a red hat and come back to Tampere to study a little bit more. Phew.

I have no more lectures, so things are a lot easier now, though I do feel a bit disoriented right now. Might be because I feel I'm in an in between -stage at the moment, or might be just the allergies. I should plan my summer studies, but I'd much rather plan the trip to London.... (any tips, especially the kind of tips you can't find in a tourist guide, are welcome).

Random photos mostly from the botanical garden in Helsinki. It bugs me that I have not one good photo of that Forsythia, and the next time I'll be in Helsinki the flowers will be gone. Well, next year, then...

levity

2009-04-24T23:58:00.006+03:00

I've given up my resistance: spring is here, already whispering about the coming summer (I've even seen a chaffinch, which, according to a Finnish rhyme, tells you there's only half a month to summer), and I'm going to enjoy the spring as much as I can. For the past week the skies have been high and blue, and today, when I stepped out to a beautiful, warm spring morning, I felt light. Weightless. I felt the kind of levity I don't remember feeling in the past year, when the day before you stretches out full of possibilities; when there's a new season waiting around the corner, and you hope and know it's going to be a good one; a feeling of peace.
I'm going to carry that feeling with me.

Today's five senses from Helsinki

seeing - a friend I haven't seen in almost a year - she's always so full of life, and I adore it; flowers on the street outside the florist's; people sitting in the sun drinking coffee

tasting - delicious tandori salmon; beer, which tasted surprisingly good

smelling - fresh spring air; sea

hearing - my friend's tales about Tanzania; screeching of the rails when a tram turns

touching - my hair, it always feels so funny after a trip to hairdresser's, so I keep touching it; colourful flower pots in a shop

fragments from the weekend

2009-04-18T15:44:00.003+03:00

Now when sun gets up early again, it shines right in my bed in the morning, and warms my little room. So I was quite surprised when I pulled up the blinds on Saturday and saw a thin blanket of snow on rooftops and on the ground! I has been a mostly sunny but chilly weekend; I'd loathe to start
wearing my winter coat again, so I'm wearing layers to keep warm and hoping for the weather to change.

My weekend passed by mostly working on a text I can't seem to get right. It seems if I don't leave translations to the last minute (which is not advisable), I end up tweaking them again and again, never being quite satisfied with them.

But I've managed to squeeze in some reading, cooking, baking and jogging too.

And it's all better when done with a super comfy dress on. I've dubbed this my spring dress, and I'd like to be able to wear the dress without any extra layers, so spring, come on; how about some warm winds here?

presents for little A

2009-04-16T16:58:00.004+03:00

Last week I was going to sit in a train nearly five hours with a three year old. Even though my nephew is used to traveling in train, I thought I'd assemble a small first aid kit against boredom - not that he'd necessarily need it, but just for fun. And after purchasing a book, a small drawing pad and some crayons, I decided a bag to pack them in would make the small gift perfect.

I wanted to use fabric I already had (I didn't have time to go fabric shopping really, as I was going to travel to Helsinki the next day), and I wanted it to be fun, so he might want to use it later as his library bag or something. I also knew that if I'd asked my nephew, he would have wanted to be red, which is his favourite colour at the moment. So Tuesday evening was spent sewing rather than doing the dishes and packing for my trip, and this is the result (actually, I sewed the eyes and mouth of the caterpillar in train to Helsinki on Wednesday...):

Then there's the Penguin. This was made for A's birthday in February. I wanted to make him a soft toy, and a penguin was perfect, since he's lately become an avid fan of Pingu* - he even communicates like Pingu sometimes. Making this softie took some time, as my first version wasn't quite what I wanted it to be. But I'm fairly happy with the result, especially since this was only the second softie I've made with my own patterns, and don't have much toy making experience. A fact I'd ilke to change, if I only had time... Obviously the penguin pattern could do with some more tweaking; maybe my friend K's baby would like one for himself?

I knew from the beginning I wanted to use black corduroy for the penguin, and then I decided to use a patterned black & white cotton (with a little red) under his wings and tail. I have to say it was really hard to find those kind of eyes for him (although I think the eyes make him all better!). Here he's unfortunately covered in stuffing fibers, but I did brush him before he was given to his new owner.

All of these photos have been taken in a bad light and then tweaked, so sorry that they're not better!

*Even though this penguin reminds me more about the penguin in the Wallace and Gromit film The Wrong Trousers.

post-easter

2009-04-14T22:32:00.004+03:00

Actually I meant to post on Friday, but somehow there was so much to do I never published that post I had already started writing.

The weekend was a long one and included many many hours spent in trains, some of which were spent with my nephew; I first traveled to Helsinki and then from there to Eastern Finland with nephew A, to spend Easter with my parents, A and the Boy (who arrived later).

The weather was mostly grey, and Easter was mostly spent indoors, building houses with Legos and playing a game called Fortuna.

Came back to Tampere and lectures today, and I'm tired and feel somehow disconnected from the everyday life, like I often do after spending a few days somewhere else. But today I was really glad it's spring - so much more spring than in my old hometown, where there's still lots and lots of snow. Here in Tampere the snow's mostly gone, the streets have been cleaned from all the sand, and the evening was wonderfully light and there was a promise of warmer days and green in the air. And I have a piece of my mother's apricot tart waiting for me when I get home.

Let's play five senses Easter, shall we?

smelling - daffodils in a vase

seeing - a pair of witches Mum made probably before I was born; they have always been a part of our Easter decorations

touching - Legos; Easter grass; A's soft hair

hearing - all the amazing tales nephew A spontaneously spins for us on a daily basis now*

tasting - Mum's quark pie, which she makes every Easter

*"Once I was in a car crash. I collided with a really big truck. The truck was badly damaged. I was riding my tricycle, but luckily I was wearing a seat belt, so I didn't hurt myself. Also I had tied all my eggs (??) really tight with a rope, so they didn't break."

on palm sunday

2009-04-05T22:52:00.004+03:00

In Finland children decorate willow twigs with paper flowers and colourful feathers, then give twigs to their parents, grandparents etc. on Palm Sunday and get something - often chocolate eggs - for return. Some children go from door to door in their neighbourhood (kind of like trick or treating in the U.S.). Traditionally the twigs represent palm leaves, but this orthodox tradition from Eastern Finland has gotten mixed with the Western tradition: in Western Finland people used to believe that Easter is the time when witches do all kinds of tricks on people, and nowadays children often dress up as witches on Palm Sunday.

I didn't see any witches today, and forgot to get willow twigs, but a dinner party of sorts was a fun ending to this grey, rainy weekend. Miss J and miss R came for dinner and egg painting, and I kind of outdid myself by serving three courses. First we had soup made of frozen peas, very easy but very good.

The main course was beetroots with honey, rosemary and goat's cheese, with some carrots and barley.

And for dessert I had made a chocolate orange cheesecake. I was a bit afraid I'd be left with half the cake, but I needn't have worried - the cake was mostly gone when the girls left.

hello april!

2009-04-03T16:46:00.005+03:00

Now it's so warm it's hard to decide whether to wear my winter coat (too hot) or spring coat (too cold). As a nod to spring, I have daffodils on my table. In the card I sent my friend J girls are jumping rope, another thing very much connected to spring in my mind. Even though I, who lived in a neighbourhood with few children of my age, never mastered the jumping rope. Oh, what a shame!

It's also Friday, so...

seeing papercut prints I'd like to have on my wall

hearing a surprisingly interesting examination of a doctoral thesis

tasting not-so-good dessert at the university café

smelling daffodils

feeling laundry ready to be hung

seeing yellow in Helsinki

2009-04-01T15:13:00.003+03:00

These photos are from last week, Thursday, when I walked around my old neighbourhood in Helsinki. I didn't even realize it until later, that I had paid attention to yellow things...

That building in the first photo was recently renovated, and it's really, really yellow. If you look it when the sun is shining, your eyes almost hurt.

saturday

2009-03-30T15:42:00.006+03:00

When you wake up in the morning and see sleet falling horizontally rather than vertically...

...and the weather only changes for worse during the day...

(and it's Saturday so you don't really need to be anywhere)

...it's a good day to

have a breakfast with friend's, this time at miss H's place

(she has the coolest toaster ever [customized by her boyfriend O]

wander between the shelves in the silent university library

I was almost alone in the basement

cook some delicious risotto with courgettes and ricotta for dinnwe, and eat it in candlelight with good company.

And this is exactly what I did.

five senses friday from Helsinki

2009-03-27T23:20:00.004+02:00

seeing: my old university; I walked through it and missed it a little

hearing: Emma Salokoski's latest album, for the first time

tasting: sugared ginger (ginger in any form is great great great)

touching: the softness of a cat's fur

smelling: dusty city

I visited miss A tonight. We took a long walk in the light, cool spring evening - there has been so much light in the past few days I might be getting along with this spring thing after all.

five senses friday

2009-03-20T15:15:00.004+02:00

Seeing - Tampere orthodox church, where we had our interpreting class; I'd never been in there before; it's ceiling is beautiful, blue with golden stars.

smelling - spring; yes, you really can smell it: puddles, sun, melting snow, warmer wind...

hearing - Lykke Li

touching - water; cleaning day...

tasting - tortellini with broccoli (which is so good! sometimes I think I could easily eat broccoli every day) and toasted pine kernels

2009-03-19T20:16:00.002+02:00

Spring is coming; even though I didn't believe it two weeks ago, this week it's undeniable. It's inching closer and closer, however slowly. Stealing space from winter. Snow is melting everywhere. The onions in my pantry have sprouts.

I'm a bit shocked by spring. It took me ages to get used to having a proper winter this year; last year there really was no winter at all. The fact that there's been snow and it hasn't melted away yet seems like a miracle every time I've stopped to think about it in the past few months.

It's not like I don't like spring; far from it. It's just that I seem to be very slow when it comes to getting accustomed to changes, and even changing of the seasons can feel difficult for me to grasp. Winter can be bleak and dreary, but it also gives an excuse to stay home, cocooned from the outside world. In spring there's all that raw, unforgiving (but lovely) light which urges you to get out into the world and do things. I tend to get awfully tired in the springtime.

Maybe it's that first glimpse of spring which made me anxious and gloomy last week (this week I'm too busy to think about how I'm feeling, which sometime is a good thing). I hope I find some extra energy soon, as I should be doing things instead of worrying about not doing them...

this week

2009-03-15T20:49:00.005+02:00

I just noticed that this post could well be titled "what I ate this week". Oh my. My life must be pretty dull. Also it looks like I spend my days eating pastries; alas, I don't.

On Monday there was time to admire tulips

Tuesday wasn't such a nice day, but I was delighted when I found some plates on a nearby flea market (which I accidentally stumbled upon a week ago). I like these a lot.

And on Wednesday I ate some apple and banana pancake off one of the new plates and paid all my library fines.

On Thursday I decided it was time to put away the last of the Christmas ornaments (though I think about these more as winter ornaments).

Friday was miss R's birthday! Hence the scones for breakfast.

In the evening I met some bloggers and non-bloggers in a café for some knitting/crocheting. It was fun and I was glad I went even though I thought I wouldn't have time.

Miss R hadn't had time to bake a cake for our breakfast...

...so she invited me over for cake on Saturday. I was happy to oblige.

On Sunday I stayed in bed reading Agatha Christie in the morning.

And had a banana & walnut muffin for breakfast.

friday of senses

2009-03-13T21:04:00.002+02:00

tasting - scones with strawberry jam for breakfast

seeing - snow melting; the spring is coming, even though I'm not quite ready

touching - soft soft alpaca yarn

smelling - jasmine tea

hearing - Edith Piaf and Kings of Convenience

inspired by Abby

present for miss A

2009-03-09T20:54:00.008+02:00

The weekend went by fast. It included a trip to a museum, delicious cakes in my new favourite café, a movie (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), a long long walk in the sun, and lots of chatting. Miss A and I have known each other for nearly 22 years, and for 19 of those we've lived in the same city. Nowadays we don't get to see each other half as often as I'd like to - and I wish the weekend had lasted twice as long... But I hope I get to visit A soon! Or soonish, anyway.

As I said, I made a little birthday present for A. A year ago she moved into a flat with a balcony; I know she's dreaming about having her own garden, so I gave her something to help her turn her balcony into a mini-garden...

I happened to find cute gardening tools (I don't know if she actually needs them, but I had to buy them anyway). Then I bought small pots and some seeds; I would've liked to find pretty gardening gloves as well, but couldn't - maybe it was too early for them.

I sewed an apron (which here is modeled by miss A, and already wrinkled...) with a pocket just large enough for those seed bags (the other side of the apron is solid light blue).

And a little bag too, to put all the stuff in.

It was so nice to be able to sew something - it's been a long time since I've really had time for sewing! I have some other presents to sew, and I wish I could work on them instead that stupid paper...

weekend, yay!

2009-03-06T18:25:00.003+02:00

Two things make me very very happy: midterm break and a visit from miss A (who'll be here in thirty minutes), who will make sure I'll spend my weekend relaxing, not studying (like last weekend - despite of the lovely long walk last Sunday, I spent most of the weekend at my laptop). I have a lot to do on my break (like writing a paper... ugh) but I have the weekend off, which is great, as there has been many exams and deadlines crammed into the past few weeks. Which is why I've been silent.

Today I've been mostly sewing; miss A had her birthday in February, but I decided to give her present a bit late, so I wouldn't have to send it by mail. I'm fairly happy with the present, I hope she likes it too!

sunday

2009-03-02T15:14:00.005+02:00

Sunday was the kind of day when

there's time for a long breakfast and the sun is shining

the snow is shining too, and the air is fresh

there's time to take a walk on ice and envy those who were skiing (it was a perfect day for skiing, and walking was much harder in all that snow)

you cast two shadows. A perfect day.

last week

2009-02-23T14:12:00.006+02:00

On Monday there were balloons at the university - nice!

On Tuesday I worked on a translation assignment and watched Pushing Daisies; no time for photos.

On Wednesday I sent a birthday card to dear miss A.

On Thursday there was students' demonstration. The weather was fine.

On Friday I stayed in bed most of the day. In the evening I met with some friends and watched Karate Kid.

On Saturday I took a bath with nine little turtles. Bath often helps if I feel a bit under the weather or just tired and sorry for myself.

On Sunday it was Shrove Sunday, which means it was time to eat laskiaispulla (the same thing the Swedes call semla). Traditionally people also go sledding on Shrove Sunday; miss R, miss J and I only baked semlas and ate them. Tomorrow it'll be Shrove Tuesday, so more semla eating is in order.

I wish you all a good week!

small & sweet

2009-02-19T10:19:00.002+02:00

*Valentine's Day stamps designed by Janine Rewell (see them better here; and check out her other illustrations!)

*The Mole in my keychain

*Tree Ghost by PearsonMaron, a Christmas present from sister; there are some great new things in the shop, I love this and this

super-social weekend

2009-02-15T18:18:00.006+02:00

was spent in Helsinki. I had time to see mrs K and baby P (it's always funny how quick babies grow, even if you know they do); spend some time alone with Mum (who was visiting and taking nephew with her for a week); celebrate nephew A's birthday (which was yesterday - he's three! although when asked, he says he's nine... ??); and take a long walk in the sun with the Boy, and to top it all eat a big delicious semla. I love weekends like this, even though they always leave me drained. I guess I'm just too used to being alone, so being super-social tires me. I'm also a bit behind on all the stuff I have to do for my classes... I better carry on with that!

Helsinki is surprisingly wintry right now, almost like in the window display in the photo! This gingerbread building was on display in the window of a prestigious confectionery this Christmas - the building is modeled by the actual building the confectionery is located in. I love the trams!

winter view to the city

2009-02-12T15:46:00.002+02:00

Again in the observation tower. A lovely winter day, sunny but not too cold. From the tower we (miss J, miss R, and I) saw people skiing on the ice... This time I had one of their famous doughnuts, and yes, they really are good. Although for me, one doughnut goes a long way - I don't think I need to eat another before 1st of May (which is the official doughnut-eating day here).

t is for tart (and thursday)

2009-02-05T18:24:00.004+02:00

5th of February is the birthday of the Finnish national poet (I wrote about him last year, too), and to commemorate him we eat these pastries which are based on the ones his wife used to bake.
In fact I read in a newspaper today that some people begin eating these right in the beginning of January, in search of "the ultimate taste experience". I'm not so sure I believe them.

Miss J and I were early and had the ultimate taste experience yesterday.

things to be happy about

2009-02-03T16:55:00.008+02:00

hot chocolate with friends

invitation for a wedding in London

a walk on a cold, sunny day

seeing a sign (advertising ice cream) from the past days - the store/café it belonged to long gone

having courage to make plans for the future

new curtains

eating waffles with the Boy in a waffle café (mine with goat cheese, strawberry jam & cream)

snow, snow, snow (we didn't really get much of it last year, so it feels extra special now)

ice

2009-01-30T20:23:00.004+02:00

Photos from 1st of January 2009

snow and super-easy bread

2009-01-26T19:26:00.004+02:00

This weekend was spent cleaning up a little, sewing curtains, trying to concentrate on some of my assignments, baking super-easy bread - and eating lots and lots of it - and taking a bath (among rose petals, no less... today I smell really good). I like weekends like this, with nothing special to do - although of course I like weekends with something special to do too, at least if that something is fun.

The super-easy bread (which we Finns call tea bread, although I'm not so sure if it has anything to do with, say, Irish tea bread) is so easy to bake you can bake it on a Sunday morning when you find out you're out of bread. It's even easy enough you'll have energy to bake it after a long day during the week. For me, there's something really comforting about eating bread still warm enough for butter to melt on it; it can really turn the dreariest day a little bit better. The super-easy bread is also super good eaten on a winter afternoon with tea or hot chocolate, watching the snow envelope the world outdoors and create new, soft shapes. And lately, there's been a lot of that around here.

I think most Finns have made this in school. I asked miss J how she makes this, so this is her recipe. Thank you miss J!

Super-easy bread recipe (U.S. / metric measurements)*

2 cups / 4 dl of plain flour
2 cups / 4 dl of rolled oats
2 cups / 4 dl of water
1/2 cup / 1 dl of melted butter / canola oil
1 1/4 tsp / 1 tsp of baking powder
1 1/4 tsp / 1 tsp of salt

Mix everything together, and spread it evenly (or as evenly as you can - don't worry if it looks lumpy) on a large baking pan. Bake in 390 F/ 200 C from 20 to 25 minutes. Enjoy! (I suggest enjoying with cream cheese and jam. Mmm.)

*The amount of baking powder & salt in the U. S. version is an approximate amount, based on the fact that 4 dl is only 85% of 2 cups. ...I don't know if this makes it at all clearer, though...

colour week: stripes

2009-01-16T18:50:00.003+02:00

Remember this knitting? Above is the result. I chose the self-striping yarn in a hurry, there wasn't many choices in the supermarket and I just had to knit to de-stress a little. But I quite like the socks! Even though during the knitting process I wondered a couple of times why I chose that yarn...

And then a photo of the heel, just because I think the French heel (? -correct me knitters if I'm wrong) looks extra nice.

colour week: pink

2009-01-15T16:55:00.006+02:00

I'm cheating today, as I've spent the whole six hours and twenty minutes from sunrise to sunset (and some more hours before and after that) at the university. I tried my best, but let me tell you, the university library doesn't have the best lighting for photographing... (I happened to have something pink with me - my mobile - but couldn't get a decent photo of it. All in all, not much pink around my place, but a dash of pink is nice every now and then.)

You can look at these photos of probably the girliest bicycle ever, taken in Helsinki last August, instead. How cute is that basket with the polkadot ribbon?

colour week: yellow

2009-01-14T17:40:00.003+02:00

Yellow is a colour I'm much more familiar with than with purple. In my previous home I had a wall painted sunflower yellow (and I miss that wall - my dining table was against that wall, and it was nice to eat breakfast next to all that sunny colour on dreary winter mornings...), and a yellow armchair (which I don't have room for in this apartment), and even a yellowish rug. I don't know how that much yellow came to my home, as I've never considered yellow to be my favourite colour, but I realized that even now, there seems to be quite a lot of that colour in my kitchen!

Plus - and I may have to add a photo of that later - in my current apartment, I have a buttercup yellow bathroom wall. I can't believe I didn't think of that when taking the photos!

colour week: purple

2009-01-13T18:21:00.001+02:00

Purple has never really been a colour I feel comfortable with, but I think that's changing. At least the colour's begun to creep into my life, little by little. Right now I'm knitting purple socks for someone who once said it's his favourite colour.

colour week: blue

2009-01-12T18:36:00.003+02:00

Leya over at Curious Bird is hosting a colour week. Today's colour is blue. Go over her blog to find links to other participants' blogs and more blue photos!

tallinn II: details

2009-01-11T21:07:00.006+02:00

Some more photos from our trip. I'd have taken a lot more photos if it hadn't been so dark most of the time!

1. & 2. There was a gingerbread (pepparkaka) exhibition in the gallery, it was closed when we walked by.
4. A Finnish book/cartoon character!
5. In the Estonian Maritime Museum
6. From the restaurant with the best ever mushroom pasta. I've been reminiscing about it on several occasions... Really.

Tallinn I

2009-01-10T19:50:00.004+02:00

The Boy doesn't give Christmas presents, but I guess I have done something right, because right before Christmas he took me to Tallinn for two nights. I was sleep deprived to begin with, and we had to wake up at 6 a.m. (which is insanely early for us) on two of the three mornings there, due to timetables - but it was still a relaxing weekend. It's always good to go away from everyday life, even for a little while.

We hadn't had much time to plan the trip, so we spent the weekend mostly walking around (during the day) and eating (in the evenings). It happened to be the darkest weekend of the year (around December 21st), and it really was dark, and chilly. But I ate yummy pancakes and probably the world's best mushroom pasta - really, I got ridiculously excited about it, and the Boy was green with envy, even though there was nothing wrong with his lasagna.

The morning we arrived there was even a little snow on the ground, though it melted soon. The old town was pictoresque and full of tourists, as always, and almost too many Christmas decorations!

on ice

2009-01-07T16:55:00.004+02:00

...I need skates. Because, how terrific would it be to skate here? Walking with L was good too. I have never seen ice like this: the surface as smooth as in an ice rink, and the sun was reflecting from it.

the first day of the year

2009-01-04T17:35:00.003+02:00

The first day of the year 2009 was cold cold and sunny. The day was a good one: first, a breakfast in Luft with the Boy, miss H, and her sweetheart; then the Boy and I went for a walk for three hours, bundled up so we wouldn't freeze; and in the evening, a movie (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), a drink, junk food, red wine and chocolate - again with miss H and her boy. I felt light and happy - a good feeling to have on the first of January, a good omen for the beginning year.

fireworks

2009-01-02T23:50:00.005+02:00

My camera has a special setting for photographing fireworks, so of course I had to try to snap some photos. They actually turned out better than I thought they would! :)

Happy year 2009 to all of you!

sun!

2008-12-30T23:37:00.004+02:00

Proof that sometimes the sun shows up in December in Helsinki (I read that this past December there has been unusually little sunlight).

Been having some problems with publishing with Blogger, that's why all these posts seem to be posted in a row.

on christmas

2008-12-29T23:47:00.006+02:00

This year I didn't spend Christmas with my parents in Eastern Finland, but with sister's family in Helsinki instead. It was fun to spend some time with sister, brother-in-law, and little A (who, I must say, was very patient for a long long time when sister and I cooked: there was a pile of presents under the tree, he didn't touch any, although his questions of when were we going to open the presents grew more and more desperate; finally we had to show the poor kid some mercy and open them before the dinner rather than after...*). Though somehow, as much as I like Christmas, they seem to come faster and also be over faster nowadays. Especially now, since I didn't spend the days after Christmas just knitting and enjoying Mum's cooking, as I usually do... Maybe it has something to do with growing up. Sigh.

But: we had good company, good food (on many occasions) - bûche de noël and scones in the photos were my contribution - and I must show you some of the presents. Maybe when I get back to Tampere...
I hope you all had a good Christmas, if you were celebrating one, and wish your last days of the year 2008 will be happy.

(I love that photo of A watching cartoons - I believe it was From All Of Us To All Of You.)

*In Finland we open the presents on Christmas Eve.

joulu*

2008-12-23T22:26:00.002+02:00

I wish you all a good one!

*joulu = Christmas in Finnish

dreaming of snow

2008-12-17T23:37:00.003+02:00

I've been meaning to post - actually, I have begun a total number of six box before this one - but I guess I just haven't had anything to say.
I'm dull and numb in all this darkness, wishing for snow to make it lighter, and waiting for vacation, as these last days of lectures and work have been a struggle.
Hopefully back here sooner than later...

And thanks for all the comments lately! It's been really nice to read them, as always.

(The photo is taken in November, when we had a blizzard. Right now, there's no snow whatsoever in Tampere.)

helsinki: faces

2008-11-21T22:55:00.002+02:00

helsinki: stars

2008-11-19T19:27:00.006+02:00

november light

2008-11-18T23:32:00.002+02:00

I was in Helsinki for two days, pretending to be a teacher. For me the best part was the view from the classrooms...

9.20 a.m.

10.35 a.m.

1.22 p.m.

The mornings are so dark right now, it feels like leaving home at night. But that makes the pale November sunlight feel even more precious in the scant hours we get to see it.

messages

2008-11-11T14:26:00.003+02:00

Tampere, October 2008

Helsinki, September 2007

Helsinki, August 2007

at home

2008-11-09T18:16:00.004+02:00

November always seems to be a busy month for everybody. I feel like I'm battling against time trying to do it all, and while I have spent many late hours with my laptop, it feels like I haven't had time to enjoy my home at all. So today, when the day was as dark and miserable as only a November day can be, I was happy to stay in my pyjamas all day, relishing my only day off this week (luckily the Boy came over for a really quick visit, so I was forced to tidy up the place a bit). I had to do some schoolwork, but if you get to prepare a presentation of Astrid Lindgren, it's not that bad (and Swedish is coming back to me, finally!).

frost

2008-11-07T23:17:00.003+02:00

Yesterday was a frosty, sunny, chilly day. The most perfect kind of day there can be in November. It looked as if everything was coated with sugar...

pretty packaging

2008-10-29T23:15:00.004+02:00

The prettiest yoghurt pot there is! It's called 'Bulgarian yoghurt', it's a lot like Greek yoghurt.

I bought this for J before his birthday, and then forgot about it completely... White chocolate with poppy seeds (!). J likes white chocolate, and is also an avid botanist.

This little tin is a fleamarket find; it used to contain body cream, now it contains my pins. I love the name Saba, which is how Finns write Queen of Sheba's name.

solitary

2008-10-26T23:01:00.004+02:00

When I came back from Helsinki, nobody had washed the used coffee cups I had left behind, or picked up the clothes from the floor (both sure signs of me being busy - or lazy, someone would say [hi Mum!]). The carnations had dried in their vase.

Still, it was lovely to come home. Especially because last winter I had no place in Tampere I could actually call home. And because after being several days in a row with someone all the time, I felt like the carnations myself; dry and tired and mute. That much socializing easily leaves me exhausted. I loved every second I got to spend with my friends, I really did - but right now being home, alone, is the best thing I know.

It's been a quiet Sunday. It's raining, so I've mostly stayed indoors, doing nothing much. Dreaming of a rocking chair, muffins and hot chocolate (I'd like to have this one or this one in adult size). No rocking chair here, but I just baked muffins, and hot chocolate can be arranged... So I'm good.

music = happiness

2008-10-24T14:30:00.004+03:00

I was in need of some new music, plus there was a sale in my favourite record store. I usually listen to one cd for weeks, then forget it for maybe months, and move on to another... A cd can sit in my shelf for ages without me even remembering it - and then I find it again, and suddenly time is right and it's just the album I want to listen to all the time.
I seem to always end up buying mostly cds by female singers; I think that nine out of ten of the last cds I've purchased fall into that category, the only exception being the Chet Baker cd in the photo. So it is nice that miss H gave me the Thomas Dybdahl cd as a birthday gift, and it's especially nice because I had never heard of Thomas Dybdahl before. Sounds good after the first listening...

Ane Brun's gig on Flow festival in August was really really good, and I'm happy to say I like the record too. To cheer up the rainy day (or any kind of day you're having), here's The Treehouse Song, my current favourite from her album Changing of the Seasons; listening to it makes me very happy.

So, for the rest of the autumn I'll be listening to Chet Baker, Thomas Dybdahl, Jenny Lewis, Eleanoora Rosenholm and Ane Brun. I don't really buy cds that often, so I'm excited to have so many new! What music have you been loving lately?

midterm break

2008-10-23T23:45:00.006+03:00

I've been in Helsinki for a few days.

I've shared a bottle of red wine and a lot of giggles with miss H. I've had coffee with miss A. I've gone for a hike in the woods. I've celebrated J's 30th birthday (I gave him this, among some other things. Thanks for the idea, Nina, and thank you sister for taking time to find this in London, so I didn't have to pay £9 postage.). I've bought four cd's and got one as a belated birthday present. I've met someone whose age is still measured in days and weeks. I've eaten a delicious bacon & mushroom pie.

And I've been sitting here. It is one of my favourite places to sit in Helsinki: there's good, affordable food and drink, art exhibited on walls, relaxed atmosphere, and always interesting people to look at. What more could you ask for?

patterned II

2008-10-14T01:05:00.004+03:00

...finally.

1 Talo -print by Finlayson, for my kitchen curtains (not very well ironed, I know)
2 onesie for someone quite new
3 scraps from something I've been sewing

better

2008-10-12T21:33:00.004+03:00

At least it seems so. Baking helped, although I managed to forget sugar when baking rolls - they still taste quite good. I think I'd be happier if I could bake every day. Also, yesterday was a busy day, and I think it's often better for me if I don't have too much time in my hands, so I'm not able to mull things over and over in my head too much.

This evening the setting sun reflected from the opposite building and created this artwork on my wall. I've been meaning to show you more patterns, but I have some problems with the photos... Coming soon, though.

dreary thoughts on a dreary day

2008-10-09T15:40:00.004+03:00

I need

more energy

more money

more sleep

more confidence

more self-discipline

more time to knit & bake

a better memory

less inhibitions

a new belt

chocolate (not related to the 'new belt' -part)

and more elephant-shaped clouds to look at (don't we all?)

I'll be fine. After all, tomorrow is another day etc.

eleven details about me

2008-10-08T13:31:00.009+03:00

Today it's a do the washing & do the dishes & tidy up your home & hoover & study & try to do some other useful things -kind of day around here. So it's a perfect day to answer some questions in lieu of doing all that. (Maikki tagged me, thanks!)

1. clothes shop - I'm not feeling very strongly about any shop I have the money to shop in... If I lived in Gothenburg, though, I would probably like this boutique a lot (found today via Camilla Engman).

2. furniture shop - I guess in my daydreams world it would be something like Tomorrow's Antique; in reality, my home is furnished with hand-me-downs, Ikea, and a desk bought from a film set...

3. sweet - chocolate

4. city - Helsinki

5. drink - water (or, if it has to be alcoholic, gin & tonic; I also love a glass of good port)

6. music - many kinds of music, all the time; at the moment, the cd in my stereo is Tori Amos' Beekeeper, and the song stuck in my head Regina Spektor's Ne me quitte pas.

7. tv series - my 'new' (borrowed) telly doesn't work yet; but lately I've been watching 'Allo 'allo! on dvd; I like Project Runway too

8. film - Pedro Almodovar's Todo sobre mi madre, an all time favourite

9. workout - pilates, if I had money to go to classes...

10. pastries - chocolate cake and cinnamon bun

11. coffee - cappucino

Sister took the photo of me with the Rabbitsquirrel. Who in the photo is busy putting a plaster on my finger (just for fun).

last of the flowers in the botanical garden

2008-10-06T23:44:00.007+03:00

Took a train to Helsinki on Saturday evening, after work. The weekend was a flurry of fun things, like miss H turning 30 and the celebratory brunch in our favourite café on Sunday morning, complete with a candle on top of a piece of tart; and meeting my favourite (and only) sister and the rabbitsquirrel who lives in her home at the moment.
It always takes a while for me to go back to normal after spending a couple of days in almost constant company, though - I'm more used to solitude.

ps. This was in the mystery package from California: a limited edition ceramic figurine, 'Fox Gets a Bright Idea' by Etsy seller PearsonMaron. An inspiration gift to my sister; she's partial to foxes, and I thought she might need this on her desk, as bright ideas seem rare for all of us from time to time. The fox looked really good on my desk too - for myself, I'd love this Tree Ghost mini sculpture.

(Image from the PearsonMaron Etsy shop.)

patterned I

2008-10-02T07:15:00.005+03:00

1 A charity shop find; the leaf pattern reminds me of this pattern I like. All Swedes seem to have those dishes :) - is it vintage Rörstrand? Can't remember.

2 Karpalo (cranberry) -mug by Heini Riitahuhta for Arabia. It's my favourite coffee mug right now.

3 Another charity shop find, a pyrex bowl I bought last week.

In the first photo you can also see part of the gocco print I ordered as a birthday gift to myself from Etsy seller sugarloop. I like it a lot - it was a tough decision to choose just one her bird prints - and it currently stays on my desk until I can decide where to hang it.

good mail

2008-10-01T12:14:00.005+03:00

It's a grey and rainy day today, and I really should be doing something useful (like working on Swedish grammar, or a translation about lemmings, or even doing some washing). But let me first show you some good mail I've been getting recently!

A while ago I saw this button brooch on Mielitty's blog (in Finnish only - but check out her 'products' page!). I fell in love with it the moment I saw it; I love how the brooch seems so regal, it kind of reminds me of rosettes worn by important people like presidents or royals. On the other hand, it reminds me also of the ribbons won in horse shows or dog shows. The dog button makes the brooch a bit silly - I think the dog was what made me want this one. Plus purple has been somehow sneaking into my wardrobe lately, little by little.

Another fun thing is this postcard I got today. Miss H was a darling and bought and sent me a skein of yarn I desperately needed to complete a cardigan. She included this absolutely great postcard. It made me smile, I will find a good place for it on my wall!

Last but not least, a few days ago I got a special package all the way from California. I'm always so amazed when I order something from another continent, and it pops into my letterbox less than a week later! Inside was a little inspiration present ('cause I can't wait until Christmas) for a certain someone who reads this blog; that's why you get only a sneak peak for now ...more later! Let me just say that Etsy rules!

I will show you more after next weekend...

Now I must get going; I have a guest coming over for fika (fika is more appropriate a word today than ever, as we're planning to speak Swedish - I'm such a good student!) and I have some muffins to bake. Autumn always makes me want to bake; maybe it's some sort of legacy of the foremothers - winter is coming, one should prepare. Anyway, looking at a batch of fresh muffins makes me feel comfortable and satisfied. And they taste good, too!

on a sunday two weeks ago

2008-09-28T20:27:00.004+03:00

My brother-in-law recently said that if one was to know me through my blog only, my life would seem idle and leisurely, with lots of sitting in cafés and days spent doing mostly nothing. I admit that might be true; I am not one of those people who can turn the most ordinary, everyday life into witty and funny stories, so I tend to skip most of the everyday life stuff, like sitting in classes and working.

Even though this post only reinforces the aforementioned false image of my life (although I'm sure most readers understand a blog rarely portrays the blogger's life realistically), allow me to show some photos from a visit to a café two weeks ago. This café is near my home in Helsinki, but somehow I had never visited it before, only peeked in the windows when the café was closed (it's not open in the evenings). Now that I know how cosy it is, I will visit it more often!

But I really wanted to tell you how I happened to visit the café. Sometime in July, a girl I used to work with some years back, Hanna (hei!), left a comment on my blog. She had found her way here by reading my comment about shoe shops in another blog, which led her to believe (correctly) that the person behind the alias had worked in the same store with her. Wow! Another good thing that's happened to me because of the blogosphere - actually I ran into her a couple of weeks after she left the comment, as we lived near each other in Helsinki, and we then agreed to meet for a cup of coffee (so I could fondle her Nikon). Hanna suggested this little café, and it was really lovely to catch up with her; I'm looking forward to our next meeting...

Um, after looking at the previous few posts in my blog, I understand what my brother-in-law meant! I don't even have time for cafés that often nowadays, I swear... I just seem to document every single visit here.

finally...

2008-09-24T23:19:00.003+03:00

I'm blogging again. I'm not quite sure what's happened in the past twenty days, but classes have begun, I've gotten a new job, and I've been more or less ill for most of the month. And apparently time moves faster than it usually does...

Last week I really was quite ill: Sunday was the first day I was well enough to enjoy a walk. The day couldn't have been better; it was quite a warm day, and there were blue skies, sun, and lots of maples dressed up in all their autumn glory. And you know how good just being able to walk around feels when you've been under the weather for a long time?

After living in Tampere for one year (well, minus the three months in summer), I finally managed to see some must-see places. First I visited a lovely café called Amurin Helmi* - and ate some yummy apple tart - and then my guest and I walked to Pyynikki observation tower. The tower is not that tall, but it's situated on a hill, and with the sky clear, the view was great. I haven't got that many photos though, since I was with someone who seemed to think it's more fun to hold hands than snap photos - I know, some people are strange.

There's also a café there in the observation tower, famous for it's delicious munkkis (Finnish doughnuts), and obviously I have to go back, since I didn't have one. Maybe on a weekday though, as it seems plenty of people come on Sundays, just for the doughnuts. The queue was long!

*Thanks for the hint Heidi!

this morning

2008-09-04T23:52:00.003+03:00

It rained all day yesterday.

But this morning there was light. (In my new home the sun will shine at my face in the morning if I do not draw the blinds in the evening.)

(Marimekko glass, they were on sale so I got four for 12 euros. I like them a lot.)

Later I took a train to Helsinki (still some things to do there); it was a lovely, warm afternoon, so miss A and I enjoyed our fika outdoors.

new month, new home

2008-09-01T23:01:00.006+03:00

In late August I had a hard time admitting autumn had come already (maybe that's why I got the flu I have at the moment - I stubbornly wore no socks). But now that it's September, I'm ok with it - after all, early autumn with sunny, crisp days and colourful trees might be my favourite time of the year. Now I only have to find that early autumn enthusiasm somewhere; I'm sure it'll come when my nose is less runny.

There were a busy couple of days last week: I took the exam required for getting Swedish translation as a minor (though I'm having seconds thoughts about that - I used to be fairly competent in Swedish in school, but that was a long time ago) and moved to a new flat in Tampere. The long anticipated, but also dreaded, move (my former flat was shitty, I couldn't wait to get out of it, but I don't particularly like the packing and carrying and unpacking part) went really well, thanks to J who was an angel and drove with me from Helsinki and kept his cool even when I felt like I'm going to cry any second (we had some trouble with the rental wagon, plus I was really stressed out) and was really efficient. I know who I want to help me with my next move!

Now I've got a new home. White, clean walls, a cute small kitchen, and a roll top bath! Bathtubs weren't that popular in Finland in the past few decades, so not that many flats have one left. Tonight I'm going to light some candles and take a bath, and sip some read wine and munch on chocolate while bathing. Red wine and chocolate are good for you, you know.

last days of summer

2008-08-25T23:53:00.003+03:00

It seems that we got a few more days of summer on Friday and Saturday.

There was coffee outdoors and a postcard written to friends while the sun warmed my neck.

There was a really good folk music (though not the most traditional) gig on Friday night ("Night of the Arts", an annual festival when there are all kind of cultural events around the city through the night) and drinks with friends later.

There was more coffee in another outdoor café with a newly engaged couple visiting from London. And a lot of wasps trying to eat our cinnamon rolls.

And a good view from the café.

There were dahlias admired and photographed

and a lazy happy day ending with a dinner and a film at a friend's place.

It might have been my favourite day of all this summer.

on angels

2008-08-21T01:26:00.007+03:00

(after hearing a song where angels were mentioned)

Nephew: What are those angels? What are they like?

Me: Well, what do you think they're like?

N: Well -- They wear big shirts. Big short-sleeved shirts. And the shirts have stripes on them.

M: Oh. What else?

N: Then they wear socks, striped socks. They wear socks all the time.

flow festival 2008

2008-08-19T23:29:00.005+03:00

It rained the whole Saturday, so it's kind of ok the tickets for Saturday were sold out. My favourite on Friday was Kings of Convenience, on Sunday Ane Brun. Lots of good music, lots of people (more than last year), lots of fun.

how to make the most of a rainy day

2008-08-16T23:33:00.005+03:00

When it rains the whole day through, it's a good day for...

...breakfast in a café in a good company (thanks miss H!)

...taking a walk in the city

...watching unknown newlyweds come out of a church

(they had the coolest bus ever for their guests)

...buying new shoes

...spending some more time drinking coffee

...listening to good music (Kings of Convenience, yesterday at Flow festival, today in my stereo)

(Plus things I didn't do but might have done: reading a good book; watching a good film; making and eating a nice dinner; knitting.)

I actually like rainy days; when they're days I can make my own schedule, the rainy weather can be quite soothing. What do you like to do when it rains?

my new friend eva

2008-08-15T10:52:00.005+03:00

Eva Automatic, made in Italy in 1960s, bought today at the charity shop sale for 7.50 euros (!). I'd have bought it even if there hadn't been a sale, but since I couldn't take the machine with me yesterday, I made sure I was there when the shop opened today and then lugged Eva home (I have to say taking a sewing machine this heavy - and these old ones are heavy - home by tram isn't in the top of my list of ways to spend the morning, especially if I have to spend 20 minutes waiting for a tram).

I didn't have a sewing machine of any kind before, though I've been looking for one for a while now. Sister has graciously let me borrow hers, but of course I can't take that one with me to Tampere, plus it seems it's impossible to get the tension even with that one. I decided I'd buy a used, older machine; those cheap new ones you can buy for a hundred euros don't seem to work that well, whereas my mother has a Toyota from 70s which is still as good as new. Plus I think these old machines have a distinct charm the new, plastic coated machines lack.

My machine even had it's manual still intact, a very good thing. This photo is for the amusement of Finnish-speaking readers...

It would be wise to buy a used machine from a sewing machine repair shop (because they work for sure), but their prices are still a bit high for me, as are the prices of good machines in a Finnish ebay-style website; so, charity shop to the rescue! (Funnily enough, two different shops from the same line of charity shops had their sewing machines priced completely differently - one from 45 to75 euros, the other from 15 to 25 euros; I'm glad I checked out two shops.)

I took Eva for a test drive immediately, and now I'm off to buy oil, bobbins, needles and hopefully a zipper foot (all this will surely cost more than the machine itself!). Looks like it's going to be another warm and humid day here. Have a good Friday!

lazy rainy days

2008-08-14T22:15:00.005+03:00

I've been really really lazy these past few days. The weather has been unreliable, there has been several showers per day, and I've been staying indoors. Watching dvd's (seasons 1 & 2 of Northern Exposure, and many films, best of which was Juno [and Dead Poets' Society, but the latter doesn't count, because I've seen it n times]), eating too much Ben & Jerry's, getting into bed late and sleeping late too. I've felt a bit guilty about it all, since there are so many things I want to / should do while I have time off from work and school. Maybe all the slouching in front of my laptop was exactly what I needed, though; a week ago I felt I'm as tired as I was back when the school ended in May (not a good way to feel with the next term looming ahead), now I'm a tiny bit more hopeful. At least I seem to have shaken my fatigue - today I actually spent most of the day outdoors, as it was warm and sunny and not terribly windy for a change.

Meanwhile, my neighbourhood has been showing it's best sides now that I've had some time to just walk around. The day before yesterday, I bumped into three people I know, first a girl I used to work with (hei H!), and some 500 metres later, two lovely ladies I know through a friend. (Funnily enough, I seem to unexpectedly meet more people I know now I don't live in Helsinki full time!) Yesterday miss H and I went exploring a new-to-us-bar, declared it cosy with a quite good choice of beer, and decided to visit it again soon. And this weekend Flow festival will be held again practically next door to me; I got the tickets for Friday and Sunday - let's hope for good weather!

Now I'm off to catch some sleep; tomorrow there's a 50% off all items day at a certain charity shop and I have to be there early, since I have my eye on something.... Wish me luck!