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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!
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...
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!
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)
