Monday 29 November 2010

Jyväskylä from Tampere

School as normal in last week.  Then  left for Tampere Thursday afternoon after the final meeting for our Renewable Energy Presentation. It was a cold day minus 14C and windy, I was glad to get to the train as the windy was making my legs cold!



The train ride was pleasant an old lady kept smiling at me, even more so when mom called and she realised I was foreign. I had a lovely train ride home, sunny and the lakes south of Jyväskylä weren't snow covered and we black and frozen like mirrors. Pretty but I couldn't get any photos of them.  I arrived back in Tampere at 4pm where Eero was waiting in the car park.  The one exit door was locked so I waited a minute to let people in from the cold. In the meantime, Eero had got out of the car, looking at me all confused. He thought I was stuck or hadn't seen him. Sometimes his impatience is so cute!

Then we drove to citymarket got some food and went to Hervanta for the last time! Friday I did the normal chores, then went to the shop to get Eero some treats for the drive and me some water.

Then we went into city on Friday to get the van and walked across the city to get the van. After getting the van we drove back and started packing. 2 hours later and when Jouko had dropped the trailer off we left at 8pm for Jyväskylä.  We finished unloading a 11.30pm, ate, showered and slept.

Up early on Saturday, ate breakfast and left for Tampere in what we hoped for the last time. We got there about lunch time and it took until 6.30pm to pack up, load up and clean the apartment out.  Saying bye to the apartment was kind of sad.

Eero was particularly chatty both trips and is very excited about the new move. Even when I was saying we have all this again when we move back in two years! He left on Sunday evening as he still has to work in Tampere every day in December but next weekend is a long weekend as it is Independence Day

I unpacked another 15 boxes after Eero left, the mess is annoying. Hopefully most of it will be sorted by the time he gets back on Friday. Then  I had 15minutes to prep for my Finnish speaking exam... 5 minutes into it, I gave up was too tired. So went to bed.

Today I woke up early as normal but we didn't set up the thermometer so I texted Eero as it was too cloudy to see the Prisma weather sign. He texted backs saying it was minus 21C outside. He made me laugh saying "wear everything you have so you don't get cold". Of course, I didn't wear everything just one more layer than normal. I was too hot when I got to school and decided not to wear my ski trousers on the way home. Big mistake. It was as cold on the way home and my legs with 2 layers were so cold they were numb.... ho hum!

I have no energy after a very busy weekend and a stupid diet thanks to allergies.  But I am back in the UK in 3 weeks on Friday!!!!

Exam weeks started again today with the Finnish speaking exam and I have two exams on Wednesday and for the next 10days or so!

frozen secret waterfall!

Mid-Winter Darkness Falls Across the North

Mid-Winter Darkness Falls Across the North. True winter begins now!

Wednesday 24 November 2010

Talvi... (winter)

Here is begins, the coldest darkest months. Most days for almost two weeks now have been below minus 5C and this week minus 8C warmest and minus 13.5C coldest. I think we can safely say that winter has begun.

The lakes are starting to freeze up now and I am hoping for a sunny day to catch them on the camera.  It is a bit dark and cloudy today to get a good shot worth publishing!

We move from Tampere this weekend. A new beginning is very exciting but I love Tampere and can't wait until we move back, hopefully to a house and apartments are annoying and small. I suppose I like my own space where other people and their pets can't disturb me.  I also miss gardening badly so that's my wish... 18 months to 2 years a house.  We can probably make it if I get a summer job.  Hehe! I blame Eero for this and his driving me around new building houses seeing which I like... so really he planted this seed. But a garden would be nice! Even though the ground is frozen 6 months of the year!

I am enjoying winter, even long walks in the cold. I have a good coat for the "cold" days but I kind of want another coat to blend in better. Need some better winter shoes too as my boats although all are new let water in when they get wet but that's what you get! I don't want wet feet in the name of fashion!

My bike is sleeping in the shed I kind of miss it but I can be bothered with going so fast and my hands and face getting so cold. Also I love to walk I can see more, day dream more and listen to more music or Finnish cd's. I like to think and walk, it helps me keep a level head. I would probably fall off my bike in this snow/ice anyway cause I ride like a bat out of hell.

I have learnt to walk on the ice and gain a good balance when I slip, which is always a matter of when here there is so much slippery ice under the snow.

Here in Jyväskylä according to the current weather conditions we have 11cm of snow. Probably about right but the roads and side walks are ploughed so it is hard to estimate until you tread in some snow =)

The secret waterfall is starting to freeze up too and I am hoping to get some photos of it half frozen in the next few days. Well the weekend really and it may have frozen by then.

Back to Tampere tomorrow afternoon for a day then the moving begins! Hopefully I get to meet Britta and Jenny for lunch tomorrow but we will see and hope! I have so much to complain about NOT!

Sunrise



Tuesday 23 November 2010

Friday 19th Weekend

A strange weekend... the train ride was crazy as I was on the intercity in a small part that holds only 10 people and there were a group of 4 teenagers getting ready to go to party. They were all happy and doing each others hair and make up until we got to Tampere and one had a phone call. Someone close died suddenly... she was obviously hysterical and I couldn't make much more out but still somehow felt sorry for her.

Eero picked me up after we went hunting for fish in the city.  Then we went to citymarket to pick up a new batch of allergy  experiments. Not going to badly so that's something! We planned on not being busy this weekend as the previous 4 weekends had been silly moving, getting ready to move, sorting things and visiting people. We needed a day off. So Saturday we had one, day in with Jack Bauer, quick visit to the shop to cure my boredom at being stuck inside. Cook, more 24, sleep. Aaaah. Relaxing.

Sunday, we went to äiti's for coffee and to see Vesa, Hanna, Miia and the kids. I think it is quite entertaining how I am happy talking to the kids in Finnish but more paranoid with adults. Valteri was happily telling Kaisa how they could teach me some Finnish. Then we left around 5pm, I decided I should eat again before getting the train so that meant I was getting the 8pm train. Train was delayed 20mins and I had to run across city to get a bus (rare luxury but the side roads were slippery with ice so I didn't want to walk).

Father's Day (Isänpäivä)

Well, we move from Tampere the end of November so most of this weekend was taken by box packing.

The Sunday was Father's day so we went to Jouko's for dinner. *nam nam*It was good to be back and catch up with everyone again.

Then I got the 6pm train home to Jyväskylä and walk the very icy side walks home.

We were also playing with reintroducing my foods to see if and what I can now tolerate... I think I am reacting to a vitamin again and I still suspect the evil B3 that once gave me anaphylactic shock. So try and try until my allergist appointment in February.

 

School Dayz

School is taking up most of my time, though it is well spent doing so but it can be a little crappy knowing all I do is work, walk and go see Eero. But the return of exams grades and maintaining 4 and 5's are making all the "urgh" worth it. I suppose it is because a lot of my friends are eramus student's and keep getting to go away as they don't have much on at school, unlike those of us who study full time.  I am loving this renewable energy course though and trying to keep up with the Finnish course.

The Finnish course I love but it is the hardest for me, never learning another language I have to undo 26 year's of bending letters from being a native English speaker. Hard thing to do but most of the time in shops I am understood and natives seem happy you try to learn and speak. Alas progress is progress... I just wish I had more time to listen to my audio cd's.

Dear Santa,

I have been good all year, please c0uld I have more days in the week or more hours in the day?? these days and hours do not have to contain daylight so long as my lights work.

Thanks

P.S

I leave the reindeer carrots and you cake and a drink and it's a deal, right?

Eero, has detected my distress with speaking Finnish and is starting to help me now, just hoping it lasts longer than the other attempts for him to help... one has to hope!

I have however attended all of one subjects lectures then dropped it at the last minute. I could see so me conflict impending with the lecturer and it is a bonus course so I thought I would cut my losses and run.

OF course, exam weeks are approaching again and technically start for me next week with 2 Finnish speaking exams, one is enough lol and another presentation in English... I am excited about them all sadly... I am enjoying exams which is sad!!!

School keeps me walking 8km a day or more and it keeps me busy when I am not there... I am excited about next semester when all my waste management and water management courses start! haha!

Auto Draft

Monday 8 November 2010

Moving from Ristonmaa

So  I haven't posted for two weeks! The last week in October was exam week at school so I was busy with that.  Also I was packing up my things to move into our proper apartment in Jyväskylä.

On the 26th, I went to lunch with Jen and Britta as a late birthday lunch (Britta was in Estonia but brought me some chocolate).

The apartment is great but it was dirty and took two weekends in a row of constant cleaning to get it clean.  Eero moves here the end of November so it is not long left now on the trains going back and forth!!

I had to write up a minimum 10 pages essay in two weeks and submit a 30 minute presentation which I did on Friday... all presentations except mine where in Finnish so it was a hard but interesting 4.5 hour lecture!

It has been a work, clean and sort few weeks! Brought some new curtains so the new apartment looks like home until Eero moves here with some normal furniture!

He came to visit the weekend and had a throat infection and ran high fever, he even took his first day off work in 2.5 years but has gone back no =(

Allergies are still being a pain in the backside but appear to be calmer when I avoid certain things so that is the new plan.  The appointment came and I was in the UK when it was and the hospital say it could now be February before I get seen... another winter without vitamin D or one drinking milk and being ill... hopefully I can find a way to get it without taking vitamin B3 which I had a true allergy to a few years back.

Mom is really excited we are in the UK for Christmas and so is Eero.  It doesn't excite me as my diet stays the same or I suffer but I do enjoy the whole buying gifts, wrapping gifts thing and I have some great ideas planned! It is also nice to see my grand parents as they are in there 80's and each time maybe the last time.  I love to catch up with friends too, the ones that don't forget who you are as soon as you leave their sight! Eero and me fly to UK on different days which is a shame but I get too shop and cook for the party without him getting bored of carrying my stuff around shops... gives me and mom some catch up time and I get to play with the cats o.O

We have had proper snow in Jyväskylä a few weeks ago we had not much more than a hard frost last night but I took some photos walking to school on my phone camera today just as it looked so pretty and it was -2c and I didn't want to walk back with my proper camera.

I can't believe the time to move from Tampere is almost here properly but I know as soon as school is over we will end up back there and hopefully in a house!

I didn't get internet connection until Thursday =)

[slideshow]

My Birthday...

A late post I know, but the 25th October was a good day even though I had school all day long!!

I was apart from both family and my UK friends... even Eero was in Tampere when I was in Jyväskylä but the day was a good one! Lots of cards, gifts and cash!

Eero got me flowers, printer, jumper... I tell you the list is endless!

Can't wait for his birthday now!! x

All saint's day

In Remembrance of the Departed.