Dudeson's Signed DVD and Saturday

Nothing very interesting has happened this last few weeks, it has been all work and very little play.

Last Monday, we had the canvases delivered and they are all up now but two of them that need to be drilled into the wall. Eero also made us a frame and we made a picture with that with some fabric we got especially! YAY!!

Then Britta, Iris and Dennis came around as we have only 2 and half weeks to write up our Finnish report and the presentation for it which is Thursday 31st! Eck!!!

Then Elisa and Joni dropped by to see the apartment and say hi. Followed by Jouko and Kati who stopped by on the way home from Lapland. We had guests from 12pm to 10pm =) great day! lots of cooking 3 pizzas, cheese bread, pulla and apple and cinnamon crumble.... good day!

I finished my first draft of my seminar paper Sunday and submitted it. So much work the Finnish exam is very early too, only 2 weeks away!!

It snowed 12cm as yet over the weekend and today, once more we are at 74cm of snow! footpaths are evil as this 10cm of snow is compacted or part ploughed and there is just a thick layer of ice under it! slippery!

I got home to find the Dudeson's DVD was signed! Happy days!

Now, I must go learn some Finnish grammar

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day

New Year's Eve is also Eero and Elisa's birthday. Eero had work in Tampere so had to drive back to Jyväskylä to celebrate. We decided on a quieter year as since August it had just been constant moving around and doing things.

I think New Year's eve is very over rated to be honest and the best celebrations I have had are the one's here in Finland... I have done many things, seen many places on that night but none have been as good as the ones in Finland with good food, friends, alcohol and laughs,,, also fireworks on frozen lakes are pretty awesome!

Marlen has gone back to the states, Britta is in Germany so that left Jen and me here (many others obv but from our little group we were left!!) So I asked Jen around for food, fun and fireworks and a good catch up!

When Eero got home around 4pm, we empited the new shiny beautiful car (it's our new toy) of the luggage we took to UK, well brought back... my new wardrobe of £575 worth of clothes and extra Christmas presents. Then we went straight back out to pick up Jen from her apartment. Then to citymarket as I needed to do the weekly shop and felt like crap.

I thought I was coming down with flu in exam week I couldn't concentrate and I didn't do as well as normal... I just felt like death. Turns out it was a nasty vitamin deficiency which I am still solving but I am feeling well again.

So we talked and talked and talked, watched some DVDs and gave a running commentary of what they meant to say... hilarious! E made some pizza dough for us, we ate (not me!!) chocolates we got for Christmas and chips. I ate rice krispies hehe. Then we watched the people around us set off fireworks, well before midnight.. so pretty!! We went to buy fireworks but they only had €60+ boxes left and they get a bit boring after a while and that many would give me neck ache!!

Jen got us some sparklers instead so we decided to walk to ylistönrinne campus and watch fireworks from the top or from the bridge depending where people where shooting them from. Then we lit sparklers and played with them which was very entertaining. Jen and Eero shared a bottle of fizzy wine and I had my luxury cartoon of Ribena! Then we walked home, laughing and joking. Teasing Eero about anything but he gives as good as he gets. Looking at people's christmas decorations. Then we got home and watched more films and then we went to bed in small hours...

New Year's Day

There was no rush to get up and Jen left around 2pm as she had some work she needed to complete for her job. I gave her directions home as I still felt crappy with my vitamin deficiencies. Then E and me chilled out, watched some Lost. Sunday was a similar day but we watched Inception on DVD, I am on the fence with it, it ended on a predictable place for me but I have seen much much worse!!!

Eero decided he wasn't leaving for work until 5am Monday morning so I made him some breakfast to take and some snacks. Then got up at 4.30am to make him drinks and flask of tea. Then I went back to bed just before he left.

On the plus side I am eating a lot more variation now, things that I haven't eaten for years suit me now but I still have problems with the birch group and I don't do well with E numbers, artificial additives, colours and preservatives. But things are getting better and I don't see an allergist until February, where I am being retested to see what has changed or if the first one's were correct.

Dad is getting better now and they screened him to check it wasn't his cancer spreading it wasn't so that was good news. I am no where near as home sick as I used to be on returning but I have been here 13 months and I love it here more than I loved home, of course I miss my friends and family but needs must!!

Mom and Dad's First Visit to Finland (part 2)

Monday 19th July
We exploded the rest of Hervanta in the afternoon. We did the washing and chores in the morning. Then went to Tampere Ikea... mom found some things they want for their new kitchen so they maybe importing stuff from Finland =) We brought more things we didn't need but I wanted =D

Tuesday 20th July
We went to Ahvenisjärvi and saw baby ducks, mom and dad enjoyed walking around the small lake we did it whenever they wanted too. We went into the shopping centre and spent sometime in there. We got shopping for dinner and made 4 home made pizzas. This is a meal I worried about with dad as he's not a lover of tomato sauce but he really enjoyed the pizza!

Wednesday 21st July
Mom, dad and me went into city to explore the rest of what we hadn't finished yet! We spent 3 hours looking around the city. We went into Kauppatori mom got a cake and dad got a potato cake (forgot the name at this minute). We came home and got changed and went to Perti's summer cottage. Another wonderful night, barbeque and more fish. Sun set on the lake was so pretty and mom sat on a rock watching the lake and talking most the night. We then left the summer cottage around 9pm and Eero took mom and dad on a little tour around Lempäälä.



Part Family shot



Sunset at Perti's summer cottage, Lempäälä



Me looking windswept

Thursday 22nd July
Tonight we are going to the 3rd summer cotttage and barbeque of the week. In the day we walked around Hervanta and Ahvenisjärvi. Baked two more cakes to take to the summer cottage. This summer cottage was a friend's and was in Valkeakoski (white rapids). Another nice night mom and dad got to met Eero's brother and sister's and the rest of the family. We talked into the night... We all had sauna and a swim in the lake. Mom and dad didn't go in but regretted it later.



Sunset at Valeakoskii



Eero resting <3

Friday 23rd July
Jouko came by to fetch us and we went to Viikisaari with him and Kati. This was an excellent day... we got to see and do lots of things and places I didn't know about. We had lunch in the resturant and had a little walk around the island. Then we went to Pyynikin Näkötorni, we went to the top of the observatory and took a few photos. Jouko drove us around some old houses to show mom more homes. Then we went back to Jouko and Kati's house and had doughnuts and coffee... Kati got me some bread I could eat =)



yes, this is photographic evidence of mom on a boat...

This was one of mom and dad's favourite days. They loved meeting Eero's family and seeing them so much.

In the evening we went to Ideapark, I got a new Halti bike bag and a new Halti coat that cost €200! whoohoo. Mom, dad and Eero had chinese takeway.

Saturday 24th July
The penultimate day, cloudy and cool matched the mood of the holiday almost over for me at least! We got up and went to Jyväskylä. We showed mom and dad the area where I was moving too in August and probably where Eero and me move for the next 2 years before we return to Tampere to settle. Though we did some house shopping while in Jyväskylä but there was nothing we wanted to buy! lol so rent it is! hehe mom and dad even did some summer house shopping.

We then showed mom and dad the university buildings I will be in then to the city centre campus where my language course is. We then parked up and went for an explore around city. Mom, dad and Eero ate lunch in Amarillo, looked lovely but they had nothing I could adapt to be allergy friendly. I also discovered Stockmann is only in Helsinki, Tampere and Turku... so I now its a certainty we will settle permanently in Tampere now! but I am excited about our two years in Jyväskylä.

Sunday 25th July
Home day for mom and dad. We were going to Helsinki but we decided not to bother. We talked all morning then went to get some kotipizza. Then in the evening we drove to Helsinki. Mom managed to cry, who knows why but I can't see her cry without crying so that was the goodbye. Mom managed to cry in the airport again and Eero was trying to wave to her but I told him not to cause she wass crying enough. There flight home was delayed by 2 hours, which annoyed me as delays can leave a bitter taste in a holiday's memories but next time they fly with another airline!

Mom promised Eero they would visit a month next year and also come for Christmas 2011... so the excitement begins. They loved their trip more than we thought they would. They loved to see so much to Eero's family and how welcome they made them here.

Sunny Summer

I don't think it's often that summers are hot for so long here, it has been an excellent summer as yet! Sunny and hot most days. Forecast has predicted 29C for the weekend. Let's hope it holds out for when mom and dad visit.

Cold is still holding on for all it's worth! Ran a fever most of today not helped by no wind so I couldn't get a draft through the apartment. I felt better by the time Eero came home. We went to visit Jouko to wish them a happy holiday. Then went into city where Eero brought a fan so I wouldn't get hot... bliss. Not in the city long and we were both tired from colds. Dropped books to library, recharged bus card and home we came.

Eero made me pizza =) he's sooooooo cute! I <3 him x

30th May 2010

It has been a good weekend. Saturday we chilled out cooked and in the afternoon E went to Heikki's. I sat for almost 3 hours learning Finnish too. I was still up at 3am when E got home watching dodgy early morning horror films (planet terror). I did also watch most of Eurovision too, UK last! (act was crap though) I thought Turkey and few others were better than Germany (but they won by a landslide).

Sunday, we didn't get up until late... (whoopes) It was a lazy Sunday we went food shopping, cleaned up and surfed the net. We also did some baking E made some bread for us that even I can eat. It is divine!!!



Then we did some home made pizza. Here's a photo of Eeros, spicy meat feast