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.

Äitienpäivä

Sunday 9th May is Mother's day here, so off to äiti Suominen's for dinner we went. It was a lovely dinner and a few hours chat... a sign my Finnish is improving as I understood a lot more than I did last time!

So back in time now, Friday was Wok Wok day and although we had a short lunch we still caught up on the week's gossip and planned to have an extra meet up this week. I had a nice time, then back home. I then baked a blackcurrant crumble cake before we went shopping.

Saturday we drove down to Helsinki to Hanna and Antti's to get the bike Hanna was giving us, it's blue and I love it! Thankfully it's a mountain bike similar to my other one so we should get along great!!! whoohoo!! We also went (if my bearings are right) to Itäkeskus shopping centre. Must of been there as it was massive to look for a birthday present for mom... I know exactly what she likes and thought Marimekko would of had a bright coloured top to match, alas it was not meant to be! However, I did find something suitable in a different store so the journey wasn't wasted.

After shopping we went back to Hanna's had cake and coffee. Put the bike in the car in the pouring rain and left for Tampere.

Sunday night I ordered a few crime books and 2 research textbooks that will be useful for choosing what to write about for my biomass dissertation for my master's (I decided that much at least)I also hope that whatever I settle on I may compare against landfill (seems a waste not to use what I worked with so long!) but time will tell and there's enough time for me to change my mind a hundred times. The books are coming from England as they were a lot cheaper even with shipping that buying them from here.

We are going into city later to get some fish and go to the library...

Last weekend in March

Last week went quickly but weeks blur into months here so quickly. Summertime has begun now as the clock went forward Saturday. Spring is starting but it did snow again last night (part of spring here snow melt, ice, melts, snows, melts...) temperature is at least above zero now!

Weekend was great, busy Saturday and a chilled out Sunday. Saturday was a very productive day,I ran out of space is my CV/qualifications folder so Eero brought me a new expensive one! Now all my certificates are displayed properly in a beautiful display hardback book!

We went to kauppatori (indoor market) and brought some wild salmon as my chemical/food colourings allergies hate the colours feed to farmed fish. It didn't cost as much as I thought it would. Poached it in the oven in foil and water.... mmmm and the best thing not allergic reaction so it's a winner all around. Also found loumu cow's cheese in city market and dammenburg chocolate, from www.allermina.fi mmmmmm expensive but worth every cent!

Eero's other good deed was to buy Nokia 5530 music series even got the black/red one I wanted. Thanks to symbian technology it has a talking dictionary. I spent the saturday afternoon quiet playing with my phone, language is in Finnish by choice. The instructions are in Finnish too lol. I'm still playing with it and will be for sometime!

It has been a lovely weekend, had a few nice long walks, from which I have managed to get a huge bruise on the bottom on my foot.... who knows how!!!

Poets of the Fall concert on Thursday, OMG OMG!!!! I'm sooooooo excited!!!

There doesn't appear to be any suitable language courses over the summer either, to expensive or not the right course material. Time to go study some Finnish now!