Pre Wedding Celebrations in June 2013

As you see 2013 was pretty busy, we finished 90% of the house renovations, planned and saved for wedding, planned a trip for my UK family and friends to visit before the wedding, sorted a multiple country honeymoon, wrote papers for work, went on business to China and Canada... =)

Here, I will start with the family trip before the wedding. Who came? well many people attended the wedding but we had some honoured guests before and we had the week off work, planned some visits for them, hired a minibus and filled the car.

These are not all the photos just the best ones for me!

 Ishy and me, being grown up as normal

 Nan and Grandad, 80 something and mastering Helsinki

 We are Angels but Charlie didn't want us

 Being old didn't stop them wanting some funky photos

 Dad, post chemo, still as cheeky as ever

 Excited the night before the church service

 Normal shot, Laura, me, Ishy, Lisa O... my bridesmaids <3

 Nan, had to out do grandad's photo

 Who doesn't want to ride Helsinki tortoises? 

 Nice hot in Finnish summer 

 Lyn, Mick, Carole and Grandad... ice creams needed to cool down

 Nan happy with the strawberry and vanilla mix

 Me! 

 This kept him quite for a few minutes!

 Ishy, Pete, Dad and Tom

 Group shot with the "Russian" church in the background, Helsinki

 Wouldn't be a Finnish experience without a boat trip somewhere?

 Carole and her minions

 Father and daughter

 Night before the wedding making favour boxes

 Nan and grandad, wanting photos all the time

 Ishy, me and Eppu, forever friends 

 Registry office

 Registry office

 Meal out with Eppu's dad

In Hämeenlinna Sanomat

If you don't know me by now, I love to talk, I am good with people and my networking skills are a strong sign of that. We was asked to make a small article for Hämeenlinna Sanomat.

Love living so close to nature

Seriously, this is something I absolutely love. I have always lived in big towns in the UK, though we always spent free time, weekends and holidays in Somerset, where I got to be a free range kid and where I got my love of the environment and ecology.

So here is 2013, in our back garden!!!

Squidgy in autumn

Woody. Super cute but also likes to peck on our metal guttering when fat balls aren't around.

This is fluffy

Cats seem to know who likes cats. There are 3 at least I see here daily. PS that's just 7 days grass growth as well.

Just a mobile photo. Squidgy has learnt when he runs out of food he can just squeak at the windows, normally whichever one I am in

 Snoppy the cat, loves our bird feeder

 Squidgy squirrels

 Racoon dog (also a fan of hedgehog food)

 Great snow fall of 2013

" Nopea" the speedy hedgehog (we have special food for hedgehogs for them)

 Always begging for food

 All three of them declaring war, 4 food piles is not enough for 3 squirrels

 How could I not feed this cute face?

 Eurasian Jays, shy but here alot. With "ice" of winter polar bear light

Snoopy was here -17C wonder if it's owner knows cats get hypothermia as well?

Since relighting my interest in photography I have decided to now dig out my SLR camera to take some better quality photos =)

Back to Blogging

So life got so busy that I didn't have the time nor really much interest in blogging. I guess these times happen in life and we just deal with it accordingly and move on.

What has happened in 2013, you ask? Well I will briefly give some catch up blogs to cover 2013!

We joined Finn-Guild and I became a Representative for Tampere and Hämeenlinna areas. This has been much fun this last year and many late nights working out how we can improve the image here and recruit both new members and representatives into our happy British-Finnish family. Slowly, we are making progress and our blood, sweat and tears are bringing us more members and increased happiness in our existing ones. What more could we ask for?

Still this is an on-going practise to improve things for our members, it will take another few years to get everything where we see it, but it is great to have the vision and the support of others who want the same thing as we do.

Renovation work on the house is almost completed, I will add the photos on here of before and after just on another thread for those interested, like my mom!!! Bare with me whilst I update this blog back to it's former glory days!!

I also have a friend on the train called Tarja, who speaks Finnish with me. I love to talk to her as she corrects me (I asked to her to help me, if I am so wrong). I enjoy talking with her even though I don't always see her to talk long with. This week she gave me a Finnish magazine Kodin so I could read something in Finnish. I do enjoy talking with normal people as it does give me the challenge of there are still many words I don't understand and I can't predict what they will say so I can't prepare answers beforehand, this process is painful, slow and frustrating but every step forward is one I will gladly take!

Work is something that I still adore, now I get work from home 2 days a week so I am happy that every day I don't have to drag my sorry bum from bed at 5am, bad luck for Eppu that he does. The only bonus is he has the car and doesn't need public transport just "wifey's taxi".

Know that I am now alive and getting back into blogging. Part of me is annoyed I stopped but it won't take me long to catch up on what has been missed.

Time has gone so quickly at Aalto!

I was completely shocked when I realised that I hadn't posted on here for such a long time! So this will be a very long post trying to get caught up with the happenings of the last 3 months!

September
So I got my right to study at the end of September so my Ph.D. officially started then. So did the choas that is my life! I was travelling to Helsinki 5 days a week then, getting home late and so tired I didn't want to come and post after all that. Weekends were so busy renovating the house which has come along lovely. some courses started then and others in October

I also went back to the UK for a week for the Energy Event conference. I took my dad with me on the second day and he really enjoyed that day even though he was so tired on his chemo but he is one of the lucky ones, now making a full recovery. Week was pretty mad, mostly conference, then a small gathering of family and friends. Some shopping, packing up a box or two to be shipped back to Finland. I travelled there alone this time, it was very interesting, been so long since i had been home alone! 

We got engaged as well the night I got home from travelling!

October
Another crazy month, all my phd research was finalised and started, courses, still crazy days travelling. Weekends were once more renovating, working or visiting family. My birthday was at the end of the month.

They found a tumour on mom's lung, and they had to operate in the same month, some what stressful time for me being so far away. But, the operation was successful and the tumour non-cancerous so a lucky break!

Most things for the wedding ordered and delivered, easy process, I don't see why people get so stressed!

November
Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines. All I seemed to do was work, work and work in November and it never seemed to be enough, everytime I completed one thing two others replaced the thing I had completed.

Flights booked to UK for christmas, wedding website almost completed, honeymoon's planned, wedding dress picked.

Bonus scheme was released at work too! so that was good.

Early December
Well, other deadlines are around! I got to pick my conferences so I picked China, Canada for 2013 and hopefully Phuket in 2014.

I bought a new ski coat, and a new designer coat that comes mid december. Ordered some Christmas presents but not sorted everyones gifts!

I had a health screen too trying to solve why my weight has gone up, nothing obvious has turned up.. I ran 44km last week, no weight loss. Alas, I shall continue running and see what will happen! can't get any worse!

First week at work

The first week at work has been great! the people I share an office with are great and I couldn't of asked for more. After a few days I suggusted we move the furniture around so we could see each other. I will add the before and after photos soon! I also emailed my favourite restuarant on campus to get some food made especially for my allergies. OMG the food they make is soooo good! things I haven't thought of combining in that way!! yummy!

First are the before pictures

Then the after pictures

 Free desk

View from my desk

 chill out area and our storage

 my desk

view of the room

allergy food!!