Nokisuu

Happy New Year

31.12.2019 julkaissut Nokisuu

January is here, with eyes that keenly glow,
A frost-mailed warrior
striding a shadowy steed of snow.
– Edgar Fawcett

I just wanted to say Thank you to everyone reading this blog. I know I don’t update enough but that’s just life, it happens.

In the beginning of this year I made a promise to myself to read more and spend less time in social media and I managed quite well, today I’ve read 90 books instead of the 80 I had planned to read. I’m quite happy about it and I’m planning to continue it on 2020. You can see my read books here.

Other thing I need to do on 2020 is to lose weight. I’m turning 50 at the end of September and I don’t want to weight this much then. At the end of May we’re probably celebrating Middlest son’s graduation and since all our relatives and friends will attend I need to do something pretty quickly and I know what it’ll be: low carbs for me since it works best for me.

I still have a week off work left and I’m thinking about having a Hobbit and LOTR marathon while knitting. I’ve already finished Eldest son’s scarf and my cardi is coming along nicely.

Here are some pics; Sirius is planning her next attack on the Christmas tree (actually she’s been very good with the tree this year), the ice skating Santa I gave to my dad when I was about 7-y-o and now it’s been ice skating in our tree for several years, Middlest son baked a rye bread (I haven’t got the patience to make a root), and the last one is from Dec 27th when we had -5C degrees which was pretty nice. I didn’t mind the sun either, it’s been raining forever here.

Merry Christmas

24.12.2019 julkaissut Nokisuu

I just wanted to say Merry Christmas to you all since I’ve been so busy. Now I’ve got two weeks off, I get back to work on January 7th which is wonderful. Hubby’s work and boys’ school begin then too.

Here in Finland we have Christmas dinner and exchange gifts on Christmas Eve. Since we are just with our own family now (me and hubby and two sons) we’re doing these a bit later, our dinner will be served in about an hour and then we’ll see who’s been naughty and who’s been nice. I’m thinking about watching a movie later, now I’m throwing dice between Die Hard I and Fantastic Beasts but I may still change my mind.

Here are some pics. The first one I took on one morning as I left home and was walking to the underground train station, I really like the colors. In the second is a mug of glögg and a star-shaped plum pie which is traditional seasonal treat here and in the last one is out Christmas tree this year. It’s a bit smaller than usually but it’s okay. The cat loves to sleep underneath the tree (the mat is hand-embroidered by hubby’s late mom) and later we’ll burn it as logs in our sauna stove.

Merry Christmas!

Closer to Christmas

8.12.2019 julkaissut Nokisuu

It’s been a busy week again but luckily it was a short one.

On Tuesday I met a friend over coffee, she had a training day here and had a moment to spare before getting home to Jyväskylä. It was really nice to meet her and we selected a nice lipstick for her before we had to rush to the trains.

On Wednesday we had a Christmas thingy for all our clients which was quite fun except I had to take part to two meetings. Between them I made a Christmas cracker with couple of grannies and little kiddoes.

The other meeting was a Union thing and it was at the union house which caused some problems for me since I get symptoms of sick building syndrome easily (I got sick with the syndrome at my work and nowadays I use inhalator when I’m at work). It was also a long meeting, over two hours, because of people votings and economy things.

On Thursday I was so tired that I had a crying fit when I got home. Part of it was due to a grumpy hubby and a teenage son having a discussion but luckily they solved it quickly. I went to bed early and slept almost 12 hours.

Due to Finland’s Independence day on Friday we had the day off work and it was nice. Youngest son went to a trampoline place with his friend and I just watched an Finnish comedy series and did my bujo. Later I listened to the Independence day ball while making the gingerbread dough and baking chocolate and banana muffinses. The Ball at the Presidential palace is the Thing here, people watch it and discuss the gowns etc. Here are some of the nice dresses, texts are in Finnish. Recycling has been a hit this year, The first Lady Jenni Haukio had an old dress with small changes on and a cleaning service company owner had a jacked made of mops and a member of parliament had National Museum’s banderoll made for a dress.

One of the traditions in Finland is to light two candles to the window. It dates back to the civil war time when the two candles meant a safe house for the White side. Since my mom’s two uncle’s were jaegers (trained in Germany) I find it even more important to hold on to that one even thou people think Whites were slaughters because they killed Reds. Reds otoh would’ve wanted Finland to become part of Russia but civil wars always hard, even harder than the other wars where you have a common outer enemy.

Yesterday eldest son came for dinner. He has lost his phone but luckily has an old one so he was able to use e-mail but then hubby bought him a prepaid. He is going to the Lost and Found to see if his phone is there since he forgot it to the ferry on Tuesday after a student cruise night..

I baked gingerbread cookies yesterday and I also made a mud cake with cherries, it was so good! It’s even better today. Hubby cleaned our sauna stove today and found a dead magpie in the pipe.. We were wondering of the slight smell some weeks ago. I’ve been knitting and doing my bujo, I also ironed the washings while listening to the Stolen boys. Middlest son got a note from the army: he’s going to the medical tests in January concerning the air forces. I’m glad and worried.

Sunday again

1.12.2019 julkaissut Nokisuu

So another week has passed and we are in December now. Hubby put the Christmas lights up inside and outdoors which is nice. We’ve got a bit of snow so it’s pretty now but it’s supposed to start raining again next week. That’s Helsinki December, the sea is still open and the snow won’t stay on the ground.

On Tuesday I had my last Pilates lesson for this year but I’ve already enrolled to the next Spring and it begins in January. Now I just need to do something during this month. I have the hula hoop I bought in October and it’s fun and I can also do Pilates at home but I’m lazy and mostly don’t.

On Wednesday I went to movies with my friends Heidi and Kristiina, we watched ’Last Christmas’ which was quite okay. Funny and some romancing and good acting by Emma Thompson and Henry Golding (I’m not so keen on Emilia Clarke). It was nice.

Middlest son had the physical and psychological tests for the AirForce on Wednesday and it took all day, from 8 to 5 but it looks like he’ll get in, at least for now. The results come later this month.

On Thursday I was going to take part to a trade union meeting for library people but I really felt so tired and just wanted to go home so I did and it was good. I enjoyed a nice home evening knitting with the cat and telly.

On Friday we had a meeting at work, just for our ’unit’ which means me and my colleague and the language teachers and the social studies teachers which makes about 14 people. After the meeting we went to a local restaurant for a nice lunch covered by our employer the City and then we had two hours of bowling also paid by our employer. It was so much fun and we had awesome time.

Yesterday we had eldest son and his godmother Leena with her little boy for dinner at our house and it was nice too. We’ve last seen Leena and her son in August so it was nice to catch up. She used to visit us more often but now her son has started to play football so it makes the weekends quite busy too. We used to travel together when our boys were smaller and her son was just a baby, it was nice. She was my good friend in the Scouts when we were teens (here in Finland the Scouts have been in one organization about since the beginning so we don’t have Girl Guides and Boy Scouts).

Today I’ve read one Finnish novel and it was quite good. It tells a story about Ojibwa indians and the Finnish settlers near Duluth and the big lakes. Did you know there’s a word Findians? Also both Finns and Indians were forbidden to enter a saloon in many places because both get violent when drunk.

Weekend

24.11.201924.11.2019 julkaissut Nokisuu

Passed by quickly again.

The concert on Friday was awesome, we had so much fun with Heidi and I think the people at the club and the musicians too enjoyed the show very much. They played two and a quarter-hour and I danced all the time. Boy my legs were jelly (and still are) but it was worth it.

I almost forgot to tell you! I was rewarded at work and received a nice sum of couple hundred Euros. I was flabbergasted since I’ve never gotten anything (except the reward everyone gets after ten-twenty years of service). I’m quite happy, now I don’t have to worry so much over my financies in London.

I’m including some pics here. The last one is of cinnamon buns youngest son baked just now, they are so good!

Quick one

21.11.201921.11.2019 julkaissut Nokisuu

Tomorrow I’m going with my friend Heidi to see a Finnish singer Ismo Alanko perform on a club here in Helsinki. I bought the tickets in June when we were in Hawaii, right when they came available. I think Ismo is one of the brightest Finnish musicians, he started his career in the early 80’s with a punk band and has done a massive career here. I loved him in the 80’s but as I say I never got to see anyone perform live when I was a teen I’m taking it back now.

One of his bands made one album in English but never quite caught outside Finland. Their lyrics work best in Finnish imo but you can find them in Youtube under the name L’Amourder.

Here is one of their songs from their stunt in Moscow. Forever hungry

And one of Ismo’s new songs, in Finnish. In English the name is Trance-assumpted dance and I just love it, I must always dance when I hear it.

Netflix and chill

19.11.201919.11.2019 julkaissut Nokisuu

Has been my motto during these last days. It’s November which means the darkest time here in Finland because it usually rains or has just rained or will be raining and the clouds are wet and heavy and near the ground. The new season of The Crown begun and I’m already halfway through. I’m also finishing knitting a pair of socks for my cousin and then can begin a new cardi for myself.

I also got my deep stomach and back muscles so sore last week that I couldn’t breath very deep, even yawning made me wince with pain. I fear that the pain will return as I just got back from my Pilates lesson.

During the weekend I read two YA novels. The other one won a national book prize on the year it was published (my cousin was the main judge bc she teaches creative writing for kids and teens in Jyväskylä) and the other one was a quite recent Finnish YA-fantasy novel that had gotten good reviews. Both were good but I liked the first one more which is a bit surprising since I usually like all kinds of fantasy novels but there were some things that bothered me in the fantasy world.

We are in the middle of a postal strike here and it seems it will spread as the other unions support the postmen so I’ll probably have a day off on Monday as the public transport will probably be stuck. I was going to have a free Friday but now I can change it to Monday, I don’t actually mind.

Now I’m off to the English royal family and coffee and knitting.

2019-11-18 08.35.32-2 - Copy

Keep on swimming

13.11.201913.11.2019 julkaissut Nokisuu

I’m a bit tired tonight. On Monday morning I did my swimming routine of 1 km in 33 minutes which was awesome. I had a private lane all the time since there was only the aquajoggers and the other lanes were full of schoolboys and slower adult swimmers, I was the only one on the ’fast lane’ and swimming with my hand paddles felt so good! During the night my shoulders and arms started to ache.

Yesterday I had my Pilates lesson and it was actually quite a tough one. I go to the advanced group since I’ve been doing Pilates ten years now. Today I haven’t been able to inhale deep since my back muscles are so sore, my abs aren’t even near so sore as the back is and my shoulders and arms were even more sore than the previous night. I had to put some piroxicam salve on them which I seldom do.

Today I went to a swimming technique lesson, for breast stroke. It went well and I learned the new technique (it’s been updated since I learned swimming as a kid) well enough. I also managed to get over my dislike of putting my face underneath the water which made me quite happy. There was six of us and the teacher was a quite nice lady and did good job with us.

Hubby came to the swimming hall to collect me and when we got home he made us dinner since I was so hungry, it was very nice of him. Now I’m off to bed and since it’s evening shift tomorrow and youngest one goes to school at 9 am I’ll get good long night. I hope I’ll get out of bed in the morning.

CU!

2019-11-10 10.31.14 - Copy

This and that

6.11.2019 julkaissut Nokisuu

So it’s been a while since I wrote anything here last. I’ve been a bit busy with life and everything. I’ve also tried not to be so much in front of my PC when home and have instead been watching tv more.

Hubby wanted to buy us a new tv and did it so now we have a 60″ tv. It’s about as long as I am when I’m laying down. DH wanted to install it on a wall support which can be stretched out from the wall and turned this way and that or it can stay against the wall and it’s quite like having one’s own movie theater.

Me and youngest one have been watching Preacher (I bought it on Blue-Ray from Stockholm) and I’m on the last legs of Black Sails too. It’s taken me about two years to watch it because the first season was mostly shagging and it gets boring pretty quick. (I had the same problem with Outlander’s first season.) Today the postman delivered Good Omens for me so I’m going to start watching it now, I can’t wait!

I probably told about the thyroid here. Well, I had the ultrasound and it has grown a bit but the doctor called me yesterday and said that my bloodworks are so good, there’s nothing on them (just like previously) so I don’t get medication. Instead she asked if I want her to send my details to the surgeon and see if they’ll take a look at the thyroid and I said yes. Even if they don’t want to operate it I’d love to hear their opinion.

Today I only did half a day at work because I had an appointment at my own health care center since I’ve been meaning to get a doctor to have a look at some moles I have. This is the public healthcare and I was happy to get the appointment pretty quickly, the thyroid was examined at my work place doctor (which is kind of private doctor because the City employees are so many) but they don’t do specialist doctors examinations, I’m being sent to the public side for that surgeon opinion.

Okay, back to the moles. So I had to take half a day off because I live in the neighboring city of Vantaa and had to travel a bit further by train. I found the place and had to wait about 15 minutes before the doctor who took a magnifying glass and said there’s nothing to worry about, the moles are just fat and will probably go away by themselves. I’m glad. I’ve been a bit worried of them but now I’m just fine.

Last Friday I went to youngest son’s school where we had a follow-up meeting with his teacher and youngest one. I felt quite proud when his teacher who teaches Finnish said that she hopes all her kids will be on the same level in Finnish when they leave middle grades as youngest one is now. He still has two more years to go so..

Later last Friday I and my friend had a North & South-marathon and it was so much fun.

On Sunday eldest son came for dinner as he turned 21 on Saturday. I wonder where the years have gone since he is a grown man and I’m still as young as I ever was. Funny that.