Hermitage wood

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I’m so happy here. I love the people I share the floor with, I love the lecturers, books, my room, even the shabby shower. This is just perfect. I’m never going to leave, not ever again.

Finally packing up

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I didn’t mean to make such a dark post about the moving out but of course it had to start pouring when I (finally) had the camera ready! So this is not a sad, I-don’t-want-to-go type of event in my life. Quite the opposite: I’ve been waiting to be able to have a flat of my own since I was 16. Okay, yes you’re right, I’m moving into a hall of residence, not renting a studio – but I’m still going to get my own room and that’s something, a big something. As I’ve been sharing with younger siblings for god knows how long this change is warmly welcomed!

Anyway – everything’s packed now. Flying away early on Thursday morning with mom. FINALLY! Hate to leave the most of my beloved crockery behind but I don’t want to break any of my valuable plates or cups. Sigh. So we’ve got to take only the essentials with us this time. Linen – check, decorative knickknacks – check, cutlery – check. Clothes (most of which are too big for me these days, haha) – check. Documents, travel plans, to-do-list – check.

I’m ready now!

Oh, we went to the theatre with the brilliant darling Susanna last Tuesday. Ryhmäteatteri was doing Peter Pan and dear me, I loved the play! Want to see it again and again and well it’s kinda shame it ended last Saturday. But who doesn’t love JM Barrie, I wonder?

And one last thing before I get back to my knitting. As Series 7 of Doctor Who started on Saturday (Asylum of the Daleks – fantastic, the best series opener ever!) I got inspired by this character Oswin and made a chocolate soufflé today. Now I will not need to bake any more – feeling like a real French domestic goddess.

Last beams of summer

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Travelling again – I’m in the middle of Finland this time. Visiting Lotta. It’s all lakes, hills, pine trees and water here in Säynätsalo – lovely. Don’t try to make me spell that name again, by the way.

And yes, I am in the water still wearing jeans.

The perfect pizza

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I’m so proud of myself – my first gluten-free mushroom-salmon-wild herb-pizza! It looks so nice (and tastes also!) – I’m afraid I won’t be able to eat it, as I just keep on looking at it with wonder. I haven’t had a pizza for a long, long time. Mostly because restaurants do not have gluten-free options and well, it hasn’t really suited my diet – most pizzas are full of saturated fat and have awfully lot of carbs in them. That’s why I love to cook – you can make healthier choices (choose lighter cheeses, skimmed milk etc) and you know what’s really on your plate.

DIY

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Okay, before everyone goes off on a rant about my laziness lack of posts I want to tell you – or even better, make a list of the things I’ve done in the past month or so.

I have made, myself, from scratch

  • two jars of bright red, delicious strawberry jam, made of organic handpicked berries (the taste – oh my god, it’s to die for, honestly)
  • a pair of woolen mittens
  • at least four pairs of woolen socks (these are all for Christmas, except for one pair I wanted to try a wonderful pattern called ‘Japanese garden’ on [Knitted Socks East And West by Judy Summer])
  • two gluten-free blueberry pies
  • and gluten-free pancakes this afternoon since it really seems that I have coeliac disease after all
  • one summer dress which ended up as my new nightie (no, it’s not that nice to wear in public)

And mom made me yoga socks. Could wear these all day.

I started to read Hamlet (Shakespeare) and Wuthering Heights (Brontë) as they are part of my first English module – I have no idea how I’ll ever finish the latter but I’ll do my best. As they say, quitting is not an option. I can’t really get an insurance, my other school books, national student card or anything else ’cause I’m stuck in Finland – whoopee, note the sarcasm – not being able to open a bank account before bloody September. Which is something that is required to do most of the things mentioned. But it’s five short weeks to go and then it’s bye bye my so dear dump and hello university!

I feel like everyone’s dying of this twaddle. Sorry! But yes, in short: I’ve been knitting, watching the olympics, doing some berry and mushroom picking, exercised and went for a nice morning swim today. Oh, and don’t you just love Johnny in Alice In Wonderland?

September, please come quickly… But now, dears, I need to either feed or let the dog outside, she’s making strange whining noises behind me so I’d better be off before something horrendous happens. You know what dogs are capable of.

Happy August my lovelies! xx

So many days of summer

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Oh, dress sizes. Am I the only one to dislike the numbers on the labels, so critically categorizing us? How I hate them – they make me feel so large. Like there isn’t enough pressure brought on us women already.

As you can guess, I have had better afternoons than this.

However, after having dwelt in self-pity, cried and moaned a little and watched (500) Days of Summer I feel slightly better now. Feel free to cheer me up. Bet I’m just tired, slept so poorly last night. The dog and some curious nightmares (I’ve been on board the sinking Titanic, for instance) keep waking me up in the early hours, sigh. Anyway, this works as a wonderful means of relaxation.

Hope you’ll have a better Friday folks xx

The carelessness of running away

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letters were all sent with no addresses
so that people can’t discover
we’re always undercover

– Ellie Goulding: Wish I Stayed

Want to point out two fundamental things.

Firstly, I tripped over several times – white dress white no more. (Okay, washed it later and now it’s all right again!) Secondly, it was and still is raining. Like, cats and dogs and a few monkeys riding very noisy donkeys. And every other animal you can think of. I had to cycle back home from Hyvinkää around noon. Needless to say, all my clothes are still drying in the sauna!

Road trips and Silence

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I accompanied my dear friend, Minna, on a nice road trip to the little summer city of Porvoo earlier this week. The day was sunny, the roads were empty and we ate half a kilo of small, sweet strawberries. I intended to take piles and piles of photos but, as always in good company, the camera really liked to remain in its case.

We saw a chocolate factory, old red houses and many of the blue road signs during the day. We bought ice cream and ran back to the car when the evening rains almost got us. In the end we drove the boring but familiar motorway northwards from Helsinki to get back home.

I’d love to say that my days are quite quiet and that they tend to repeat each other. But well. The are never quite the same. Yesterday, for instance, we went down the pub with a mate. And after 11pm we were playing pool with some old men in their 50s. I was in the winning team, by the way – though I was rubbish all the way through but the point still stands haha!

But if I am to hit the gym first thing tomorrow I need to get some rest this night. I’ll get back to you all later, take care everyone! xx

PS – Lucia’s brilliant. You need to hear this.

“do you wanna play for love”