still waiting for spring

Finally back here. Just a little moment. In between chapters.
This is my friend I with her yellow hat. We were visiting a couple who have a house project not so far from us (further that I thought!). She was actually helping, cutting old apple trees. She's one of my favourite people in the world, and we first met last autumn. Her house is about 4 km from us.

In the meanwhile:
There's been so many snowstorms I've lost count, but perfectly sunny days too.
I've started going to pregnancy yoga again, can't wait for tomorrow.
"Spotify" has arrived to our family.
Me and V finally visited some friends in their wonderful new house, lots of screaming and laughing of little girls and Indian food (I've taken out cook books too, they help in my troubles cooking).
Heard many more baby news.
Still didn't receive "my" book.
Have set a swimming date with B and her kid. B is also a wonderful new local friend.
One year in Manteli anniversary coming up... actually it's today.
I'm not feeling so bad anymore!

Thank you for all your sweet wishes, didn't imagine there could be so many.

Listening to:
Yoko Ono, Peaches, Fever Ray, Cat Power etc etc etc etc

big-sister

She's going to be a big sister in autumn. Starting the new week with some news...
We're past the first 3 months, and have seen the baby there where it should be.
On this Second Round I haven't been so secretive though, and I wouldn't mind knowing if it's a he or a she in advance.

But, my second pregnancy has been all about feeling sick. Not as bad as the first time, but bad enough. I don't remember being this tired before. All that was partly the reason to have a blog break earlier and that's what I refer to in the previous post by surviving. Surviving also the remaining winter -- it's been looooong.

This is family planning par excellence, as I always thought 4 years of age difference is good. I consider us very lucky, being able to have one very healthy child and being able to make her big sister. V will be so great. I guess me and Y would've been fine with just one kid. V is planning how she will sing to the baby and put her to sleep (I guess we're talking about a girl, but we say "it" and there are no feminine/masculine separations in finnish), how she will dress up by herself, eat by herself.


I took this photo of V some time ago. She was standing by the doorway and we were talking. Then I asked if she would wait if I go and get the camera. She said ok -to my surprise- and so we had a little photo shoot. "Look the other way, then turn around! Put your hand to the wall! No, the other hand!" The first photo was the best one.

the interview tag

What are your current obsessions? Central heating, ink drawings I saw in my dream, food matters...

Who was the last person you hugged? My daughter who just came back from kindergarten (my mum picked her up today).

Which item from your closet are you wearing most lately? A woolen sweater I bought from a very cute girl at an outdoors flea-market last summer.

What's for dinner? Some kind of soup... carrot, potato, broccoli, mixed beans, coconut milk.

What was the last thing you bought? 4 handkerchiefs from Bangladesh à 1 euro, at a "world shop" (Kind of fair trade shop. They were called "developing country -shops" before, I used to volunteer work in them as a teenager.) and a swimsuit for V!! Oh, and some flea-market finds I want to show later.

What are you listening to right now? A cat licking himself, V and my mum talking about Cinderella, Snow-white and that lot.

What is your favorite weather, and why? I love late summer/early autumn days and evenings when it's not too hot for sweaters and tights, but not too cold to go bare-feet. Also I love the dark hot summer nights in for example Tokyo, dark summer nights don't exist here.

What time do you usually get up? Around 8.

what do you find in the pockets of your coat? Nothing, as things fall out easily. But when I go somewhere I always have a handkerchief and chewing-gum.

What is your most challenging goal right now? To survive.

Say something to the person who tagged you: Good luck with your plans!

If you could have a house-totally paid for, fully furnished-anywhere in the world, where you want it to be? I'd like our house to be paid and for it to be ready. Then I'd like to have temporary houses/apartments in different cities of the world, for 2 months at a time. Like artist residences.

Favorite vacation spot? I don't know. I don't think I've ever had a "vacation". I usually travel to visit friends, but lately I've started to dream about staying in hotels. Right now I dream of Italy, about a place close to Firenze to be exact.

Name the things you cannot live without: I'm feeling quite serious today... Usually I would say notebooks, black pen, woolen socks, music. Things... I couldn't live without the love and care from people.

What movies can you watch over and over again? Quite many. "Antoine Doinel" -series. Buster Keaton movies. Irma Vep, Science of Sleep, Lost in Translation, Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

What is your favorite tea flavor? Right now rose-hip. And genmaicha.

What are you reading right now? Irène Némirovsky

What is your current guilty pleasure? Eating candy, I don't even remember when was the last time. But I'm gonna stop now.

Who do you admire most? Margaret Kilgallen, Tove Jansson - I'm not gonna make a list, but strong, creative, sincere women. Men too.

What four words would you use to describe yourself? impatient, moody, reliable, passionate

What made you happy today? V stayed in the kindergarten happily (yesterday she didn't), I finished a translation and had some organic coconut chocolate. And I think of Italy, it makes me very happy.

Tagged by K.

epilogue

My mum joined me and V in Lohja. She was having a pay day, and V was a lucky little girl. She got this bear girl that she's now totally in love with. She's dancing... It is made by a woman who lives close to us. We also found a kids' clothes outlet store that had some nice clothes: TWO dresses for her as well... Anticipating summer.

She was wearing the other dress for a 12-year old girl's birthday party we went to. It was in our friends' house, neighbouring house; their daughter as well. It is an eternally lovely house. Maybe we will get new neighbours this spring... There were 8 big girls and about 40 nail polish colours. "Do we have nail polish?" was the last thing on V's mind before she fell asleep that night.

exploring Lohja

Last week we went to the town of Lohja. This sounds extremely unexciting, but I checked before we went, and there were many nice sounding cafés AND a vegetarian restaurant (we live far from any lunching out possibilities). We chose the café which was in a building built in 1860's.

My antipathies for the town come mainly from this girl who came to my high school class. She had moved from Lohja (even the name of the town is ugly). She had disgusting bleached yellow hair, her face was all pink and she was dressed in a very middle-age manner. Maybe she was nice... probably not. I never talked to most people in my class that year. Well, now the poor unattractive town has cleared it's face. Some good flea-market finds too. And I wanna check out the summer cafés around there.


(Posting from Helsinki, we saw the most superb kids' theater in the morning, checked out a newish café, and now stay at Y's sister's in our old neighbourhood. Tomorrow meet with my dear Berlin friends!)

c'est moi!

MilK arrived to my mailbox today! Super nice.
We have been exploring today, more about that later.
And there were wonderful news this morning: a trip! More about that later too.

Looking at this cover makes me want to colour my hair... It's been a while that I had red hair. I colour either black or red, quite bright red (no natural looking results for me, please). This brown hair I have is quite harmless, but now it starts to have this reddish shade that I don't like. I wish my hair was cold brown, like V's. Or black like Y's. Well, I don't wish very hard, just a little.

before i wake up

...V has already made a lot. I'm always so moved and impressed by her settings that I let them stay like that in the middle of the floor. This morning she wanted to sleep though. I slept bad, I had one verse of a kid's song playing in my head; the one that had a chorus of nonsense language and we couldn't really make out how it goes.

Now I'm having porridge for lunch and I'm all set to start working, with a clean working table. I'm gonna move back here from the kitchen table. I'm feeling a bit dizzy from a wonderful proposition I got via e-mail.

these days

A day with my brother, mother and aunt. V meets her uncle quite rarely, so I was very happy to see there was no time wasted being shy. They have a real family bond. V calls him her favourite.


Our family day, baking pizza and pulla, actually my first time making any kind of rolls (I think). These are with carrot+cinnamon+indian sugar, coconut+sugar and almond flakes+raisins. I got flowers in advance on occasion of the Women's day which is tomorrow. I'm against banalizing the real issues of a women's day with flowers and gifts, but of course I love getting flowers. A red rose from V, a woman herself.

melting

This is not from today, but it represents this day anyway:
I see some light right now. And I hear the snow melting and I see drops dropping from the roof.
And I realised something today. If there wasn't snow, the spring wouldn't be wet. And what kind of spring would it be, without little streams and puddles, taking of your coat and gloves and standing in the water with your rubber boots? We've been arguing -again- about the existence of a certain spring related word. With Y. Is it about regional variation or boys and girls? So I will pass on my girl-words to V.

I have secured a vinyl copy of Jenny Wilson for me (using my contacts!), we're having a city day tomorrow. Meeting with my old friend who lives up north and my brother who is coming from the same northern town. Where I grew up using my spring word. Cooking mud porridge in a bucket.

i love mail!

My friend V sent us a package of shirts and panties. This brand doesn't post to Finlande, so I ordered to V's address in southern France and she forwarded them to us, to little V to be precise. A bit complicated, but it's not so easy to get simple plain good quality cotton stuff... and they're not expensive. Happy colours. I took my chances and got some beautiful blue ones too... I miss my friend and our little trip over one year ago.

In the mailbox, same day: a catalogue of an exhibition my friend has curated. Beautiful package, beautiful book. So happy for her. I'm happy I know the gallery space, so I can imagine how the exhibition was. Oh how i miss her too.



Life would be a lot simpler if my heart wasn't scattered around. So many of my dearest, dearest friends live so far away.
And it is spring where they are. Here it is snowing.

it is March

I try to be back now. And with capital letters too!
"Willow-cats" from down the road, scraps of paper on the table. And a forgotten christmas cookie.
It is still winter.
I was going to announce a lot of things in March, but not yet.
I'm in love with Jenny Wilson's "Hardships!"