These pictures are from a different season, I didn't take snow photos yet. The winter came a bit suddenly, like over night, and then it kept on snowing. It's freezing, the house is freezing and we have to heat the ovens a lot. And add more layers. The cats are not so keen on going out anymore. The car doesn't like this either.
But it's beautiful. Bright starry nights, clear crisp days. The old lady next door gave me her old coat yesterday and it's pretty wonderful. Very warm. I think I look quite 70's in my flea-market winter pants and this new coat. The silhouette of my shadow looks like my mum in old photos when I was a kid.
The kids here have too many advent calendars, altogether 7 of them.
I could write a long list of things I'm happy about. It's been ages since I could do something like that. It means I'm happy! And I will tell it to everyone.
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Tämän kaiken päällä on nyt paljon kylmää lunta. Tai ei lyhdyn eikä kissan. Eikä uuninkaan. En ole ottanut lumikuvia, jotain iltahämäräkuvia sisällä vain. Talvi tuli yhtäkkiä, kyllä te tiedätte. Talo muuttui varsin kylmäksi, mutta uusia polttopuita saatiin ja vanhat villatakit löytyivät komeron ja säkkien uumenista. On pulkka ja kirppistoppahousut ja naapurin mummolta vanha hieno talvitakki. Sen hihoista vaan puuttuu noin 15 cm. Elämästä ei nyt puutu paljon mitään.
We received a beautiful package in the mail again. From Jaime and Charlie. This time also from Max to our little brother. Opening these parcels is always a lot of fun, and quite messy too! I got my copy if "Backyard Flowers" and it's beautiful. It is so wonderful that books still come to life. Not that I would fear for books to disappear, but still, books are being made. I still have no bookshelves to put any books on. But I will. And now we start putting our parcel together.
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Postia ystäviltä meren takaa. Aina yhtä ihanaa. Jaimen kirja on ihana myös. Kirjat on ihania. Mun kirjat on edelleen laatikoissa.
The lantern party/Saint Martin
M & T wedding
Little V 3 years in Manteli
Life at the oak place. We're living with a lot of unpacked boxes still. My calendar is quite full all the time, weddings, christmas fair workshops, meetings, friends from Berlin, some substitute teacher kind of jobs... And it gets darker and darker. I dream of sleeping.
I'm loving this new life here. My old life seems quite far away already. The 4 and half years in Manteli taught me a lot about myself. This change came with a good timing, before total exhaustion and breakdown. We're not back in town, but I want to try this out. Living in the countryside in the center. Oh man how I love to walk! And I do love asphalt and yellow leaves on it and street lights!
I tried to take a mirror self-portrait. Sometimes that works out somehow. The occasion: I did turn 38 some time ago. Birthdays call for portraits. (Little V turned 3 weeks ago and where is his portrait?? I always try to take the kid portraits on the actual day, but this time I have totally failed.)
We're painting in one place, packing in the other place. It's middle of the night, but we have a helper. Him and Y are heading to the house in the darkness. I made a packing list for tomorrow.
I come across such wonderful things while packing. All this music I have and all these movies he has and all these wonderful little unnameable things that I have hidden.
Looking forward to next week, quiet mornings and unpacking all this.
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Kaaosmainen muuttoviikko meneillään. Mikä määrä tavaraa! Löydän pieniä aarteita, joilla aion vielä tehdä jotain. Aion alkaa säännölliseksi pölynpyyhkijäksi. Siellä uudessa kodissa. Olen 38 ja joitakin päiviä.
We buried our old cat in the end of last month. He slept away at the vet. Sleep away, that's finnish. I had him for 16 years, he was always there for this family. He's buried at a grassy spot in the forest where he used to sleep in summertime. At least I could give him a steady life with outdoors for the last 4 years of his life.
We're very busy with painting and packing, this is the point when it feels like the move is not possible. But of course it has to be done. It will be so good to finish the going back and forth, it's very tiring to be in between places.
I will go and attend a wedding tomorrow. Meet a lot of relatives.
I listen to Cat Power: "Sun".
We will go, we didn't go yet. Although we go there almost every day. It is called Oak corner. There's a big oak tree, well on the corner of the yard.
The house needs massive electricity renovations, that came as a surprise. The electricity fixtures are totally haphazard. We don't have to pay for the renewal work, which is good. And we got a little and cute electrician to do the job! (I really don't get it why someone who isn't an electrician would pretend to be one. The previous owners have been lucky not having any accidents.)
We talk about colours, it's way too white as it is. The house is also missing quite many final details, like the boards between floors and walls. So after all that fixing we will be there for good. Until then, back and forth.
Beautiful dancers will move into Manteli!
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Valkoista on siellä, vaan ei kauan! Sähkötöissä menee kauemmin, joku on vähän fiksaillut sähköjuttuja omin päin. Tai ei vähän, vaan tosi paljon. Iso sähköremontti ennen kuin voidaan kunnolla muuttaa. Listoja puuttuu myös, mutta kyllä siitä tulee koti. Tammikulma.
