one year ago

Almost one year ago we left for Japan. It was such an anticipated trip and it was wonderful and then it was done. And then one year passes. Spring, summer, autumn and winter. We're on skiing holiday now, but there's no snow, just ice and water puddles. And we're off to Berlin. 

Packing and cleaning for the cat sitter. Little V sleeping in the pirate ship (kitchen sofa) and V preparing a note book for the trip. All is well, except the weather.

These photos are from Kagoshima, Nagoya, Tokyo and Kamakura.

2 movies I liked recently: The Late Quartet (RIP PSH) and Bones Brigade.

LINTU

LUMI

Snow. Neige. 雪. 

Winter arrived, with a bit of snow and a lot of minus degrees.

This house, my beloved house, is very cold, colder than last year. 

Or maybe we were away for the coldest part of winter. 

It feels a bit unbearable, but we wear a lot of wool and we have very warm blankets.

I've been having a very nice week, but today something not so nice happened. 

I will have to talk about it and then I hope it will be ok. 

I have so many roles these days. 

I have a little sister and she's going to have a baby!

I have a little brother too, and his baby is 3 months old.

My babies are big and I love them soooo much. 

How is it possible that one gets the best babies in the world.

Good night

明けましておめでとうございます。

Happy new year! Bonne année! Gott nytt år! Gutes neues Jahr!

New year always makes me think of Japan a lot. We should have a new year's card workshop and send wishes to everyone we ever met. I'm not sure how that's gonna happen as THE HOLIDAY IS OVER!! School, work and kindergarten start tomorrow. Also my studies continue and I will have a translation job too. So full steam towards spring 2014. 

In these photos there is Akane at her grandparents' house, V photographing sakura, little V at a train station. (Still, I never did anything with my photos and the no-space-situation on my computer...) I miss Japan. 
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Onnellista ihanaa rauhaisaa uutta vuotta! Ehkä vähän pakkasta ja sitten pian kevät?

PÖYTÄ

 

(This would've been a bigger series but I haven't been too bothered with focusing.) 

We are reading, playing board games, staying up late, getting up late (the kids play with legos or animals or something for 2-3 hours in the morning!!). I will have such a hard time getting back to working hours. But I will not think about that now. 
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Loma. Kirjoja: mä luen Tovea, hän lukee Dumaria. Lautapelejä (meidän joulun teema): Qin on aika kiva, V tykkää Mondosta. Ja Muuttuva labyrintti on tosi kiva!

christmas

Merry Christmas! Joyeux noël and all that.

I do love our effortless christmas and too many presents. I got some especially wonderful ones. Little V keeps on repeating: "This snake muffler is too lovely, it's almost ugly". And I keep telling him that it's not like that. You can say, and I often say this kind of thing: "those houses are so ugly they're almost great". Lovely never becomes ugly.

Love!

hmm

Hydrangea in autumn. I love hydrangeas and autumn and even this very long autumn and these photos. The sun moved a bit in the meanwhile, but I managed to get something out of it. I think. 

What a heavy week it has been. Mondays feel super heavy to me, but when I go to work, the flow of the week just takes me in, and takes me through the week. I don't know what it would take to make me go to bed earlier. Maybe next week as I will change my working hours; instead of 11 I will start at 8. And get home when it's still light outside. 

We've been having cooking practicing with a very inspiring teacher. Today we cooked for the whole school. Then preparations for the advent party. Then home where it smells like gingerbread. December is just around the corner! I have no christmas presents or even ideas. But I got invited to go christmas shopping in good company. I never do that on purpose, I just collect things here and there during a long period of time. But I'm a working woman now. 

The house is very cold, life is very busy, but quite rewarding, I'm very tired but I don't sleep much, we will go to winter circus tomorrow (no animals there).

Good night.
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Hortensia syysvalossa. Syys, vaikka ylihuomenna on joulukuu. En ole kovin valmis joulukuuhun, mut ei se haittaa. Joulukuun jälkeen on tammikuu ja sitten ollaan jo samassa vuodessa kuin kevät. Kestän hirveän hyvin tällaista mannermaista talvea. Ja työntekoa, vaikka väsyttää ihan kamalasti. Aina uusi viikko lähtee käyntiin ja kantaa viikonloppuun asti, vapaa-ajalla on ihanan suuri merkitys. Aloittelevan työssäkäyjän mietteitä, heh.