Siivu

Last week four days in the forest, it was a bit too warm (max. -7 at night), but very nice to skii around, sleep in the hammock, sit at the bonfire and go to sauna. Heavy studying thus.
Well, we did practise all kinds of practical stuff too, but mainly testing for Lapland. In a week I'll be leaving to hike in Lapland for a week, in the middle of the coldest month of the whole year.
Last year they had -39 for three days (and less than -20 the rest of the trip), and I do not have a good enough sleeping bag.
Good enough sleepingbags are expensive... but Im still thinking.

Weekend came and went. Boys were at my mother and I was a bit crumpy, stressing about all school stuff. Exams and reports and equipment, and the future.

Visiting family, family visiting us. Life is not too bad.

The furry ones of the house once again:

Trip skating and wild skating.

So many ways of saying one thing. We went to ice-skate with kind of long ice-skates (a bit different from the 'normal' ice-skates) to the biggest lake in Espoo, they had made a track for us, since there is too much snow at the moment,

but the sport itself is getting more and more popular in Finland.

And it was fun. And it was difficult, much more difficult than normal skating.
And fun, and if the ice would have been a bit better (terribly clumby, snowy at spots and ancle-deep water at other spots)- could go really fast with 'em too. Atleast that's what they claim, and I do believe.

I totally suggest on trying the nordic-style ice-skating if ever the change... and I'll take Thijs one day. When there will be a bit better ice.

And at the place where we were, the boss of the place told us to send e-mail to him if one would be interested on getting some work there, atleast occational work, if 50 japanise tourists want to come and ski or snowshoe or...
It seemed a nice place, and I wouldn't mind skiing with japanise people.

Elias went yesterday to my mother, and when I went to pick him today he refuced to come home, so he is still there. 

From tomorrow, I'll disapear to the wilderness for three nights (skiing and camping around Nuuksio national park).

We've gotta new baby:

It's sweet furry thing, though it seems to have ADHD... jumping all around and about, climbing up and down and here and there.
So hard to take a picture.

So sad though, to take a little thing away from it's home, it's parents and brother... but, it'll be well taken care of.
(and it seem to be well potty-trained.)

Something small for us equals to 15 souls (17, if we include the by-passers). Some cakes, chatting around and about, kids skiing enthousiaslty and Oiva spending half of the day with the neighbourhood boys. Saturday as usual I quess.

Cleaning and baking.
Im tired, and a bit stressed, lot of school-stuff rumbling and rolling around my gray-cells.

Tomorrow, we're going to get our kitten. Went to buy food and a toilet for it this morning.

Thijs is still a bit ill, but ok.

Too many lives in my life. Too few time and too many things.

Lets start from where I ended. Last weekend.

Sunday, I did go riding, and it was fun. Rather energetic, but well trained horse. Sunday, the horse was better than me, but I went back today, and today I was better. Much better, it all comes back so quick... though, I can feel it has been 'quite some years' without seeing a horse.
But, it worked, and we had fun together with the animal. Jumping around and about...

I've been so busy thinking about things, school stuff and future, that it feels good to do something that have to concentrate so deeply that cant think about anything else. Very relaxing. And got to use all the possible muscles too.
And it's good, I could escape from school before 12. today, to have time for everything.

At school, from tuesday to thursday we were camping in a forest, snow-shoeing, skiing and testing all winter equipment.
Though it was a bit too warm for proper testing, just few minus degrees... but anyway some people had cold at night.
I had way too warm, I had to sleep my sleepingbag half open... (I slept in my dear hammock, I'll propably take it to Lapland too, to test it will it still work when its -20 or colder).

It was so nice to skii in the forest the whole day wednesday, skiied over four lakes and a one open swamp.

[the swamp]

It's so very nice to go to the forest in the winter, when you can actually see that there is all those animals around. All their footmarks and shits and sleepingplaces.

Though, Im happy my school is finnished in a month, so then I'll can take a good holiday to spend with my dear family.

Thijs is a bit ill. He has birthday tomorrow, and we were going to have a party... but it's no party now then.
Have to bake a cake with the kids anyway, something small.

Today has been a good day.

First, yesterday in school we went through all the birds we have to know plus their songs, and I infact can identify most of them ok.

Today, we had a short day about ice-skate-trekking theory, would have gone ice-scating, but the ice is not quite strong enough yet.

[borrowed picture]

And it snowing, finally! (the snow that came in the beginning of the week melted as it was raining water the last two days)

And, I decided to start to go horseriding once a week, as this one horse asked me to do. It's exciting, since I haven't been horseriding in many years, yet I am convinced I can still do it.
In the times before, I've been riding rather intensively, several of times for over 10 years. And we did used to have own horse too... and in between for a year or two I used to help to train horses (just for the fun of it). Infact, the stable I used to help to train the horses would have given me a horse for free, but then I left to Denmark instead.

It did require some thinking about it, but in any case, I still find it nice that I have gotten a horse (no matter that I didn't take it then ofcourse).

Anyway, cowboy is going to ride again.

And, the work-placement place that I went last autum for a week send me an e-mail to ask whether I am interested to work there this spring/summer.
I dont know if could be for fulltime, part time or any time, but even if they wouldn't have any work at the end, it is very nice they ask.

Things will go just fine.

Tomorrow we're going off to one youth- and childrens organisations meeting, Im a board member of the local branch and Thijs is going to cook and the kids are going to hang around.
Go to sauna, eat good food (as Thijs is cooking), enjoy company of nice people. (and have a meeting inbetween)

Kids left to overnight at my mother... I don't have anything to do with it really, they just called to her themselves and agreed to go.

What can I say what can I do but enjoy life as it is.

Klick klick klick type type type type. That has been my doing today, finnishing reports. It's very interesting, but sitting inside on the computer all day makes one jack dull boy.

But, I've learned again. 

There would be a horse who would want me to go riding with it once a week. Question is, would I have time for it?
I also signed in for the russian language course, and next 3 thursdays there would be an interesting star-course (no star-signs, but the real stuff on the sky).

Should have more time, or less family. Since the latter one sounds no good, I'd go for the first one.
But I quess I'll just have to manage.

For now, I just keep expanding my brain... but I hope I wont end up being greece, but infact generate some sort of income at some point.

Thijs started at a work-placement place. It's actually ment for all kinds of long-term unemployd people, but it's great for Thijs, as he knows enough finnish that he doesn't need a language course no more, but there he'll be speaking finnish the whole day.
And he gets all 9 euros per day extra.
Mainly he gets to speak finnish intensivly... and, can always hope he could once get real job from there, as he was the co-ordinator of same kind of project in Belgium.

Have to remember to call about our new family member: the kitten.

Great weather! Huge snowflakes falling slowly from the sky, making everything beautifully shining white... and I got to go skiing today at school.
I love winter. And I bought a new warm jacket from Belgium, which makes me love winter even more.

I came home early today, which I love also. We went shopping the whole family (yeppii!), which infact was good: got really good winter boots for Oiva (-30%) and a winter-suit for Elias (-70%). And gloves and a hat for Thijs. Now we are all warm and ready to roll in the snow, even when the sauna is not on.

The weekend swifft off fast. I did some typing (school reports), and we did some visiting and got some visitors.

As usual weekend. I had plans to get more typing done sunday, but well, so it goes. No can do when house full of guests, which is good.

Today in scool witerfishing, in theory since lakes are not frozen enough yet.

Back in Finland.

Flight went well, though we're all a bit tired now.

And I should finnish writing two reports before monday. Quite a lot of writing, and I haven't got anything done today.
Or some reading.

And we visited greatgrandma. It's also important. And unpacking all the luggages and so on... nothing to mention really.
Tomorrow then, typing and typing.
 

We are going to get a kitten. He is still a bit too small and have to grow a bit still with his mama, but in few weeks he'll move in with us.

So, we do stay in Finland.