Here's the house and here's the kid. The house wouldn't be good for living, especially not here in Finland: too many holes in walls, but I guess it's good enough for christmas spirit. The kid is looking forward to eat the house.
Today the annual gingerbread baking took place. The kid ate tons of dough and still we got material left for a gingerbread house. Now we just have to build it.
Here's the kid in his short hair. Now when he sees his long-haired pictures he says he looked like a girl. He thinks it's funny.
It's cold. I don't get how I will survive real minus degrees if I am about to deep-freeze now already. And it's only -1 degrees C. I will run out of warm clothes.
Do I ever blog these days? 
Kid's hair is short again. We cut it last sunday. He seems to like his new very short hair. I like it myself simply because it's easier to take care of. And he does look cool in it. 
Here's another self portrait from the road. The frame is for a large beautiful aquarelle by a Finnish painter. The thing is that when you work with contemporary art you may end up handeling works of art that look like pieces of crap in your eyes and still you have to treat them well and with respect (oh, what a wonderful metaphora for meeting us people too). I have truly enjoyed my time at the museum. I'll be working with new art at least until the end of this month and then I will go back to older stuff.
Now I have worked with contemporary art at one of the museums. It's been fun, like all I've done during my internship so far. Only to be in museum interiors makes me feel happy and special. It's nice to spend one's time in spacious rooms and with objects of beauty - or at least objects of intrest. 
Here's the kid on last weekend. We had a nice, though quite a windy day on sunday and we went to a beach near by to throw stones into water, which is always fun to do. Just try and you'll notice.
This picture was taken this week at my friend's exhibition's opening. Wall papers on the background are part of her art work. It's a fantastic exhibition. If you happen to be in Helsinki go and have a look. The gallery is Huuto at Uudenmaankatu
Weekend in woods was lovely. There were berries and some mushrooms to pick and there was a sauna, also a table full of food and silence. Japanese ladies liked it at least as much as I did.
Here's a picture taken by my Japanese friend. It's seldom one documents everyday moments at a food store.
I have been busy experiencing Finland with our Japanese quests. It has been fun and I have been to places I never been to before, like Vartiosaari, where we had a bath in sauna. Today we went to Nuuksio National Park and "hiked" on a 2 km's trail - which was exactly the right length for us who dragged along a 4 years old and a 1,5 years old. Nuuksio is fantastic.
This is my father's car. I use it every now and then, like today. I was suppose to help a friend to take her art work to a framing store. The picture was too big, so she had to call a taxi, which was a good thing to do: all of a sudden the car refused to start. I tried all the tricks I knew plus some extra ones but nothing helped - not even the opening of the distributor's cover, which I am proud to announce I did. So, I called my father and he told me he'll come as soon as he can.
Yesterday we finally took the kid to Moominworld (we had been talking about going there since beginning of June). It was worth the 2 hours drive (both ways), 18 euro's entrance fee (even the kid) and four hours hanging out with other parents-, granparents-, and kid-units. The kid loved the place. Fortunaltely one doesn't have to go there every week.
We went to Nuuksio area today with the kid and my parents. V truely enjoyed himself in the forest; he picked up blueberries - again - and followed after my mother who was looking for mushrooms. She did find some and we had a lovely mushroom dish for a dinner today. And, we baked blueberry muffins too - me who is not into baking at all. But what can I do? The kid loves baking. And M loves muffins.
We were away from home, up in the north for a week. My brother lives in Oulu and that's where we were. He was an overwhelmingly good host: lovely dinners, lovely wine and good company.
Here is a picture of the town where I spent my youth and school days, Raahe. I used to think it's the worst rat hole on this planet, when I left it and headed for elsewhere, for my fresh new adult life. Now the town looked very nice and peaceful. I wouldn't mind going there every now and then. If my financial situation was a bit better, I might get myself a summerhouse up there - there's nothing like feeding myself alive to mosquitoes.
Today we went to a forest next my my mother-in-law's house and let the kid pick up blueberries. When we lived in Tokyo we picked up our blueberries in a shop's freezer, here in Finland we can pick them up anywhere we find them, as long as the spot isn't on anybody's back, or front, yard. It's lovely.
We borrowed my parents car (an old loud Saab from 1970's) and drove to stay with my mother-in-law. I had never been to her house in summertime, so I hadn't seen her lovely garden before. Unfortunately it rained most of the time, so we didn't have a chance to spend time doing things one shoud do in lovely gardens, like reading good books by blooming peonies.
On saturday we drove to our friends garden party in Hämeenlinna. They had invited people from a gang that existed about 20 years ago. I saw many faces I hadn't seen since then. Someone asked me afterwards, who I thought was most touched by the time between, concidering the looks, and I had to say; it's the face I see in the mirror. People looked good.
The kid has watched 'Madagascar' again after a longer break and he is truely enjoying it. I too have watched it for the n+1st time and there are still some scenes that make me laugh like there was no tomorrow, so I am not wondering why that film has made such a strong impression on him. 
We went to a beach with the kid today. Water was cold, +16 C degrees. An older lady coming out of water said though that water is now perfect, but she turned out to be a winter swimmer; a person who jumps into a hole in the ice and enjoyes(?) the refresing feeling of icy water. That's so not me.
An unhappy and confused guy tries to figure out what to do with his life - other than shag. People are wearing sunglasses all the time, except when the sun is shining. Jesus flies. Decadent aristocrat and intellectual characters have lots of lines. Anita walks in a fountain. People are tearing a tree apart. Nico wears a helmet. Children are killed. The guy wears a white suit. The end.
I have spent this lovely saturday evening with the dog in the picture. He would be a fantastic companion if he didn't smell like the worst fumes from hell. Guess who isn't going to sleep next to me tonight.
The face on the left is from a chinese painting that was conservated at a studio we had our lessons last week. Another face is me having a closer look.
Find your own pose!
Here's a picture from a book I am conservating (hah - funny to use that word, I could have said repairing instead) at the moment. The book is from 1910 and is in quite a good condition. So far I have gone through the whole object, noted what ought to be done, and started with reparing pages.
I am rather here than in Greta's position in the picture, but I still can't say I am having a good day. I am all pee-em-essy and touchy. I am tired of trying to communicate in Swedish, though everyone would say to this "but you are speaking so well!", which means people most of the time understand what I am trying to say.| Your Birthdate: August 1 |
 You are a natural born leader, even if those leadership talents haven't been developed yet. You have the power and self confidence to succeed in life, and your power grows daily. Besides power, you also have a great deal of creativity that enables you to innovate instead of fail. You are a visionary, seeing the big picture instead of all of the trivial little details. Your strength: Your supreme genius Your weakness: Your inappropriate sensitivity |
My time in Stockholm was lovely. Prejustices I've had towards Stockholm are getting weaker and weaker, though they do still exist. Stockholm is posh and I am not.
This is what I see from my (borrowed) balcony at the moment. Bunch of famous xylitol producing birch trees and birds are singing like there was no tomorrow. Still I am half an hour's walk from the city center - walked there today, so I know.
This is my right knee. I rode my bicycle on a cold winter morning about 23 years ago, took a tight left turn and soon found myself lying on the icy road with a bleeding knee. I was in hurry so I didn't have time get stiches, hence the scar.
My room is in Finland and it is usually occupied by two males; my son and my husband. They have a periodic table on the wall. Where I stay now walls are white and I haven't been bothered to put anything on them; I'll be moving soon anyway.
Right now, at this very moment, I am not listening to anything, but I have listened a lot to Sahara Hotnights, a cool Swedish group. Their "Difference Between Love and Hell" has been my favourite song this week. I love the guitar riff in the song and the singer's half whining voice.
Vimme in Tokyo. I like this picture a lot. The kid looks so calm and Tokyo skyline is nicely in the back ground. From Northern Europe my whole time in Tokyo seems so distant and dreamlike. And so does motherhood... God, I miss my kid!!!
Here is a picture of my already late grandmother. The picture is taken sometimes in 1910's in Helsinki. I think she looks unbearably cute in this picture.
Here's an old technical drawing I have worked with today. It is fun to DO things instead of listening lectures about how to do thing in case you do something. I like to get things done.
We were at the Nordic Watercolour Museum with my class mates yesterday. We listened to few minor lectures and saw the present exhibition at the museum. The exhibition was mainly about the dualism of flesh and spirituality in us humans; can these both aspects dwell in us at the same time (the guide told us this). The Finnish chap's (yes, a fellow Finn) works "..explore masculine sexuality with a cynicism and honesty rarely seen." Numerous painting of ugly penises in other words. I was told that he is very respected artist in Finland today. My next thought was: do I have to live in a country where respected male artists paint mud coloured ugly penises for their living?
Here's my lovely kid ruling the world from his throne. It was - again - so very sad to say good bye to him. It doesn't seem to get easier, no matter how often I do it. 
This morning we had heavy snowing and in the afternoon a beautiful sunny day. If we'd had some rain and a good thunder storm too, I would have been able to say: an ordinary Gothenburg day - weatherwise. If you want to be prepared for all possible weather option while being in Gothenburg, you better take your whole garderobe with you, any season.
I seem to be able to move pictures from the previously mentioned memory card to my computer if iTunes is not on. Computers work in mysterious ways. So, just because I can I give you this picture of the cat I live with right now.
Today is the first real spring day here in Gothenburg. Fantastic!
Oh god it was sad to say good bye to the kid. 
I'm sure you can't find dog yoga in Sweden, like you can't find a place to rent a puppy for few hours - at least not legally - but in Japan you find all this. So, you bored North European dog owner: do yoga together with your pet.
