Spring is in the air

This morning they started to remove all that gravels out off sidewalks and all the pedestrians ways in our neighborhood. The first signs of spring. It means we do not expect any snow fall before the next winter. And so the thick layer of hard gravel can be remove and keep for the next winter season. I don't know if this year's winter was so short or just the time is going so fast, but somehow I feel like it just started and now is the end. OK, there was almost no snow this year, similar to last one, very bad, grey, wet winter. I have an impression there were too little time for ice-skating and now they are closing all the rinks. We hardly used our sledge with the kids. The bad thing about Helsinki winter is that actually quite often the season looks like the passing one. And another bad news is that still the spring comes in May. So, now we can expect about two months of again grey and wet weather. OK, any optimistic news? Well, my experience of Finnish seasons is only four years and as long as I remember the green leaves comes in May and actually its second half... but maybe this year will be different? But today after a week of cloudy sky the sun appeared and you could really and truly feel the spring in the air. Positive. And days are suddenly so long again! I wake up at 7 and it is light and it is light up to almost 7 in the evening. Energizing. And birds are singing all day long. Love it.
What else has March brought us? My birthday, again. Less and less to celebrate and I was sick, very sick with high fever, terrible headache and stuffed nose for a week, so even less to celebrate.
I guess our final decision about us moving to Espoo.
My final internal decision about going back to work. What kind of? That's still among many questions including taking some courses or studies (for updating my brain resources) or internships (to check if I am able to become a part of a team again) or going back to writing (and prove I can still do this) - but again question for whom, what kind of writing etc. 

First spring day

It's spring. And not only according to the calendar, but it really came to Helsinki. I've already spotted some early spring flowers. This year they came up so early because of no snow. And today is so warm and sunny. Warm, I mean, it depends on what you expect of course. For me it means something like +5C and sun and no wind. I spent with Tomek the whole morning outside. After we left Wanda in a day care we went to our favorite park. Tomek feels there at home because we go there for so many months already. And there are plenty of other small kids from serounding day cares. It's funny, because you can hear there many languages. There are kids from Finnish kindergartens, from a Swedish one, from a French place, from Wanda's place, that is English speakers. But it's nice. And after that we walked along the shore, passed Ruoholahti harbor and went towards Eira and the park at the sea side. You can walk there following the now biking/walking path, previously probably some industrial road. And you get strait to the beach. Yes, there is a tiny sandy beach. I missed it so much. I feel such comfort when I listen to the sound of waves, to the scream of sea guls. When I can look at the sea. The powerful nature. Calming and energizing in a same time. And my little boy was so amazed by the sea. He run strait to the water. I had to keep him tight. We were throwing rocks to the water and chased the waves. So much fun.

Puu-Vallila or Wooden Vallila walk

Today we went for a walk to this old district in Helsinki - wooden Vallila, old Vallila. It is few blocks with old wooden houses build in the beginning of XX century. They look a bit like those old small towns like Porvoo or Rauma. I mean that by walking down those narrow streets along those small wooden painted houses you don't have a feeling of being in a big city. You get the feeling of moving back several decades to some long forgotten old days. The weather was also perfect. Cold, a bit cloudy (and finally it started to snow a little), first sunny but soon quite dark. You know sort of the atmosphere from Kaurismaki's movies. Old fashion. Old Finland. Places you don't know where they are. And they hidden form the public eye. They hide nowadays between much higher newer buildings (still quite old though) which stand along main streets. For me it was sort of a surprise to "discover" the whole Vanha Vallila right behind a street which I used to drive almost for the whole last year (it was on my way to a day care). The houses still look quite good (some were under renovation) but what they say it is not a posh neighborhood. It used to be working class area but nowadays it is becoming trendy (or bohemian) like Kallio. I'm not sure about those wooden houses, but it is said about the whole Vallila. Unfortunately we didn't check the battery in our camera (it was empty) so no pics were taken. But I believe the one Helsinki episode from old Jim Jarmush movie has a scene either in this area or another with very similar old wooden houses. So, you can google and see that scene (when the drunk guy ends up being kicked out of the taxi around his house). Anyway, I like Helsinki for still having so many places like that. Preserved for decades without any touch of modern life.

Saturday at Haltiala Farm

Let's spring!

Spring is now official. Well, no wonder on May 20th... but I mean also a spring atmosphere around the town. Last Saturday there was a Restaurant Day in Helsinki. What it means is just everyone could establish a restaurant for one day. What does it mean in practice? You could make a stand somewhere in a park or on a street, cook or bake some meal, cakes, snacks, whatever you'd wish and you could sell them to the people. One of my friends established a "Mobile Cookie Jar", that is a huge basket full of home made cookies on a Christiania Bike and she was riding the bike and selling cookies for one day. We didn't make any restaurant, but we did try the goodies made by others. And it was fun. Some Mayan snacks, Indian vegan meals, Asian sweets, Eastern cookies etc. After such lunch my stomach was a bit confused, but I survived. Next Saturday there will be a Cleaning Day means again - everyone can become a seller for one day. Or a donor. So, you can sell or donate (to one of a few foundations like Fida, UFF) whatever you don't need anymore but what is still in a good shape and someone could use it. This time I'm considering to join the crowd. Most probably I will just donate some clothes and stuff. The spring/summer spirit you can see from people relaxing on the lawns around the town and from hundreds of bikers. There will be plenty of events but of course with a baby still depending on my breast it is hard to plan a night out. Talking about "night" - there is hardly any already. Yesterday right before going to bed I went out to our balcony to breath the fresh air and I was really astounded how light there was outside. And we have still a whole month to the longest day.
Oh, and I went to Poland for a week. Me plus the kids. I was a brave mom traveling by for the first time myself - first by car to Turku, then by plain to Gdansk. My in-laws were sort of shocked that I want to make it all by myself and that my husband should drive me there and help me, but actually it was a piece of cake. I packed the kids to the car in our garage and drove all the way (one strait like in Arizona highway) to Turku airport. And it is only two hours drive. Have you ever been there? Especially on terminal 2? It doesn't look like an airport. It looks like a wooden stable somewhere in the woods. Really. There is a forest around. You park right in the front of this building and walk inside. There is no people cause there are only a few flights from that terminal. One check-in point. One gate. One plain. And besides - my great daughter is just a perfect traveler. I love to travel in her company. She is alert, smart, smiley, ready to go.

May Day

There came May. And there was a may-Day or Vappu in Finland. Everywhere in the world people celebrate the Day of Labour, but in Finland people celebrate this day as it was a New Year's Eve. There is sparkling wine everywhere, people are picnicking in parks all over the city, the booze is everywhere and cheer mood too. We were considering going downtown and see all that silly crowd, but than I said - well, maybe our seven months old baby wouldn't appreciate that dizzy atmosphere. And so we just went for a long walk to the woods near by and we really appreciated the spring weather, the spring forest - green and free of snow! And again so beautiful with all the huge rocks and conifers around. And believe it or not on that special day we'd got a special weather. It was the warmest day so far this year. It was almost 14C plus full sunshine plus unfortunately strong wind, but in the forest we didn't feel it that much. And you know what, walking in the woods we actually noticed that this northern forests are quite smart. Because there are almost only the coniferous trees and on a ground there is moss - everything is green again the moment the last snow melts. It is smart in the climate where new green leaves come in mid May at the earliest. Anyway, my mood is of course much better now.

Spain

Yes, we were there. Our spring vacation. And it was one of a best things we did this winter. We were leaving Helsinki covered in snow (old, grey snow) and during that week most of it has melted. We came to Spain, to Barcelona and it was 20C in the evening on the airport! Flowers and palm trees! We rented a car and headed to Tossa de Mar, a wonderful medieval town on Costa Brava. Dream place it was. And there was again at least plus 20 every day. The beach, the sea, cafes, restaurants, wine, jamon, oh, even a date with my own husband! Yep, it doesn't happen that often these days. So, I appreciated it a lot and I was so happy and relaxed there. My parents came too, so we split the time with the kids. I would say, I'd love to make it more often. Even in March it won't be a bad idea. There would be already spring, while there is still full winter in Finland. And I wouldn't mind to wear a light coat. So, why I didn't bring back with me that summer attitude? I don't know. Somehow I am tired with everything and it is hard to enjoy my everyday routine. But I know it is a temporary mood. It always was. I'm not a pessimist by nature. Oh, anyway, I can hear and see a digger which came to remove the rest of the snow from our yard! Yeah! Hurra! Small things can make your day :)

A day on an island

Last weekend was unbelievably warm. Perfect weather for a whole day picnic. My mum visited us for a weekend, my husband was away on a conference and so I decided to go for a trip. Short trip. And I found a wonderful place, especially magical at this part of a year. Uunisaari and Harakka. Tiny islands just couple hundreds meters from a mainland and the southern marina in the heart of Helsinki. So we packed our picnic, that is some oranges and bananas and water and off we go! The boat goes to Uunisaari (3,50 euro round trip) and you can walk along that island and cross to the other one on a tiny bridge. It's green and rocky and the most amazing thing there were the nesting birds. This is actually why I wanted to go there, cause I've read in SixDegrees that it is a great place for bird watching. And it is indeed. At this part of the year the birds are nesting and they just sit on a grass, I mean they do have sort of nests, but they are set up on the ground and not hidden from humans eyes. They sit literally steps from the path people use for walking. And they look so calm and relaxed. And there weren't that many people, so I guess they can feel safe. So the females were sitting on eggs and around each female there was a male watching around and keeping his eye on any potential danger. There were some sort of geese (I don't know the name) and seagulls mostly but we also saw a swam couple. Beautiful and amazing. Wanda was so happy to see that many birds and also some offspring. She was jumping around on the rocks and splashing water in the tiny ponds. I wasn't in charge of taking pictures, but there is just couple to show you the atmosphere. We had our first summer day in Helsinki.