Merry Christmas

Nasu likes flowers

Mikko's cat Nasu is fond of flowers. As you might notice!

Between Hindsby and Landsbo

Multimedia message
Originally uploaded by Riikka's photos

Mushroom forest in Sipoo, Finland. We had a lovely afternoon.

Some ducks

Evening walk Vartiokylä bay.

Day in a forest

Picking some mushrooms in Sipoo.
Found some nice ones.
I especially like the chanterelles.
Porcini is great too.

I'm still here

Cordelia asked if I'm still here - I am, even though I have been working overtime lately.

It's already the end of August and we have that feeling of autumn in the air. I have always liked the autumn days.

And what I have been doing, here's my last week:

*Friday 17 working, my husband left for a trip, watching the Mulholland Drive by David Lynch. Walking a really long walk with the dog.

*Saturday 18 doing some work in the garden, shopping, reading, cleaning, talking in the phone with a friend for a long time.

*Sunday 19 preparing a speech, getting my husband from the train station but beeing late

*Monday 20 working and working

*Tuesday 21 working and being tired

*Wednesday 22 working, giving a speech to some researchers and attending a panel discussion, later meeting some friends in a pub.

*Thursday 23 working, cleaning, watching some episode of the Lost.

Sounds pretty boring, doesn't it?

I am waiting
- the swimming hall in Eastern Helsinki to open after the summer break
- women's choir weekly rehersals to start
- French for travellers course to start
- the concert of Bo Kasper's orchestra next Monday in Helsinki
- a nice weekend for a mushroom picking trip to a nearby forest

Cheese salad with some fruit

It's Sunday, and pretty soon it's going to rain.

I'm sad. It's the last day of my vacation. Do I really have to wait another year to have this feeling of freedom again?

Why I can't be a child again, without responsibilities? to wait and not to remeber. Not trying to stop the time, but encouraging it to fly.

I have been reading some Finnish food and recipe blogs. Nice idea. I began to think that I could share one of my recipies as well. Cheese salad with some fruit - I make it quite often.

Cheese salad with some fruit (for 4 people)

-some lettuce

-some lollo rosso

-6 fresh plums

- 1 apple,

- 2 kiwi fruit

- 200 g blue cheese

- 200 g Finnish cream cheese (or gouda)

sauce: 0,75 dl olive oil, 0,25 dl vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar, oregano

Slice everything and pour the sauce on top.

------------------------

Hedelmäinen juustosalaatti (4 annosta)

1 ruukkusalaatti

1 ruukku lollo rosso -salaattia

6 tuoretta luumua

1 omena

2 kiiviä

200 g sinihomejuustoa

200 g kermajuustoa

Kastike:

· 0,75 dl ruokaöljyä

· 0,25 dl viinietikkaa

· suolaa, pippuria ja sokeria

· oreganoa

Jekku, will you shut up?

Sometimes it's quite annoying to have a Finnish Lapphund. This Finnish dog breed is in the top 10 list of the most favourite dogs in Finland. OK, it is CUTE, INTELLIGENT and FUNNY, but... it also has it's faults.

Like barking.

This reindeer herding dog surely knows how to bark and howl.

Jazz music

Multimedia message
Originally uploaded by Riikka's photos

Pori Jazz, some applauding.

Cottage in an island

Multimedia message
Originally uploaded by Riikka's photos

In Lohisaari. Bertie is a bit nervous about Jekku. Waiting for the rain to stop.