agto ta sa Padasjoki river

five years ago, daddy, fasu and i spent a boat trip along Padasjoki river. i just recalled it a few days ago and i mentioned it to Jukka. he said, someday, we'll go back there. i didn't expect that someday would be too soon. 

i got out of work at 4, drove back home to pick up Amanda, then drove to Vääksy where daddy and fasu were waiting. that was my first time to drive to Vääksy alone, and of course, i got lost and drove at least three times around the centrum before i finally found daddy and fasu waving to me at the end of the street. phew!

we left Vääksy harbor towards Kelvenne. it was about an hour and a half drive with Vaski. this time, we docked on the other side of the island which is called Kirkkosalmi. i was quite skeptical about staying there because there were a few boats and one ship already docked by the shore. i just wanted to have a very quiet couple of days on the island. surprisingly, our neighbors were very quiet. retired people who also want to spend some relaxing days out of the city.

we had sauna and went to sleep.

the next day, we had breakfast at the back of the ship. we had pancakes and fresh strawberries. i swear, strawberries have never tasted that sweet! it was the ambiance and the company of daddy that just made breakfast to tasty.

after breakfast, daddy prepared the motorboat, and off we went to Padasjoki! it's so exciting to be in a fast boat! when we found the mouth of the river, we slowed down. the limit is 10km/hr. 

oh, it was just as magical as the first time that we were there. the waterlilies, the grass, the trees, the houses on the side of the river, dragonflies and the sunshine. it was a perfect river cruise!

we found the small bridge where we docked the boat. then we walked to the centrum to buy somethings. apparently, five years have been a long time. the store where we once bought some groceries is now closed. or has been closed for four years now, as we were informed by one restaurant owner where we stopped by to get some refreshment. she told us the stores are a few hundred meters away from the centrum. so we went to the shop and bought what we needed.

the feeling that i got when we were cruising back to the lake was just pure happiness. nature does that to me. it gives me that certain glow inside, that keeps me alive for days.

on the boat to Padasjoki

Padasjoki harbour

Padasjoki river

the friendly dragonfly

we docked the boat under this bridge

i just love this tiny old bridge

my sunset view

watching the sunset from the rooftop

feeding time for ducks

midnight view after sauna

strawberries and pancakes for breakfast

this summer heat makes you want to be in the water all the time

p.s. i hope you're having a warm summer, too!

dropping a shoe along the motorway

if Cinderella was driving in the fairytale, would she lose her other shoe while driving her horse-drawn carriage? anyway, i just remembered Cinderella with what happened to me today.

as planned, i was to go to the summerhouse after work. as i stopped in an intersection a few hundred meters from my workplace, the driver of the car behind me honked his her horn twice. i wondered what his problem was. there was a 'STOP' sign so i need to stop. when i turned right and started to speed up, i heard a thud from the roof of the car. as 60km/hour turned into 80km/hour, i saw my sneakers fall to the top of the trunk from the rearview mirror. then i realized, oh, maybe that's the reason why the other driver was honking his horn! i can't stop driving because there were other cars behind me and maybe i could have stopped somewhere but i didn't want to. i was too scared to pull over the road.

the story of the sneakers on the roof of the car goes like this...when i got out of my workplace, i had my backpack, drinks on the right hand, sneakers and phone on the left. i put the sneakers on the roof so I'll have an extra hand to open the car and put my things in it. i thought i will remember to take my sneakers in too. but i didn't. so that's the story.

i arrived in the summerhouse safe and with just one pair of sneakers. 

lesson learned: never put anything on the roof of the car because more or less, you'll forget about it. unless you have a good memory, of course. 

p.s. has this ever happened to you?

 

i got my driver's license at 40

....at 40, almost turning 41.

i enrolled in a driving school two years ago. after six driving sessions, i stopped going there because winter came. and i was scared to drive in the snow. i said to myself that i will go back to my driving classes in the spring. the next autumn came, then next winter...i still haven't paid a visit to the school. hehehe. i'm that kind of student who procrastinates. 😏

so last spring, i finally went back to school because daddy has been pushing me to. around first week of April, i took my driving test, and i failed! i was kind of dramatic after the instructor said that i have to take the test again because well, i made a lot of mistakes. 

it was funny, because when i first took the driving test, i was more confident with my skills. so when i got the result, i felt frustrated. i didn't even want to drive anymore.

then again, i have to be realistic and face the fact that i really need to drive to work when i have morning shifts and weekend schedules. also around this Juhannus time when the buses are not available. can you imagine, last year, in Juhannus, i had to ride my bike to work! two hours of biking to work, 8 hours of work and another two hours back home. i was super dead tired after that. and i didn't want to do that again.

that thought motivated me to try my luck again. i booked another schedule for the test. i told daddy that if i won't pass the test this time, we'll have lunch at mcdonald's to make myself feel better. and i was praying that i will get another instructor. but as we drove to the parking area of the checking company, i already saw the man outside the office. in my mind, i was wishing that he's just hanging out there talking to friends. but when i was about to enter the office, he came to me and said, 'no niin...'... oh gosh! well, there are just some things that we have no control of. 

i was nervous during the test. i was even expecting to fail again. but then, i passed! i was surprised! really! but i'm thankful. and surprised. hahaha! so exactly, a week from now, on the Philippine independence day, i passed my second attempt to getting a license to drive. 😁

p.s. I'll probably write about my first day of driving alone next time...😅

weekend by the lake

after two months, daddy finally had a weekend off!!! hurrah! it was perfect timing that i had free days off, too. 

we talked about sailing, but towards the end of the week, the weather seemed gloomy. in fact, the weatherman reported strong wind and heavy rain for saturday and sunday. we didn't care. we packed our things, the food, the girls' food then headed to the lake. 

it was windy but it didn't rain. it was around 10 in the evening when we reached Kelvenne. on the side of the island where we docked, there were two campers and us. so it was really quiet, except for the howling of the wind. 

sunday morning was still windy. we had breakfast then we headed to the forest for a long walk.

oh, how i miss taking long walks with daddy and Fasu. i just really miss spending time together with them. and also to spend the day without any hurry or worries.

i've had lazy days, alone, during the quarantine. but i also like having lazy days with daddy. it's something special to me, since he works long days.

hopefully, we'll have more of these lazy times this summer.

this is at Kelvennenlampi. Fasu went for a swim. We threw sticks for her to fetch. She really likes to do that. She didn't even want to leave.

 

walking in the forest with these two

warm day for Fasu

barbecue

just us by the beach

sunset

morning coffee

cheers to the captain

we usually make coffee in this pot when we are in Vaski

June 6-8 was a great weekend! i hope we'll get more chance to be by the lake this summer 😊

 

 

 

 

a new old tv series that i love

is this photo familiar to you?

well, for me, this is a new thing. i was scrolling through some tv-series and movies on the tablet last night. and i saw the familiar face of Eric Mabius. actually, i had to google his name. i know that i've seen him in a movie or series but i can't remember which one. so i had to ask google 😊 surely, google knows!

the funny thing is, while at work yesterday, i glanced many times on the tv screen and they were showing this series. then and there, i wondered where i've seen that familiar face before. and of course, i forgot about as the hours went by.

it was just a small miracle that when i got home, i felt that i need to watch something relaxing on the tablet, and i found this tv series! signed, sealed, delivered. it's a 2014 romantic/comedy, starred by four geniuses, Norman, Oliver, Rita and Shane. their 'loop' recovers undeliverable mails. they perform this magical ritual where they Oliver picks up one lost letter and the Norman analyzes it, then Oliver chooses one of his paper knives, opens and reads the letter. Rita, with her eidetic memory, butts in with information and Shane, with the aid of her remarkable laptop, finds more details online. 

it's such a comfort watching this series. i've just seen the first two episodes last night and one episode while i was having my morning coffee, and i can say that i'm hooked. i actually feel 'kilig'!

oh, and i want to correct myself about 'small miracles'. on the third episode, Theresa Capodiamonte said, 'there are no small miracles, Oliver. only big miracles! they only seem small because we stand far away from them'.

😉😉😉

have a nice day! may you have big miracles today 😊

first day at work after the quarantine

i planned to have a smooth first day back to work. but you know, sometimes things just need a bit of a drama. well, i left home early. i took a nice walk to the bus stop. i waved to the first bus that i saw coming and hopped in. when i was about to pay for my bus card, the driver said that she doesn't accept cash and i can't pay by card either. when i asked her where i can reload my bus card, she pointed me to the train station. the thing is, if i go to the train station, i will be late for my next bus to work. the driver just shrugged. great!

i got off manang's bus and tried my luck on the next one. this time, the driver told me that i can reload my card at one kiosk in the city center. he asked me to just get in and he'll drop me there. wow! such an angel! i'm truly thankful to that driver.

on the bus to work, i was thinking of how i just wanted to be at home...edit my videos, play with Fasu and Amanda or bake, read, whatever... i tried to divert my attention to the familiar fields and lakes that we passed by. i was calm, though. i wasn't hyperventilating with indifference. i was just soothingly admitting to myself that i don't feel happy to go back to work. 

there's a new set-up at work. it was reasonable and safe for everyone. the customers were friendly and nice. my co-workers said it was nice to see each other again after a while. there was a time when customers had to fall in line and times when it was quiet. it was just a perfect balmy working day.

on the bus back home, i was reminded of how i love sightseeing while traveling. it makes me feel relaxed. these days the dandelions are in full bloom and the fields are all yellow. the sun has been shining brightly and its reflection on the lake was blinding. the kids were playing on the field. the apple trees on people's yards are in bloom, as well, making them look like reachable clouds. people are wearing t-shirts and shorts, girls wearing flared dresses, people eating ice cream, bikers, Harley Davidson riders, teenagers who play loud music while driving, the crisp giggle of young girls at the back of the bus...all these and more are my memories of my first day back at work.