i was finally able to ride the steam train! i have been checking their schedule since july. there had been trips that i wanted to be on, but we had something else to do then, so i had to wait for last weekend's trip.
my waiting has paid off 😃 it was a nice experience to be on the steam train. the creaking noise and all the movements were all parts of the wonderful journey to Loviisa.
my first time to be in Loviisa. surprisingly, there was an open house for old traditional houses last weekend. we didn't go in to see any old house, but we walked along the street where the old houses were.
we also checked the flea market with a lot of interesting old stuffs. we had lunch at a cozy restaurant. i ordered a plate of salad with marinated chicken. it was divine! i would eat that salad everyday if it was served to me 😄
the whole experience was nice because i was with daddy. as always, i planned to go alone. but he made that day available for this trip. and pappa took care of Fasu while we were away. it's nice to have a time together, just the two of us, once in a blue moon 😻
today starts our winter schedule at the cafe.
i had the morning shift and i had to wake up at 4:13 am. 😴
it was a bit hard to get out of bed so early. but at work, it was nice that i had time to prepare everything without hurrying so much. i would say, it was an easy day 😀
i bought a skipping rope from the shop because i am so inspired by Ms. Rica Peralejo.
it looks easy. i thought i can do it. i even practiced skipping without the rope. and it was easy. but with a rope....oohhh...it's a different thing.
that evening, when we took Fasu for a walk, i told daddy that i will practice skipping with my newly bought rope. and i did! with only 5 (or less ) skips, i felt like giving up. gosh! it was difficult. i skipped every now and then until we were back home.
it takes a lot of practice and determination to get to where those jumping rope experts are. i salute them! 😀👏
i got some green beans from Somi's sister's garden 😁
Somi told me one way to prepare it, with lime and fish sauce, which i did the moment i got home from the shop. i thought i will get that taste in Thai food that Somi makes, but no...it was good. i liked its taste but something is missing...hmmm...i will bring some to Somi tomorrow and ask her what she thinks about it. for sure, she will know what the missing ingredient is.
i'm glad that i didn't go with daddy to the garage. he called me while i was still at work if i wanted to go with him to Make's place. he thought i wanted to pick up some berries from the forest. but there is no forest near Make's place. it's just a vast area of swamp. hmmmm...daddy talaga!
and i don't want to pick-up cranberries from the swamp because the last time i was there with Fasu, one BIG black bird was chasing us. i don't want any bird encounters...😞
"the Sandman" is on netflix and i am binging from one episode to the next.
back when i was in Stryn, i was into clouds. different forms of clouds fascinated me. these days, i have been looking up more often and watch the clouds. they are so pretty. i'm happy to be able to enjoy this simple sight everyday.
it's hard to work in the kitchen when it's warmer than the temperature outside. these past days, i have been sweating a lot when i'm working. i don't wish for the weather to get colder. i know it will come soon. but,...22 degrees should be okay 😁 30 degrees is not okay.
when i was walking home today, there were already fallen leaves on the ground. gosh! autumn is creeping slowly.
i went to Helsinki yesterday with daddy. he had an appointment with one specialist about his arm problem. he has been going back and forth to the hospital here, but they couldn't find out what's really wrong with his arm or where the problem really is.
his physical therapist recommended one specialist, the one that he met yesterday. he was happy that he was able to talk to an expert about it. after some tests, the specialist told him that he has TOS, thoracic outlet syndrome. the good news is, the specialist thinks, it can still be treated with physical therapy. i'm so happy to know that he doesn't have to undergo the risky surgery. actually, the doctor here in the local hospital already put him in the waiting list for the operation. it could take 2 months or more before he can get a slot for the operation. but now, since the specialist doesn't recommend surgery for him, daddy needs to call to the hospital so they can crash him out from the waiting list.
after meeting with the specialist, we walked some blocks around the Bulevard side of Helsinki. it was my first time to be in that area. it was nice, i like it there! there were some cute cafes and ceramic shops.
we found an Italian restaurant. when we got in, we were greeted by a golden retriever. he was so well-behaved and i can't help but call him 'babba' 😁 he goes from one table to another greeting customers or maybe asking for food. hehehe
i ordered lasagne bolognese. daddy wanted it too, but he was sure that they use garlic in it. so, he ordered some ham and cheese sandwich. on the first bite, he realized that they use garlic bread for the sandwich 😅
it was nice to spend some time with daddy. we haven't had much time together, i mean just the two of us, for a while.
sometimes, i need to call his attention that i'm here! spend time with me, too! 😄
i watched "Elvis" the other day with daddy. i felt sad towards
the end of the movie. it's a very sad thing when you want to do something, and someone is manipulating you to do something else. what's even sadder is that you want to get out of that situation but you can't.
sigh!
life!
i'm enjoying the remaining warm days of late summer. today has been 27 degrees. i went for a walk with Fasu in the forest. it was nice because we didn't encounter any other soul in the forest. maybe it was too hot for people to walk. i wanted to go deep further into the other side of the forest but i thought it would be too much for Fasu.
my mood lately has been going crazy. it's getting out of hand. it's driving me crazy that i can't control my emotions. and i'm sure it's driving daddy even more insane how to handle me and my moods.
i was preparing to go to my dentist this morning, when i got a SOS message from work. i thought, i might as well come to help for a few minutes since it's near the dental clinic.
well, it was really busy when i came there. i helped with the dishes for a while until it was time for my dental appointment. 😵
when i got home from work, Fasu was waiting for me. i felt guilty for leaving her in a hurry a few hours ago. so i took her for a walk which led to the cafe near the railway station. i got us some ice cream and we shared it as we sat under the shady tree and enjoyed the cool August breeze.
Fasu's been so nice all the time that we were at the cafe. and it was nice to walk with her when we didn't encounter any other dogs. 😁
daddy drove Vaski to Heinola last thursday so we can stay there over the weekend. they had a street food festival and free concerts for kids and adults.
i joined the group just on saturday because i wanted to have some relaxing alone time at home.
i took the bus from Lahti to Heinola. it brought back memories to me when i was still working in Matkakeidas and taking the bus every day to work.
it was raining very hard when i arrived in Heinola. i took refuge under the bridge until the rain calmed down, then i went to join the group in Vaski.
my mood was as dark as the weather. but it got better as time went by...just like the weather 😁
we went to visit the museum. after that, we went to the street food alley. i just had a burger.
when Esa and Juli came, we had coffee near the harbor. then we drove with them to Siltasaari to have another cup of coffee. Siltasaari is like heaven to me. i mean, i can stay there all day and have coffee, read a book or just stare at the scenery. i love the place!
the kids love it, too! there were so many interesting things and they were running around which made the adults very nervous.
we also walked beside the railway...it was a very nice experience to me. and you know what, one of these days, i will go back to Heinola and visit those places again.
we went to the water tower. i visited that place 3 or 4 years ago...i thought that time that there isn't any other place to visit in Heinola. but i was wrong! i know now that i was wrong! in fact, i'm so ready to move and live in Heinola 😁
sunday.
i woke up at 8 and made breakfast. after i was done making food, people were still sleeping so i went to take a walk with Fasu.
after breakfast, we watched the concert for the kids. oh, how they loved it! kids were dancing and jumping in front of the stage. it's really nice that they organized something like that for the kids, too!
we had lunch and then we went back to watch Samae Koskinen's performance. i really love his cool voice and his songs.
after the Turku group left, we listened to Maija Vilkkumaa's songs. we didn't go in the theater area anymore because it was full and Juli wanted to go to the playground. i accompanied her in the kid's area.
when we said our goodbyes to Esa and Juli, i drove dodge to Kalkkinen and daddy drove Vaski to the same destination. i hated the road to Kalkkinen. i wonder how i survived driving there yesterday. it was like a roller coaster ride.
it took about 40 minutes to drive dodge from Heinola to Kalkkinen. for daddy and Vaski, it took 2 hours. Fasu and i waited for them at the harbor in Kalkkinen. we ate carrots. i read the book that i bought from the second-hand shop in Heinola while Fasu took a nap.
when daddy and Vaski came, we had dinner there and drove with dodge back to Lahti. we left Vaski at the harbor because it's still a long drive by boat back to Lahti.
it was a very nice weekend! a bit stressful at times. but i will hold on to the nice stuffs 😁
technically, Amanda is still banned to be in the living room and bedroom. but daddy is not home, so i called her and allowed her to sleep on the bed. she was hesitant to come in at first. i had to call her many times before she slowly walked into the bedroom. i know daddy will be mad when he finds out that the cat has been here. but he wouldn't know it. what he doesn't know won't hurt him 😁
