Being Back Home

It’s been a bit quiet here lately (except for the tribute to Voyager). This is largely due to an exam I had to study for. With that out of the way (I passed), I’m now back.  While I didn’t blog, I did sew, but that’s for another post. Right now, I thought I’d show a bit more of my (not so new anymore) home. First of all, I got some lovely gifts from friends and family in Italy and Switzerland:

Today Is Super! – Thank you again Seraina!

The book I got from a dear friend in Switzerland. It’s a diary with many cheerful and happy suggestions of what to do with your day and then record it. I just love the positive attitude, not to mention the stickers! I also got a colourful notebook with inspirational quotes from a dear friend from Spain, but forgot to take a picture, as it resides in my purse. Thanks Esti!

In the picture above you can also see these weird jewelery-like pendants. These are glass markers so you don’t accidently take someone else’s drink, themselves made of fused glass. Aren’t they fabulous? My mum gave them to me after she found them in one of my Granddad’s cupboards. My Grandma must have bought or gotten them when they set up home in the 1950’s.

This next one is from PB’s mother:

Does This Look Familiar?

When I saw this motto in a coffee shop on O’ahu I felt that it describes my morning attitude quite adequately. I asked the owner if they sold it, but they didn’t. So it was a very nice surprise when I saw this hanging in our room in PB’s parent’s house! I feel very welcomed by PB’s family, especially because they know of my not so nice sides and still (miraculously) seem to like me. So grazie mille Maria!

I had briefly mentioned before leaving for the summer holidays that my Mamma had been to Ikea with me. Here’s some of our loot:

We Now Have a Kitchen Table!

Somehow the kitchen didn’t feel complete. But now with a table and chairs it feels like a place I can spend time with people while cooking. And that makes it a perfect kitchen. The other item I want to show is in the bathroom, which is still far from being perfect. But here goes:

A Towel Shelf! How Exciting (not)!

So that’s the apartment part of the renewed tour of the place I now consider home. What I also want to show, is the city itself. Now, that’s not so easy, as it’s more like separate and quite diverse neighbourhoods dotted among the woods. I’ve already showed the woods, so here are some impressions of the city parts I most visit:

Keskusta – The city center

This is the view on the main shopping street (foto taken a few weeks ago when it was still warm). I like how lively it is on sunny days. In that respect the Finns and the Swiss are the same: as soon as there is a beam of sun, everybody heads out, as you never know how long it will last. What I also like about the city center is that all the shopping happens inside malls. Why I like that? Simple: I just don’t get tempted to shop! So I get less unneccesary stuff and also waste less time organising and cleaning it at home. Win!

Next up, the “piazza” in front of the supermarket we shop at most often:

K- and S-Markets – Always neighbours

Functional is what is needed in this context, not beauty. I am, however, amazed that you would put this huge space in front of a supermarket (it’s not a parking lot). But that’s probably my Swiss self that is used to the lack of horizontal space. It feels nice to have so much breathing space. Usually, if there aren’t any houses, there are trees. So from far away the neighbourhoods look like this:

Our Neighbourhood – seen from opposite the lake

Today it has started snowing.  However, the ground is not cold yet, as up to Friday we had around 15°-17°C. So I guess we’re in for a cold yet slushy Autumn. Argh! But let’s hope I’m wrong. Let’s hope it will turn out like last year:

Sunny And Colourful!