WARNING DOG WALKERS!

Kopioitu: HUOMIO! Kaikki nisulassa/viitaniemess� lenkkeilij�t! Eilen kouluun k�velless�ni huomasin, ett� joku oli ripotellut lihapullia ymp�ri viitaniemen monttua ja sen verran k�vin niit� potkimassa, ett� sis�lt� paljastui jotain ter�vi� piikkej� (kenties partakoneeen teri�?) ja osassa oli pienenpieni� vihreit� ja vaaleansinisi� kuulia. T�m� kuitenkin tiedoksi jokaiselle ja tarkkailkaa ymp�rist�� jos/kun liikutte nisulassa tai viitaniemess�!


In English:
Be very careful when walking your dogs around the Viitaniemi area, especially near the dog park, as there has been some meat balls found laced with poison and (possibly?) razor blades.
Please share this with all of your dog-walking friends in the Jyv�skyl� area....

Yarn, doo-dads and spinners!

Today I met with my friend and we decided to go to the little exhibition inside the Craft Museum of Finland.

The stairs towards the laughter and awed voices....

In the hallway a lady was using her electric spinner!!

A very small room packed with yarn, books, wool and jewellery...and some doo-dads too!

I bought some Hand-dyed yarn from this lady (blonde and with a black shirt)...she was very friendly, had beautiful yarn colours for only 15� a skein (400m approximately per skein) and she had some "BLING-BLING lanka" (Bling Bling yarn)...
Yes I am serious.

Some buttons.......

Take-out...except it was for decoration and made me a little hungry for both FOOD and YARN!

Another spinner but she used both feet!  (And no electricity).

Funky light shade in the Museum.

It reminded me of berries mashed up...yum.

My "Bling Bling Yarn"...see the bit of sparkle near the bottom?

Did you go and what did you get?
What will you make with your new goodies?

The Craft Museum of Finland

In downtown Jyv�skyl�, there is a Craft Museum of Finland beside the Taito Shop near the beginning of the pedestrian walk-way. (Across from Nordea Bank).
And tomorrow - well, technically today (25th of March) there is going to be an exhibition of sorts about yarn, stitches, knitting and crochet and other yarn-related things.
I do not have a lot of information about it - but there is a Facebook event if you read it in Finnish....but check it out from 11am-4pm!
My colleagues told me there will be many entrepreneurs there, many things to purchase and look at...so over all - a wooly-crafter's dream! 

Tick-Tock!

Today is March 25 and you need to put your clocks ahead an hour (those living in Finland)....

Have fun going without that extra hour of sleep...it's personally one of my most dreaded days of the year.
My cell phone did not automatically update itself because it doesn't offer that option...but the time officially goes forward at 3am.  My computer told me so when I was about to change the clock before heading to bed.

(Canada and the US have already turned their clocks forward a few weeks ago...)

**UPDATE:  YES my phone DID update itself!!!  My computer automatically did and told me so....so now I am an hour ahead of things because I thought it was 9:15am when I woke up...but it was 8:15am - even WITH the time change!

Fun and Folksy...

Remember I wrote about some Folk Dancing With Babies yesterday?
Well, we went.  I took my youngest (5-months old) and my friends Teija and Kaisa brought their baby boys too (all under 6 months).
I didn't get many photos outside and the exercises were very hands-on with our children, so not many indoor shots either.
I would have liked to take more photos outside but to be honest - it was quite difficult to!

Lutakko Dance Hall is located across the lake and train tracks and is very near Paviljonki (the Pavillion).  When getting there, one thing you'll notice right off the bat is that it's super muddy (currently), icy still and the puddles are long and deep enough that you should probably bring your own boat...or scuba gear as Kaisa put it!
I know it's a result of the melting snow, the slightly warming temperatures and the construction site nearby - making it quite difficult to get there by vehicle, find nearby parking spots or by foot!
But I continue...
The outside of the building looks run-down and is made of bricks.
The inside had some stairs, so we parked our strollers in there and plucked our babies out and headed up.
When you finally get inside, it's full of Sharpie-designed graffiti...as in tips and advice such as: "Don't stop giving a F**K!"  (A lot of it in English and thanks to the person who taught me my daily little life lesson!)

Anyways, I was getting nervous because we were so sure of the time (Teija and I arrived first) and nobody was there, nor did anyone understand what we were talking about.
Finally, a lady came and it turns out that the 4:30pm session for 0-1 year babies no longer exists because there were not enough babies so it was held at 5:00pm with the 1-3 year olds.
Okay!  Fine with me!
We enter a tiny kitchenette of a room and begin to remove our shoes and coats and undress our sleepy babies and head through a door way where there is a large-enough dance hall with lots of mirrors.
I must not forget the pink and grey yoga mats!

Everyone got a yoga mat to sit on and we (K, T and I) introduced our babies and how old they were and that was that.  We don't know any of the other parents/grandparents names there - as it was just the children's names that were called our during our first song.
The first song was very cute and each child was given the chance to really "shine"!  We were sitting in a circle and the child beside you and we sang a "boy song" or a "girl song", depending on who was next in the circle.
When it got to the next child, that child was able to pick an action movement, like: clapping your hands, tapping your toes etc. and they'd all sing a little Finnish song using that child's name and doing their chosen action-movement.
When it came to me and my 5-month old, I decided tapping his head was best with his hands...

After that came the scarf-song.  Oh this was a doozy.
Each child got a little light green handkerchief and was allowed to run around this hall like mad when the music played.
BUT!  When the music stopped, they had to stop running and shake their hanky.  Very cute and incredibly impressive that not a single tear was shed because nobody bumped into anyone!

Some light tunes involved us carrying our children and zooming around or putting our kids on our shoulders and running around....

Then came the "Sacrifice The Children To The Hedgehog Puppet" dance.
Oh yes....this was the most confusing for me as I had no idea what was going on.  (Not the real title!)
We're all in a circle, walking lightly - going around and around - while the teacher had a hedgehog puppet on her hand and was singing the song.
Then when this tune is over - everyone - I mean EVERYONE, picked up their kids as high as they could and ran into a tight circle to the hedgehog puppet.  (See what I mean about sacrificing to the hedgehog bit?)
I was freaked out because we stopped going in nice, lazy light-footed circles and suddenly we were being rushed to the center and we could go back to the lazy circle business until some child said the magic word.  (I really have no idea what was being said.)  I finally got it after awhile and it was very fun.

After that we did some "Bear" movements...and I mean it when I say "Bear Movements."
Folk music was played and everyone - oh yes, parents/grandparents (which I think there were 1 or 2 grandmas in attendance) included - crawled and growled like a bear.
Ahti and Akseli just stared at each other on their bellies.
There was some cuddling and cooing for a couple of minute to some soft, sleepy folk tunes....

Then CLAP-CLAP, see you next week!
We rolled up our yoga mats and tried to head out as quickly as possible....it was only 30 minutes of exercising but felt longer due to our adventure just to get IN to Lutakko's Dance Hall....
And that tiny kitchenette was PACKED with older children coming to do their exercise club!

Overall, it was a very fun experience and something I would consider doing regularly if it were not so difficult to get to.

PS - We just wore comfortable clothes to exercise...we left these types of outfits to the pros.

Folk Dancing For Babies...

Guess what's going on in Jyv�skyl�?
A folk dancing lesson for parents and their baby....

I kid you not!  My friend is really into folk-music and had sent me a text message about it happening and I thought, "Why not?"
If you're available with your baby (12 months or younger), it's being held in Lutakko's Dance Hall (in Lutakko of course) at 4:30pm Thursday March 22.
It is free to go this lesson...

I don't know what goes into folk dancing or how much groove is required...but I am very glad my son is only 5 months old and will have no recollection of me attempting to do a Finnish folk dance...

Wish me luck.

SPRING!

I've mentioned this before, but I'll do it again.
It's Spring in Finland -as of March 1st every year.  The birds begin to chirp and it doesn't matter what the temperature is or how much snow you have to shovel to get to your car, let alone your bike.

Do you check Google everyday to see what holiday or famous birthday it is?
Well, today I happened to check and all of Finland is rejoicing.  (If not, they should be.)
Why?
Because Marimekko designed today's Google logo and it was a symbolism of Spring beginning today - in other countries...

Somehow that spells "GOOGLE" and if you know anything about Finland, you might know something about the "Marimekko" brand.

Marimekko is known for their housewares, bags, fabric, clothing, expensive prices and choice of funky patterns and bright colours.

One of the most famous patterns by Marimekko is that blue flower.  Yes it comes in red, pink, orange and yellow and some other shades - but blue seems to be one of the originals.

In fact, in the movie "Remember Me", there is a Marimekko flower-printed blanket on the little girl's bed!!

Restaurant Day Is Coming...Are YOU Ready?

So if you haven't read my previous posts about Restaurant Day, I'll let you know how it works!

It's the one day every 3 months in which you can open a Restaurant/Caf� without any rules or regulations to bog you down.
This concept was created in Finland, because there are several rules and it's not easy to set up a food shop of any kind.  You require a hygiene passport, money, permits for everything (even if you wanted a table set up outside of your store during the warmer months!) - the list goes on really.

Now if you're good at baking or cooking - then this is just for you!
And NO you do not have to live in Finland to participate at all!

In fact, I am challenging you to see about setting up shop in your city/country!
Want more information? Check it out here.

You must register prior to setting up shop - and this way, you'll be on the Restaurant Day "Map" and they've created an App for mobile phones...so people can find you faster!

This is an excellent oppourtunity to survey people to see if they like your food, educate others about your culture and of course, to make some money!

Registration usually opens a week or so before the next Restaurant Day (May 19th) and I am very excited to participate in it again!

Got Change?

I, like a lot of other people, have a bucket with a lid on it for all of my spare change.
Every now and again, I dump out my wallet and find even more coins, and look on the floor - behind the sofa and usually there are more coins.
Returning my plastic bottles, also provides a lot of change too!
I've never gone to the bank before to deposit coins here in Finland.  So last week, I decided that my margarine container filled with coins needed to be emptied - NOW.
I asked some friends how to go about depositing coins because I'm sure the bank rep would not appreciate me just dumping my coins onto the counter!
Nor, have I ever seen any kind of coin rollers - typically made of paper or plastic - sold in the shops.
What are coin rollers?  In Canada, when depositing any large amount of coins, they must be already rolled when you go to deposit them.  At any department store or dollar store, you can find tubes of paper or thin cardboard (or plastic shells) to help you roll your change.
For example:
50x 1 cent coins = 1 tube
Rolling the coins make it easier for bankers to make a proper deposit into your account or to give you bills in exchange.

But they don't have those here in Finland - my friends confirmed this for me and advised me to just go in and ask.
So I took my Passport, my bank account number and my bucket of coins and headed to the front desk.  The teller took one look at my bucket and advised me to come with him.
I of course, did not have my camera with me and was pretty sure taking a photo would be somewhat inappropriate in a bank.
It turns out there is a special machine for coins (and mixed bills if you wish to not deposit it with a teller) and it will count everything for you electronically and of course, the bank takes about a 1% transaction fee.
So this ginormous machine was rather huge and had a slot for a bank card, a key pad to in-put your bank account number (if it's not already listed on the screen), a slot to enter bills and a huge metal tray to dump your coins into.
As your coins are sent down into the machine, a running total is listed on the screen for you.

It was a very neat process and for only 1% of a fee - really not that bad!
*This is based on Sampo Bank - I'm not sure how it works for other banks!*

P��sin n�kem��n revontulia!!! Ihana!

I am pretty sure I heard jaws drop all around the world as they read the subject title and realize, it's not in English!

In an effort to force myself to speak Finnish, I'm going to try and write out a Finnish Facebook status and translate it in English beneath it.

So what did I write up above?

"I got to see the Northern Lights!!!! Beautiful!"

Well, "ihana" translates to "lovely" - but people use it for anything pretty, beautiful, nice etc.

Yes it's true!  In Central Finland, late last night - after 10pm, I was out with my friend and our dogs and we were in the field on our way home and I looked up to see the stars and got a real treat instead!
Of course, I didn't have my camera - as it was quite dark out, despite there being a bright almost full moon out...and the cell phone camera isn't up to snuff either in the dark.
As well, the Northern Lights were not THAT strong and bright...but they were clearly there!

We were both amazed and my friend, who is Finnish, advised me she's only seen them once before in her life and it was somewhere outside of Tampere!
Another friend had advised me it was possible to see the Northern Lights here when it was quite cold and late at night...it wasn't too cold last night, about -12*C but I'm glad they came out!

Then I had to do a search to see why the Northern Lights appear and here's the reason.

Did you see them last night, wherever you live?

SHHH!

This happened a few weeks ago, but I am only getting around to blogging about it now...

A few Friday nights ago, we had invited our friends over for our weekly "Pizza and Sauna" get-together.  It's a great time for all because they're on a strict diet - so Friday is their "cheating day".
We also invited another friend who also ordered pizza and she brought her Polish hound-dog (looks like a grey hound).

That's all fine and we're having a grand old time snacking on pizza and have already been to sauna (we split our hour into half, so they get some time for watching our kids while we're in there) and someone rings the door bell at 10:30pm-ish.
Not knowing who that could be, seeing as the front and rear entrances automatically lock at 9pm, I went to look.

A young man was there (probably older than me - in his 30's) and started talking to me in Finnish.  I advised him I don't speak Finnish, but one of my guests does and I could get her to translate.
He says that's not necessary but advises me that we are too noisy.

Oh.  My first noise complaint - ouch.
Okay, I ask where he lives, and he's directly beneath me (I've never EVER seen him before) - I apologize and ask what he can hear.
"We hear everything.  We hear you throwing a ball, screaming..."
(The dogs were recently chomping on dog bones but we removed those by 10pm - so perhaps that's what he meant by a ball?  As we don't throw a ball after 9pm and haven't done so in a LONG time.  We can't even find them.)
"Oh, I am very sorry to hear this.  How long have you been hearing noises from us?  Because we have a 2-year old that is teething...and a 4-month old too.  And 2 larger dogs..."

At which point all 3 dogs look at my neighbour and he has a mild-heart attack (not really).  I smiled and said the 3rd was a guest and is leaving soon.

WELL.
He tells me that him and his room-mate (girlfriend or wife) have not been able to sleep for a year.  (The previous renters had children as young as ours and we have never heard anything from them either).
BUT he now understands our situation - that we have a 2-year old who can scream non-stop (regardless of the pain meds we give him) and a couple dogs...(they don't bark by the way).

That's right....a whole year has gone by and he is FINALLY telling me.
I bluntly asked him, "Well, if it's been going on for the past year as you've said, why haven't you said anything?  We could have tried to deal with it much sooner instead of you waiting a year.  I'm sorry you're not able to sleep but neither are we - he's not screaming for fun, but because he's in pain and there's only so much medicine we can give him."

He shrugged his shoulders sheepishly and said again, he understands and hopes we can keep things quiet by 10pm, because that's when the building is supposed to be quiet.
I asked my Finnish friends why in the world he would wait a year to say something, and most said they would NOT wait a year (neither would I) and the others said it's because he's Finnish.  "Something must have really pissed him off if it took all of his guts and courage to come upstairs and face you to complain."  is what a friend said via email.
Well, I would have left a note or said something MUCH sooner than 12 months later - and told him that he could have done so....

Now, you have to look at your rental agreement or just ask your landlord - but this may not be true for all buildings.
In fact, our building's "quiet hours" are from 11pm-6am.  I was pretty sure it was 11pm, but didn't say anything more...that and it was a FRIDAY NIGHT.
We don't have large parties past 4-5pm and they only occur about 3x a year for the kids' birthdays and whatnot...when it's warmer, we take it out in the back yard and again, it's done by 6pm....we don't play loud music or loud movies at all....

So apparently the concrete block between our floors is not very thick and that's why he can hear everything.

Oh and if you get 3 "formal noise complaints" from your landlord or building supervisor - you're evicted.
No excuses - you're gone.
Just an FYI....