Sunsets, clouds and a stretch.

I have been on an awesome trip - I must show you some photos.
Soon, I promise!

Love,
E

Some of my all time favourite cookies.

Hello panda!
Sourced from the local Asian grocers dangerously close to
the city. These Meiji made panda babies are full of delicious
pink strawberry goodness that basically melts in your mouth.

But not only that as they are incredibly cute too.
Have a look at golf panda will ya! So lovely that
little fellow. And I am not sure if they are of
Japanese origin these guys but just looking at them
makes my insides scream KAWAII!

And I always make sure not to turn over the
package as the behind holds the dirty secret
to the divine tastyness of these little creatures.
5' ribonucleatide anyone?


Love,
E

P.S My sister says we need to update more.
Apparently she got sick of looking up
'Weekend hands' post for weeks in a row.
Bless her.

Have a banana mama.

I was close to a melt down today. No. Literally. It has been forty degrees here for the last two days and the AC in my car is not working like it should. As in blowing icy air on my face. What it does is rather the opposite. No fun kiddies I can tell you that. And just to make things a tad worse for wear I have been taking care of some errand for the whole day of today which means that the hot car and I have been joint by the hip. Oh boy what I wouldn't give for a cool breeze at the moment. What's that I hear? AC in the house? Nah. Not my house either. Oh boy oh boy. Come and scrape my melted remains off this floor of mine.

Love,
E

P.S But the cold banana berry thing did help a bit.

New Year New Adventures.

I have yet to summarize my Old Year, create new promises, try and keep them and worry about the fact that the noughties are over. The New Year is already here and it is knocking on the door so hard that I can't turn away and pretend I did not hear it. So I welcome it with open arms, offer some wine and make myself comfortable hoping that this meeting shall be a good one. You and me New Year. You and me. Let's make it happen! Let us make this one a combination of learning, understanding, loving, giving, hoping, traveling, forgiving, letting go and finding new. What do you say, are you with me?

Love, E

When she is gone the bed feels cold and empty.

Now she is gone. My baby sister who is no longer a baby but who to me will always be one. The one who stayed with me through this Christmas smoldering me with love and laughter. The house now feels empty and the bed is cold. No more of her laughter echoing in this house that is more like a room. No more her.
I comfort myself with strawberry milk and Anna Gavalda hoping that she would soon return.

Merry Christmas to all you lovers!

We just chillin' with some hot wine, meatballs and other
traditional Finnish Christmas delicacies.
We are watching Victoria's Secret show from
earlier this year.
Ha!
And lovin' it too.

We wish you a lovely Christmas and a more than
wonderful New Year!

Love, E

If I were to be nice enough...

..then please Santa could you give me these beautiful things
for Christmas?
It would truly make me so glad dear Santa.
Oh what are they you ask?
Well...

..
Philosophy Shower Cream in Pumpkin Pie and Cinnamon Roll.
The most delicious little fragrances that I have ever smelled!
And completely free in America, crazy priced in Australia.
(Hate.)
This present would make me squeaky clean and smelling of
baking goods I don't even know how to make.

A book by the Sartorialist who happens to be one of my all time
favourite bloggers. I wish I had some style. Some real style.
I truly think this book could help. (Or is it too late already?)

I have always wanted to look like an old professor. A true academic
intellectual who smokes a pipe in their office full of books that no one
has ever even heard off. Oh and taxidermy! That is an important one.
Anyway getting a pair of Moscot's might be like taking a step closer.
A PhD would be the second one.

A bike. A bike that would use to swish my way to the local deli to
buy the weekend newspaper. A bike that I would then try and
balance between my two hands carrying a hot java and that
darned paper.

Oh and Santa would you mind making me Parisian chic while you are at it?
Thanks I would appreciate that very much indeed!

Love,
E
P.S I promise to be better next year too.

Through the bubbly haze.

Last night we went to lover's work function and oh boy
they sure wined and dined us good.
Sushi for starters, Japanese hot dishes like tofu, beef and
chicken for mains followed by ice cream.
It was such joy and I had a blast just chatting with his
workmates!
But today is another day and as the wine goggles are losing
their strength I find myself dee in the melancholy chambers
of my inner self.
So I go and sell some stuff at a garage sale with my best girls
and together we make me smile and feel light.
It all seems better and now we are making tacos with my
mano at our little house on the beach that hasn't got much
but which we have filled with love.
It is quiet and I feel a bit more at peace.

Listening to this while heating up the soul food:



Love,
E

Christmas came knocking on my door.

So I have never been all that for Christmas and everything
that goes with it. But after moving to my new habitat of
hotness in tropical Western Australia I have started craving
the kind of celebrations that are very typical to my Northern
European roots. And yesterday I did it to a T.
Porkkanalaatikko I screamed and jumped in the car to drive
all the way to IKEA and buy half of their Christmas sortiment.

And look:

GB's.

Christmas candy canes and the Christmas Star (as in Finnish).

My humble abode all pimped up.


My house is now filled with all sorts of goodies like
hot Swedish red wine called glogg, gingerbreads,
decorations and even a singing me baking bread and
listening to my Christmas playlist.

Here's a favourite:



Now how excited are you about the celebrations?
I'm thinking I am about a 100. Non?

Love,
E
P.S I am wearing my vintage apron too. Lalalalala.

Now I am going to buy books.

This what I looked like yesterday.
Today?
Don't even worry about it!
I've been too busy doing things with
my lovely guests from Finland.
My day went something like:
go to yoga 5.30
come home 7.30
eat quick breakfast
pick people up
go to the beach
surf for one and a half hours
lie on the beach for two (totally forced!)
get a bit raw
take shower
take guests back
hug
buy new yoga gear
come home
die of exhaustion

OK so I didn't die but i sure
picked up some colour on my skin!

Love,
E

Take me back si si si oui oui oui.

I am cultivating my evidence for my Australian
visa. They want to know whether we have truly
loved. I want to slap them across their puffy faces
and tell them it's private. But none if it would help
so I keep hunting and gathering.
At the mean time I wish someone would spin back
the ye old time and get me back to that one hot
month and a half spent in the Basque Country with
the boy I love.

Love,
E

Things that make me happy post food poisoning.

1. Bright green silk skirts that look like a balloon was dropped
on your waist and then tied down with a tiny black bow.
2. New books that tell silent stories of love in its most subtle forms.



Oh and the food poisoning?
Just a little something something that I picked
up on the way. No biggie.
It's just that I seemed to trade in my parents and
get that instead. Bad trade that one.
But I live and learn my friends.
Live and learn.

Love,
E

About family.

We are the same.
All four of us.
I have your heart,
you have hers,
she has his and
he has mine.

We are of same blood and
when I leave you I leave myself.

Avec mon noveau chapeau dans la photocabine.

Today my parents left me to visit the city and I embraced my study materials yet again. But before that I managed to squeeze a teeny tiny visit at the local op-shop and what did I find if not an old vintage hat!
It is divine in a soft peachy colour and frills frills frills. The old lady gave it away for 1 AUD (0.65 EURO, 0.93 USD) and told me to have fun with it. I promised her I would and left straight for La PhotoCabine!

What a success!

Love,
E

I feel like the universe is at ease.

I feel great!
My parents are arriving tomorrow
and it must the most exhilarating
moment of my year in Australia so far.

So we celebrate by listening to some
Finnish classics. Some you might recognize
as covers and some might be brand new.
But they are fabulous all together!








And some funny trivia:
as I was writing the header for this
post I wanted to call it EXASPERATION
thinking that would describe my happiness
for my parents arrival.
Fail noticed when J actually Googled the
word for me.
Guess I don't know everything then!

Love,
E

Homesickness.

A highly homesick Friday I might say.
Am like a little rattled piece of a person today.
Could you cheers me up?
Tell me of love, life and luster.

Love,
E

Hello you little things.

I went vintage hunting the other day when my yogic
legs just could not take anymore sitting at my current
'office' - the kitchen table - and my head felt like oatmeal.

And I did come home with some goodies:




A Victorianesque silk shirt that looked like it was an absolute gem
before I actually discovered that it said 'Target' on it. Oh well.
It is beautiful anyhow. Especially without the 10 inch shoulder pads.


The pretty preppy sweater was by 'Esprit' and is pretty much
never used. The flower is old and these shoes are way cool.
They are Made In Brazil By Ipanema.
Now if that doesn't give my step some bounce this summer then
I sure as heck don't know what will.

And the best part?
Shoes: 6.45 USD , 4.50 Euro
Sweater: same
Blouse: 3.25 USD, 2.25 Euro

Love,
E

And we sure love to party.

This is what we went as:


The Nerd and the Skeletor Boy.

Love,
E

All is not lost on you Skeletor boy.

So last weekend we were invited to drive down South for a teeny
dress up party for our neighbor Andrew who was turning all mighty thirty. Of course we said!

Here is where we lived. In the corner of the garden that is.

I think these little rascals were laughing at our habitacion.



We thought we would contribute to the party snacks with a fruit plate.
He cut. I did..nothing. Which was fine by me.


The beach was going off!
And it might look like it but let me tell you it was fairly sizey.

So we opted for a little walk instead.

Then it was time for the party!
And my camera stayed in the car.

Love,
E

In lilac hiding.

Love, E