Greetings
July 1, 2009
Posted in: Life 
2 Comments
Greetings from the world of horses. Seems I was pretty tired when I typed the previous post title - but believe me now I’m even more tired!
It’s been hot and sunny. Yesterday was a bit cooler, almost toleratable (is that a word?) and one day we even got a good shower of rain while eating inside - so when we went out the air was fresh and nice and the sand didn’t raise dust when we went riding. But I’m cooked, boiled, fried, grilled and what else! I strained my arm a bit when yanking a stirrup leather, today I burned my shoulders in the sun and my muscles are stiff. I miss my own bed, my own bathroom, the pooches and Mr Right too - but this trip has been very educational.
It’s been bad, really bad and also good. The moms are very laid back and their kids are great. One took a bad fall yesterday morning but the doctors said she’s ok. Miss 12 took a bad fall yesterday afternoon but only got a sore buttock. Today my friend - well, didn’t fall but flied but came out of it with a sore buttock. Miss 8 is doing splendidly, she found a pony she really loves - and luckily the other kids don’t like that pony (because it doesn’t obey them) so she gets to ride her a lot. Monday evening I was desperate because the two horses I tried that day (they said they were the nicest in the stable!) were too scary for me. But on Tuesday morning I got a mare who’s pretty much a clone of MLM! Since then I’ve been riding her and getting along just perfectly. We’ll see how long that lasts.
Too tired to write anything more so I’m leaving you with this picture where Miss 12 is helping Miss 8 do canter with her favourite pony :)
-e-
2 Comments on the post Greetings
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Sleepless and sleeping beauties and elks
June 28, 2009
Posted in: Life One Comment
So the girls came home yesterday. This morning Miss 8 woke me up at 5.30 because a stomach ache. Sigh. She didn’t sleep after that. Miss 12 however did. This is when I went upstairs to wake her up at 10.45. Totally out somewhere! Watching a dream about horses she said :D
A while later a huge elk ran through our garden. There are two big holes in our bushes. When I called the police I learned that many other people had seen her too. But boy was she ever lost big time! Miss 12 saw it, I only heard a massive thrumble when she ran - even if I was inside. Our neighbours were out on their deck and didn’t notice the beast at all!
So, we’re busy packing - and Miss 12 is picking up garbage from her floor. I’ve been telling her about it for weeks and yesterday I told her that if the stuff is still there when we leave today after the camp she’ll be banned from riding for a year! She does own a trash bin and to use it for garbage isn’t too much to ask for… Anyway, the rest of the packing, a quick visit to the grocery shop and off we go in a few hours. I’ll promise to post photos at some point!
-e-
One Comment on the post Sleepless and sleeping beauties and elks
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More randomness
June 27, 2009
Posted in: Life 3 Comments
First happy news: The surgery for Mr Right’s cousin was cancelled at the last minute because her stomach started to function again. That is very, very good because cutting the tissues effected by the scleroderma is not a good thing at all. So thank you for your prayers! But please keep them coming because she’s still in the hospital and her lungs are still in a bad shape.
Vacation started yesterday - hallelujah! With some bad news, though: The company missed a big project that would’ve been very important for our workload, so I’m not sure if there will be lay-offs in the autumn. But now it’s no work for four weeks and I’m not giving that place another thought!
The girls are coming home today. Haven’t seen them since Lorna was hhere, almost two weeks ago. They’ve been in the country with my parents and Miss 8 has caught many fish, one of them a really big one, she’s learned to swim better, almost drowned and Miss 12 has taken a big fall from my sister-in-law’s islandic horse. And what else! They should be back in two-three hours.
Mr Right and I have been clearing out all the junk in the house. There’s still a lot of junk left from MIL’s house (in addition to our own junk!) when she moved into her flat from the big house. So stuff from Mr Right’s dad and two brothers that’s been piled up in our house. Thank God he seems to be finally giving up the “save it all no matter what” - as a matter of fact he’s right now taking the old vinyls to the old books shop! And he said he’d come some day with his employee and finally fix the big attic closet that leaks in the winter and therefore can’t be used for storage! In any case the upstairs is looking much better already - and the “good” attick looks almost roomy after I’ve been sweating there for a couple of hours! But while working there I found my grandmom’s old cut-glass chandelier on the floor, shattered. Someone had dropped it and never said a thing! We didn’t have a place for it but it was beautiful - and while being real cut-glass and very old also probably worth something.
Yesterday I bought Mr Right a new camera because he broke his old one. He uses it for taking pics from the sites he works with so I chose a wide-angle, shock-proof one - but it’s also water-proof: You can dive up to 3 meters with it and take pics under water! All in all it seems to be a really good and neat small camera - and I’m taking it with me to the riding camp. Since it’s shock-proof I can take it up on the horse with me :) On the right is a photo I took with it of a flour in the sun under the shade of an apple tree (no post-processing whatsoever). Pretty good for a 200+ e pocket camera, isn’t it?
Whilst buying Mr Right’s camera I also bought Miss 8 a birthday present. She’s been wanting a camera of her own for at least a couple of years now. Her birthday is in August, but to buy two cameras at the time is more economic than buying one now and another in August. So now she’s getting one and it’s a very neat one too. I tested it yesterday to see that it was ok before I put it into the closet to wait for her birthday. This photo of Pepe is totally unedited and taken in the hard sunlight with the basic settings. Awesome from a pocket camera! I’m thinking since my photo’s aren’t worth anything anyway I could sell my big clumsy gear and go for a handy pocket camera like this instead…
The weather has been hot and sunny. I don’t do well with either one of those things. Today it’s still very warm but when I woke up it was raining, a lot. And Mr Right had left the hall rug outside after washing it yesterday… I tried to tell him about it then but since when did husbands listen to what their wives say to them? Sigh. Anyway, starting tomorrow it should be all sun and heat again - up to 28°C! Ouch…
So today and tomorrow is all packing for the riding camp and tidying/cleaning the house for the guests that arrive a week from Sunday. We’ll be riding until Friday evening - and since the weather forecasts predict the heat will go on the entire week we’ll probably be very well done and totally fried when we come back! Then it’ll be more cleaning up and then laundry and packing for the NW while the guests are here because they’ll stay until Wednesday when we’re leaving too!
So I guess you all understand that there won’t be very much blogging in the next week or so. Our 18th wedding anniversary is on Monday but I’ll be away - and this week as I asked Mr Right if we’re celebrating it or not, like before the girls come home, he didn’t even answer me (yes he did hear me). So I guess we’ll just ignore that too in the middle of everything. I do have an internet connection during the riding camp (a slow one, via a mobile phone line) but I doubt I’ll have it in me to post much. But now I’m off to drudge some more!
-e-
3 Comments on the post More randomness
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This is thick!
June 25, 2009
Posted in: Life One Comment
This morning as I opened my e-mail there was a weird message in the inbox…
I guess you all know the “Nigerian letters”? Some poor helpless person supposedly having trouble cashing his/her money from a bank abroad. Well, g-mail pretty perfectly transfers those automatically into the spam box - but not this one. And I’d say it’s very skillfully written, with all the Biblical points of view - and even with a couple of photos of “her”, one of them from the sick bed! What say you?
Message subject: Dearest in the Lord..
Dear Beloved in Christ.
It is by the grace of God that I received Christ, having known the truth, I had no choice than to do what is lawful and just in the sight of God for eternal life and in the sight of man for witness of God & is Mercies and glory upon my life. I got your contact through a websited dedicated to true christians and the holy spirit directed me to confide in you what i am about to reveal to you.
I am Mrs.XXX, the wife of Mr XXX, a citizen of Kuwait who worked with the Chevron/Texaco in Senegal for twenty years before he died in the year 2007.We were married for ten years without a child. My Husband died after a brief illness that lasted for only four days. Before his death we both got born-again and dedicated christians.
Before his death we were both born again Christian. Since his death I decided not to re-marry or get a child outside my matrimonial home which the Bible is strongly against..When my late husband was alive he deposited the sum of US$4.7 Million with a bank in scotland, UNITED KINGDOM.Presently, this money is still with the Bank and the management just wrote me as the beneficiary that our account has been DORMANT and if I, as the beneficairy of the funds, do not re-activate the account; the funds will be CONFISCATED or I rather issue a letter of authorization to somebody to receive it on my behalf (note that you need to activate this account) as I can not come over. Presently, I have been admitted to one of the general hospitals in Senegal where I have been undergoing treatment for esophageal cancer. Recently, my Doctor told me that I would not last for the next four months due to cancer problem,Having known my condition I decided to donate this fund to a church,organization or good person that will utilize this money the way I am going to instruct herein.I want a church,organization or good person that will use this fund for orphanages, widows, propagating the word of God and to endeavor that the house of God is maintained,because relatives and friends have plundered so much of our wealth since my illness,I cannot live with the agony of entrusting this huge responsibility to any of them.
Please, I beg you in the name of God to help me Stand-in as the beneficiary and collect the Funds from the Bank.I want a person that is God-fearing who will use this money to fund churches,orphanages and widows propagating the word of God and to ensure that the house of God is maintained.
The Bible made us to understand that”Blessed is the hand that giveth”,I took this decision because I don’t have any child that will inherit this money and my husband’s relatives are not true Christians and I don’t want my husband’s hard earned money to be misused by unbelievers. I don’t want a situation where this money will be used in an ungodly manner. Hence the reason for taking this bold decision. I will also issue you a letter of authority and the deposit certificate of the money that will prove you as the new beneficiary of my fund. Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I stated herein.
I don’t want a situation where this money will be used in an ungodly way.
This is why I am taking this decision,I am not afraid of death hence I know where I am going,I know that I am going to be in the bosom of the Lord.Exodus 14 VS 14 says that “the lord will fight my case and I shall hold my peace.
I don’t need any telephone communication in this regard because of my health hence the presence of my husband’s relatives are around me always.
I don’t want them to know about this development, With God all things are possible.
As soon as I receive your reply I shall give you the contact to the bank.I will also issue you an authority letter that will prove you the present beneficiary of this fund.
I want you and the church or the organization to always pray for me because the lord is my shepherd.
My happiness is that I lived a life of a worthy Christian.
Whoever that Wants to serve the Lord must serve him in spirit and Truth.Please always be prayerful all through your life.
If you are interested in help me fullfill this dream and wish, you can email to my personal email:(XXX@yahoo.com) Any delay in your reply will give me room in searching for another church or individual for this same purpose.
Please assure me that you will act accordingly as I Stated herein and ensure no one else knows about this fund…
Hoping to receive your response immedaitely.
Thanks and Remain blessed in the Lord.
Mrs XXX
One Comment on the post This is thick!
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Blank
June 24, 2009
Posted in: Life No Comments
Haven’t - again -Â posted since Sunday. Time just seems to fly - and yet when I try to think why I’ve been so “busy”, I can’t find any real reasons. And now, staring at this window, my mind is all blank.
On Monday I rode MLM. It’s been a while, I’ll probably be riding him less now. He’s a wonderful horse but not an easy one so I asked if I could for a change ride the “easier” horses. Yeah, well… one of those “easier” ones really put me through a treadmill last Thursday! Anyway, on Monday we went to the woods and that’s when MLM is just wonderful - and I had a great time with him even if he did try a couple of stunts on the way :D
Yesterday I got a surprise call. It was our friend from Sweden asking if we’re available for a couple of visitors a week from Sunday. Sure… not a best possible time gap (the girls and I have returned from the riding camp on Friday and will be leaving for NW on Weds - the same day our guests will leave us! So I told him yeah, you’re welcome - but I’ll be doing laundry and packing our stuff :)
Yesterday work was super busy but not today. The system I was supposed to be testing today didn’t get installed properly and the consultant doing the work quietly disappeared for a vacation so we’ll have the postpone the whole thing - again. Ah, well… it’s only been two years for implementing one lousy small script! Two more days with one project to finish and then it’ll be four weeks without the stupid place! Yay!
Today we went to the hospital to see Mr Right’s cousin. She’s in a really, really bad shape. We got there an hour late, just to hear she’d been transferred to a bigger hospital in Helsinki for a possible surgery. Which in turn isn’t a good idea - the surgery that is - because of her condition. She’s been suffering from systemic scleroderma for years (I think 15 years or so) and right now it doesn’t look good at all because it’s seriously affecting her intestines. So again prayers are very necessary. Especially those concerning her eternity…
I think that’s enough randomness for one post. Catch you later - I’m off to catch some dreams!
-e-
No Comments on the post Blank
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A summary
June 21, 2009
Posted in: Life 2 Comments
So, it’s been a weird week - again. Let’s do a rewind of sorts:
Last Friday I had a photography session at the airport - to photograph a friend for the cover of his new CD. The weather was awful - no hope for sunny aeroplane pics! However I managed to bring the light into the pictures with the help of Photoshop and sent the pics (drafts) to the publisher last Sunday. They still haven’t returned to me on them and the CD is supposed to be published in a month!
Monday the kids were supposed to go to the country with my parents. However, my dad suddenly lost a tooth and their departure was postponed until Tuesday and the three of us got to go riding together after all. I also posted a set of horror pics of me riding a horse. Those pics taught me a lot!
Tuesday - Lorna dropped by shortly and the kids left. I did some baking and on Wednesday our pastor friend stopped by. He’d been doing recordings for the Christian TV channel the entire day and was exhausted.
Thursday - first some shopping (I found myself a dress!) and then riding. I did some rodeo. The horsie imagined seeing a bunch of lions or tigers or something… I didn’t fall but I have a handsome bruise and a small cut in my elbow.
Friday - midsummer. An awful weather and a tent meeting I didn’t want to go to. But I did and it was good, on many levels.
Saturday. Doing nothing. Well, talking to the kids over the phone a few times and chatting with Lorna a bit. But the weather still was lousy and I was exhausted. Tried to sort out all the zillion thoughts in my head - with little success…
Sunday - that’s today. After a week of no work (I had a lot of hours in so I took the week off) I’m trying to understand that I really have to go and work next week until my summer vacation starts. Still no news about my work situation - so I guess I’m stuck in my old job with some new (very boring) stuff to be learned. Nobody has raised the issue of my work hours and I’m hoping they won’t either because I want to stick to the short hours - even if it’s a bad idea financially. Just that it’s not all about money…
Blogging. I’ve slowly slipped back to it, despite my thoughts. Seems the same thing is happening as always when I start planning to quit blogging: Suddenly I have tons of ideas for new posts. None of those has actually materialized into a post but there have been several other posts. Containing trivia, as usual, more like me talking to myself and recording some memories for myself. Which is what this blog probably is and always will be. Those ideas for posts usually remain as they are: Ideas - or at the most drafts that never get published. However, seems I’m back. Usually at this point I’m implementing a new template or a new name or something, but not this time - even if I’m sick and tired of the boring layout of this blog.
Prayers. The most difficult ones of the things I was struggling with seem to have started to work out. Thank you all for your prayers - every one of them is worth so much beyond any words! I’m still mulling over a lot of things - and being me, an unperfect person, I know I still need the prayers. So if you’re reminded to do so, please keep saying a word or two for me every now and then.
And I’ll be back. Hopefully with something meaningful, too - for a change.
-e-
2 Comments on the post A summary
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More midsummer
June 20, 2009
Posted in: Life 3 Comments
So, the midsummer eve is over. Actually the longest day (Summer Solstice) this year is the 21st I believe - that is tomorrow - but in Finland it’s always celebrated on a Friday close to the actual day. It’s a big thing here: People flee from the cities, go to the country - and preferably a place with a lake. They stay up late, burn bonfires, grill good food and drink (often too much, sadly). For office workers the midsummer eve is a free day and the shops close around 1 pm - and the next day they stay closed. It’s a bit like a summer version of Christmas eve!
I wrote yesterday’s post in a hurry. I’ll tell you a bit more about it now.
One of the regular visiting speakers at my church is a sales representative of a Christian publishing house (the one owned by the Finnish free church). He and his wife are dear friends to us all and wonderful people of God (you can see him in the first picture - on the right from the right side speaker). They live in the middle of nowhere in his old family house about an hour and a half from where I live. Every year they put up a big tent on their yard, prepare donuts and grilled sausages, coffee, tea and what else and have a public service on the midsummer eve. And even if it’s in the middle of nowhere the tent gets full. A couple of years ago there were 140 people - and the tent can only take a hundred! This year the weather was awful but the tent was full anyway, except for the front rows you can see in the picture.
Yeah, the weather. In Finland we have a saying “The weather is like a bride”. If that was true yesterday I sure feel sorry for the fiancee! It was raining like crazy and the coffee tent floor flooded. The temp was down to 12 or something and because of the very dark clouds we needed a lamp to bring some light on the sheetmusic despite the “white night”. Ah, well - I had a pair of long johns under my jeans, a long-sleeved sweater and a wooly sweater above that and a fleece on the bench under my butt - and I was comfortable enough :)
My friend H and I were doing the music this year. The acoustics and the sound systems in a tent aren’t top-notch so that limits the repertoire a bit. We did the first set with K (in the photo wearing the black coat, sitting next to his wife on the bottom left corner) who sometimes sings with us. That’s when I usually sing and have my guitar instead of the flute - but this time with the cold and wetness I left that home and just sang. My first time to actually sing into a microphone and that was s.c.a.r.y!!! The second set was just me and H. I was a bit worried because my neck was stiff and my shoulder was aching badly plus the flute doesn’t really like cold either - the sound doesn’t come properly out of a cold flute. But it all went really well - despite the leakage in the tent just above H’s keyboard! I’m sure this was the first time she’s actually played in the rain!
I’m not giving you the preacher’s name here because people tend to be googling the names a lot and I don’t want them to end up here. So if you want to know who he is, click the photo and you’ll see the name in my Flickr account.
Anyway, I first met this (retired) preacher a few years back during one of the scariest events of H and I doing the music. But that’s a different story… However, he’s a really wonderful guy. Very calm yet not distant or boring at all and somehow very safe and solid and trustworthy. And his message is simple but deep and touching. After the service I asked him to pray for me. That too was very simple and small without any theatrical thrills but it was just what I needed.
After eating some and chatting and laughing with friends we headed back towards home. Along the road we could see bonfires here and there and the sky was clearing up a bit. It was pushing midnight and my heart was smiling.
And next week the sun is supposed to be smiling, too :)
-e-
3 Comments on the post More midsummer
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Midsummer
June 19, 2009
Posted in: Life One Comment
This is the night when the sun doesn’t set. I took this photo when in the country at the end of May - even if it was that far from midsummer the night was very light, even at few minutes before midnight when I took this one.
Now I’m off to a midsummer service - it’ll be outside, in a tent and the forecast says +12°C and rain. Whoopee! I’ll be freezing my fingers and nose and butt and what else while playing there! Plus my neck is hurting already… So the scenery won’t be as beautiful as above - but our Lord is, so hopefully I get to meet Him.
Hoping you others are keeping warm!
-e-
One Comment on the post Midsummer
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Bakings and pastors
June 17, 2009
Posted in: Life 3 Comments
So Lorna stopped by yesterday. While she was sleeping upstairs I took some dough out of the freezer. When she (and everyone else was gone I baked. Vanilla cupcakes with mandarin (hidden inside the filling). And lemon flavoured vanilla cupcakes with mandarin. They could’ve used some more lemon, though. Then I got tired of making cupcakes and made a pie instead since I still had a lot of dough left. For that I made a chocolate filling - but it could’ve meen even more chocolate-y. But it was ok after it had cooled down. Next time I’ll use a different kind of stuff for the filling and make them all lemon flavoured.
So, I had the house full of goodies but no-one to eat them. Although Mr Right did his best to make them disappear…
Today Mr Right came home, talking on the phone. Once he got in he told me that our pastor friend would be here in five minutes. Ouch! He does that sometimes - remembers us when driving past the town and comes by for coffee. It’s nice to see him, just that the house being our house… This time it was in a pretty decent condition, no huge piles of dishes or loads of stuff on the counters. Phew! And with the baking yesterday I even had something to put on the table!
-e-
3 Comments on the post Bakings and pastors
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Running a railway station?
June 16, 2009
Posted in: Life 3 Comments
Mr Right got up at 7.15 am. At 7.30 the dogs were barking like maniacs - Lorna had arrived! I climbed upstairs to give her a pillow and a blanket. Mr Right left for work. I came back downstairs and made myself a big pot of coffee. Miss 8 came down around nine, I guess. At 10.30 I went up to wake Miss 12 up (and yell at her for having again thrown everything she owns and then some on the floor).
I don’t know what time it was when Lorna came downstairs, but she had a quick cup of tea and and hit the road again to go back where she came from - the airport. Yeah, nice to see you, it’s only been a year!
My mom came around 12.30. I had some more coffee. A bit later my dad came too. And at 1 pm they left, with the girls. They’ll be spending the next two weeks in the country.
Now the house is all quiet (except for the TV that’s on and a bit too loud). The dogs are sleeping and I think I’ll join them. Mr Right won’t be back in a few hours so the railway station is all mine now.
And it’s closed for today.
-e-
3 Comments on the post Running a railway station?
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