Christmas must be one of my favorite holidays. On my previous post I
wrote about things that has uplifted my Christmas spirit... The final thing,
which I didn’t even dare to say out loud before I was absolutely sure it would
happen was that my brother came to spend the Christmas with us for the first
time in four years. Since he moved to another city, it has been rather
difficult to assemble a Christmas together. But, that was the final thing that
sparked up my Christmas spirit, which had been missing to the very last days
that preceded Christmas Eve.
We had some plans what to do, but instead we sat down and talked for
hours and hours – something we hadn’t have the opportunity to do face to face
in years. We literally talked through the whole days!
On Christmas Eve, we slept late and later we made a lot of food, something for
everyone. In fact, making food and eating was the only time we were rather
quiet. Every other time we just talked and talked.
For an appetizer before the Christmas dinner I had ryemeal bread with
fake fish roe mousse and dill.
Like every year, I made a seitan “ham” in a place of regular ham. It is
a big part of my food on Christmas.
For my big surprise, my brother said that he will taste everything on
the table – even the traditional casseroles which he said he doesn’t really
like that much. I was prepared for him starting to joke about my diet and foods
but instead, he even tasted the seitan I had made. His reaction made me smile;
he was very careful how to say it out loud, for he is a meat-eater to his very
core but even he did say that seitan isn’t his thing he didn’t hate it. That meant
a lot to me, for he must have had the image of my very first attempt to make
seitan in his head so he must have waited it to be as horrible as back then.
We hadn’t really prepared to bake anything but out of an impulse my
brother decided to make a chocolate cake out of everything he could find and it
turned out to be one of the best cakes I’ve eaten.
On this year there were not many gifts but as I’ve gotten older I don’t really
feel like needing any, even it is nice to get something, but it’s not a
necessity anymore... What is even more important for me is celebrating Christmas
together with the people I love.
The cats were a bit shy at first for they hadn’t seen my brother in such
a long time, but then they got accustomed to him and acted like he has never
been gone. All the food got our cats curious and they even tried to be rude in
order to get it, stalking on the chairs, near the table, staring at us with
their gleaming eyes... With cats you feel never alone – someone is always
watching.
I must say I had one of the best Christmases I’ve ever had – if not the best!
Today we celebrate our independence day in Finland – which, I must say,
I one of my favorite holidays when going towards Christmas and New Year!
Over the years, it has become a tradition for me to go to the
Tampere-talo to "Patriotic Festivities", to listen men’s choir
“Mieskuoro Laulajat”, which is a day before the Independence Day. Going there
has become a huge part of my celebration of Finland’s Independence Day!
I woke up early and got myself ready and I still had time! What a rare
and remarkable feeling... I was at Tampere-talo earlier than arranged, but soon
I started to find familiar people.
This year the choir had a new conductor, less singers and the whole concert
was a bit different – but I think it was better in its own way!
For the last four songs a senior choir group ”Seniorikuoro Konkelot”
came on stage to sing with the other choir. Both of the choirs’ voices matched
so well with each other! Finally also the “Eagles Brass Band” (Tampereen
Kotkien Puhallinorkesteri) came to play the song ”Finlandia”” which is one of
my favorite songs of all times and is an important piece of my own celebration
of Finland’s Independende Day!
I had not received any kind of invitation to upstairs for an after party that
takes place after the concert, but one thing lead to another and there I was
sitting at the table chatting with the other people. It felt so good to see
people I still remember from my childhood and catch up with them!
There was a buffet where also I, as a vegetarian, could find something
to eat. That is always nice... There were music, singing and dancing and the
time went by so fast! Too fast. The clock was near midnight when my dad
escorted me into a taxi and I went home. I had such a great feeling from the
whole night and I was so full energy that I could not even think of going to
sleep just yet!
Today I slept late and later on the evening we started to watch The
Independence Day’s reception and drank sparkling wine.
We didn’t make anything fancy for food but even it was just pizza, it
was self-made and that made it so damn good... After that we watched the after
party of The Independence Day’s reception. I’m very proud to be Finnish and
even I’m happy about our independence every day it is always great that on one
particular day is dedicated to celebrate it!
I saw my dad today – I was trying to
decide what to wear for a long time and once I was ready, I changed my mind and
went back home to change my jacket.
I should’ve guessed that this was no ordinary “lets-chill-at-home” Friday and
should have put at least some makeup...
Later on the evening, we left to downtown and
went to one of its restaurants which had a re-opening party.
All the tables were full so we went to sit at
the bar. While we waited for the long line to the catering to shorten we ordered
drinks; gin tonic and fresh orange juice with vodka and a hint of vanilla liqueur
– too good! The orange juice drink had a cool name and a story behind it but I
don’t remember it...
After we had almost finished our drinks, we went to the catering line and even
the table was full on meaty dishes, even a vegetarian could find a plateful full of
food to eat! I was more than glad and the food was very good.
The night was saved by a cup of cappuccino – something
I never dare to order anywhere. I considered it as a much needed salvation from
tiredness as well as a dessert.
We didn’t have time to stay at the party until the end because I had to go to
the bus stop so I would not miss the last bus home. We hugged goodbye with my
dad and I got into the bus. When I got home, I was hyper – maybe it was the
coffee, maybe it was the whole awesome day or maybe it was tomorrow... But that’s
another upcoming story to tell.
I had such a great day today! Now I’m waiting what tomorrow will bring along...
Today I came back from Helsinki where I was for
four days to see my brother. I had already packed my bag the day earlier I
left because I tend to forget things when I’m in a hurry...
Arranging my beauty box was another thing... I
had not touched it for months! Lara was more than willing to help me sort out
everything in it.
On Friday I left with a bus to Helsinki and the
bus was officially full! But luckily I had taken my tablet with me from which I
watched a movie during the trip so it went by fast.
When the bus came to its destination, I waited
at the inner city for my brother who was meeting me there, because to this day,
I have never learned to travel inside Helsinki with all the endless busses,
trollies, subway and trains... And I had way too many bags to carry on my own.
We went to my brother’s home – I loved how much effort my brother had put into
this, for he had cleaned his whole home from floor to ceiling. So, we are
twins and have always been close and I always feel we continue our things just
where we left them when we have seen each other last time. Of course we call almost every
day and chat with each other but that is not nearly the same thing than seeing
each other in person.
During the weekend we played a lot! We played
mostly a game “Beyond Two Souls” and a bit of “GTA V” and “Portal 2” – I let my
brother to play the last one all by himself because I can’t just figure that game out no
matter how hard I try! We tend to play well past the midnight every night...
We went to a grocery store in the middle of the
night because the days were spent to everything else but going there. And we
made food even later. And stood up even later – gaming and gourmandizing, of
course!
The mornings were the best; we slept late and
usually my brother got up before I did to start of the day with his playlist of
music while I was laying on the bed.
Then the day started off with coffee and a “healthy
breakfast” which could be almost anything from sweet to savory. My brother had
bought me vegan strawberry cheesecake flavored cookies and as much as he makes
fun of my diet (always with humor!) I appreciated that so much for I thought it
was so thoughtful thing of him to do.
On Saturday we took a day off from making food
ourselves and went out to a restaurant to eat. I loved to get myself ready for
the night. My brother is also very pedantic about how he
looks, even though it still takes him less time to get himself ready than me.
We ordered burgers – I ordered an ultimate
veggie burger with so many fillings the burger was separated in half. The food
came after the last call signal and I was starving but it was more than enough
to fill the void. Ha!
When we got back to my brother home, we continued gaming. We got in the middle
of “Beyond Two Souls” but the days went by so fast, we didn’t have time to
finish the game to even see one of its 24 possible endings! So we decided to
continue the game next time we would see each other... Yes, we already thought
about the next time we would meet.
I was supposed to go there for only for the weekend but because we had such an
amazing time, I decided to stay there for one more day. We also had time to
watch some movies – deciding a movie which would suite for both of us is always
a struggle because our preferences about movie genres are so, so different!
On this morning and our last morning, we were both tired because we had played
so late. I had to wake up before my brother did, so I could pack everything ready.
We left to the bus stop early so I would not be late, so we were there half an hour
early and we had time to talk some more before the bus came. I had promised to
myself that I would not have cried but tears came into my eyes when we hugged
and said goodbye (until the next time).
I always love to see my brother, because it’s
not too often we got to see each other even though he is not that far away. I
also love to see his cat, Mr. Morrison, which I’m as fond of as to my own cats... He was so
full of energy right from the start I arrived that he wore out and slept the
whole day today.
Then I went on the bus, which was not nearly
as full as the one which I went to Helsinki. I killed the time by calling
people and watching the rest of the movie I started to watch when I first left
towards Helsinki... The trip back home went much faster than the trip to Helsinki!
I arrived home at 9 p.m. and as always when I’m coming home from somewhere, I
unpack my things immediately. I can’t leave the bag laying around still
packed... It’s kind of my coming-home-ritual.
To be honest, I have never gone to Helsinki alone so I was very nervous to go
there. But if I would have given up to my own fears I would have never gone to
Helsinki in the first place and I would have been missing all the greatest time
with my brother. So I was beyond overjoyed that I went there!
Days have been very hot, even too hot for my
taste because there’s no breeze of wind nowhere... So we have to have to spend
the days on the balcony doing basically nothing and everything (we possibly
could have done in this heat!)
After these cloudy, chilly few days the absolute sun feels burning! I didn’t
feel like turning the oven or even the stove on because of the heat so I
suggested to get something ready, because I didn’t have the energy to bewitch
anything from the fridge – so we got our basic breads from the café downtown...
And what else could be more suitable for a hot
summer day than a glass of cold sparkling wine?
… and an ice cream?
The cats were also melting down due to the heat:
I heard the whole next week will be just like
this; hot and sweaty! I guess I have to dig out my lightest and sheerest skirts
of mine from my closet, just in case...
Soon-to-be vegan (again) note!
About the bread I got today: first I had been told the bread was vegan (when I
was vegan and I asked was the bread vegan) but since then, I have learned that
it is not (because it contains milk protein!) – nowadays it is has not been that
big of a deal since I am a vegetarian and thus eat milk products only (still no
eggs or anything)... I still order my bread without cheese but I since I heard the
bread itself was not vegan I felt bad, to be honest! So I suppose from this day
on I will order it with rye bread to make it vegan, because I’m going towards
being vegan more and more again every day with my eating, for I still don’t use
leather, etc... So my lifestyle has remained vegan even my eating has not, but
only with the milk products part! I have just eaten cheese for less than a year
but every time I do, I feel guilty and feel like turning into being vegan again!
I can’t believe no one told me the white bread was not vegan when I first
ordered it when I was a vegan... But to be honest; the whole white bread thing
doesn’t really suit for my low-carb diet neither but sometimes I just break
down with the low-carb diet, but only sometimes... And eating "regular" ice creams will end too – I have been eating vegan ice creams also but sometimes the "more available" versions have got me. But no more!
