Early Morning Swim

Yup, me 😀

I usually swim in the evenings but the beautiful warm sunny morning made me want to go to swim already at about 7:30.  It was sooo nice, sooo peaceful. At first it was only me there but very soon a couple, my age, also came for their daily morning swim. They said they prefer the morning.  In the evening there are so many people.  

Unfortunately, now a days,  the blue-green algae appear every summer. This morning you could already see some in the water. I hope there is not too much of  it tomorrow. I want to swim !

Mushroom

Parasol Mushroom (Macrolepiota procera) or Lepiota brunneoincarnat  ? ? ?

Either the one or the other or maybe neither !

The hat/cap/parasol is huge. About 30 cm in diameter.

Every summer these mushrooms pop up in the very same place. Last summer a whole a family. Mom, pa and three kids 🙂 I guess the kids have moved 😉

Midsummer 2011

What a lousy thing to get the flu right now !

Our good friends had, once again, been so kind to  invite us to celebrate the midsummer together at their summer place.

I really was disappointed to call them in the morning to let them know we would not come.

Anyway, in the evening hubby said why don’t we take a tour by car just to check out some of the midsummer bonfires around here. I was not in the mood but he just insisted.

OK, he got it his way. We made a tour down to the lake to watch the bonfire. Also we made a tour to have a look at possible other bonfires along the Helsinki city coast line.

I have to admit it was nice. Now I feel exhausted and will go to bed.

Happy Midsummer !

Sigh . . .

I was so happy thinking Quismo was OK. Well . . . he was for a long time. His eyes looked great. He managed with only the Lubrithal drops for months. Unfortunately the virus flared up once again ! Even worse. Now both cats have it and need treatment for it.

Poor cats. They hate the trip (s) to the veterinary. They hate the drops and pills ! No matter how much I’m trying to, secretly, pick the pills and drops from the cabinet they are able to know it’s time for the medication. Day by day they are getting smarter and smarter at finding places to hide.

This is what they need now:

Oculac Roferon A 1 drop each eye 4 times/day/2 weeks

Oftan Akvakol 1 drop each eye 4 times/day/6 weeks

Famvir ½ pill twice/day/10 days

Lysin.hydrochlorid. 2 pills twice/day/for 3 months (hopefully not more than that)

Lubrithal 1 drop each eye 3 times/day probably for always

In the background a Royal Canin Cat Food Storage tin. Of several tins, this is my favorite one. I love the gray cat in the picture.

I’m afraid we have to postpone some of our road trips for this summer. Well, it’s OK. The cats’ health is the most important thing for the time being.

21. Helsinki Samba Carnival

The Parade

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Already the 21st samba carnival in Helsinki and my 1st time there. One may wonder why didn’t I go to watch it before ! It was such a nice, enjoyable happening. Despite the very warm day I stayed there for almost two hours. I would have stayed for much longer had I had a hat and a bottle of water.

Here are some of my pictures. Imagine how many pictures and video clips shot there yesterday. Thousands of people. Everyone had a camera 🙂   

Our “Leopard”

Our Bengal Cat

Quismo

I love this picture of him sitting there with the flower behind him.

I’m so happy his eyes are fine now. For the time being the eye disease is under control and let’s hope it will stay that way always.

Can it get any better

Summer, sunshine, swimming in the lake, daylight for almost a round the clock . . .

I love to swim in the evening. Often the wind will have calmed down there are no waves. Tonight there was a group of young firefighters in training, a bit from where I was swimming, using diving gear. I was hoping they would still be there when I had finished swimming. I wanted to shoot some pictures.  To my disappointment they were already packing their equipment and the last man was just about to step out off the water. I asked may I shoot a picture. Yup, fine with them.  Thanks guys 🙂

In the picture you can see the two small piers. I have marked them with white arrows. I think it is about 50 m between them. I swim five to six times back and forth between them. Sometimes up to ten times. Great feeling afterwards. I’m so happy it’s only beginning of the summer. One still will be able to swim for about two and a half months.

License Plates/Registration Plates

Life’s unpredictable paths

My husband is interested in classic cars, motorcycles, anything old on wheels and that has an engine/motor.  Being interested in the cars he, of course, is also collecting license plates.  He has a small collection of them. He like to buy them when visiting all kind of flea markets, junk markets etc. The plates hardly have no value he do love them and is very proud of them.

He had written something about license plates in some of the classic car magazines or was it a classic motorbike magazine. Because of the writing someone, also collecting plates, had contacted him some time ago. They had decided to meet and check out each other’s plates.

So yesterday hubby went to visit the guy to have a look at his plates and then they would come here to check out my husband’s plates. I heard them coming. Hubby opened the door to holler, hey we are here now.  I went out to say hi.

Imagine my surprise ! Also the guy is at least as surprised. We looked at each other and at my husband’s even more surprised expression when he realized the two of us had met before.  We both had worked in the same company many years ago. At least 12 – 14 years ago. We did not know each other very well back then at work but we both immediately recognized one another.  That was a pretty funny situation. We all had a good laugh. 😀

After ventilating a little about the old times and new times as well I got to see some pictures of his license plates. WOW. He has a very nice collection. He has traveled a lot and been able to buy many nice plates from all over the world. Very different and neat plates compared to my hubby’s rusty, crumpled ones.

Lefa and Juke

Well what did I learn today. I learned life’s unpredictable. Today in a good way. I had ever never in my wildest dreams been able to even think we would meet one day in my home.  Well, I’m sure, neither had Juke !  I learned that collecting license plates to some people is a very serious hobby. I also learned that a plate collector is ready to pay as much as about 14 million us dollars for a single plate !

June 1st

The nature is amazing. First of June, which here is the first summer month, and the weather changed from bit chilly to real summer heat in one night. The temperature yesterday was 28 C / 82.4 F. It’s actually too warm for me to do anything during the day. 

In the evening, after 9 pm, I went for a walk with Canelo. Lovely, lovely evening. A wonderful breeze. Nice sunset. I met my friend Elina with her son. They were going for an evening swim in the lake.

Such a brave little guy.

Not very warm the water yet.

at 9:42 pm

How many mosquitoes ! Forgot my Johnson Super Off !