Hey ho, to the Medieval Market we go!

It's once again time for the Medieval Market here in Turku. I've gone to see it almost every year since I moved to Turku and it's all kinds of awesome.

This time Mr Morrgan and I went with friends - the more the merrier. The ladies went wild amongst ye olde market stands of all kinds, while the gentlemen seemed more at home at the "taverns", sampling the traditional Finnish beer sahti.

As a friend of fine beers, I had to try the drinks too though. In the first of these drinky places I preferred the honeyed mead, but in the second the sahti was excellent. This second place, advertising its drink with a guy shouting "there's not a more miserable sight than a thirsty person!", also demonstrated the different steps of of making sahti (pictured on the right here). This was the first time Mr Morrgan had tried sahti and I expect that any day now he will drag home some vats and juniper branches and start up his own sahti brewery.

Other handicrafts were both demonstrated and sold at the market, which was perfect for a crafty soul like me. I found a few things to take home too. I bought a wooden pendant from an Estonian lady and a really cool silver snake (or maybe dragon...?) ring from a Swedish lady.

The wooden pendant caught my eye with its stylized shape and was just too neat to pass by. More examples of the makers' work can be seen online.

The snake ring, which I had to name Edmund, was just perfect in that it's a more subtle design than the others I've seen. This one doesn't overdo it, plus I like the snake's little smile!

Things that grow and thrive. Plus a new creature!

There are chairs! And more flowers! And a box with planted radish and spinach seeds!

Project Wonderful Balcony goes forward. Next up will be a small table to put between the chairs and which will carry the smaller basket, now on the other chair in the photo.

The green window box, barely visible on the bottom right, was more a spur-of-the-moment kinda thing. I really, really wanted to plant some seeds. Like, really. So I got a box, some radish and spinach seeds, and did indeed plant some seeds. They have grown well, my little pretties. The speedy radishes showed themselves in just a few days (the photo on the right shows them the day they came up, the one on the left shows them a day later) and a few tiny spinach plants have made themselves known today.

(Seriously though, where do such absolute desires come from, anyway? "Today, I must plant some seeds! YES!" Is this entirely sane?)

Already I have spent several evenings in the beginnings of my little balcony garden. Mostly reading, but a few days ago I made this little guy, Edmund the Frog. As you can see on the right, he immediately approved of the flowers.

(Gardener-Morrgan's Hint of the Day: The Phlox he's hiding in has a lovely scent.)

Sunflowers, happy and grumpy

"Yay!" say the happy sunflowers. "There's sun and warmth and all is well in the world!"

"How suspicious", say the grumpy sunflowers. "No flower can be that happy all the time. It's unnatural. ¬¬"

"Yay, look!" say the happy ones. "Friends! Grumpy perhaps, but still friends! Yay!"

"Ack!" say the grumpy ones. "They've seen us! They'll be all positive at us!"


And so on. Will the happy ones ever see the icky side to rain? ("Yay! Drink for us thirsty ones!") Will the grumpy ones ever appreciate the joy of sun? ("We'll become TOAST if this keeps up. ¬¬") Get them for your fridge and perhaps you'll find out. Or get just a happy one to light up your day. Or a grumpy one, if you see to many smiles every day.

Happy Midsummer! With flowery musings

I have a dream of a green oasis of my own, filled with pretty flowers and yummy herbs and climbing vines and other botanical delights. I shall attempt to create this haven in the place I have dubbed The Wonderful Balcony.

To be honest, it isn't so wonderful yet. I have only taken the first step on the way: I have aqcuired a window box and have filled it with pretties. I'm going for blue, orange and white in various shades this year. (And I've already planned colour schemes for about 5 years onwards. A tad overexcited, perhaps? *sigh*)


This lot includes a dahlia, Lobelia, Impatiens, ivies and a couple whose English names I don't know. Plus a dark purple and white petunia, breaking the colour scheme, because Mr Morrgan fell in love with it. It'll be fun to see how it turns out once the plants have fully grown.

I imagine there will be more photos of Project Wonderful Balcony throughout the summer. Next up: chairs, to sit in and enjoy the view!

(Also, there will be photos of knitting projects posted soon. For once. Knitting in the shape of flowers, as it happens. May as well go fully along with the obsession.)

And finally,I wish a happy and sunny Midsummer to those who celebrate it!

Birthday Goodies!

Yay, I have a computer again! We've had internet at the new apartment since we moved a week ago, but the computer was left behind for a few days and was set up today. Only I don't have a desk for it yet. Oh well, a minor problem.

A few days ago I once again officially turned one year older and yesterday Mr Morrgan's birthday gift arrived in the mail: a whole bunch of neat t-shirts from Threadless! Yay again!

The one on the right here is called The Day The Fire Brigade Went On Strike and is just so wonderfully sweet. (There's a couple of elephants on the back too, waiting for their turn.) The other two designs I got were We Are Made of Carbon, perfect for work, and Fail, featuring the cutest little cows. Mr Morrgan got a funny one for himself too, Defend the Kingdom. I can't wait to wear these all summer. =)


One thing I don't get though is the American sizing system for clothes. I, a regular M here in the land of Finns, had to get XL of all things. Mr Morrgan, who is an S in any sane universe, had to get an L. Don't they run out of room for X:s on the labels real quick with that sizing system?