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| maple in the old cemetery |
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| eteläpitkäkatu |
one of my favourite fall activities is having an evening walk in the old town, taking in all the different kinds of wood smoke scents drifting from the chimneys. the weather has been warmer than usual so not everyone has fires going yet, but i caught some autumnal whiffs this evening already. friday and saturday are the most fragrant, that's when all the saunas are being heated and used, it's a gorgeous mix of smoke, birch leaves and suds. that's a year-round indulgence of course, and available in most residential areas. the combination of chilly air, cobblestone streets and the smoke is so lovely, though, and i'm really looking forward to it.
i have started yoga and japanese classes, it's a strange feeling to be a student again after so many years, with homework and all. even though i have learned japanese on my own before, and know how to read most of the kana, it's funny how the brain switches gears upon studying. i find myself more fluent just like that, even though the classes have just begun and we have only been through a few hiragana. i have been playing a game on my tablet called 'pocketland' for a good while almost every day, but now all of a sudden i am comprehending much more. curious, isn't it? i thought it might be frustrating to go through things i know already, and at such slow pace, too, but it's actually kind of nice. my old notebook is so intimidating and crazy, i started by diving into the deep end and copied and translated, the best i could, a 'mori girl' magazine. that's kind of my thing, skipping the basics and going straight at the hard stuff. so the classes are new to me in that sense, having to be patient and more focused.
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| sysi moriarty & savu aomori |
the ratty boys are turning a year old already! sysi has his birthday tomorrow and savu's is next week, on the fifth. tomorrow is a bittersweet celebration, since it's also the anniversary of a painful decision to have my old boy basu put to sleep the following day... i'm so glad i decided to adopt these two rascals despite specifically intending not to. i know they will, in turn, break my heart when they go, but what really matters is the here and now, and boy are they good at that. they are my sensei and they have been such a great consolation through my losses this past year. they just make my heart burst with love and joy no matter what.
