perfect day, I am still ice and cold-loving Estonian

Snow in the evening, going to sleep, knowing that morning will be beautiful. It was a bit of snow.

In addition to snow, today was also special because there is an ice rink in Birmingham now! It opened today and me, D, E, C and S went to skate. S is my cousin who was going to fly to Estonia, but her flight was cancelled (and this made some relatives angry, to be angry because of a plane?). S had visited my sister during the day, but she had a Spanish lesson this evening, so she left S with me and because I had a plan to go skating, she came with us.

At the beginning I felt like a goat on slippey ice (nagu kits libedal jaal), but then it went better.  I had not skated for 2 years, after falling painfully. I realised I can only turn one way, because in ice rinks there is normally a direction.

Ice rink is good, but it is a bit too expensive. £9 with own skates and £9 with skate hire. Solihull is much cheaper, but it is trouble getting there. At least they should have some student discount of discount if I have own skates.

Lockers are small, very small, so small that a rucksack and winter coat do not fit there together, and of course not boots (not  aproblem if you rent skates, as your shoes will be put into their shelves).

What a feeling of fast movement on the ice. There were only 5 people, us, and occasionally, some of the staff skated.

Everybody who went today said they are going back!

Unfortunately there is not much snow. It was promising heavy snow for this evening, so that D was worried that it is too heavy to come back from skating. Nooooo! Snow is good. I hope somebody else is happy about the snow too:)

cold

This morning was fantastic, walk to uni before 7 in quite cold weather (it was not actually cold, just about 0). how I like walking, I relised this in the evening when walking back, remembering school days when I felt so good at the end of the year to walk instead of cycling, because I was not in a hurry.

And I ma super excited about something happening tomorrow, for now it is a secret.

When I strarted walking back from uni, I phoned E to ask if she is walking, but she was already on the bus. This meant they almost managed to scare me when I got into the house, I anticipated E scaring me and she was there, but did not think that D could also be somewhere, yes she was n the stairs.

snow!

Finally, it is freezing and we have some snow. Nice! Not much, but at least all the mud is frozen! I went to take out rubbish and it felt like in Estonia.

I went to the city centre today. Unfortunately, I left quite late and wasted even more time waiting for the bus for 45 minutes, it finally came, the bus that is supposed to come twice in hour. Blame the weather, I could have walked in 1 hour.

Going to church for 6, went to get on the 5.15 train from New street, but it was too full. Walk or wait for the next train (5.45), almost decided to wait, but I would have been late, same with walking. Decided to walk, even though I knew going through the Christmas masket is pain. On Broad street, I saw bus number 29 and started to run. In the first bus stop it was just closing the doors when I got there, but because traffic was slow, I was on time for the next stop (can't beliave I run from one bus stop to other faster than bus, this tells a lot about the speed of traffic).

Got to church on time. D too. And she stayed for Student plus, for the first time. Now I am really going to sleep, have Body Positive in the morning, 7.30 and I have to walk there, 6.45 I guess. Fun times with freezing weather and cold!

I did not really write much last week, I guess I was walking and walking and walking, because I cannot cycle in this weather. There is no sand or salt, at least I haven't seen.

Aaaaa, I remember, I had a strange trip to a far away place on Friday evening, involving 3 trains there 3 trains back, plus walking in the dark with OVI maps, but it was a bit frightening, so I am not telling.  I am not going there again. It was part of Birmingham.

last few days

Monday evening was funny. We wanted D to go to sleep so that we can decorate the living room, but she kept coming there and even wanted to play some games. We managed to refuse! Decorating birthday cake in N's room, she came to ask wht we were doing there. Just chatting, avoiding her.

In the morning we put 24 balloons in the living room and I started playing the flute behid her door, other ready with party poppers for when she opens her door. One song finished, start again. Finish, next song. Is she ever waking up? Finally!

We ate cake and drank tea. She said she thought I was practising because I might play at church soon.  I have never practised at 7 am in this house!

In the evening we went to the cinema, to see Harry Potter. I did not like it and wold not see it again. Do not know why. I have enjoyed some films based on a book before, even many times and ould watch them again. Maybe the film was just too dark and serious.


Today, on Wednesday, I was wearing a belt of Estonian folk costume and 3 people asked where did I buy it from and that they like it!

It is very cold and it is promising snow for the morning! lets hope for a nice cold day!

I am not saying anything, I should not, because I keep saying wrong things.
N: "It is freezing"

me: "Yes, it is promising snow for next year"

Wagner and cancelled show

This evening I am leading the funny quotations table, sadly. I seem not to be able to say anything in good English, everything turns out funny.


Somebody told today how much they enjoy Wagner. I thought maybe they have bene to a concert, but this evening my housemates wer ealso telling something about Wagner and it I was informed it is somebody on X-factor.

Yesterday we played Indiaca in the afternoon and just before going to church I hit my nose with the Indiaca,  making it bleed. It was quite funny. 

BBC was promising snow for Thursday, but not it is just drizzle and fog. How sad.
"The show has been cancelled"

Nils Landgren and BBC Big Band in Birmingham

This evening brought us some wonderful music. Me and E went to the town hall to see Nils Landgren and his band and BBC Big Band perform. It was super! I have not been to a good concert for long time, this was an excellent evening. Marvellous flute solo there too, together with unbelievably awesome trumpet and sax solos and of course the trombone! Amazing, amazing, amazing!

Finally good to live with somebody who likes same music as me! (or is it the fact that she would not listen to rap and American folk music, but most other things are OK).

To our surprise we met some other people that we know in the town hall (actually there was  5 of them!)

Other than that it has been a very foggy day, like sauna, but without heat. Humid like the rainforest, again, the cold version.

potato!

One day I cooked some potato thing and did not have any onions, but while cooking, somebody came to the kitchen, behind me and I happily said "potatoes!!!!". They said "yes" and then I relised it was not my Chinese housemate D, but the English one N. D used to ask me every day whether I had eaten a potato that day and whether we have a potato machine.

Today I walked a lot. To uni, back,.......
[shhhhh nobody was home, so I annoyed the neighbours a bit and played the flute:) a bit too much, so foodshopping had to wait and I did not eat before I went shopping because I had no food]

........
then to Saisburys to buy some food, a full rucksack of food. Now making some winter vegetables and fish. Jee it is ready soon. E thought she was still hungry and although I said she can eat, she was worried that I will starve at uni tomorrow. So I dished out what I need tomorrow and she ate the rest.

I was vaguely organised today, during lunchtime went to send a letter, a paper one (but it is actually quite boring).

Yesterday after salsa I went home E told me I have to go to sleep! I did so, but instead of sleepign I was counting sheep, bacteria and thought about some lines on a graph, but nothing made me sleepy. After 2 hours I checked facebook on my phone ad saw that there is lots of snow in Estonia. I guess today it was mud, about same as here. D went on a field trip, borrowed my wellies. On my way home I thought of how she said one day "can I borrow your wellies, I am going on campus tomorrow?" and we all laughed. Now it is not funny, it is true, I would need wellies to go to the campus (or start cycling again)

Today A said she has lost some weight. I think have too, since the beginning of the summer maybe, but I haven't weighed myself. I do not really need to go to cardio classes I guess, I walk sooooo much these days. but it is fun.

I am still to go and find a geocache. After my stats test on Monday. And after the other stats test, I will go to uni carols in the Great Hall! The stats exam is quite scary, today I was reading the sample questions and actuallly had to open a dictionary because I had not heard one word before. it wasn't a stats word, This does not happen often that I don't know a word, my English has reached a level and standing there, not going anywhere:( And most of my friends are non-native speakers too.

why does the mud not freeze!

One day of walking, because I can't cycle, it was quite strange. I keep singing when walking or cycling, D thinks it is weird. She asked if I was superhappy yesterday that I sang. No. or maybe. Not unhappy!

This morning I did not do any exercise, just could not leave home 6.45. And then time just goes and goes and by the time I have shower it is too late! Late late. I shall take my camera and walk to uni superslowly in the morning, taking pictures of the fog. I am not a morning person really, I just force myself, because if I wake up at 6 and og to the office at 9 after exercise, I am very awake. If I wake up at 8 and go to office at 9, I am sleepy.

M told thet yesterday there was a song in Estonian in the evening prayer in Taize!!!!!!!!!! How I miss that place. or not the place, but people.

I have the best housemates.

BBC is wrong!

Yesterday evening I happened to check the weather forecast - it was fog, fog, fog, fog, fog. but it wasn't true, it was a nice sunny morning (and cold).

I woke up feeling not the best, quite bad really.

Cycled to uni, walked back, because I had a lovely puncture.

This means I have a good excuse to wear a long skirt for a few days, until I have time to deal with the puncture in daylight (to see how big it is and if I need to replace the inner tube, to buy a new one - yes, this means walking to the shop, so can only be a Saturday).

So tomorrow will ring a nice morning walk to uni.

This evening, while baking a potato and fish dish, we watched a movie, following my wish not to watch horror, silly comedy or little cute animals. Almost, there was a talking cute dog, but this was OK. I generally like chipmunks, but just not feeling like watching them today!

Chipmunk reminds me being on a coach in Spain when I tried to write down all my non-existant vocabulary and K kept saying what words I should know, when chipmunk and squirrel are same in Spanish!
I still have the list of words!

It's freezing!

This morning was very cold, at the same time when Tartu had the warmest 15th November over years. In the morning I was feeling quite bad, almost did not go to the eercise class, but then decided that why else am I up so early then! Evening Pilates too. This (academic) year has been good, I have not experienced any back pain, despite wearing a rucksack every day while cycling and carrying my laptop. As it is cold (this means no rain!), I will take a 7.30 cycle ride along the canal outside, not in the Munrow spinning class!

Oh, today in Munrow I heard an intereesting conversation.
A: "So how was your reading week, did you go out much?"
B: "Yes, almost every day"

Why do the humanities people need reading week. I understand my housemate's reading week, she does geography and goes on field trips instead of lectures.

Last night I had a strange dream. I saw that I was in music school, waiting for a solfeggio lesson. I was not sure whether I had a flute lesson that day or not, it was a Monday. We were preparing some songs for Christmas. I guess this fream was triggerd by A's visit this weekend, she plays the flute too and we were discussing it.

food, food and sightseeing

On thursday after work we went to city centre to have some food and wine with A, N and E. Got home just on time to sleep.

Friday had a bigger adventure. Cycled home after work, to start walking immediately to E and M's house to have dinner. Google map said it would take 40 min, my phone (OVI maps) said 20 min. OK, I go with the phone (and it kind of knows I walk fast - I am not sure it remembers this, but I thought maybe it has). Walk, walk, walk and suddenly it says "cannot continue, only point to point navigation possible". I cannot fly over houses, so wen back to Quinton road and asked way. A couple with a dog helped me, ta least they were not scared to talk to me (this is why I asked them, they think a person who wnats to attack them would not choose people with a big dog. They told me to go to REservoir road. I did. Walked, walked, walked and could not find a way to turn to the parallel road, still hoping there would be a small road connecting the two roads. No, I had to go back to big road. Safe way was to choose a street, but I was already late, so went through Selly Oak Park. Scary and dark. At the end of the park I managed to take another wrong turn, ending up nowhere with a fence separating street and the park. I had already texted M, that I a in the park have been lost a few times but hopefully this is the correct way. C and J, other students who were invited for the dinner came to meet me. Good, because the road did not have road name and house numbers were supersmall too.

On Saturday, A came to Birmingham, for a day trip from near London. We met at New Street and went to Moor St to get some vouchers for Cadbury World. The station was closed, but we said we only want the vouchers, 2 for 1 and could go and look for them. First we took 2, but soon realised it is not 2 for 1, but 30% off, so had to go back to get one for M. M took train from Uni, and we met in Bournville. Cadbury world was good, I like how Cadburys treated their employees and the exhibition was not too childish. Actually it was really good and we even enjoyed the childish bits. We could taste some warm chocolate, a bit too much! After buying some misshapes, we took train back to New St. M went home, me and A did the traditional sightseeing tour that I do for all my visitors. Bull outside, bull in Selfridges, St Martins church, Victoria Square, walk through the Symphony hall to Brindley Place and walk along the canals. Because it was late, we could not go to the Ikon gallery. Also no time to show the uni campus (this is actually amazing). We went to eat and because she had some time until the train, tried to sit down and have coffee, but unfortunately Starbucks was already closing (the one near the station), so had to walk with coffee.






I learnt how gossip develops! Not in a bad way, but the messages tend to get mixed in our families, Her family had told here that my sister has been visiting me for a few month, but in fast she has been here for 2 years and is working. I knew that her sister saw living in the UK when her brother was studying here, but her sister has never lived here!



She got the train and I got a train back to uni. Walk home (when was the last time? I rarely walk, just cycle).

D offered us some sweets, they were good, but we had no idea what they were. After google and Wikipedia, we found it is a bush that grows in UK too, Crataegus monogyna, it is viirpuu in Estonian. I was also informed by the Hungarian housemate that "puu", tree sounds a bit strange in English.

Planning D's birthday, she said she cannot go skating next weekend, so we were thinking of an evening sometime. Googling ice rinks in Birmingham (hoping for a Christmas one), we found that there were next from Oct 2010 that an ice rink would open at the end of Oct. Our googling skills did not find where and if it is already open.

Typing in the living room, E asked if I am working and was relieved when I said am was writing my blog:D

E is a granny, doing cross stich! D had bought a set of pattern and thread and proposed that if she leaves it in the living room, everybody could do a bit! I a a bit impatient for so small work, I prefer knitting and sowing!

By the way, I have had my phone almost a year and M has the same phone. I always send her texts in English because this was I cna use predictive text. Now she showed me that I can actually get a full keyboard on my phone if I turn it sideways. Funny! I still think a touchpad is not good for writing and with predictive text I have to hit the screen less.

you are crazy

No, am I too frank? Say things too directly? If yes, you are my friend! We had a discussion with Estonians about Estonian jokes irony and that it can be hard, especially because if something is not taken by Estonians, it would by others because they assume all foreigners tell everything directly.

Today, when looking pictures of K and L, I said that one is crazy and other one is orange. [how good it is to live in England, nobody cares what colour somebody is, superwhite Nordic, yellow, black, brown or beige] Yes, I would say these things publicly to them too and they might read my blog. I do not mean bad! Actually this crazy is a compliment, K could not be as fantastic without the craziness!

With people who are not my friends (yet) I am rather quiet and careful.

Spiders and other scary things

I started scaring people in our house, I am just so scary. It can be shouting over the fence, suddenly appearing on near the stairs or putting something in the living room that should not be there.

Yesterday was pay back time, N, E and D put a spider to my door and when I got out of my room, I jumped (ahh, it was a toy spider, but still something that is not normally there) and started laughing. Thanks. No I just need to think of somehing.

Yesterday was also a day of funny quotations. Watching TV (some cooking show).
D:"This is Jamie Oliver?"
N:"yes"
D: "And this is Gordon Ramsay?"
N: Yes
D: They are two different people, right?

hahaa
Now she is leading our quotes board. We all sat in the living room, some watching TV, some doing something with computers, D suddenly asked "Does anybody know, what is E. coli?" We all stated laughing. It was funny, although N had an idea that maybe it is different in Chinese. What? It is in Latin anyway. But us three are "kind of biologists", one real one - with undergrad in medical microbiology, one bioinformatician and one pain biologist with sports science undergrad.

On my way to uni I was happily cycling and maybe singing when somebody said "Hello". He looked familiar, but I am not sure who they were. Now I know what streets I have to sing in Estonian [because it is just too scary to cycle in silence]

Today I got two comments about myself. One was that I have grown. (NO, I just had heels and not even high ones!) and that "I have lost some weight" (not intentional, I'll have chips for lunch tomorrow:D)

Some salsa after work and the day is over! When writing down my name for salsa ball, somebody asked me whether I am Estonian. Yes!!!

E has cheesecake - I have to finish writing and go to eat!

I managed to scare D!!! She actually screamed a bit! And then we went outside with E and N to do some fun evening exercise with a hula hoop! Good fun! "No exercise equipment allowed in the house",but we class this activity as dancing! We are really not people from this century, we do not play computer games (except our computer scientist D!), instead we like outside and mud.

muddy to knees!

This morning I went to M's flat in Bournville, to read the Bible. Because other M (actually the share a name, although one is Estonian and other British), who stayed with me, did not know how to walk to the train station. So I walked her and my bicycle to the train station and then cycled to Bournville, along the canal. Puddle-puddle-puddle-mud-mud-mud. I had the waterproof overtrousers over my jeans, so it was OK; although very funny.

Cycled back too, although the train was there at the station when I was about to leave. Next time I will leave home superearly and tak some pictures on the way if it is still so pretty.

A bit of time in the office, when E texted that she is going to the housing office and I joined her and N. The women there was very helpful, basically said that landlord has no right to d what he is doing and if we want, we can live as pigs as long as the house is OK at the end of the tenancy.

It is quite cold in the office.

In the evening I met my sis, she had half an hour before her Spanish class. Good sisterly half and hour with hot chocolate.

Cycled home and I was not the latest one home! E was still at uni:D

A emailed me, saying that she will visit me on Sat. What should we do, where should we go? Cadbury world! If anybody wants to join us, tell me:)

stupid me

Highlight of the day:

Wake up, leave home at 7am, body positive class 7.30, but on the way I realise that I forgot me jeans home. Cycle back after the class in rain, shower, cycle back to uni. Three home-uni distances instead of one in nice English rain.

But during the day I got a text from M who lived in Scotland, saying thet she got a job in England and is coming to stay with me today. I met her at 8.30 at un station, WALKED home and made some good food!

Good luck to her in new job!

London day

To clarify - my bike is well and it exists! It was at Munrow.

London. Train there, walk to the Embassy, meet some people I knew, some I did not. It was a meeting for people who got one scholarship on their first undergrad year and also for the supporters.

Was funny, one Russian girl did not speak Estonian and speaking English to her and listening the others speaking Estonian.

Now watching Kairi's picture-youtube thing
video
form the summer trip, was good! So amazing people, good memories, I want to go back with all those people and the same bus!

Oh and I want to go to some concert (in SHTH) or to the theatre soon! Who wants to join me? I have some ideas of what I might be interested in.

rainy day

Two days ago I realised how much I want to go back to Taize....the songs have been in my head constantly. And what finished today's working day? Some good person sent a youtube link to a song!

This song in my head, I walke dto bioscience cycle racks, looked around, ready to take my bike. it was not there! Where is my bike?

Then I realised today a good day and after more than a week of ilness and lazy mornings I went to the morning aerobics again. Aerobics was OK, but at the end, she asked if we want to do something for the abs. Yes? Yes, and it was soooooo hard, I was already aching there! I don't know what I will feel tomorrow.

I got a heardresser's appointment in the morning, lets see how much I hate brushing my hear today and how much I cut tomorrow:D
[all because nobody from my friends has agreed to cut my fringe, Honestly it does not matter so much as long as you know what is symmetry or are brave enough to try.]

bioinformatastic!

Birmingham is fantastic, I live far from uni, but this morning I realised again how nice cycle ride this is!

Cycling back from uni, today there were no lost people at the end of Vincent Drive. There is a new road and Vincent Drive has became a superwide cycle road. The new road is not on maps yet (at least not googlemap) and almost every evening there is somebody looking around with a map. Usually they are freshers or internationals asking how to get to some student hall or pub, but yesterday I met a Brummie who was looking for the High Street!

Today I met D, my housemate. She wanted to borrow my bike and I was too slow to offer the helmet too, so I walked home with a helmet.

She returned, complaining that the seat is too high and bike very scary. Now she borrowed my hula hoop because she has eaten too many cakes.

Ill

Hi!

I see some people keep checking this blog (and the other one) for updates even one month after the last update. I love you too!

I have had a very interesting weekend. I started feeling very weak last Tuesday evening (lets blame my landlord - I had to rush home for 7pm, after a 2min conversation with my sister to have an appointment, but he arrived just before 9pm). I breathed in lots of cold air through my mouth. Of course, the previos day I had ran through rain with no waterproof coat. England is nice! Just stupid me, not thinking.

Wednesday brought more annoying things with the landlord (I was already feeling pretty bad, so did not go to morning exercise anyway and because he was supposed to do something with boiler at 10am. Of course this happened 12.30). Stupidly wasted morning.

Still went to uni, feeling weak. Thursday same, feeling so bad by afternoon that could not think of cycling home, so I left normal time, about 6.30. Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday - ill, headache, dizziness, sore throat, runny nose, fever (yes, I even have a thermometer now!). Most annoying thing, my eyes were funny, like crying.

Tomorrow I will not be ill and will go to uni.

This week I will skip all cardio exercise (the organised classes - I am still too lazy to slowly walk to uni instead of cycling fast because it is early, late, cold or raining).

At weekend I will go to London to meet some clever Estonians in the embassy. [I have to book a train ticket!]

By the way, I am looking for a friend to go geocaching on Saturdays (not all the time, but pretty regular, even in rain, otherwise we would not be able to go any Saturday). Basically it means searching for hidden things in strange places, using given coordinates and solving some puzzles.
Some Estonians (you know, who!) have infected me with the geocaching bug.