For everyone who replies to skills-based job application questions with a response from ChatGPT, that's really smart and cool and might work if only you did it, but when hundreds of other people also do it it's kind of obvious and also a very unpleasant waste of the reveiwers' time and definitely earns you zero points.
I'm going on an overland/sea trip to Finland from Scotland, starting tonight. Remember when I was a full time no-fly nomad, doing multiple consecutive nights on public transport without even noticing? Let's see how easily I slip back into that.
An incredibly braw morning, with the sea soft and shimmering. The cold temperatures and clear skies are giving the luminous effect I usually associate with November. I awoke from dreams of wanting to be in the sea but not being able to. Fortunately, once awake after my sunrise coffee, I had no impediments, and got straight into my wetsuit for a refreshing swim/float before breakfast.
We made it down from the hill and finally got some pizza in the tired/cold/hungry kids. The pizza had cloudberries on. Exciting. We came out of the restaurant and headed back to the hotel. Over our heads... the sky was dancing. We were there only for a weekend, and we were so incredibly fortunate to have clear skies, no moon, and the right conditions. It lasted for a couple of hours at least.
Amy added 26 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202303-se-fi/
H's train was delayed by 77 minutes, and she told me she wanted a brownie when she arrived (around midnight). So I thought I'd better get on and make some brownies... I usually mess with brownie recipes and put at least one vegetable inside, but for an emergency it's a straight butter/sugar/cocoa deal and it turned out so well. Will make again.
Amy added 3 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madefood/
A coconut and almond cake with a layer of blackcurrant compote in the middle and a blackcurrant glaze on top. Dense but good.
Amy added 5 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madefood/
Peanut butter choc chip cookies at the Community Kitchen. Turned out preettttyyy good. Namibian-style mealie pap (maize) with lentil stew also pictured.
Amy added 8 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madefood/
Made it to Copenhagen for the Community part of the IATI Members Assembly, along with several of my Co-op colleagues. It was gorgeous Fife weather (cold and bright), interspersed with flurries of snow. Made time for a walk with N, who I haven't seen for years. Had one of the most amazing meals ever at Bistro Lupa.
Amy added 39 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202303-cph/
Amy added 37 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2023-fife/
H came to visit and we had sunrise coffee together and went for a swim/walk/kayak to Wemyss and back on a very braw still day.
Amy added 36 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2023-fife/
Brunch with the siblings at Seeds for the Soul. Lunch (Soul Vegan) and ice cream (Mary's Milk Bar) with F&J and co a week later.
Amy added 8 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2023-edi/
From Kemi in Finland to Haparanda in Sweden, by bus. The first thing I saw over the border was a giant Ikea. I checked into my accommodation which was much nicer than expected. Then went to hunt for food, just heading to the closest open restaurant, a Chinese one called Leilani. I was quickly and friendlily informed that all of the vegetarian options could be made vegan. I picked one and it was delicious. Across the road from the restaurant was an interesting tower. The center of Haparanda was peaceful and seemed like somewhere I'd liked to have spent more time. I forgot about the timezone switch, so got an hour more sleep than expected.
Amy added 22 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202303-se-fi/
Time in Jyvaskyla with S, B, E and J. I adapted quickly to the cold and perma-snow, and managed not to fall over on icy pavements. Walks out onto the frozen lake were stunning and peaceful. Climbed the hill in Jyvaskyla but it was too snowy for views. Visited the Museum of Central Finland on what happened to be the city's birthday, so entrance was free. Was greatly entertained throughout by the wise and thoughtful 9yo E, and the cartoonish delights of 3yo J.
Amy added 49 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202303-se-fi/
More wandering around Jyvaskyla in the snow. Saw the big lake, and J wanted to sample every playground on the way (there were a lot). Warmed up with cake in Espresso House.
Amy added 10 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202303-se-fi/
And on the move again. We took a bus to Rovaniemi and a train to Kemi. After surprise vegan cake and a friendly welcome in a cafe at Kemi train station, we wandered around the town. It was extremely quiet and sleepy. We found the famous 'snow castle', which was more of a three foot high snow maze and some terrible sculptures. We found curling, and slides which entertained the kids. And they let us in for free and stored all of our luggage for us for no clear reason. We walked through a park by the sea - which was frozen! - and to the church in the town center, then back to the bus station. I said goodbye to S, B, E and J as they boarded a bus back to Jyvaskyla. I stayed, to wait for a local bus to Haparanda, just across the border into Sweden.
Amy added 43 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202303-se-fi/
After an uneventful ferry crossing, I arrived at the port of Rostock. Here, the bus ticket machines only accepted cash. Having just spent two weeks in Denmark/Sweden/Finland, I had forgotten what cash looks like. So I couldn't buy a bus ticket. Nothing bad happened. I made it to Rostock Hbf via a bus and an S-Bahn train (which I did buy a ticket for). I bopped around for a couple of hours, having breakfast at a bakery in a nearby shopping center. The toilets in Rostock Hbf cost money, but the ones in the supermarket at the shopping center do not. Then I caught a (late) Flixbus to Luebeck. It dropped off right outside a stand with vegan currywurst, so that was the first order of business. It was a vaguely grey and drizzly but not too cold day. I walked along the river to check into my hostel - run by an anarchist queer feminist collective - which was a fantastic place. I had another day of wandering on the agenda. I had delicioius Arabic coffee and hummus at My Hummus, then zigzagged my way through the old town, through small alleyways and around a great many churches. I went into the Hanse Museum, which was interesting, though I missed an opportunity to learn specifically about the role of Boston (UK) in Hanseatic merchant trading via the customisable interactive exhibit, as I accidentally told it to stick to Edinburgh instead. I walked and sat in some parks. I bought marzipan, as apparently that's a thing in Luebeck. And ate dinner at Erdapfel, which has fancy vegan baked potatoes.
Amy added 94 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202303-de/
We all took a night bus from Jyvaskyla to Rovaniemi, then another bus to Torvinen and another to Luosto. I have never seen so much snow before in my life. Feet of it, sitting around like it always had been and always will be. Thick on top of roofs, clumped around fir trees like bulbous growths. Scooped the sides of roads and footpaths like it's nothing, to make space for people to pass. Dotted with footprints from hares and reindeer. We tried to go for a walk around this epic landscape, but two kiddos straight off a night bus made it difficult. Even with borrowed sleds, there were many tantrums. We took them to the hotel pool instead. Later we went out again, though everyone was still tired. The hotel reception said there was a nice walk and a wooden hut with a fire, "a little bit up" with good views. We expected a 30 minute walk and a log cabin type thing. We walked for longer than E could stand, lost track of the sign posts sometimes, and climbed a massive hill. We were surrounded on all sides by snow coated fir trees. Some were completely covered, forming beautiful natural sculptures in the snow. It was like a dream world. The "wooden house" was an amazing modern construction, with heated windows and a wood burning stove. We arrived in time for an incredible sunset over this bizarre alien landscape. Absolutely just... like nothing I've seen before.
Amy added 73 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202303-se-fi/
An adventure on a snow train, up a hill, to an amethyst mine. Where they let us scrabble in the dirt for 20 minutes to find a handful of our own small amethysts. The views from the top were lovely on another bright and clear and extremely freezing day. In the evening - this time well fed (tonight's pizza had pickled milkcaps on) and better clothed - we went up the hill to the wooden house again. It was another incredibly clear night, and we met other aurora-spotters up there. We caught the end of another beautiful sunset, and stayed for hours in the cosy house. We saw a glimmer of green finally, but it didn't last long. Our trek down in the dark was greatly helped by two other hikers with their own lights ahead of us, and a headtorch borrowed from a kind local.
Amy added 33 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202303-se-fi/
Train from Copenhagen to Malmo, across The Bridge. A pleasant evening to wander around the coast, looking at fancy new apartment buildings. Dinner at Surf Shack, in lieu of anywhere else nearby being open at that time.
Amy added 25 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202303-se-fi/
I awoke several times in the night to find the train stationary in Linkoping. At 0630, the scheduled arrival time in Malmo, we were 'officially' awoken by an announcement, pointing out to us all that we were still in Linkoping because the train had broken down. I switched to the next fast train to Malmo, which was still 3 hours, though we were given the option to stay on board and await repairs and then stay on the slow (5 hour) route. I had planned a day in Malmo before my next connection, and used my interrail pass for the journey, so promises of refunds and reimbursements for missed connections were not at all useful to me. In the end, Swedish Trains did say they'd pay up to &eur;20 towards my food in Malmo, which was nice. The rest of the day, shortened as it was, was lovely. All trace of snow had gone, the sun was out and the sky was blue. I wandered. Took photos. Sat on benches. Wandered some more. I had breakfast in Farm2Table, which was very lovely and I could have stayed there all day. I went to the Form Design Museum, which was free, and they kindly stored my backpack for me until mid-afternoon. Inside was an exhibit about the carbon cost of different materials, showing how much of each you can get for 1kg of C02. I was, naturally, most interested in the mycelium boards. I walked around the gardens and grounds surrounding Malmo Castle, then visited the museum inside. It was wide ranging, from local to natural history, to modern art, and lots of climate change related stuff. I had lunch in Vegegarden, a delicious Chinese buffet. Then walked to the Moderna Museum, which strictly no-photos, and contained a gallery of modern art about.. you guessed it.. climate change. Some fantastic stuff; a lot of video and audio, as well as dance! (Nothing live while I was there.) I walked more around a park with a big lake, and then back into town for dinner at Rau. A fancy, expensive, and extremely delicious dinner. Definitely recommend. Finally I headed back to the train station for a train to Trelleborg. The route from Trelleborg station to the ferry checkin is sort of signposted, but also not obvious at all when you get there. I confirmed I was in the right place with the hotel next door. They also let me use their loo. The waiting room for Stena Line doesn't have wifi or much useful. There were only a couple of other foot passengers. None of the automatic checkin machines were working, and signs said staff would arrive to check us in 40 minutes before departure, despite other signs saying checkin closes 60 minutes before departure. Staff did eventually turn up, ticked us off, and put us on a bus to the ferry. This was a &eur;20 ferry ticket, only deck passage. But I was one of two foot passengers in the seating area, and had my pick. There was one power socket, so I posted up on the closest seat to that so I could charge my laptop while I slept. Onwards to Rostock. (After dinner I noticed I was missing K's borrowed scarf. I emailed all the museums and restaurants and they all replied - it turned up in Vegegarden. A friendly local is going to post it back for me. Hurrah!)
Amy added 124 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202303-se-fi/
Breakfast and excellent conversation with my new hostel-dorm-friend J, before heading to the train station. Next stop: Osnabrueck (via Hamburg). The sun was out, although it occasionally rained from nowhere. Another afternoon of wandering, although my energy was waning. The city was fine, with many interesting buildings, but not as nice as Luebeck somehow. Nowhere seemed to have wifi, except at the train station, which was excellent. I ate sweet potato waffles with not-feta at Snackwunder, and a tasty schwarma wrap at Gustav Grun.
Amy added 51 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202303-de/
I finally finished E's sea turtle!
Amy added 8 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madestuff/
Visiting the local snowy woods and frozen lake near Jyvaskyla. In the evening, the 9-year-old taught me to ski. I was already sure skiing would not agree with me, and I confirmed this. At the top of the slope, as I start to slide: "Can you tell me how to slow down?" 9yo: "We'll get to that later." I have a video of me falling over, which I'll upload too at some point. There was a beautifully vibrant sunset though.
Amy added 20 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202303-se-fi/
I had planned to spend the morning in Malmo, then take a train to Stockholm in time for my evening ferry connection. But the weather was miserable, so I got on an earlier train to Stockholm. The weather was still miserable in Stockholm, but I went on a walking tour of the old town, had tasty vegan Swedish 'meat'balls with lingbenberries in Verte, then walked to the ferry port.
Amy added 62 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202303-se-fi/
The ferry arrived in Turku amidst thick fog and icy waters. I took a train to Tampere, met friends, and we walked around the snowy city. We ate cake at Cafe Runo, and junk food at HOAX, before heading back to a very busy train station with full trains and broken ticket machines. We managed to get home - to Jyvaskyla - despite this, somehow. While wandering I stashed my backpack in free lockers in a mall not too far from the station.
Amy added 56 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202303-se-fi/
The first legs of my journey to Finland: Edinburgh to Hamburg. My first time on the Caledonian Sleeper, which even just for a (free, with interrail pass) seat was very spacious and comfortable, and came with all sorts of fancy things like earplugs. There are also vegan sausages on the breakfast menu. It's worth noting that the Sleeper website is quite ambiguous about which day an interrail pass needs to be active to be valid (departure or arrival day) so when I called (the only way to make a seat reservation with an interrail pass) I queried this; the staff weren't sure either, but as I wanted to take more trains on my arrival day they noted on my reservation that my pass is valid for the arrival day. I got no ticket, reference number or written confirmation of any kind, but when I arrived to board my name as on a list. Old skool. This got me to London with enough hours to spare for a leisurely breakfast at Keystone Coffee near KGX, before the Eurostar to Amsterdam. In Amsterdam I had time for falafel, and then got on another train bound, I thought, to Osnabrueck, where I would change to another train for Hamburg. It turned out that the line between the border and Osnabrueck had been closed for some time for engineering works, and the train was terminating early. I used the dB app to route around the closed bit of track, and alighted at Deventer. Then to Enschede, and another change to Muenster, with a bit of delay. In Muenster everything was delayed by an increasing number of hours. I consoled myself with pretzel and coffee. Time passed and disgruntled passengers accumulated on the platform. Eventually the train to Hamburg-Harburg arrived, though one to Hbf wasn't far behind.. I contemplated waiting so I wouldn't have to change again, but after about 3 hours of delay I thought I should just get on the train that was there. It stopped on the track multiple times, and was delayed outside Bremen for ages. Eventually it gave up and terminated at Bremen. Everyone got off and got onto the InterCity to Hamburg Hbf which had caught up and been stuck behind us the whole way. Finally got into Hamburg after 2am. I had a dorm bed in the Generator hostel right by the station. I sneaked in quietly to a bed with no pillow. Another dorm occupant decided 3am was a good time for the longest loudest shower in the history of humanity, followed by an hour of just-loud-enough to keep waking me prayer in a top bunk. So, not the best night's sleep ever. The next morning I boarded the train to Copenhagen, and met several people who had been caught up in the same delays as me, and missed their onward connections, so Deutsche Bahn had put them all in a nice hotel overnight. More fool me my good planning with lots of buffer.
Amy added 25 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202303-cph/
A trains day! I had just enough time for a hasty breakfast provided by my accommodation, before a fast march to Haparanda station. I caught a train to Boden, then another to Umea. I walked along Umea's frozen river, admiring lots of random sculpture and an arts college, into the city center. I had an incredible lunch at Rost, and could happily have stayed there all day. It was freezing and clear, and every so often a gust would blow powdered snow from trees and rooftops, filling the air with glitter in the sun. I caught my next train to Stockholm. It was snowing by the time I got there, but I had a few hours to pass, so I stomped around the city center for a while. I had a distressing burger in the Swedish burger chain MAX. Initially excited to find a vegan chocolate milkshake, I regretted all of this junk food later. Then I boarded a night train to Malmo.
Amy added 50 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202303-se-fi/
The final leg. From Osnabrueck to Koeln Messe (a bit delayed). I walked across the bridge to Koeln Hbf, enjoying the sun and interesting architecture. I've spent a lot of time in Koeln airport bus station, but none in the city center itself. I caught the next train to Brussels (delayed), and had time to march to the nearest place for an interesting vegan burger. Then back for the Eurostar. In London in time to catch an earlier train to Edinburgh than planned (and no issue with my seat reservation, or lack thereof, supposedly required with an interrail pass). Then I had the genius realisation that I could grab the next train to Kirkcaldy on my interrail pass too, instead of waiting for the bus. I was also feeling a bit unwell and the bus all the way home from Edinburgh would definitely have finished me. I almost threw up on the 10 minute journey from Kirkcaldy train station to Dysart. Anyway, I made it. It was good to be back in the hammock. But the whole trip immediately felt like a dream.
Amy added 18 photos to https://i.amy.gy/202303-de/
I made one mug warmer a couple of weeks ago and then was struck by a brilliant idea. It finally came to fruition. Two mug warmers, which when placed together create a portal to Unicornium! One each for J and F. Oddly enough there aren't any amigurumi patterns for "half a unicorn" so I did most of this freestyle and I'm very proud of myself. I did adapt the head of a tiny horse pattern which wasn't tiny enough.
Amy added 23 photos to https://i.amy.gy/madestuff/
Amy added 5 photos to https://i.amy.gy/2023-livingston/
Got on eight trains to Copenhagen. Attended the Community part of the IATI Members Assembly. Looking forward to the Co-op having even more involvement in the IATI space. Saw N after 5.5 years! And hung out in Copenhagen with colleagues. Before getting on two trains to Malmo then Stockholm and a ferry to Finland.
Spent a gentle week in Jyvaskyla, seeing the local sights/snow and being with friends. Skiied for the first (and almost certainly last) time ever. Took a night bus to Luosto in the very north. Saw alien landscapes and the aurora borealis, went on a snow train to an amethyst mine, visited Kemi, and then over the border to Sweden.
Returned from Dunoon via a ferry and a wander in Gourock. Finally got the Operations and Admin Officer, and Management Accountant Co-op jobs live. Got my head back into improving Co-op governance. Made a coconut almond cake with blackcurrent glaze, and brownies. Crocheted some gifts. Planned a trip to Finland. Felt generally exhausted and quite headachey all week. Finished Lilith's Brood and started Fevre Dream. Then H came to visit and we walk-swam-kayaked to Wemyss and back, ate pizza and watched a Liam Neeson movie, and had brunch in Edinburgh with Dave.
Focus on Co-op recruitment (now we're hiring a Senior Data Analyst too), and governance stuff. Had a new novel idea... My posting apps broke due to a PHP upgrade, sigh. Bought warm clothes for going to Finland. Made pb chocolate chip cookies at the Community Kitchen. Swam in the sea again, before breakfast on Saturday. Finished E's sea turtle and unicornium mug warmers for J and F. Lunch in Edinburgh with J and F. Much travel planning. Watched Wakanda Forever and started Ms Marvel. Planted french beans, runner beans, broad beans, soya beans, mange tout, parsley, basil, beetroot, fancy carrots, gherkins and cucumbers to kick off gardening season.