I O U

So I do owe a blog or two about our adventures in Finland over Xmas. I don't have time to write the whole thing up just now, but will put some photos up at least to start with. I have slotted them in underneath these last 2 posts though, so they're in chrono order (lol). Anyways, enjoy! xxx R

Moving on to new jobs

Hello everyone!
We're currently in Aviemore, central highlands, after having had an interview today at Cairngorm mountain for new jobs. We have both been offered positions there and will start on the 4th Feb!!! (Last day on Skye is 1st Feb).

Hamish will be working in the ski hire department as a ski technician (fitting skis, boards, boots etc for people and also doing maintenance stuff), and I will be working as a catering assistant in both of the 2 cafe/restaurants up the mountain. The ptarmigan restaurant at the top of the mountain is the highest in Britain. eh? eh? eh? The jobs also come with a ski pass and use of equipment, so we can learn to snowboard on our days off!! There are also a herd of reindeer on the mountain, apparently they came from Finland!

We will be living in a hotel (special rates for staff) for a while until we find some accomodation, but will only be working at the centre for about 3 months until the end of the ski season sometime near the end of april. From then we will start travelling Europe, and then maybe work another month or so throughout the summer to make sure we dont starve.

Check out Cairngorm mountain's website!
you can also see the cas bar and ptarmigan restaurant on there where I'll be working.

love to all! xxx R

Our new wheels

Well we're back from Finland, and the trip was FANTASTIC. So glad we decided to go for it.

I will post on it, but for now here's a pic of our new wheels! We bought this off one of the Chefs who just left (and who is also Finnish, so we met up with her 3 days later back in Helsinki!!)

Its not the latest aston martin, but it will get us about the place!

I've put some photos of Finland trip up on Facebook if anyone wants to check them out! Will have to wait for photos of Aurora Borealis til I can get them from Nean coz she was the only one with a camera good enough to catch them properly - it will be worth the wait I promise!

Korvala; Finnish Lapland

The bus stop at our beloved Korvala

Weirdos...

Ice hole fishing!!

Reindeer sleds!

Husky sledding!

An exhausting attempt to snow-shoe

Mish's arctic project; the giant snowman

4 on a frozen lake

Ice hole swimming in said frozen lake!!!

Forest Skiing!!!

Our lovely cabin

First steps on the snow

Backpacking on our many train journeys - FREEZING!

Helsinki

At the Aussie bar with our (Finnish) Kinloch colleague Paula

Nean and Mon got on like... well... two crazy people!

At our hostel

There was much craziness

Our hostel; an Olympic stadium!

TRYING to ice skate

Hostels!!!

Christmas markets in the centre of Helsinki

Mish and Mon ("Team M") try out traditional herrings

Smells like Christmas

Look at the lovely Xmas tree and decorations that Hamish made!!! We found a small fake tree in the spare room of the caravan, and were given some xmas lights, so our kiwivan is now nicely xmas-ified and feeling festive.

Check it out!!

FINLAND, LAPLAND, ARCTIC CIRCLE, XMAS!!!

As you know, we are heading to the home of Santa for Christmas!!

This is where we will be staying;
http://www.korvala.fi/?deptid=23279 (In the red cabins)

We will be flying to Helsinki on the 20th Dec and staying there for 2 days to experience the capital and the xmas markets and festivities there. Then on the 23rd we will travel to Turku which is apparently the oldest city of Finland and is also a 'christmasy' town where there are lots of great markets and festivities. Then that night we catch a night train up to Rovaniemi which is the capital of Finnish Lapland, and is also in the Arctic Circle. From there we catch a bus to our cabins at Korvala. We spend Christmas there in the snow (and the dark!) but with activities such as husky sledding, reindeer sledding, ice-hole swimming and fishing, skiing and tobogganing and snow trekking and such, who cares about a little less daylight!!

The Boreal forest, our playground

Huskies!!!

Reindeer!!!!!!!

I hope you will all have BBQ's and salads and think of us while you drink in the warm sunshine, as we will probably be eating tinned spam in the Arctic!! :)

xxxx lots of love :)

p.s I have now taken to adding most of my photos to Facebook as I have done something to my blogger settings and things dont work properly on here anymore (hence the weird font and mis-aligned things). So check out photos on Facebook from now on!!