Mongena Game Lodge

A group from Mikkola school (including me) visited our friendship school in South Africa in April. During our visit we also got to spend two days in Mongena Game Lodge. It's a little reserve area about 50 km Pretoria. So as our friendship school situates in Soshanguve one of the townships of Pretoria it was a good place for us to go to see African animals.

Animals on the reserve include buffalo, rhino, hippo, giraffe, eland, springbuck, impala, zebra, various wildebeest species and others. There is also a 25 Ha dam with a variety of birdlife on the reserve. We didn't see all the animals that was there but we enjoyed very much of the game drives (a jeep ride among animals), bush walks and a boat ride on a dam. It was amazing. We got very near to the animals.

Jack was a quide on game drives, bush walk and a boat ride. He did great job with us...

The boat ride was very special! I loved every second of it. The beauty of the river, sun set, bird sounds, view and everything...


Not only that we enjoyed the animals on the reserve area we also liked the lodge area where were the bungalows and houses for accomodation. It was peaceful, no souvenir shops, just relaxed athmosphere and calmness.
This is the house where we lived.
A little peek into our home in Mongena. Tuuli is one of our teachers and was in South Africa second time as I. There were also some animals on the lodge area. It was fun to get so close to them!
So if you ever go to South Africa and don't have enough time or money to go to Kruger national park or you want to avoid malaria go to Mongena to see animals. I strongly recommend! For us it was a unique experience.

At Norvajärvi

Last weekend we had a nice long weekend in Rovaniemi in Norvajärvi about 15 kilometers away from downtown Rovaniemi. Juha had his final big exam at the university of lapland. That gave us a good excuse to go to Rovaniemi as a family for couple of days because there might not be any reason for doing that any more after Juha gets his law degree. He still have some studies left but big exams are over if he passes this one.

Juha belongs to PAM (Service Union United PAM is a union for employees working in the private service sectors) while he used to work as an safety guard. PAM has a little resort village for the people who belong to PAM. We have been there several times and we love the place. It's very small, having only 6 cottages, it's situated on a very beautiful and peaceful place and it's inexpensive. Well, there isn't running water or bathroom in cottages but in a main building you can find both of them. In a main building there is even a tv.

We had such a good time! It was so relaxing. Here you can see how we enjoyed it.

First of all the landscape was so beautiful! As you can see. The other thing was that there was lots and lots of snow which I personally miss having in southern Finland. I love playing in a snow piles! And that's what we did...

The snow inspired us in many ways.

Viivi enjoyed being outside the most. She would go out by herself even when we others decided to stay in and relax. Here she peeps us through the window:











We also had plenty of time read, play games, stare at the fire etc. Girls got new legos from Rovaniemi so those had to tested too. Legos are their favourites! In a main building was a corona-game too. It's kind of biljard but in stead of balls you have little discs that you try to get in to the bags in corners of the game board. I think the corona was invented in central Europe at the 15th century. I played it a lot as a child while a friend of mine had it at home. Juha had it his home so he is still very good in it after so many furious games with his brother in childhood. The other game we learned was rummy. We had it at my childhood home and I bought it now to our family. So we had several games of Rummy too at the cottage.

How I wish we could have a fireplace at home...

When we visit Rovaniemi we always go to the swimming hall. So we did this time too. We all love swimming but I also like aquajogging a lot. It's very efficent and you are able to talk to someone while aquajogging which you can't do while swimming. There are aquablets for everyone to borrow almost in every swimming hall in Finland. So we aquajogged some too. I wouldn't stop swimming in swimming halls for that but jogging is definately a good extra thing to do in swimming halls. Try it if you hav a chance!

Still few more pictures of Norvajärvi.

There was also an outside fireplace.

Isn't this a good picture to end this post? We have such a beautiful nature here in Finland. I'm thankful to God that I was able to enjoy it in Rovaniemi. We need these special moments in life in order to go on in our every day life.

In the middle of nowhere - still just 30 minutes away from Helsinki downtown

Last weekend we spent a night in small cottage with my sister's family. My sister's husband gets to hire the cabin through his work and we've been there several times. It's situated close to a conservation area so the place is peaceful and the landscape is wonderful as you can see.

Children like the place a lot too. Even though they can't swim there (the only down side of the place) because of the shallow and muddy bed of the sea they enjoy the water in many ways. They throw stones into it, feed the fish etc. Sometimes we go rowing on a boat. We didn't do that this time.
Almost everything happens outside. The food is made there too on an open fire. That's a special treat for us who can't normally do that in town. I love the fire and would love to get a fire place at home some day. I could stare at the fire for ages...

On summertime we even eat outdoors but at this time of the year we decided to eat indoors.














After dinner we went t sauna. It was already dark. It was so nice to go outside to cool off a little and see all the stars. There was no worrying that someone might see us there all naked. We had sauna turns for women and men. The sauna is heated with wood which is the only real way of doing it. The heat is smoother and moisture that way.
The next day we got company. Juha's cousin Jaana and her son Jonni came for a visit. They stayed there for the next night. Jonni is 3 years old and Juha's sponsor child. He is cutie
So on lunch we had a full house. I love that! I would love to have many children and I always enjoy the small ones around me. Well, it was a noisy lunch because the cousins had so much to tell everyone.


Jonna is peeking out of the door. She is still wearing a pyjamas at noon because she loves to read and that's what she did all morning.

Viivi in her sleeping back. She really loved to play with the sleeping back. She would hop around with it, roll in it etc.





Miska is a happy fellow. He will turn 4 in November.

Joonas is five. It was almost impossible to get a picture of him. He was busy doing his own stuff all the time and his so quick in his movements.






Here is my beloved husband - the modern Viking!

And his wife...