Chokito, Randburg, South Africa

Prowl_Worshipper
gotham.city@bigpond.com

Posted Jan 21, 2008, 12:46 pm
G'day :)
Me name's Chokito and Batman's me main man. I'm a bit of a rebel, which don't go down too well with my cop brother Luke.
I gotta Batman tattoo and a coupla earrings, but if that don't bother you we'll be good mates!
I want to see the world, meet some other TV rebels. So who wants my company? You? Go on, we'll have a good time!
BlackCat


Posted Feb 15, 2008, 7:36 am
Hello everybody out there,

Davy and I arrived at Fabi's House today. It was a long travel, but we are okay. Tortilla and Wauzi welcomed us really nice and we had a lot of fun together.
We will make some photos later and show you, where we are at the moment :)!

Have a nice day,
Chokito
BlackCat


Posted Feb 15, 2008, 9:19 am
Hello mum,

we went to the Ruhr today. Just a little walk - I thought. But then we were away for more than 4 hours. What a day.
We were sitting really closed in Fabis backpack :)! But it was funny.
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I was sitting in the middle and we talked about all the other cuddly toys we allready met. Wauzi told us something about his friends at Fabi's home and maybe I will meet them soon. They were sleeping in an other room then us, so we didn't see them until now.
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My brother was on his alien-trip again. Fabi told him some alien storys and I was thinking what I can do instead...he is so crazy sometimes.
We walked and walked and walked...that was a really busy day :)!

Have a sunny day, like we,
Chokito
BlackCat


Posted Feb 15, 2008, 9:26 am
Hello,

after the visit at the Ruhr, we went to Recklinghausen. I wanted to have some fun in the Aldi-shop, but Fabi didn't let us out of the backpack. Really unfair :(!

After the visit in the shop, we saw an monument for a train station...there we can go out and look at the monument.
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After that, we went to a church and looked at it. There was a mass inside, so we can't make photos inside.
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It looks a little bit old, or?! ;)

So, now, I will have a little bit fun with Wauzi!
Will update this later,
Chokito
BlackCat


Posted Feb 24, 2008, 3:43 pm
Hey Mum,

here we go. We have some new visitors here and I have shown them the rooms. They are a little bit crazy, because they can speak other languages then English. I tried to understand them, but Josh speaks so fast. He told me, that it is dutch what he can speak...
http://i263.photobucket.com/albums/ii123/oceania87/TV/am2402/three_74.jpg
So, here is a group picture of us :)! We have a lot of fun together :)!

Have a nice day mummy (and please tell Davy, that there are no UFO's - he doesn't believe me...).
Chokito
BlackCat


Posted Feb 24, 2008, 4:09 pm
Hello ^^,

today we visited a friend of Fabi, Vanessa. She has a dog and I managed to climb on his back. It was funny, because he was just lying there watching me. A nice dog.
I like him.
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A nice day,
Chokito
fam-united


Posted Mar 28, 2008, 1:22 pm
Hi mummy,

I just wanted to let you know, that I arrived in Bruchsal. Petra is really busy, but we all wanted her to get in contact with our family before the human guests arrive. Petra told us, that her daughter celebrates her birthday today, altough her birthday was in December. It seems to be a funny family.

Bye, Chokito

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fam-united


Posted Mar 29, 2008, 6:37 pm
Hurray!!! Hurray!!!

We had a little party today!!!



We had some snacks and water to drink and a lot to laugh about, of course. Dogs became friends with cats, a turtle with a kangaroo, a monkey with a moose and more.

We played with a big and a small ball and we learned how to play the card game "Mau Mau".


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Didn't the table look nice?


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Mingus Moose prefered to sit on the ballon.


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(Playmo)Bill decided to not eat anything, because he was afraid to be too thick for his hobby.


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Bullet wanted all the peanuts for himself.

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Coco first had been a bit sad, because there was no honey on the table, but she liked the gouda then.


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How did (Playmo)Bill come to that peanut? Maybe he asked Mingus Moose???


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HolidayHarry had been really thirsty after eating a lot of sweets.


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Florence is very hungry and wants to try a chocolate banana muffin.


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Pebbels thought, that the Harry Potter muffin looked nice. It was a muffin with blueberries. Curly took the chocolate banana muffin too.


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Amara Anthea tried a muffin american style, just on with chocolate drops.


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AliG seemed to play the detective. What did he expect to find out today???


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Do you see how happy Tortilla and Josh look with this dish filled with gummi bears?


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Davy, Schnuffi and I shared another Harry Potter muffin.


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Only Hasi prefered something healthy - she wanted to eat a carrot.


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Tilda hadn't been sure, whether she should try a "nimm 2 " or whether it is better to eat a carrot too.



Then we started playing with balls. At first we choose the Australian ball, but it was so big, that the little toyvoyager among us had big problems.

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Later we decided to use a table tennis ball, which of course is much easier to play with.

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At last we learned how to play "Mau Mau".

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Our first winner was: Meeeee!!!!!!!
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Second place: Bullet
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Third place: Hasi
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Fourth place: Pebbels
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fam-united


Posted Apr 10, 2008, 6:50 am
Today was one of the rare sunny days. Petra came home from school and packed her rucksack to show us some places in Bruchsal. She didn't have so much time for it, because she had to go back to school for a teachers' meeting.

Here you see the backfront of the palace.
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This is the Feldkirchle (field chapel)
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Next to the Feldkirchle (field chapel) you see this cross
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and these beautiful flowers
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fam-united


Posted Apr 10, 2008, 10:45 am
Today it's time for baking cakes for my host's mum's birthday. She is 70 years now and Petra was asked to bake two cakes: Donauwellenkuchen (Danube waves cake) and Zebrakuchen (zebra cake). Petra decided to bake a surprise cake too, with a part of the Happy Birthday song.

We sat all together watching and helping Petra with preparing the dough.

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So here are the photos with me. If you are interested in recipes, I can try to ask Petra to write them here or send them to you.


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Finally the cakes are ready

The nougat cream cake:
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only the words "Happy birthday" have to be put on the cake now.

The Zebra-cake
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Somehow we miss the last photo of the Danube waves cake, the one with the cherries.
fam-united


Posted Apr 19, 2008, 6:42 am
Goodbye, Chokito!!!

Have a great time

Delenna


Posted Apr 23, 2008, 11:15 am
Meow! What a ride! I arrived to Finland late at night - or at least that's when my host picked me up from the post office. You couldn't tell it was late as it was still so sunny. I can't wait to start my adventure here (I was told some very interesting hints of the future...) but now I'll go to bed and sleep zzzzzz....
Delenna


Posted Apr 25, 2008, 2:28 pm
Meowdy! Today I got to see some of this nice little town I'm currently visiting: Porvoo. This is me standing in the middle of Porvoo River. Yes, I can do that (kids, don't try this at home). This is actually the actual spot where the lat/long takes you.

In the first pic there are the newer houses which are built to resemble a bit the old warehouses (in the second pic, behind the bridge). On one side of the river there are many cafés/bars - that big white sailboat is a restaurant too! The other side is still "under construction"... In the last pic you can see the tile building which used in art exhibitions, "bazars", concerts... soon to be put down. Behind it is the local skiing center.

This was my first tour of many I was told  B) My host said my timing was perfect, the weather has finally turned better: sunny and warmer. Plus my host has all sorts of things planned...
Delenna


Posted Apr 26, 2008, 6:05 pm
Look what I found in the shelf! Three Batman comics!  :cyclops:

They were in Finnish but I read them at once. In the first one Batman is with Superman and then there is Batman Year 1 and Batman Begins. Batman seems to be Batman in Finnish too. My host said he (Batman) was called Lepakkomies (straight translation from Batman) in the early years (whatever that means) but nowadays he's mainly "just" Batman.

Didididididididi Didididididididi Batmaaaaaan!
Delenna


Posted Apr 30, 2008, 5:42 pm
This is the main street of Porvoo. Somewhat quiet on a Sunday morning...
Delenna


Posted Apr 30, 2008, 5:46 pm
On that sam eSunday I climbed on the local sightseeing tower! This is where Batman could watch over the city... In the first pic you see the brownish roof of the church - it's been rebuilt (the roof) as it was burnt by arson in May 2006. The two next pics show an overall view of the town and how the river runs thru the city to the Baltic Sea... The forest is under the tower and the last pic shows the tower from a distance.
Delenna


Posted Apr 30, 2008, 5:51 pm
Here's the most wellknown sight of the town: the red old warehouses. The photo is taken next to the sightseeing tower's ground - on the main street bridge.

This's what the brochure says about the houses:
"The shore houses are now red, but they got their colour only in the late 18th century. Red ochre paint was used to paint the shore houses in honour of King Gustav III's arrival from Sweden. All of the houses along his route were painted, in order to make them more beautiful. The red ochre also helped protect the logs from wind and sun damage. Exotic fruits, wines and spices were brought to Porvoo, and the shore houses also served as intermediate storehouses for coffee an tobacco. Today the shore houses are used as private living quarters and storage space."
Delenna


Posted May 3, 2008, 6:04 pm
Finns call 1st of May aka Labour Day vappu. People eat doughnuts and maybe \"tippaleipä\" and drink sima (mead) on vappu. Some people attend marches and wear their graduation hats (esp. undergraduates). I made my own vappu hat and then I played with the other toyvoyagers (Ninni, Alfie Langer and Roo). We had balloons and streamer too! I got a Bambi balloon, I wish they had had Batman or at least Robin but naaah... There was Spiderman though  :rolleyes:
Delenna


Posted May 5, 2008, 10:50 am
I found more Batman comics in the shelf! My host said we'll go to the local second hand bookshop oneday to look for Finnish Batman comics for me  :cyclops:
Delenna


Posted May 5, 2008, 10:53 am
We got this advertisement for different things for kids. Look what they also have to sell!  :stare: Toys with Batman on them!  :o I would definitely go swimming with those things!
Delenna


Posted May 9, 2008, 5:56 pm
My host thought we had sat indoors enough (2 days - and I hadn't finished all the Batman comics they had!) so we went outdoors. It had rained so the air was fresh - and the ground a bit wet (bleh). I tried  to find 4-leaf-clovers with Alfie Langer and the newest visitor Majed. Majed liked goofing around: he tried to make us believe he had found a 6-leaf-clover but I saw that he held two regular clovers - and had some twinkle in his eyes... It broke the ice and we started chatting while the ladies were picking some flowers.
Delenna


Posted May 11, 2008, 4:56 pm
G'day mates! Today they celebrated Mother's Day in Finland - and so did we! We had ice cream cake, saw the flag of Finland (as it's a national day, everyone puts the flag up) and picked these white flowers (traditional trademark of the day). The girls had made cards and bracelets for their mom. Our hostmom enjoyed the day too  :D


(eating the cake: me Chokito, Alfie, Ninni, Roo and Majed - and we did leave some for the hostfamily too!)
Delenna


Posted May 11, 2008, 5:47 pm
Cheers from sunny Finland! Today we also took a walk to the nearby beach/harbour? Believe it or not, this is the Baltic Sea  :)  It's not an open seaview as Finland has so much archipelago. Around this area the creator of the Moomin spent her summers. I believe this is why Moominpappa loves the sea so much!

Can you the the two swans (Finland's national bird) there? They were very sweet looking! Or the sauna (?) in the middle of the sea? My host wasn't sure what it was and our hostdad guessed it could be a sauna. But in the middle of the sea?!?

And most importantly: did you notice how good I look next to  the life buoy? I could save lives as a profession! It would be almost as cool as being Batman, but only almost...
Delenna


Posted May 13, 2008, 7:53 pm
Today mates, I visited the capitol of Finland: Helsinki! It was a nice, sunny day and I saw theLinnanmäki Amusement Park from a distance. I'd love to go on that Ferris Wheel to see the whole city!

And I saw Helsinki behind a lake (there were swans on that lake too!). And the Opera House from back and front! And that green house on the other side of the road. I just thought it was a bit different than the moders opera house.
Delenna


Posted May 13, 2008, 7:58 pm
Here we are at the most wellknown children's hospital of the country. We hang around waiting for a doctor's appointment for the kiddo (who is just fine). Now, what I really wanted to show you was that huge, gigantous cat! None of us tv's wanted to go near it - it's so freakin' big! I know I'm a brave cat but... Can you see how humongous the cat is?!  :stare:

Just a thought: that cat as a tv...
Delenna


Posted May 13, 2008, 8:01 pm
This was the city center of Helsinki. Well, ok, a part of it.

Starting from the first photo there's the Parliament House, the white building is the Museum of Contemporary Art  Kiasma and the statue next to it is the riding Mannerheim (one of the former presidents) - and the main Post Office (the one with the looooong banner on the side of it). Lastly there is some of the Main Railway Station.

I was told to put this view in my mind for the future...
Delenna


Posted May 14, 2008, 6:24 pm
Our tv firend Roo turned 4 years old 2 moths ago but she never had a birthday party - until now: suprise! As you can see there was cake, candies, juice, joy and good company  B)
Roo even got a present & a card from all of us.
Delenna


Posted May 14, 2008, 6:27 pm
You'll never guess what my host found in the store while shopping for Roo's (and Alfie's, but don't tell him) birthday! Batman candies! My host was suprised too, she had never seen these or even heard of (but she also had never shopped in this particular store before either). It says "Chili Salmiakki" - salmiakki is the "salty licorice" and we all know what chili stands for: hot hot hot! I'm not sure I dare to taste them...
Delenna


Posted May 15, 2008, 7:18 pm
Today we celebrated Alfie's 1st birthday!
Delenna


Posted May 17, 2008, 5:32 pm
Now I understand why my host wanted me to remember the sight with The Helsinki Main Post Office! There was a Postcrossing meeting today! Or more specific: the Wayne's Coffee cafe there. It was the first my host attended and she was both nervous and excited. No worries mate: We had a great time! We were all welcomed warmly. We got some chocolate tea and cafe latte - and we "stole" some Dutch Waffels (a Dutch postcrosser wanted to join with this contribution), see Ninni watching our backs while I'm stuffing his head in... Hmmm, I didn't expect to be photographed in that position... We made new friends: the Official Meeting Pens and the Official Meeting Ducks  :D We helped the humans write 101 postcards (one for the cafe guy) and watched the Official Meeting Book being filled (we got our names there too!). The meeting took 3 hours after which my host went shopping for some more postcards  :rolleyes:
Delenna


Posted May 19, 2008, 8:23 pm
You should have seen my host's face when she saw these bottles... She was like  :o and I was like  :cyclops: Then she took a pic of me there on the shelf and other customers were like  :stare:

Batman cola!  B)
Delenna


Posted May 22, 2008, 7:32 am
This time I didn't walk on water but took a ferry - to Suomenlinna fortress! It's a Unesco World Heritage Site and a suburb of Helsinki. Yep, regular people (about 850 of them) live there in regular houses. They also have a kindergarden, grocery shop, library - and a prison! But it's an old fortress mostly. Probably one of the most famous sights in Helsinki.

There you see me on the ferry, leaving Helsinki City and approaching Suomenlinna (only one island of 8 is in that photo. Suomenlinna is a sea fortress made up of a series of fortification works, so it is not a single fortress building) - and the ferry we took. The views were amazing - especially from the wall! We actually walked on the high wall - my host got a bit dizzy, she didn't feel comfortable that high with that steep fall. And there was warnings about the fall too so she was right being nervous... I saw a few cannons, the submarine Vesikko that was used in the II World War.

In the 3rd photo from the end there's the King’s Gate which is a symbol of Suomenlinna. It was built in 1753-54 as a parade gate for the fortress. You can't really see how big it is as the photo is taken so close - but we couldn't go further back as the was the sea.

In the last photo is the tomb of Augustin Ehrensvärd (1710-1772), founder of the fortress. I've seen many of these places on postcards but it's so different to see them in real life! Luckily we had a good weather, sunny and warm  B)
Delenna


Posted May 24, 2008, 9:13 pm
Sauna. Hmmm...  :thinking: How should I put this... Finns love this place. A small heated room. There you throw water on hot stones. To get the room even more heated. They say 60-80 degrees Celcius is good  :o Sweat starts to pour out of your skin pores. Your muscles relax... Maybe for the humans but not for a furry cat like me! They even take showers - before sauna, in the middle of sauna and after the sauna! I'll rather keep avoiding water thank you very much. I'm a cat, I can keep myself clean. By myself.
Delenna


Posted May 24, 2008, 9:27 pm
It was a day of celebration! My host's daughter turned 4 and we held this little party. The best part was when we decorated the cake! I got some whipped cream - mmmmmm...  :cyclops:

I just don't get it why she had to have a doggie cake...  :stare:
Delenna


Posted Jun 2, 2008, 3:18 pm
Here we go again... I'm starting to feel like we're in Helsinki all the time! Luckily my host had further plans  ;) We were going to travel to Tampere! So here we are at the Helsinki Main Railway Station. The train we took was so fully booked we had to sit tight behind our host's daughter. My travelling tv-companions were Alfie, Roo, Ninni, Stuart, Majed and Elle.
Delenna


Posted Jun 2, 2008, 3:22 pm
Tadah! I'm now in Tampere a city about 2h drive away from Porvoo. The train from Helsinki also took about 2h. We spent a whole day in the Särkänniemi Adventure Park! I could see some of the rides but we didn't go on many as we were there with kids.

I also saw the dolphin show in the most northern dolphinarium of the world! The dolphins were very skillfull! Later I got to go on Näsinneula Tower which is the tallest observation tower in the Nordic countries. The top of the tower stands at a height of 168 metres but we were at 124 metres (by the way: the lifts travel at a speed of 6 metres per second). It's like half way to Eiffel Tower  ;) The views were quite amazing from up there!


Delenna


Posted Jun 2, 2008, 3:40 pm
The next day we headed back home but first we visited the Moominvalley of the Tampere Art Museum.  We weren't allowed to take photos in the Moominvalley exhibitions but we could take a few in the first hallway and in the "event room" where that game was.

While walking towards the train station we met the Moomin! There was a biking event and Moomin was visiting it. He probably the most wellknown Finnish character there it. My host took a few pics of the city with me too. That church is called Alexander's Church and it was built in 1881.
Delenna


Posted Jun 7, 2008, 4:00 pm
Today we visited the Market of Possibilities in Porvoo. It's an event where different organizations present their activities, distribute information. The event is held in many cities during the summer. Here's only a small view of our brief visit to the event. We couldn't stay long as the little one we had with us got scared of the noise/tired/hungry and we had to leave.
Delenna


Posted Jun 7, 2008, 4:20 pm
After the Market we explored our own possibilities of cheering up a little one in the playground nearby. I think we did a good job, we three (as in The Awesome Three) aka me, Roo and Alfie  B) The little one enjoyed playing with us.
Delenna


Posted Jun 7, 2008, 4:25 pm
When we got home my host had a suprise for me! I filled a mission! I got a Finnish Batman comic book of my own! It's from 1996 as my host bought it from a second hand bookstore. It's in good condition so I don't mind. My host said she chose an xmas story as it's so hot & sunny now  :p After I've read it like a million times I'll send it home. My host had looked for a Swedish Batman too but she couldn't find one. As Finland has ywo official languages you can usually find all comics in both languages (they usually order the Swedish ones from Sweden to sell here).
Delenna


Posted Jun 13, 2008, 5:43 pm
Friday 13th :) Our host took us with her to her "job" (training period) in the local activity center for the mentally disabled. My host is an instructor-trainee. She works at the handicrafts room with the people there. See how skilled they are!  :stare: They've been doing felt-making mostly recently. Here is some of the stuff they've created. That sunset with dolphins is made by my host, she still has to work on it so we helped her a bit with the needle. She's also quite talented don't you think?

In the first photo is a yet-unfinished felt work. The girl who makes it has short temper and isn't easily inspired by anything. My host asked her to do this sort of felt work and promised the girl she could choose the picture herself. The girl immediately chose a pic from her Zorro comic book and started making it! And she did it for a long time before she took a break.

In the second last photo is a work that the creator also self designed and made. These people have such a talent and imagination!

My host says she'd like to buy half of the stuff they make there. Lucky for her basically everything they make is supposed to get sold. Unlucky for her many of the items are pre-ordered.

Very interesting day at work!
Delenna


Posted Jun 21, 2008, 6:27 pm
This must be the dullest moment in my journey! It's Midsummer Eve and we're sitting indoors, doing nothing! It's raining cats and dogs (although I resent that saying)! Really! It's raining so much I'm afraid the roof can't take it. Ok, ok, I know the roof is fine... We're supposed to be celebrating; barbeque, bonfire... No way in this weather. The only bonfire we could see is on the calendar. There's is a plus side to this too; less people will do the traditional heavy drinking which leads to traditional drownings and road accidents. And at least the police on duty are pleased.
Delenna


Posted Jun 21, 2008, 6:31 pm
A better day! Well, anything is better than yesterday... Today we drove to our host's parents and stopped by this little river on the way. Alfie and I would've loved to try white water rafting! Our host was just too scared of what could happen to us and said "no way". Instead we (me, Roo and Alfie) played with this winch that is used to lift the boats up from the river. As you can see, I'm doing all the hard work! But it was fun!    B)
Delenna


Posted Jul 5, 2008, 7:44 pm
My host's eldest girl got a new bike today and wanted to try it at once so we made a little bicycle tour to the playground. We had a picnic there with goodies and juice  :D I decided to climb some trees afterwards, I felt like Batman watching over people  B) Now that our host if free from "work" she has more time for us again! I wonder what she will plan for us...
Delenna


Posted Jul 9, 2008, 5:30 pm
G'day folks! My host loves to involve in helping children in need so the Teddy Bear Clinic (see Threadbear) was also "for her". Here you see the 7 teddies she rescued, bathe and will send to South Africa, to the clinic. We all hope that they all fit in that Moomin box you see behind them...

Btw: it's July and "Dark Knight" will be premiere! I need to check when it comes to Finland... As sometimes the movies come here the same time they're released in the country of origin  :cyclops:
Delenna


Posted Jul 16, 2008, 6:53 am
My host wanted to celebrate her training period being over, Alfie being on the top10 and Stuart the Lion being the VOTW last week partially thanks to my host. So she took us to the Korkeasaari Zoo in Helsinki! She also took her kids and dad to this family outing to see my reletives  :D It was a nice & sunny day too. Here, in the first pic we (Ninni, me, Roo, Alfie) tv's are sitting on the roof of the car next to the zoo. Then we had to walk over the bridge to get to the island which was the zoo. You can see the Cathedral and orthodox Church in the distance, those places I saw closer in May, remember?

I saw for example a seal and the european bison. I also wanted to see wolverine but I couldn't find him, maybe he was on some secret mission to save the world. Although this one didn't look (on the sign) anything like the Wolverine I know from the X-men... Then there's a view of yet another side of Helsinki.

Next I saw my reletives...
Delenna


Posted Jul 16, 2008, 7:13 am
...the story continues...

This part of the zoo is called The Valley of the Cats  :D First I met a snow leopard who wasn't very talkative. He was just lying on the "roof". But the wild cat then! I went next to the glass and waved my paws a bit. The cat came slowly to check if I was friendly or not. Of course I assured her that I came in peace and we chatted a while. She was very interested in hearing about the wildlife in Australia and all the space they could use. She said things were ok with her too; she had friends to play with, a nice place, humans give good food and come up with new things to play with every now and then. I could've talked to her more but we both had to go and attend other duties.

I saw a lion too - rrrraaaawwwrrrr!  :D He wasn't as talkative as the wild cat. He just said he was posing for the humans and making sure they didn't disturb his ladies. Ah, a gentleman he is!

Next: time to play!


Delenna


Posted Jul 16, 2008, 7:27 am
...last part of the zoo story...

It was time to play Noah's Arc and catching the crocodile  :p

And time to see the camels, mountain goats - and lunch! It was so nice to stop and feast, although we had to wait for the food for 45min after ordering it. There's me, Ninni, Alfie and Roo aka the FabFour (not like the boybands, better!).

Continuing with musk ox, red wallabies (oh, suddenly I miss home!), tropical waterfall (there were all kinds of lizards and snakes etc but we didn't get photos as the light was poor), Miami Vice (aka flamingos, haha) and a wooden fox on the way home.  Home... *sigh*
Delenna


Posted Jul 20, 2008, 8:33 pm
Today we finally found the nearby beach meant for swimming! It was very close to the "sauna in the middle of the sea"  :o We all had seen this from far away and wondered what the heck it really was. Apparently it's just a "milestone" for the swimmers. My host said that usually these a just flat "rafts" but as there's so much boat traffic here it would be dangerous to have a raft lying around. Mystery solved! B)
Delenna


Posted Jul 21, 2008, 3:56 pm
Ooooh, it hurts me to show you these pics... We played Moomin Memory/Pairs, a new game the girls in the house just got. It was a fun evening untill I realized the scores... The dog of the house, Lurppa, won with 3 pairs but I'm sure it's only because he had "home field advantage". Ninni and Roo got 2 pairs each, Alfie one - and I was left with nothing! This game sucks  :mad:
Delenna


Posted Jul 27, 2008, 5:10 pm
It was an awesome day! We went to a cool beach about 15km away from the city center. At first you drive in the middle of nowhere, then you walk thru a forest and then you see it: the Baltic Sea (again). The beach is exceptionally great because the water doesn't get deep--- well, it does but it takes like 50m before it does that. Great for kids. I stayed on the sand getting a tan  B)
Delenna


Posted Jul 27, 2008, 5:19 pm
Today I visited the Porvoo Doll and Toy museum. It's a small place with hundreds and thousands of old toys. The eldest date back to the early 1800! All toys have been played with and some look like it too ;) The toys are a private collection and their owner started the museum with her own money. It's a very popular tourist attraction.

Way cool!
Delenna


Posted Aug 2, 2008, 9:31 am
We held my goodbye-party already although I won't be leaving before mid-August. The theme of my party was naturally Batman  B) My host had got me Batman candy, Batman cola - and a Batman movie from the library  :cyclops: The movie was released in 1966! Adam West played Batman and Burt Ward Robin.

We took a nice position on the couch, had the candy & cola in front of us, just relaxed and enjoyed the movie. After the movie we talked about it and the scenes - and my new adventures that will take place in South Africa. My host wants to show me a few things more, but in mid-August I'll be heading off south  :D

It was nice to "say goodbye" when you won't leave immediately. When I then actually do leave we'll just say "bye, see ya".
Delenna


Posted Aug 6, 2008, 10:55 am
My host took some pics of me around different sort of vehicles  in different parts of Porvoo :p Here I am on a Harley-like motorbike, looking at the local tourist-attraction-like horse carriage, a cool new car and a way old car. These are more unique than common, maybe I should pose at a parking lot, just to show the common cars... We have also seen a Mustang etc. but never got a pic of them. Maybe that'll happen before I leave...
Delenna


Posted Aug 9, 2008, 5:46 pm
Today we went to check out the steamrail that travels on a few Saturdays each summer. We had plenty of time so we went to take a look at a miniature railroad. It would've been so much fun to ride it! But my host said no-one was allowed to touch it. Hmpf, what fun is that?!? There was all sorts of other stuff too, including that old funny add. 
Delenna


Posted Aug 9, 2008, 5:54 pm
Here are a few other things we saw while waiting for The Train. The blue train in the two last pics is called "Lättähattu", it's a train from around the 50's/60's. It still operates occasionally, short trips for the tourists.
Delenna


Posted Aug 9, 2008, 6:03 pm
Here it is! May I present you the steamtrain  :stare:
These type of locomotives were built during years 1928-1953. The Porvoo railway is an original part of what used to be the next oldest private wide gauge railway, completed in 1874, linking Porvoo town with the first railway of Finland, the Helsinki-Hämeenlinna line build in 1862. Nowadays the only trains that ride to/from Porvoo are these old tourist attractions and they ride only in the summer (and usually on weekends even then).

The steamtrain is really cool! You should've seen the amount of  steam coming out from it! It's big and it's beautiful  :D
Delenna


Posted Aug 13, 2008, 7:55 pm
I thought we'd go to Helsinki but this looks like the streets of Paris! Ok, they were wall paintings in the city center  ;)
Delenna


Posted Aug 13, 2008, 7:59 pm
My host had errands to run and while running them, we saw these nice buildings. The beautiful red church is The Church of St. John. It's designed in Neogothic style by the Swedish architect A. E. Molander and built in 1893. It is the biggest church in Helsinki and has excellent acoustics, making it a popular place for concerts of large choral works in particular. I think it's just plain pretty!
Delenna


Posted Aug 13, 2008, 8:08 pm
Then we visited a cafe that had old Finland travel posters on display! It was fun to look at these vintage adds. There is a book full of them! My host bought a few postcards instead.
Delenna


Posted Aug 13, 2008, 8:12 pm
So, with these retro-add-cards I say farewell to Finland and start packing for South Africa! Someone else come here, I'm outta here (though I did love it)  B) To the Batmobile! Well, it's a small, brown box actually... A cat can dream...
Vicki


Posted Sep 14, 2008, 1:00 pm
Heya mom! Howzit hanging? Just a quickie to say that I rocked up in South Africa today. See I'm chillaxing on Juanita's (Vickis daughter) bed.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3023/2847091947_4f644b3a62.jpg?v=0

Catch up with you soon!
Chokito.
Vicki


Posted Sep 14, 2008, 1:51 pm
HEY MOM! You won't believe the most awesome thing happened today! Eloise and Threadbear got MARRIED! YUK! Ok, ok it was cute and all but like gross! Who would want to get married when you have the rest of your life to PARTY??!?!!  :thinking: Anyway... we were invited and so we rocked up there and I couldn't wait for the party to get started!! So we all sat down and waited for this bride to arrive and wow, did she arrive!! What a stunner! Absolutely gorgeous! I think my man Threadbear was shocked!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3017/2847919724_5a52bea088_m.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3212/2847919072_7d1d7c0e4c_m.jpg

She paraded down the aisle with a huge smile on her face!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3139/2847919970_af2f6c3eee.jpg?v=0

We all sat quitely...well yeah...maybe not me ;), while they exchanged their vows...

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3168/2847920766_55c254dd0a.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3188/2847921214_42923a6a3b_m.jpg http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3120/2847922076_3fbd13b796_m.jpg

And clapped and cheered loudly when he kissed the bride!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3059/2847921654_93481fb813.jpg?v=0

TIME FOR CAKE!!!!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3199/2847090855_4c9521c22e.jpg?v=0

Finally! Let's get this PARTY started!! Bye Love birds! enjoy the Honeymoon!!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3076/2847091129_72cbd15bb4.jpg?v=0

'HIC'...talk to you soon mom! Time to get my groove on... 'HIC' B)
Vicki


Posted Sep 14, 2008, 7:06 pm
Yo ma...just another day hanging around in the garden and.....ATCHUUUU!! Sorry, this weather is playing havoc with my sinuses!! Yes spring time has come to South Africa. :stare:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3112/2847923508_b6f78b9207.jpg?v=0

Oh well i'm gonna catch some shut eye..
See ya mom!
Chokito.

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