A weekend of ripe apples, Kalkkijazz and The Guild

The days are rainy, nights are getting darker and the apples in the garden get bigger by day. Last weekend we were picking Valkea Kuulas apples in Laukkoski.

There are still plenty of apples left, but I need to start quickly experimenting with apple recipes. Does anyone know how to make cider?

A modern Eve and a web-monkey

I am trying to re-establish my relationship with the nature after the years in London. The coming weekend I plan to go to look for mushrooms.

Last Saturday we drove to Kalkkijazz, a one-day-one-stage jazz festival taking place in a random but interesting setting outside a Nordkalk, a chalk factory in Sipoo in South coast of Finland. Sipoo is the rebellious countryside neighbour of Helsinki that has been in the news in negative light the past year or so. The capital area getting densely populated (in a Finnish scale and Helsinki needs more land to house the new inhabitants. Sipoo was not willing to give much demanded land, so it was taken by force. Wikipedia describes it:

Helsinki announced plans to annex a part of the municipality in order to respond to population growth pressures. The Finnish state council voted in favour of the annexation on June 28, 2007

Sipoo couldn’t live in the past forever. The capital area is growing and Sipoo is now finally having to face the facts. Its eternal love for countryside and green meadows is at the same time amusing and painful to watch, but the times are changing nevertheless.

Few empty chairs make a typical Sipoo festival

The jazz was great and program varied remarkably; a four-piece harmonica band Sväng, Iiro Rantala trio featuring saw-playing Irina Björklund, funky Tuomo Prättälä band, Claes Andersson’s jazz trio (Finnish MP and previous Culture Minister) and talented singer/piano player Anna-Mari Kähärä. I really enjoyed the variety of music styles.

The weather was cold but sea breeze and live jazz make good for the brain. It was actually so cold that the bar ran out of coffee instead of beer, which is not the usual thing to happen in Finland.

Kalkkijazz was held in this charming setting

The chalk covered the soil

Another great discovery of the weekend (thanks to Lorry) was The Guild:

The Guild is a independent sitcom webisode about a group of online gamers. It is written for gamers, about gamers by a gamer. Episodes vary from 3-6 minutes in length, and follow the Guild members’ lives online and offline. The Guild is the winner of the YouTube and Yahoo 2007 Video Awards for Best Web Series, as well as recipient of the SXSW/On Networks 2007 Greenlight Award for Best Series.

It is genius and so painfully and adorably accurate. I recommend it for all you fellow gamers out there.

The climax boss fight is about to begin… spot the rogue, anyone?

(a screenshot from The Guild final episode)