The end of another year

Grace and Emily joined us from England

No matter how good or bad the year has been, I have always liked New Year's Eve. I like it because it has always been a milestone for me. A day to remember to be grateful for all the good things that have happened over the past year, and to start putting the bad things in the past.

Despite some recent sad events, on the whole this year has been kinder to our family than 2012 was. I lost my poor Dad of course, but at least now he is free from any suffering, and we had enough time together to collect some beautiful memories which will stay with me forever. I still talk to him every day...and most of the time I can hear the advice he gives me back!

Also on the plus side, we found the new home which we were so desperate for a year ago, and we all feel very settled here. Having been in temporary accommodation this time last year, we were all able to appreciate having a proper home again for Christmas.

We had a lovely holiday in Cyprus this autumn and of course were joined by our new family members, Grace and Emily the skinny pigs. Skinny pigs are hairless guinea pigs...and these have certainly made themselves at home in our family.

There have been ups and downs of course, but what has remained constant throughout the year is the feeling of being surrounded by genuine friendship. Without our friends, our family would quite literally have been lost.

And with only a few hours left of the year I can't think of any better way to end this post than to say thank you from our family to all our friends, old and new - and from all over the world, who have stuck with us through everything.
Thank you to all of you for your support and love over this past year. I hope that 2014 brings good health, happiness and a few pleasant surprises to us all. Happy New Year!

This Too Shall Pass

I said a couple of posts ago that this was one of my favourite weeks of the year. With the rush of Christmas over, I have usually found that the week leading up to New Year is a time for clearing out stuff we don't need and focussing on plans for the year ahead. Of course you can argue that 1st January is a date like any other, (which of course it is) but I still like the symbolism of using the new year to motivate a fresh start in lots of senses.

Despite that however, I received some bad news last night which made a big dent in the positive feeling I'd been holding on to.

After not much sleep I woke up to be reminded of the phrase "this too shall pass."  These words have been said to me several times in the past and this morning they came to mind, so I looked it up to see where the phrase originated. Apparently the phrase comes from the Persian sufi poets. These days many Jewish people apparently wear a ring with these words engraved inside.

So, at just after eight in the morning, another day is beginning. The sun will rise (eventually) and then it will set again. Niko has just climbed into bed with me and Luca is at the bedroom door already telling me a list of things his brother has done wrong.  The point is, no matter what challenges exist right now, this day will pass just like every other day has passed before it. It will be a tough day for some people, a happy day for others, and a normal one for most. But whatever kind of day it is, it will pass.

No matter how positive we try to be, there are some things that are simply out of our control. Often it's hard to understand why those painful things had to happen at all. But they happen to each and every one of us. I don't know many people who aren't struggling with something or another. So on those days, I guess the trick is to believe that this feeling, however hard it feels, is only temporary, as all the others in the past have been.

Better things are inevitably ahead, and in the wait for those things to appear, all we can do is to try and stay strong - reminding ourselves that indeed - "this too shall pass." Love to you all.

Back home again

Just back this evening from the 1200km round trip up north to see my mother and other aunts and cousins. It's always a tiring trip, but at least this time the roads were good (I am probably the only person in Finland who is glad there is no snow here right now) so the drive was much easier than it has been sometimes.

It was lovely to be greeted by the children when I got home. Minttu still refuses to take off the famenco shoes she got from Father Christmas and Niko and Luca want to know why the Christmas tree is still up if Father Christmas isn't coming again until next year. As far as they are concerned, if Christmas is over, then it's over.

Two days left of 2013, so enough time to look back on the highlights of the year and plan some good stuff for 2014.

I know many people have had a rough time in recent months...so to all of you I send a big New Year's hug...and much love and warmth. Let's hope things look up for all of us once the new year comes to us in a couple of days time.

Happy Christmas!

The blog has been on a bit of a break over the last few weeks, but I wanted to come back to wish you all a Merry Christmas.

Yesterday evening we had some friends over for Boxing Day evening, and it occurred to me as I looked round the room, that just over two years ago I didn't know any of these people - and now each one of them feels like family.

This week, the one between Christmas and New Year, is one of my favourite weeks of the year. Every year I am lucky enough to get a new journal for Christmas which I then start writing on January 1st. In the few days leading up to the new year and once the rush of Christmas is over, I love reflecting on the year gone by and looking forward to the new one.

This time last year our family was in a very different situation. We had faced a lot of loss, we all felt  apprehensive about what was ahead, Dad was still very ill, we needed to find a new home and we had all sorts of challenges to overcome. A year later though and we are smiling again. This has been the first Christmas in our new house and we have been lucky to have a stream of visitors all week.

We've eaten both Finnish and English Christmas dinners, played plenty of board games, laughed a lot and started making plans for the year ahead. All in all it's been a happy, peaceful Christmas surrounded by genuine friends...and who can ask for more than that?

Each year brings its own challenges, but each year also brings lots of good things, as I was reminded yesterday evening when I thought about all the people I was fortunate enough to be sharing Christmas with.

I am back in the mood for writing again now, so I will be back soon, but in the meantime I am off to visit my mother in the north of Finland this afternoon....so I wish you a very happy belated Christmas and look forward to writing again soon. Take care....

Will it Matter in a Year from Now?

Sometimes, when a person gives us a piece of advice, we forget about it in an instant, even if it was useful. Other times though, we hear something that sticks with us forever. One of those times in my life was more than ten years ago. My working life then was in the law courts in Middlesbrough, and one of the people I frequently worked with was a child and family psychologist called Alan Bradley.

Sadly Alan is no longer with us, but he was liked and respected by everyone who knew him. Not only was he good at what he did, he also had a wicked sense of humour. He had faced all sorts of difficulties as a young man, but Alan did not believe in giving up. Not ever. He decided late on to have a complete change of career and study to become a psychologist, which he did, turning out to be one of the most respected psychologists in the region.

I have thought about Alan's example a lot recently as I am looking for a new direction in my own career. But what will also stay with me from Alan is some advice that he gave me once. We were chatting in the corridors of the law courts about something that had gone wrong that day. To be honest I can't even remember what it was, but it had put me in a bad mood.

Over a coffee, (hot chocolate for me) Alan listened to whatever I was talking about, and then asked "Will it mater in a year from now?"
"What?" I asked him back.
"The thing that's bothering you." he said. "I know it's put you in a bad mood today...but will you still be thinking about it in a year's time?"
I thought about this for a second.
"No. I won't." I then said. "I won't even remember it then."
"Not that important then," said Alan. "If it's not going to matter in a year's time, then it's not worth paying too much attention to now. Is it?"

He was right of course, and
I can't tell you how many times I have replayed that conversation in my head since then. After a complicated week, a couple of things happened yesterday which at the time started to feel more than a little annoying. And then I remembered Alan. Will those things matter in a year from now?  No. I won't even remember them then. So on that basis, I shouldn't waste my energy on them now either. I felt less irritated straightaway.

Thanks Alan.  Wherever you are....you won't ever be forgotten. It was great advice you gave me that day. Most things we stress about aren't really worth it. Only the important things are worth remembering. I hope you know that you, as well as the advice you gave so many people, are both on that list of important things.

Goodbye Lumia....

If there is one thing that annoys me, it's modern day mobile phones. We all know that if they just wanted to, phone companies could make a phone that would last twenty years. But of course that is not in their interests. They don't want people to buy one phone, they want us to buy hundreds of them.  So in a bid to make us all buy a new phone every few months, they make them so fragile that they now break in an instant.

The advent of "Modern technology" means that we no longer remember phone numbers, or write them down - but have them all stored on our phones. And most of us no longer have a land line at home. So when the phone breaks (which it will...) all the numbers are lost as well. Of course if we had written the numbers down first this wouldn't happen, but we dont bother....because why should we? They are all on the phone.... (thank God at least I keep an old-fashioned paper diary).

Having dropped (and obviously totally smashed) my Nokia Lumia phone this summer, I stupidly bought another one (which didn't work), this time with a protective case. However once Minttu got hold of my phone (yesterday) the "protective" case became irrelevant. Phone dropped. Phone smashed. All numbers lost. Again.

This was the last straw. I am now finished with Lumias and have switched to Galaxy. In the meantime however, having been too stupid to learn from my first mistake, I am now without all my phone numbers again.

So if you have called or sent a text over the past day...please don't think I am ignoring you. I'm not. I just can't access them and don't have anyone's numbers to reply anyway! (to those of you I know, please text or messgae me your numbers...)

Despite all this nonsense I am trying to look on the positive side. Having asked friends on Facebook to (re)-send me their numbers, I have already received several messages. And that, at least, has brightened up my evening. So although I will never rely on a Lumia again, I am sending my thanks to Nokia for forcing me to look on the bright side, and for indirectly improving my social life this dark November evening. Farewell to Lumia...and here's hoping to finally find some sunshine in the Galaxy.

Reassurance

I attended a lecture last week in which one of the topics was cultural differences - and particulalry how they can be seen through language and words. As someone who lives in a country where the language spoken is not my own mother tongue, I found this really interesting. It is true that quite often I find myself in a situation where I would like use Finnish to express something which is easy to say in English, but the right words just aren't there. And that's frustrating.

I've mentioned a few of these in previous posts. There is no word for "please" in Finnish, which is difficult enough for any non-Finn who has been brought up to be polite. There is also no obvious way to say "I'm impressed", which is something I have often used as an English reaction to hearing about someone else's achievement. Another lady at the lecture said she was frustrated that there wasn't an appropriate word in Finnish to express the word "cherish."  That wasn't one that I had missed personally, but she had been frustrated by the limitations of he own language on several occasions.

For me personally, the word that has bothered me the most is "reassurance". And particularly so this week. I mentioned at the lecture that there are not many English speaking women who at one time or another have not needed "reassurance", (at least the women I have met). But a good enough word for this just doesn't exist in Finnish. I have no idea why. One Finnish woman at the lecture said that in her view, Finnish women were strong and capable and didn't find themselves needing reassurance very often. Personally, I think that's a load of nonsense. I think almost all of us need reassurance from time to time, wherever we come from. Certainly women are more likely to say so out loud than men, but I don't believe that Finnish women are any more immune to needing reassurance that any other women are.

I have to admit that if I could get some reassurance from somewhere right now, I would do quite a lot in order to get it. I seem to be caught in a whirlwind of things I have no control over at the moment and I just want someone to give me a big hug and reassure me that everything will be ok. And I would like to be able to say that in Finnish without searching half an hour for the right word. Which doesn't exist.

Still, as I sit here looking out of the window into the garden, I was just about to write that at least our woodpecker has come back for a visit, and somehow that little thing is reassuring in itself. But just as I started to write the words - a second woodpecker appeared, which is rare indeed, and kind of symbolic right at this moment. Then my favourite garden bird, the jay (närhi), also appeared - so maybe someone is trying to tell me something.

I don't have the reassurance I need right now....in more than one area of my life. But I am fairly sure many of you will be feeling the same. Perhaps, for now, we need to believe that something or someone is taking care of us somewhere out there, however vulnerable we may feel at times. And while we wait for things we have no control over, it may do us good to concentrate on the things that are here, like the birds in the garden, or the fact that the sun is shining in November, or that a friend is never more than a phone call away. And if you are in a position to reassure someone you know...perhaps today would be a good day to do so. If they are Finnish and haven't said they need any, it's probably just because a good enough word doesn't exist yet.

Fighting the November blues

These days it's getting dark at four thirty. It's cold and wet and rainy and the summer has never felt further away. I know that many people find this time of year especially challenging and that the lack of light significantly affects their mood. I get that, I really do. But I think the right response has to be to find ways to brighten up the dullness of November.

My good friend Anne popped over this evening and brought some lovely scented candles with her. That was the first good thing. Then together we came up with a plan to invite some friends over later this week and celebrate life with some cake. Just because.

Then I got on the phone and started talking about ways in which we could have a fun weekend and also places we could go over the next few weeks.

We've already planned a night out dancing as well as a trip up north to see my Mum in Lumijoki and another trip in December to find some reindeer and chase the northern lights.

This weekend we are going to get some chips from Tapion grilli Somero and then eat them watching X factor with a fire blazing in the background. There are many things we can't control in life, and the November weather is one of them. But we can certainly control the way we respond to those things and this week I am determined not to be beaten by the November blues.

Tanja and Osku's November Wedding

The greyness of November was all forgotten yesterday evening when I was lucky enough to attend my good friend Tanja's wedding.

I met Tanja just under two years ago and we have been friends ever since. She and her fiance Osku did not want to have a traditional wedding, but wanted to take everyone by surprise. So they invited their friends and family to a joint "birthday party."  It was only after everyone had arrived (and wondered where the birthday boy and girl were), that the music changed to a wedding theme, the doors opened and Tanja appeared in her wedding dress with her father at her side.

One of the most touching moments was the personal promises the couple gave each other just before they exchanged rings. You could almost hear the tears drop in the background.

The colour theme for the event was black, white and red. Guests had been asked to wear black and white (which everyone did) and this served as a brilliant backdrop for the wedding party who all wore something red. Tanja herself had a sparkly red wedding dress on which suited her personality exactly.

The atmosphere during the evening was happy, relaxed and completely unique, which is exactly how I would describe Tanja and Osku themselves.

I know that I speak for everyone who was there as I wish both Tanja and Osku a very long and happy life together. Lots of love to you both from all of us!

Tanja just before being walked down the aisle by her father Risto

Red Nose Day

Somero Lions Club member Anja Kurvinen and Luca

As part of the Somero Lions Club, today we helped with the Red Nose Day collection which was taking place in S Market in the centre of town.

Red Nose Day has been going since 1985 in the UK and arrived in Finland seven years ago. Last year in the UK the total raised was over £108 million..the Brits are notoriously generous when it comes to giving to charity.

Of course the event is not just about giving money, its also about reminding all of us how lucky we are to have what we have. None of us had any control over the country we were born in, and for those of us who entered the world in a place where nobody needs to go hungry and everyone has access to medical care, a reminder of how blessed we are can only be a good thing.

Somero people were in a generous mood today and I feel fairly sure that Somero will have made a good contribution to Red Nose Day. But it still isn't enough. And as long as there are hungry people in the world, it means that none of us are doing enough. There is enough food and medicine in the world for everyone, so as long as people continue to die of starvation and preventable diseases, we can be sure that we are still getting it badly wrong. I know that many people would like to do more to help those in need and sometimes feel frustrated because they are not sure how they could best help. One of my dreams is to one day find a way to make giving easier, in a way that ensures the money gets to the people who rneed it the most. I also know that many of my friends share the same wish. Hopefully one day we will live in a world where no one needs to go hungry....now that would be a day to celebrate.

Niko knows the important stuff

"What would you like to eat tonight?" I asked Niko as I dropped him at nursery yesterday morning. "Chocolate." he replied, without thinking.

"I meant proper food," I explained, laughing.

"Oh," he said, "...then cake."

The reason for these questions was that yesterday was Niko's fourth birthday. I still have to pinch myself  when I say that. Four? When did that happen exactly? Niko, though, had no trouble believing it at all, and had been very excited about his birthday all week. Luca, being five (and not six until April) was slightly aggrieved that it was not his birthday, but made up for it by forcing Niko to say Happy Christmas to him instead.

All in all Niko seemed to enjoy his day. And at the very least I am proud to know that at the young age of four, Niko has already learned one of life's most important lessons.

"Proper food" is cake. Good boy Niko.....with an attitude like that you are going to live a long and happy life....

Home Again

This morning it felt good to be back home in Somero after what was an intense weekend. The round trip up north is more than 1200km, and in two days that's quite a bit of driving. The roads in Finland are good and luckily the weather wasn't bad either but I'm still not planning to go for a drive today.

Luca, Niko and Minttu

One of the nicest things about where we live is that the river which runs through Somero is only about 300m from our house. Our little rowing boat means that over the summer we can go rowing whenever we feel like it. To many Finns this is quite a normal thing to do.

However, having grown up in London, the only experience I had of rowing as a child was on a rented boat on the Serpentine in Hyde Park. That certainly felt very exotic at the time, so now, to be able to walk down to the river and get in our own boat will always feel special.

Today though we had no choice than to pull the boat onto land for the winter. The water level in the river has fallen dramatically recently and it won't be too long before it freezes over. The boat is pretty heavy, but luckily we have plenty of manpower in the family. Of course I delegated the task to the strong ones who had it on dry land in no time....
Now that the clocks have gone back, people will soon start putting lights in their gardens and windows in the run up to Christmas. So this morning we also put our cherry tree full of lights at the front of the house to brighten up the dark evenings. I think most Finns would say that November is their least favourite month. Principally because it's usually dark and wet and the snow hasn't yet arrived. But our hope is to make this a good November. If there's no light in the sky then we just have to be more determined to make some of our own.  :-)

Highs and Lows

Saturday night, and I'm with Lucie and Cameron in Lumijoki, just 40 km from Oulu in the north of Finland. It's cold here, but Lumijoki is the only place in the world where our family has real roots, so it always feels a bit like coming home.

It's been an eventful week in many ways, one full of highs and lows. On the low side I haven't been well for most of the week (an old illness back to haunt me once again) and today we're up in Lumijoki seeing my Mum. It's hard to believe that just a year ago my Mum was living independently at home with my Dad. A year later, Dad is gone and my Mum was struck with such sudden dementia that she no longer knows who we are. On the merciful side, as far as my mother is concerned, Dad is still sleeping in the next room, so at least she does not have to grieve at his loss. Dad would have been pleased at that, I know.


Anyone who has ever had a friend or relative with Alzheimer's will know that it is quite disconcerting to be physically with someone you know well, but who is there and not there at the same time. It's a cruel disease.

Still, there have been high points too. I loved meeting our Somero visitors on Tuesday, and later that afternoon I was in Helsinki where I met some inspirational new people whom I hope will become friends.

Later in the week we had several little bits of good news...and the squirrels have visited every day to keep me entertained while I'm sitting at my desk at home staring out the window.

Today we stopped in Ylivieska and met up with my old friend Minna. Minna and I met more than ten years ago in a court room in Darlington and were immediately bonded by our Finnish roots. We then spent the next five years in the UK fantasizing about one day living in Finland again. We used to talk about all the Finnish food we missed. Now we are both here it sometimes all feels a bit surreal, and of course now it's the other way round. We sit and talk about all the things we miss from the UK. Maltesers, Minstrels, Double Deckers, Chery Bakewells, sticky toffee pudding, custard, CHOCOLATE FUDGE CAKE.....  Who knows what the next ten years has in store.

There are bound to be twists and turns ahead. Good times and more challenging ones. But I guess all any of us can do is to savour all the good things and face the challenging ones as best we can. For my part, I'm going to bed tonight thinking of sticky toffee pudding, squirrels, family and friends, old and new. Because they are the things that have made this week good.

  

British and Swedish visitors learn the Finnish tango

This week we had the pleasure in Somero of welcoming a group of around thirty visitors from both the UK and Sweden. They were visiting as part of an economic regeneration project in which they were looking at how local food producers operate in the three countries.

Over the past twelve months the group had already visited Sweden and the UK, so the visit to Finland was the last leg of the project.

Tonja from Monokas welcomes the group

As well as being introduced to local producers, the groups were also shown aspects of our local culture, and of course no group could come to Somero without being shown our dance tradition here.

Having arrived late the night before, the group were taken to Esakallio (which was freezing now the heating has been turned off for the winter!) and told a little about the Finnish dancehall tradition,

before being whisked off to Lamminiemi to try their hands (and feet) at the Finnish tango.

Everyone took it in very good spirit, and I hope that some may come back one day to experience one of Somero's dance camps.

Everyone who visited was very friendly, and I only wish they had been able to stay longer. But hopefully some of them will make it back to Somero again one day and we can show them some Somero sunshine. Wishing all the members of the group a safe journey back home and we would be very happy to welcome you back here one day soon!

Can't hide the truth this time...

Somero town centre on Saturday afternoon

Over the past few months I have very much enjoyed being contacted by many people to whom Somero is important, but who do not live here at the moment. Some have been visitors to the town and some have summer cottages here. Others were born here or have lived here later in life but are currently somewhere else in the world.

What all these people have in common though, is that they have never left this town completely behind. It still remains important to them, and they have enjoyed seeing pictures of familiar places.

Of course, when I post photos of Somero,  most of the time I try to take photos which capture a pretty scene or a beautiful moment. Sometimes though there is no escaping the brutal truth!

The view from our front door yesterday

Today, I am happy to say, is another clear and frosty autumn morning.

But yesterday it was a different story. In the middle of the afternoon we were entertained by a blizzard of hail, and it wasn't pretty. I stopped in the middle of town to take a couple of pictures of places that will be very familiar to anyone who has been to Somero. This is what you have missed this weekend!

I don't know whether these pics will make you miss Somero, or glad that you are somewhere else, in better weather, but either way...you will recognise the centre of town.

So, to anyone who is missing Somero right now, this is what it looked like yesterday. Luckily the warmth of the people will always make up for the weather, even on days like yesterday. Hope to see some of you again soon!

Little acorns...big ideas

I thought the frost on this tree stump was beautiful

The view out of the window ths morning was like something from a fairytale. There was a sparkling blanket of frost which covered everything in sight. It was cold too, and the first time this year that I have needed to wear my winter coat.

Collecting acorns this morning

We decided to go for an early morning walk and collect a bag full of acorns. Along the main road in Somero are several oak trees. Acorns have been lying on the ground for a few weeks now, and it seems as though the jays and squirrels don't dare to collect them, probably because there is too much traffic around.

The last time I collected some acorns for the squirrels they had a party for several days, collecting them individually and then hiding each one in a different place. I have no idea how they will know how to find them again, especially when we are under a metre of snow, but I guess they have their methods.



one of our garden squirrels eating from the breakfast buffet

There is a jay (närhi) who also visits whenever there are acorns on offer. He never stays for long, and although I have tried more than once to get a picture I haven't succeeded yet. I am hoping that the new acorns will tempt him to visit some time later today. 

When I was growing up in London I never saw anything other than pigeons or sparrows, which is one of the reasons why watching the birds in the garden will always feel so special to me.

I have also always liked acorns, not just because they remind us all of nature, but because of the idea that big things can grow from something which starts off small. (Mighty oaks from little acorns grow.)

In fact I have just read a book this week which says that we should write down every idea we have. This way they won't get lost amidst all the other stuff going on in our heads. I am sure this is good advice and now have a notebook for that very reason.  I have been feeling very inspired recently (largely thanks to several inspirational friends of mine) so I will jot down my ideas in the hope that some day I will manage to make at least one of them happen. With more than three kilos of acorns collected this morning you never know when another oak tree might start to grow. Happy weekend everyone.


Friendship beats the winter blues

I am still getting over the shock of seeing the first snowflakes of this winter earlier today. However I am pleased to stay they didn't last long. Instead, I had the pleasure of watching two squirrels chasing each other round a tree and then a blazing fire roaring in the fireplace.

Apart from the imminent start of winter though, the big theme of the last two days has been one of friendship. Yesterday it was the birthday of two of my close friends, Manu and Heidi. Happy birthday both of you! 

Then today I received a surprise message from an old student friend of mine who is now working in Ethiopia. I promised Tedi that one day I will turn up in Addis Ababa and surprise him back. And I think the Finnish winter would be an excellent time to make that happen.

Then I arrived home to find that one of my neighbours, Anne, had come round to help with sweeping up the leaves in the garden and an another Anne turned up for a coffee and a chat. So despite the snow and the cold air outside, the house has been warm, both because of the fire and the friends around us at the moment.

I guess that sometimes, when you can't sit in the sun outside, you have to find sunshine in other ways, and I am happy to say we have found plenty of that this week. With special greetings this time from Somero to Ethiopia! Thank goodness friendship doesn't recognise distance. Or winter for that matter. Real friendship just is, whatever.

Noooooooooooooo!

Just looked out of the kitchen window and I didn't like what I saw.

But there is no denying it anymore. I can be as positive as I like, but I'm not going to get the sumemr back this year.

IT'S SNOWING!!!!

Somebody do something, please!

Scrunching

I have a good friend, Simon, who lives in Bristol and is a writer. We met in a most unexpected way at the end of last year and have been friends ever since. One of the things we have in common  is our shared love of words, and the way they can make you feel if used in the right way.

Simon is a much more talented writer than I am...he is one of those people with an annoyingly big talent in fact. He can take a boring subject and make it worth reading about, simply by the words he chooses to use.

(OH...and Jane Griffiths...you're the other person I know with this same talent. Things that you write are also worth reading just because you have written them).

Anyway, this morning Simon had sent me a message on Facebook about the leaves story I posted on the blog yesterday. Simon says that the leaves are being slow to fall in England, which means he can't "scrunch" in them yet as he is walking.

I don't know when I have last used or heard the word "scrunch".....but I have to say that hearing it this morning has already brightened up my whole day. There simply can't be many better words than that. SCRUNCH. Love it.

My friend Simon

And quite apart from that, I have decided that today is going to be a good one. Apart from the open tin of sweetcorn which fell out of the fridge onto the floor this morning and went everywhere that is.

Just a few minutes ago I stood underneath the oak tree in our garden and caught nine falling leaves before they hit the ground. I put them in my diary and made several wishes straightaway. And I also put a couple aside for a rainy day. Come to think of it, I think I will send one magic leaf to Simon, to thank him for reminding me of the word scrunch. I hope you too will have a day full of scrunching, irrespective of whether the leaves have fallen yet or not where you are. Happy autumn to you all!

Happy Moments

If there was a competition on my street to see who had raked up the most leaves, then I would definitely come last. But then if there was a competition to see who had enjoyed them the most, then I think our family might do quite well!

At the moment the front yard looks as though it's covered by a leaf carpet. I think it's beautiful to be honest, but it might well be that the neighbours think differently.

Anyway, one of the reasons, (apart from sheer laziness) that I have left things as they are, is that I wanted to get some pictures of the little ones playing in the leaves... and this morning I caught this one. I love it because it is so full of joy. The only bad thing is that now I don't have any excuses left...looks like I'm going to be spending the afternoon raking. I'm not complaining though, as this is one of the loveliest autumns I can remember. Here's wishing you happy moments doing simple things, wherever you might be.

When you don't need words

Much as I love words, in any language, sometimes conversation can be even more powerful without needing to use them at all.

I had lunch with Lucie this afternoon who told me a touching little story.  She was walking back from the health centre to the middle of town when she saw an elderly couple sitting on a bench in their garden.

The two of them sat there for a few minutes without speaking. They seemed quite content as they sat together in the autumn breeze. Then the man slowly put his hand on his wife's knee.  They looked at each other and smiled. Then they both stood up and picked up their rakes so that they could carry on raking up the leaves in their garden.  And off they went.

When Lucie told me this, I loved her little story of unspoken companionship and understanding. And even more than that, I loved the fact that she had both noticed and taken the trouble to tell me about it.

In amongst all the couples who don't have that special connection anymore, there are still a few who do. I am lucky enough to know a handful of couples like this myself (Jill and Michael, Marja-Leena and Kari...I am talking about you!) They, like this couple in the garden this afternoon, are the ones who give the rest of us hope that lifelong love does still exist, however rare it may seem nowadays.

So to those of you feeling alone or a little despondent....don't give up. Love is still out there, and there's still four months to go until Valentine's Day. So keep believing, you never know what is round the corner.....

Lucky Leaves

As I went outside this morning I looked at the trees and then at the ground, and my guess is that we are at about fifty fifty. Half the leaves are just about still in the trees and the other half have fallen already.

After the cold mornings of last week, it felt like a perfect autumn morning to me today. There was a light smattering of rain, a gentle breeze and at 12 degrees it didn't feel too cold at all.

Many years ago, a wise friend of mine from the Netherlands (hello Herman!) said that every once in a while we should all make sure we go out and walk in the rain. He said we it was important to take opportunities to go and feel close to nature, because it helped put other things that might be bothering us into perspective.

That conversation was a long time ago, but every time I see a beautiful rainy morning like this, those words come back to me. He was right. It feels good to feel the rain on your face every once in a while.

 

When I got back home from town I was amused to find a pheasant wandering around in the garden. Of course I grabbed my camera, but it wasn't in the mood to be photographed and ran off though the bushes into the field next door. (but I got him later...as you can see from this photo!)

What I did manage to get though, was this magic leaf. It is magic because it has never touched the ground. I caught it just as it fell from the tree. I have heard that some people believe that catching such a leaf brings seven years good luck. In our family we count falling leaves as giving us a wish. I've made mine already and will kepp this leaf as a reminder of it. Wherever you are, I wish you a day full of positive things and hope that you catch at least one falling leaf this autumn.

Big Brothers

Minttu and big brother Niko

My friend Minna rang me this evening. We speak to each other almost every day. As it turned out, we were both feeling a little bit blue, so we did what we normally do when this happens. We asked each other about the highlight of the day.

Until that point I hadn't actually given it any thought. I was concentrating on all the things that were bothering me. But she had asked the question so I took a minute to think about my answer.

"Well actually, there were a few things, now I come to think about it," I said. "I had three books which I needed from the library. I'd expected that I'd have to order them in, but as it turned out all three were there on the shelves, which meant I could get on with a piece of coursework I am doing. In addition I finally managed to find some paperwork I'd been looking for, and also I finished a piece of work that's been bugging me for a while."

"Well that's quite a lot then", Minna said. She was right. But as I thought about it, there was more. Lucie was cooking pasta bolognese for dinner.  I had also bumped into a friend this afternoon in Somero whom I hadn't seen for a while and we'd arranged to go for coffee. Later in the evening my neighbour Anne also turned up out of the blue and brought candles and chocolate because she wanted to cheer me up. We ended up deciding to hold a coffee morning next week for some elderly people in the town, which should be fun. And I'd managed to do another five things on my list of things to do. So not a bad day, in fact.

Apart from those days when something serious happens, (and that's not often really), most days have plenty of good stuff in them - if you just remember to think about those things.

I have always wished that I had brothers and sisters, but particularly a big brother. In my dreams my "big brother" would have looked out for me and been there to lean on in good times and bad. Obviously I will never know what he would or wouldn't have been like. What's for sure though, is that if I spend the rest of my life wishing I had a big brother, I will spend every day disappointed, because I simply haven't got one. If, instead, I remember to concentrate on all the friends I have, and the children at home, having no siblings won't feel like much of an issue anymore.  

So in the end, despite its imperfections, today was a pretty good day, something I remembered thanks to talking to Minna. I am also happy that little Minttu will never have any concerns over not having a big brother...she has four of them...and as you can see from the picture, Niko, at least, will always be around with his faithful dog Benjy to make sure his little sister is ok.

Thank You Anita

Do you know that feeling, when you desperately want to do something....you have an idea which you feel is a good one...but no matter how hard you try, you just can't seem to get it done?

Anita Hallapelto

Well I know that feeling really well. I have always been someone who often has new ideas, and sometimes there is one I would really like to make a reality. Recently though, perhaps because of everything that has been going on, I have found it almost impossible to finish anything. I have started things, but then haven't found enough energy to finish it. I don't like this at all, but having spoken to several others I know that I am not the only one who sometimes finds herself in this position.

Anyway, I am happy to say that this is now starting to change. This week I have been working on completing projects that I started a while ago as well as starting some new ones. And it feels really good to finally have some energy and enthusiasm back again.

How did this happen, then? Well, one of the things that helps me when I am stuck is to surround myself with positive  people. When I am lacking my own motivation and drive, I move towards other people who have those things, and I find that their energy for life is almost always contagious.

The reason for that introduction is because Anita, the lady in the photo, is exactly one of those people. She is one of the most positive people I have ever had the good fortune to meet.  Anita and I met earlier this year through our shared love of dance. She runs a shop in Somero called "Helmi" which sells vintage style clothing, and as there are three large dance venues in Somero (Ämyri, Esakallio and Teeriharju) many people go to Helmi to buy dresses for dancing.

Anita, me and members of Monokas dance group at the Turku Book Fair

But there is another reason that people go to Anita's shop. It is because of her. Anita is one of those people who is always smiling, radiates positivity and always has something good to say both to and about other people. Sometimes I go to Helmi to buy a new dress or outfit, but more often than that I go with a couple of doughnuts and stay for a chat about anything that is going on. Plenty of other people do exactly the same. Anita has listened to both good and bad news and we have both laughed and cried together. She has also given me a hug more times than I can remember. But one thing is for certain. Everyone always leaves Anita's shop feeling better than when they went in.

Anita in her shop

Yesterday I joined Anita and other members of the dance club Monokas in a dance and fashion show at the Turku Book Fair. It was a new experience for me to dance anything other than salsa in front of an audience, but it turned out to be great fun and I didn't fall over thanks to my partners Kari, Markku and Arto.

So my message this Sunday to you is this. If you are feeling a bit "stuck" at the moment, or lacking in energy or motivation, go and spend some time with someone who is feeling the opposite. Someone who believes in you, wants you to succeed and chooses to focus on the positive in life. These are the kind of people who will help you find your own drive and enthusiasm again. I know it worked for me. Thank you Anita for your endless optimism, enthusiasm and endlessly positive outlook on life....you were there just when I needed you. I hope you know that you bring something very valuable to Somero and I am sure that everyone who knows you feels the same. Wishing you all a happy Sunday!

Somero at the Turku Book Fair

I am off to the Turku Book Fair in a few minutes, where Somero has a prominent role this year as the Finnish town chosen to be featured for 2013.

I have always loved books and was lucky to grow up in a house where I was surrounded by them. I have often thought what a different place the world would be without the opportunities and enjoyment that books provide.

I don't have my own book there yet (still in production!) but I do have a series of twenty postcards at the fair which just arrived from the printers' yesterday. To me, writing a postcard to someone you care about has always been a good things to do, but has even more meaning nowdays than it did in the past. In this day of text messaging, emails and communicating through Facebook, (all of which can of course be good things) writing and receiving cards and letters has attained even more significance. I know that anytime I go to the post box and there is something there other than a bill or official letter, it brightens my day much more than the person who wrote it could ever realise.  Now I have several boxes of postcards waiting to be written.....if anyone out there would like to receive a card from Somero just let me know and I will happy to put one in the post!

Anyway...must go pretty soon, but here are some pictures from Somero's stand at the fair....hope to see some of you there!