Thursday, January 31, 2013

Minttu Lives Life to the Full

A few days ago I wrote about trying to take some joy from the little things in life (like chocolate) and yesterday I wrote about the magic of dance, wherever you are in the world.

It has been one of those slushy days today when the snow can't decide whether to stay or go. It snows and then it rains and then it snows again and the whole town is well....slushy.



I couldn't help smiling this evening though. I had bought some chocolate mousse for dessert after dinner and Minttu, (who insists on feeding herself these days), got it everywhere. It was all over the table, on her dress and all over her hands and face. Then Lucie put some music on as we sat round the table and Minttu started waving her arms in the air and dancing.

It occurred to me at that moment that Minttu was doing exactly what I have been talking about recently....living for the moment. She may only be 18 months old, but she has already learned the secret of happiness! My job from now on is to make sure that she never has the chance to forget!

Wednesday, January 30, 2013

The Power of Dance

Gregory leading the room in the electric slide. The Cantina, Darlington
In a world that seems to be constantly divided by conflict and problems, it is ever more important to hold on to those things which can serve to unite us. Sport and music are two obvious examples. Dance is a third.

Anyone who has ever enjoyed dancing will know what I mean. It has to be one of the best ways in the world to cross all sorts of boundaries and to get lost in the moment.



Here are some pictures taken in the Cantina, a salsa venue in Darlington and also in Teeriharju, one of Somero's biggest dance venues. There is no salsa in Somero at the moment but I am determined to bring it here one day.


Lauren and Kevin at the Cantina in Darlington
So if any of you salseros in the North East of England or elsewhere in Finland would like to come and help me show Somero how to salsa then please do not hesitate to let me know!

 
The Engine Shed -Salsa Dance Venue in Whitby

One of Somero's several dance venues


Teeriharju Dance Venue in Somero

Kyösti Kuivala dancing at Teeriharju


Sunday, January 27, 2013

Live for the Moment!

So many people have said this to me recently... that we should never forget to live for the moment, because none of us know what is round the corner.

These words had a special meaning for me this afternoon as I sat with my parents. My father's poor eyesight means that he has lost the ability to do many of the things he used to enjoy doing, such as reading books and doing crosswords. And with my mother's memory loss, she too has a life which is far from the one she used to enjoy.

Anyone whose parents are in care will know that it is hard seeing them become so vulnerable when they were always the people who looked after you and had the solution to everything.

But today we did not concentrate on any of that. I enjoyed a moment where both of them took pleasure from the little things. My father had some mint chocolate sweets and my mother some Finnish biscuits (piparkakku) and they both spent several minutes smiling and saying how delicious they were. They would both have a thousand reasons to complain about life at the moment, but instead of doing that, they simply concentrated on what was good, and enjoyed it for what it was.

I guess we have two choices in life. Looking at the bad stuff, (and most of us have plenty of that), or putting it all to one side from time to time and just enjoying the little things, because there are plenty of those too. As I said at the beginning of this post, we never know what is round the corner....so let's make sure to profit from the time we have now. Off you go then...get the chocolate out and your dancing shoes on!

Friday, January 25, 2013

Simple Things


Sometimes the simplest things in life are the most beautiful. Right now the skies are blue and the frost is sparkling all over the trees.


















For me personally, there are few scenes more beautiful than this in the world. And here in Somero these are the pictures we are surrounded by at this time of year.  Everywhere you look.

Who needs to buy art when you can look out of the window and see pictures like these?  And they cost nothing. Just saying....

What a Difference a Year Makes

Merikukka, Fanni, Eelis and Minttu with Mums Taija, Jenni and Maikku 2012
One of the great things in Somero for new Mums is that you have the chance to be put in a group with others who have had babies at around the same time as you. Some of these groups meet a few times and then perhaps stop, but ours has continued for a year now. Maikku is Mum to Eelis, Jenni to Fanni, Taija is Mum to Merikukka and Teija (not in these pictures) is Minea's Mum.

Minttu, Eelis, Merikukka and Fanni with their Mums 2013

The first picture above was taken in January 2012, when they were all around 4-6 months old, and now a year later you can see that they are all fast turning into little people. They all have a few words now. Between then they can say äiti (mummy), loppu (finished) anna (give), tämä (this), kukka (flower) and of course the all-time favourite which is kakka (poo). They are all walking, all sit at the table and all are very sure that they know what they want! For now things are still fairly peaceful when they meet. (Minttu hasn't even bitten any of her friends yet, which she does not hesitate from doing with her two brothers, and believe me, she has sharp teeth). Let's see if it is still as peaceful when they turn two.....

Many things have changed since we first met up a year ago... including the fact that there are two more babies on the way within the next few weeks. But the one thing which remains the same is that taking a decent photo of four children under two remains a very difficult task. I tried several times this evening, but this was the best I could manage. Perhaps we will manage to get a decent one when they all about ten.

Still, let us hope that this club is the start of lifelong friendships for these little ones and that life brings them all much happiness. I'll keep you posted on how they all develop. Meanwhile thank you to Jenni for being our host today. Minttu and I look forward to seeing you all again soon!

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Bedtime Stories

Having spent most of the night coughing, getting out of bed this morning was a huge challenge. There are some mornings where the nicest thing in the world would just be to stay in bed, and today was one of them. However, as anyone with young children will know, a lie-in is a rare luxury, so I dragged myself out of bed despite my reluctance to do so.

And then after rushing around doing a million things, all of a sudden the day is over again. Cameron (who appears set to become someone's perfect husband) is making pancakes and Niko is asking for his bedtime story. He has two books that he is obsessed with at the moment and he wants the same stories every night. Nothing else will do.  He knows almost all the words too.

It all reminded me that however long your day is, and however tired you are, there is nothing as special as the moments spent with your family. They are the moments worth getting up for in the first place!

Monday, January 21, 2013

Looking for Love

It is exactly a year today since I wrote the first post for this blog... so happy birthday blog, and thank you to all those of you who have been following it since then. Sometimes, when I have been feeling a bit lonely at home, it has been comforting to know that there are people out there reading these words and maybe feeling the same way as I do.

The last twelve months have been full of ups and downs for me, as I know they have been for many others out there. Life presents challenges to all of us at one time or another and I am grateful to be surrounded by true friends - people who do their best to concentrate on the positive in life despite the hard bits.


Life can be full of surprises too though. I have spent many hours with my father over the last few weeks recording his thoughts and feelings on a whole load of topics. I want to have as many memories of him as possible for when he is no longer here in person.

Dad surprised me the other day, when he said that his greatest wish was for me to find someone to share my life with again. As the mother of seven children and soon to be a grandma, (and my confidence pretty much in pieces after my husband left), I had already come to the conclusion that finding someone special again would be impossible. But my Dad, who has never been the most optimistic of people, took a different view. He feels sure there is someone for me out there, and his surprise confidence has made me feel that maybe there is hope after all, however unlikely it may seem.

After this conversation I spoke to several of my close friends, and realised that many people I know are in the same situation. I actually know lots of people who are looking for a partner.  Someone to share the good and bad times with. Someone to laugh and cry with. Someone who will stick by them even when things get tough. If I have learned just one thing over this past year it is not to give up hope. So this birthday post is dedicated to all of you out there who are looking for someone special in 2013. Some of you I know already, others I don't, but whoever and wherever you are.... keep believing. If you are looking for love then you should never give up, because it is truly one of the few things in life worth holding on to. And you never know what might be just around the corner. Love and good luck to you all.    

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Saying Hello - Mari Kalkun

Mari Kalkun at the Nordic Travel Fair
I made several resolutions at the beginning of this year. One of them was to catch up with as many of my friends as possible and to take pictures of them all to put on my wall at home. So far this project is going well. I already have ten new photos taken with special people and I hope this Friendship Tour will continue throughout the year.

Another resolution though was to make more of an effort to talk to people that I don't already know. I took part in a radio interview with Eve Mantu last year in which we talked about the fear that many people have in talking to strangers. The fear of being rejected or ignored means that many times we pass by someone who could be a potential friend or even romantic partner just because we are too scared to say hello.

I have decided this year that I am prepared to take the risk. My whole life has changed in the last few months. I have suddenly found myself looking for a new career, a new partner and a new direction in life. And I am always interested in making new friends. So the way I see it, I have very little to lose.

This weekend I started this new project by saying hello to a lady who I heard singing just as I sat down at the Nordic Travel Fair. I have never particularly been a fan of folk music, but something about the way she sang was so captivating that I knew immediately that I would like to get to know more about her. So here she is.

Her name is Mari Kalkun, a 26 year old singer, composer and musician from Estonia, who is currently attending the Sibelius Music Academy in Helsinki on an exchange programme.

Mari has been writing songs since the age of thirteen and is currently working on her third cd. I asked what inspired her, and she told me that she was inspired by Estonian poetry and a desire to connect with her roots.

"At the moment I am writing about the beauty of the road," she said. "In the old days people used to sit on carriages and sing as they went. It is not just about arriving somewhere, it is about the journey itself. Being in the moment. To me music is all about that."

Mari has already had success with her music, having performed in France, Germany, Spain and Japan where she was spotted by a record label and asked to release her cd. The Japanese have been particularly receptive to her music, despite the two languages being so different from each other.  In the next few weeks she will be going to India and Portugal. I asked Mari what her dreams were. "To travel around with my music," she said, "to see how it can dialogue with different cultures and how I can use music to communicate with others."

There is a lot more to Mari that these few paragraphs show, but I hope you get a flavour of who she is, and agree with me that it was definitely worth saying hello. I have suggested to Mari that she comes to play for us in Somero one day and she has promised to do so. I hope some of you will come and hear her play then.  You can learn more about her at www.marikalkun.com

Saturday, January 19, 2013

Somero at the Nordic Travel Fair

Somero was proudly represented at the Nordic Travel Fair at the Helsinki Exhibition and Convention Centre (Messukeskus) this weekend.

There were several hundred stands at the Fair, giving information on different tourist destinations both in Finland and all over the world.

Marko Rantala from Hovimäki camping
When I visited this afternoon with Cameron, the Somero stand was attracting a lot of interest.

Somero has just under ten thousand full-time inhabitants, but in the summer months these numbers are increased by several thousand, as people come to spend the summer in their summer houses.  Somero is a great place for summer houses not just because it is so peaceful here, but also because it is so easy to get to from the capital as well as from Turku and Tampere.

Olla-Riitta Aarikka was on the stand today. She is an teacher, actress and playwright from Somero but also the owner of the newly refurbished Myötätuuli guest house where she is planning to host courses and theme weekends throughout the year.

Arja Torkkomäki is the owner of  Hovilan Kartano. The Kartano is a traditional Finnish Manor House which dates back to 1611 and can be hired for special occasions or conferences. Arja was also excited to announce that next summer they will play host to an exhibition by fashion designer Jukka Rintala.

Arja Torkkomäki from Hovilan Kartano
Marko Rantala was also on the stand from Hovimäki Camping. This is a great place to stay which is only 6km from the town centre and where you can stay in a tent, caravan or summerhouse. There is also a cafe in the summer months as well as a beach with swimming and sauna, Hovimäki also host theme weekends throughout the year such as dog shows and events for motorbike enthusiasts.

It was great to see Somero standing alongside stands from Cuba and Egypt. As I have said many times before, wherever you are in the world you will always be made welcome here. Let's hope Somero can play host to lots of Finnish and international visitors next summer. We look forward to seeing you!

Olla-Riitta Aarikka (and Cameron)





Tanja, Olla-Riitta, Arja and Marko representing Somero

50,000 Hits

It's funny the way things happen sometimes. Well, quite a lot of the time actually. I have lost count of the number of times I have looked back on a sequence of events and thought how I would never have been able to predict any of it.

This blog is a bit like that. On Monday it will be exactly a year since the first post was published.  The original idea was simply to have some material available for people in Somero interested in practising their English. I had moved here just a few months before and was interested in making friends with people in the town.  I have also always loved writing and taking pictures, so the blog seemed a natural way to connect with the people who came along to the Somero English Club to chat in English once a week.

A year later, somehow the blog has been read by people literally all over the world. I have no idea how this has happened, or how it got to where it did, but I love the fact that people on the other side of the globe are interested in our little town.  I hope as many of them as possible come to visit us in person one day.  This week alone we've had visitors from Columbia, Japan, the United States, Jordan and India as well as countries all over europe.

Somero town centre
On the weekend of the blog's first birthday, it will reach 50,000 hits, which in my view is a great way to celebrate our town and all the people in it who make it such a special place to live.

For those of you who are not from here, please put visiting Somero on your list of things to do before you die. I spent more than forty years looking for a place to call home, finally finding it when I landed here. There are no theme parks or enormous shopping malls here, but what you will find in our town is a friendly welcome and people who have the time to talk to you. Somero still has that sense of community which has been lost in so many places where I have lived before.

So to all of you reading this, whether you are a regular reader or have just found it by accident for the first time, thank you for sharing the blog with us. I hope some Somero love will reach you wherever you are and whatever challenges you may be facing, and I look forward to welcoming you to the town in person one day!  With love from Somero.....

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Postcard from Somero

And this time these pictures literally will be!

After the dark skies of yesterday morning, those of us in Somero woke up to brilliantly clear skies and bright sunshine today. Postcard weather without a doubt. So it occurred to me that instead of just thinking that, maybe I should make some.

I went out with my camera to take some shots of the winter landscapes, and now, thanks to my friend Anu-Liisa at Sälekarin Printing Press, they are being turned into Somero postcards. So thanks to the sun an idea has become a reality. I look forward to sending you a real Somero postcard very soon. Wishing you all a day full of sunshine.





Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Feeling Down? (Part Two)

I wrote a post back in February 2012 when this blog was only a few days old.  It was called "Feeling Down?" It was only several months later I realised that it had attracted more hits than any other post that month. I guess it's not too hard to guess why. Every one of us feels down from time to time and in one way or another we are all looking for answers. How can we stop ourselves feeling sad or miserable? Where can we find hope from when there doesn't seem to be any left? And what about when we are feeling low but can't even identify the reason why?

 If any of that sounds familiar, then I can guarantee you one thing. You are not alone in feeling that way, which is why several hundred people read the post. They saw themselves in the title.

On that particular day I simply posted a picture of a beautiful sunset which had appeared over Somero that evening. Sometimes when we are feeling really low we can't even see the beautiful things that might be sitting right in front of us.


Last night I chatted to a close friend of mine who is one of several people I know feeling low right now. She said that at times this week it had been difficult to find the hope she was looking for. We decided we should get together and try and find some positive goals for the year which would help us both start to feel more hopeful and optimistic about life again.

Then this morning I woke up exhausted. For some reason Minttu woke up several times last night so I had slept very badly. I was tired, the boys were up early (as usual) and I didn't feel like getting out of bed at all. My health problems have been back this week and outside it was pitch black. Oh...and there were too small people wearing smelly nappies in my room. Not a good start to the day.

Reluctantly I dragged myself out of bed and started on my list of Mummy tasks for the day. I wasn't feeling cheerful or optimistic about anything. Just fed up and tired.

Emergency services never far away in our family
And then I heard a beeping noise and saw a flashing light from outside the bedroom window. Niko (3) ran in screaming with excitement. He had spotted the snow plough clearing the carpark outside, and to him, he could just as well have been in Disneyland surrounded by Mickey and all his friends. How EXCITING!

And in that moment I saw the world through the eyes of my three year old son. Suddenly the world didn't look black and cold and miserable anymore. All at once it looked exciting and full of adventure. Not because the scene had changed, but my way of looking at it had. I've held on to that thought since then and perhaps it might just help you too. If things are looking a but grey for you right now - try looking at them from a different perspective. With a different set of eyes. As Niko proved this morning, even when it's black outside, there might just be some flashing lights round the corner....  and once they arrive they will remind you that there is still adventure and hope to be had out there after all.

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Leave Your Footprints

I met up with my friend Tanja Alenius this morning who will spend the rest of the week representing Somero at the Helsinki Travel Exhibition at Messukeskus. (Go and say hello to her if you get the chance, she would be happy to see you!)

Tanja is one of those people who has an energy for life which is infectious. Every time I see her I come away with at least a hundred new projects starting to form in my head, and we are always brainstorming about what would make Somero an even better place to live.

We had an interesting talk today about how when you are a teenager you have the courage to try anything at all. (At the age of sixteen I wanted to become a disc jockey and I could see no reason why I shouldn't - so I became one and travelled the world for the next seven years. Simple as that). But then suddenly you get a bit older and your dreams start to feel unattainable because of all the responsibilities acquired along the way. Children, mortgages, jobs..... we all become experts at thinking up reasons why we can no longer achieve our dreams.
Be the first to leave your own footprints

We convince ourselves that we have grown up and become more "sensible," but half the time we end up simply talking ourselves out of living life to the full. You can always find an excuse if you try hard enough.

Today Tanja reminded me that we should stop finding excuses and just get on with living our dreams.

I started off by finding a patch of fresh snow and walked right across it - the first person ever to do so. I reckon this is pretty much the attitude we should take with life too. None of us know how long we have left, so maybe the best way to use whatever time we have is to find our own patch of fresh snow and walk right across it. Whatever that means to you. Everyone's dreams are different, but the important thing is to make sure that we find the courage to pursue them. The snow is right in front of you...take the leap and start leaving your own footprints. You won't regret it.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Blue Skies Didn't last!

There is only one thing that you can guarantee about the British weather. And that is its unpredictability. yesterday we had blue skies here This morning everything is covered with snow.


Unfortunately while snow is a part of life in Finland, in this country snow is very bad news. One flake of it and the entire infrastructure descends into chaos. Schools, roads, trains..the lot. It all goes wrong immediately.  Which is bad news for me as I am driving to the airport this afternoon and I am expecting the roads to be worse then terrible.

And as for the planes managing to take off.... I can only keep my fingers crossed.  Let's hope that my angel follows me long enough to get me safely back to Somero.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

Sending Blue Skies to Somero

Sending some blue sky from Darlington to Somero
After a day yesterday when little seemed to go right I went to bed feeling a bit despondent. However I woke up this morning to be greeted by blue skies and a bunch of messages from my friends, both of which brightened my mood instantly.

I have just come off the phone to my good friend Anne in Somero who tells me that it's around minus seven this morning.  Apparently although it is a pretty day there are no blue skies, so I said I would send all of you in Somero some blue sky from Darlington to help you through the day.

Please be aware that this is not something I can do often....the last two times I have visited the country we have been surrounded by heavy rain and flood warnings...so this is a special treat today!

Now that we are two weeks into the year I am reflecting today on how my New Year's resolutions have been going so far. One of my most important ones is to collect photos of all the people important to me so that I can have them displayed on my wall at home. I never forget my friends, but it will be even better when they are all there for me to see every day. I have managed to get six in two weeks and will have another two by the end of today, so this project is progressing well.

Another resolution this year is to include more spontaneity in my life. It's not always easy when you have a large family, but many of my favourite memories are associated with things I did on the spur of the moment without too much preparation or planning. So I am determined this year to take the opportunity to be spontaneous and live for the moment when it arises. Several people close to me have lost loved ones recently, and I am faced with my own father's mortality at the moment, so I guess the only thing we can do is to honour their lives by making sure we profit from our own while we still can.

I am off to visit my Dad in the care home now and am on the lookout for a fun way to be spontaneous on my last day in the UK. I hope that these blue skies reach Somero safely and lift your mood as they have mine.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Proud of Finnair

Petri Tikkanen has one of the most reassuring voices I have ever heard. It's the kind of voice that you would choose to read you a bedtime story if you were a small child.

But when I first heard Petri's voice, he wasn't reading me a story... he was doing the next best thing.  He was telling me about the flight I was just about to take, as he was the man about to fly the plane.

Having been forced to take several flights over the past few weeks, and more than once endured the horrors of Ryanair (don't do it...however tempted you may be), this week I travelled with Finnair and was exceptionally glad that I did.

Captain Petri Tikkanen
January in Finland means that there is inevitably snow on the runway. The difference with the UK, however, is that the entire country does not grind to a halt. Roads remain open, schools are attended and aeroplanes take off just like they always have. No-one panics, no-one pretends to be in shock that there is snow in winter, and none of the flights are cancelled because of "the weather". The Finns just get on with it.

Of course it's not as simple as that. Even though our flight was ready to leave on time, there was a delay anyway because of problems at the Manchester end. You guessed it. "The weather". Oh dear, oh dear, when will we ever learn?

In any event, having heard Petri Tikkanen's calm and friendly explanation about the delay, passengers were then invited to the cockpit to have a look round. Petri and his co-pilot Juha-Matti Sukanen took the time to show us the controls and chat to us about life as an airline pilot, a career which both of them seem to thoroughly enjoy despite the challenges and awkward hours involved. They also turned what could have been an annoying delay into a really enjoyable hour and once again proved that Finnair is hard to beat as an airline which goes out of its way to look after its passengers.

Juha-Matti Sukanen
I asked Juha-Matti if he had always known that he wanted to be a pilot, and he said that he decided on it as soon as he had changed his mind about driving a digger! I said I would let my sons Luca (4) and Niko (3) know, as they both still seem to be at the digger stage at the moment. maybe this could be a new career option for both of them. (What is it about men that makes them want to drive diggers?)

Anyway, thank you to both pilots and the crew for a very interesting tour of the cockpit, an extremely pleasant flight and for once again showing us Finns how proud we should be of our national airline. And Petri, if you are ever looking for a change of career, I can think of a thousand ways you can put that reassuring voice of yours to very good use!

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Evening Pictures from Somero

It's been snowing gently here in Somero all day, but it doesn't feel cold at all and the air outside is really fresh. Perfect for going for a walk...the atmosphere felt almost magical in town tonight.

Here are a few evening scenes from Somero taken just an hour ago.