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.

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!

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.