Kippis ...

We had a lovely lunch in Tallin, a great Indian at Elevant. Although it took nearly two hours to finish, it was great and we experienced our first wild boar curry. Sally and Jess seemed to enjoy theirs too.

After drinks on the roof terrace at the Palace Hotel back in Helsinki, Stephanie and I went to a beer festival in the square by the railway station. Our favourite beer was the Pils from the Plevna brewery in Tampere.

Thank heaven that tomorrow is Sunday. I think a lie in is called for after a hectic few days. Let's hope that the beers were pure enough to avoid a hangover.

Space invaders ...

I'm having a great few days on holiday in Helsinki. My wife, youngest daughter and her friend are with me and we have been enjoying some of the city's leisure time attractions.

Yesterday we visited Linnanmäki amusement park. Unusually, the park is not owned by a commercial enterprise but by the Children's Day Foundation, which collects funds for child welfare work. The park was good value for money - we got onto all the rides we wanted with less than 10 minutes queueing for any of them. A highlight was the wooden roller coaster, originally completed in 1951. It was the first time I had ridden a wooden coaster and the smell of wood preservative added to the experience. The ride features a driver on each car, who appears to be responsible for engaging the cable which pulls the cars to the top of each slope and then braking them again if needed.

Today has been a shopping day; rather inevitable with three girls. Stephanie managed to buy two pairs of shoes in the first shop, so was happy.

Tomorrow we are off to Tallin, capital city of Estonia and 100 minutes away by high speed ferry, so I expect to have more to report in a couple of days.

Just one thing is concerning me. My shower is usually home to one bar of soap and one bottle of shampoo. At the moment, it has 9 visiting lotions and potions and two objects which resemble ping pong balls wrapped in net curtains. I am not asking what these alien items all are, just making sure I don't tread on any of them as I perform my ablutions. A small price to pay for such enjoyable company!

Improving cycle time...

No, don't worry, this is not an essay on business performance optimisation. I was directed to the YTV website, normally used for planning bus, tram or metro journeys in Helsinki, but which also has a cycling route planner. With its help, I was able to find a way to avoid that bl**dy hill in Lautasaari (the blue line on the map) and cycled in this morning, my last before vacation, five minutes faster than my previous best time despite the a headwind over the bridge from Ruoholahti.

Today is my last day before holidays; we start with a few days in Helsinki with my wife, youngest daughter and her friend. Then a villa in Tuscany beckons for a week, after which a few days catching up on the gardening back in the UK. Bliss! All I have to do is cycle back to the apartment and my holiday begins ... once I finishing tidying before the inspection party arrives. I think that might be my fastest cleaning cycle ever, too.

Anyone for tennis?

Saturday was Ladies' Singles Finals day at Wimbledon and I thought I would bring a taste of English culture to my colleagues in Helsinki, so I arranged a Pimms and Strawberries party. Just to be sure I had enough Strawberries (Mansikka) I bought this tray of 5 kilos of the finest Finnish fruit. They do taste as good as they look, we are at the height of the season here.

Of course, with Strawberries should go some cream. I know the word for cream (kerma), so felt confident looking for that in the K-Supermarket. A moment's challenge to work out which was whipping cream? Whipping isn't a word that has come up in my 3 Finnish lessons, in any of its meanings. So, check the can of spray cream - no, don't buy it, but look for a word that matches with one of the various cartons. That worked! A little Grand Marnier added before you whip gives a luxurious touch.

I had also decided to bake some Marmite whirls, so needed some frozen pastry. That had to be chosen by a process of elimination, using the pictures on the packets. Eliminate the filo, the pie crust and the pulla and I was left with a picture that looked like a salmon-filled strudel. That worked too (recipe below).

The game itself was OK, but not outstanding, especially since I had needed to upgrade my Welho cable TV subscription to get the channel showing Wimbledon. Still, the same channel shows the Formula 1 racing, so I was at least able to watch Lewis Hamilton win at Silverstone on Sunday.

But, when I settled down to watch the Gentlemen's Singles Finals, the channel was not broadcasting it live. Instead, they chose to show the Boys' Singles Finals? Why, you might ask, would they eschew what has since been described as the best Mens' Final in history? Simple. Finnish junior, Henry Kontinen, was a finalist in the Boys'. Sadly for Finland, he lost. Congratulations, though, to Laura Robson from the UK, who won the Girls' Singles Final. A Brit who can win at Wimbledon? There's something worth raising a glass of Pimms to.

Marmite whirls

1. Open up the sheet of thawed pastry
2. Spread with Marmite
3. Sprinkle with grated cheese
4. Roll up tightly like a swiss roll
5. Cut 10mm slices and place on baking parchment
6. Bake at 150º C for 30 minutes
7. Allow to cool, if you can, before eating.

Hyvää Juhannusta!

Today is Midsummer, a public holiday in Finland, known locally as juhannus, named now for St. John the Baptist but in reality a festival which pre-dates Christianity, as a celebration of the longest day of the year. This evening, Finns will be enjoying Yötön Yö (the nightless night) with the traditional diversions of sauna, swimming, grilled sausages and some booze, with kokko (a bonfire). Many will have travelled to Kesämökki (summer cottage), either their own or a friend's, but it is apparently possible to celebrate Midsummer in the city too, according to the Helsinki Times.

Mimmu, my Finnish language teacher, has told me that she will be performing another juhannus ritual - picking seven different wild flowers and putting them under her pillow, so that she will dream of the man she will marry. If it works, then watch for news next year, as the weeks around juhannus are apparently the most popular in Finland for weddings.

I, however, am back in England. And with a huge inbox of email to deal with, I don't think I shall have too much time for celebrations today. But I will raise a glass this evening and wish all my colleagues and friends in Finland a good Midsummer. Hyvää Juhannusta!

Happy Birthday Helsinki

Thursday June 12 was Helsinki's birthday. I felt awful, as I hadn't got it a card or anything. But this weekend, there have been all sorts of activities going on around the city.

In Senaatoori Square, in front of the cathedral and close by where I live, there has been a regional exhibit celebrating the food and crafts of Pohjois Karjala, or Northern Karelia, on the border with Russia. As well as trying a simple dish made from lamb and barley, I bought some juice containing birch sap, rhubarb and lemon. It's quite refreshing and unlike anything I've tasted before.

Elsewhere in the city, there have been other live music performances and cultural events, making the most of the great weather we're enjoying at the moment. On Esplanadi yesterday, I am fairly sure that I was the youngest person watching the rock band playing in the bandstand opposite Kapelli. Never have I seen so many walking sticks tapping to the beat!

It's now nearly a year since I moved to Finland. On Friday, I started my Finnish lessons, a course of ten, ninety minute lessons. I look forward to reporting on my progress through the blog.

Grattis Ebba ...

We've just had a long weekend in Tranås, Sweden, with our friends Lars and Gunnel. Their daughter Ebba was graduating from Gymansiet (upper secondary school) after three years of studying and a big party for family and friends was in prospect.

As ever, we had a great time with them. We first met around 10 years ago through Round Table when my club, Basingstoke 93 was celebrating its 60th anniversary and Tranås 93 were one of the international twin clubs who joined us in the UK for the celebrations. Lars and I were chairmen of our respective clubs and we've been good friends ever since, visiting each other on several occasions and our kids have almost grown up together. For both families it has been a great opportunity to see how people live in different cultures, upholding the Round Table aim to "further the establishment of peace and goodwill through international relationships".

Stephanie and I arrived at Arlanda airport on Friday, she from Heathrow and me from Helsinki. An error on Hertz's part meant we ended up being offered a Volvo C70 convertible for the same price as our standard rental, which was a bonus on beautifully sunny weekend. A four hour drive and we were in Tranås and enjoying the evening sun overlooking Lake Sommen. This is the view from the deck of their stunning home. After a quick beer, we tromped into the neighbouring forest to cut young Birch trees to decorate the outside of the house, trimming them with balloons in blue and yellow, the Swedish national colours.


On Saturday, we travelled to the town where Ebba had been studying. By tradition, the graduating students have a final meal together and are ceremoniously set free at 1pm. Parents and friends gather outside with placards showing photos of the kids and then and hang flowers and other gifts around their necks, after which the students board a variety of farm trailers and commercial trucks, also adorned with Birch trees, and then are driven round the town. This picture shows Ebba in traditional graduation hat, with her younger brother Ludvig and a photo showing her first attempt at styling her own hair!


Here you see Ebba and her classmates letting their hair down (OK, so she trained as a hairdresser, what did you expect me to say!) as they set off for their parade.

After the ceremony it was back to Lars and Gunnel's place for the party.

On Sunday, we relaxed with a boat trip on Lake Sommen, a picnic on a secluded lake shore, a beer at the ferry terminal and then a visit to a friend's summer house before another of Lasse's delicious meals, this time barbecued salmon steaks. Monday morning came round all too soon and it was time to head back to the airport.

For Ebba, Monday was her first day of work as a qualified "frisor" at Gunnel's salon. We wish her a long and successful career. Ludde - good luck for your graduation next year!