Changing my Finnish language narrative. This week I did something quite unexpected. I gave a tour in Finnish 🇫🇮 and English 🇦🇺 * simultaneously. I wasn't expecting to have to do that. Mainly because I had forgotten how rare it is that my in-laws both understand and speak English. My guests were a FIN-AUS couple,... Continue Reading →
Aaargh, decision time. Nokia or Apple? http://youtu.be/Z19vR1GldRI
Mämmi: The Final Rite of Passage
Mämmi. Pronounced in the same manner as cat. It's the traditional dish for Easter in Finland. It's also one of those dishes that people either love or hate. I fall into the former camp. I tasted mämmi on my first visit to Finland and definitely took seconds. It doesn't look extraordinary or even like it would... Continue Reading →
Independence Day Foolishness
It goes without saying that the music choice for today is Maamme-laulu (Our Land). After all, it is Finland's 95th anniversary of independence. There are numerous YouTube offerings, and the one I have chosen features the amazing voice of Tarja Turunen (formerly of Nightwish). I'm not sure where the broadcast actually comes from, except that... Continue Reading →
Ajatellen suomi. Luen suomi. Puhun suomi. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Translated it means (I) Think Finnish, (I) Read Finnish, (I) Speak Finnish. This week I let myself down by not speaking Finnish. It was a small group presentation to the rest of the class. We'd been planning everything in Finnish, so it wasn't that I didn't know what we... Continue Reading →
Back to school
Huh! A big panic for ABSOLUTELY no reason. Please consider this an official thank you to your like and comments to my six word Saturday of August 4. I'll try to get back to them individually in the future. Yesterday I rolled up for official registration and managed to slightly confound the staff by producing... Continue Reading →
A modern rite of passage
Today's tune is Guns N' Roses Paradise City. This was the theme of the day for Mr. 12's recent birthday celebrations. First, a note of explanation. It was not his actual birthday: that day is still in our future! This was the party for friends. School holidays are already well underway when the actual day... Continue Reading →
Restaurant Day / Ravintola Päivä
All of my worlds have crashed together today. So I present one of my favourite Finnish bands The Crash singing Pony Ride. Sadly they are no longer together, fortunately for you, there is a wonderful collection on YouTube. Check them out. The front man (Teemu Brunila) is one of Finland's prominent writer-composers, his name pops... Continue Reading →
My new best friend
Feeling chatty? Here is Stevie Nicks doing Talk to me. Love the hair, love the dress. Hmm, those were the days 🙂 Today was Talkoot* day. The day when all the civic-minded residents of our apartment block work in the yard and do a little spring cleaning. In autumn we get to do it all... Continue Reading →
Thank you… 13 years later
Today's music is proudly sung by Stockholm's Gay Choir and What shall we do with a drunken sailor? I had occasion to sing this last Saturday night, along with 150 ship building professional and partners. The occasion was the 65th anniversary of LRK (Laivanrakentajain kerho) or Shipbuilders club. These men and women have all studied... Continue Reading →
A Taswegian in Finland 