The Author

Here we are May 2020. If you are reading this in the future, this is the time of COVID-19. If you happen on this today (May 13th 2020), well you know what that means – lockdown, social distancing etc. etc. Of course we are all staying home and now that means more time online. I have been quite good at not spending too much time online, although now it’s time to get my act into gear – I’m getting my social media ducks into order! In reality that means more order to my posts and my presence (I hope!).

If you’d have asked me 30+ years ago, where would I be living when I turned 40, the most unlikely answer would have been Finland, or the Northern Hemisphere for that matter. Still here I am. I’m proud to say that I’ve lived in Finland for over 10 years now. I’m not so proud when I say that I still manage to butcher the Finnish language in one form or another every single day. Finns, however are very forgiving and even quite encouraging if you show even the slightest willingness to try and speak Finnish. So I persevere.

I have, however found my place, as they say. I can honestly say I love living here. I will never be a Finn, and unfortunately the longer I live away from Australia, and particularly Tasmania, the less Australian I feel. I’m no different to any of the thousands of people who migrate, immigrate every single day.

I like words and I like writing in English and talking in English. Plus I want to share the country I call home.

Basic details about me … in no particular order of importance: wife, mother, lover, daughter, friend, sister, aunt, cyclist, worker, reader, cook, chef, entrepreneur, crew member, cousin, Leo, grey haired, Australian and Finnish.

I’ll try to keep it interesting in the meantime!

Some Finnish phrasology to get you started:

Tasmanialainen: one who is native of Tasmania

Kanerva (the name I post under): The Finnish word for Heather (my real name)

 

(edited 13.5.2020 to add a little more detail and update a couple of dates again!)
(edited 11.1.2014 to correct some pesky typing errors and update the dates)
(edited 15.12.2011 to correct some pesky typing and spelling errors)
(posted 8.12.2011)