Pekka and I

My first friend was a boy called Pekka. We were the best mates at the age of four. We had the same kind of clothes and toy cars. Then my family had to move and I lost him from my life. Now I feel I have kind of found him again - the feeling I share with many others tonight.

Today we choose a new president for the next six years. In the last year's election an extreme right-wing party who call themselves true-finns won numerous new places in our parliament and I got scared and was ashamed - how could it be possible that so many Finns agreed  with their narrow-minded and racist opinions?

I was disappointed and felt alone with my views of a better life - thought even of starting a secret sister-hood of mothers who fights for the goodness and tolerance, and made my daughters bored trying to recruit them... I was just the kind of green feminist who with open-arms wants to make the world better and whom one of the true-finn parliament members had recommended to be gang-raped by foreigners allowed to enter our country.

We have two candidates left tonight - I hope it will be my Pekka. But how ever it goes the hope is awaken and many non-political ordinary people have shown their colour, and that feels  good. And if it turns really bad I still have my sister-hood, won't I..?

Here is one example of a kind of act ordinary people did to show their support. It is one of our dearest songs called Finlandia by Jean Sibelius,  composed during the years of Russian tyranny before our independence. Enjoy:

       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaKko3VGAnY

http://haavisto2012.fi/

Dear Fredrika,

greetings from lovely winter weather! 

I thought about you today when baking your muffins. Yes, the ones that you always baked for your dear late husband...

He loved them - and hunting, both wild game and women. And you raised the children, decorated your home - I admire the beautiful stencil painting you did - and sat beside Johan Ludvig's bed when he was paralyzed and needed company. I heard you could read from many languages aloud and translate simultaneously to Swedish. And you could write, too.

What did he do? He wrote, I must admit, beautifully. Poems about stubborn but brave Finnish people. Our national anthem Our Land. Farmer Paavo and his wife who struggled against the frost that took their harvest time after time.

So I baked to honour him, too. Tomorrow it's your day. We took a head start today...

- But mum, what shall we do the whole winter? - At least now we'll have some coffee. Tove Jansson.

When shall we bake for Tove, too?

http://www.runeberg.net/runeberginkoti/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tove_Jansson

Our door-bells...

Owen and Laara, the best door-bells ever...

It was useless to worry that some of the floors that got new flooring would look too fresh. The minute there is even a small noise from the veranda, perhaps someone coming, we are being alarmed... These two run and skate and try to win each other on their way to the hall, jump over toys, try to make the curves straight - and leave behind them deep marks on the floor panel... What if they start looking older than the house?

The Yarn Man

It is like a wind-mill with its wings.

"Yoo-hoo? Is someone at home?"

"Yes, I am! Who is disturbing my peace since.."

Since... 

" I used to count the rounds when making the skeins and announce it with my pointers - now missing - and by popping up from my window."

"I am retired now.. Just keep those nosy little children off from my wings and close the window, please. Some respect if I may ask!"

"Yes, of course, I'm sorry.. I'll dust you with a gentle hand."

They knew how to make even the ordinary things beautiful and every-day chores amusing. These rustic antique utencils are amazing - functional and lovely for the eye. I wish we had as clever hands and jovial minds when making our modern gimmicks... 

Books for the stormy days...

Our New Year's divination promised some of us problems - a peanut, some are waiting for money - a coin, some are afraid of the waiting poverty - a piece of dried bread. And the lucky one who got the barbie's shoe will be the party queen of the year... We had our traditional "The Cups Will Tell" -game on New Year's Eve at home with the family and always write down the results. It is funny then before the next game to see how it actually went.

Now we have all been on a flu, been coughing like in a sanatorium and filled our days with games, books and films.

Today we needed some filling in our shelves - especially when the weather forecast promised us a new storm and probably new power cuts. So it will be reading in the candel light then...

We have a small but very good public library on our island and a friendly librarian who helps to find some reading, remembers what you especially like and for the teenagers who just gobble books she orders from other libraries. Libraries are something very Finnish and to me personally a magic place since my childhood. All my children have got an own card when they have learnt to read and that has been a big and exciting day. I still remember my first day as a real customer...

There began my gobbling age...

My today's prey:)

I took a head start already today with a new book by a Finnish Jari Tervo. Layla is a story of a young Kurd girl who ends up in Finland - it is touching and a strong statement for the rights of women. I am afraid I  can't sleep before the last page tonight... 

First Snow on the Last Day of the Year..

Suddenly we remembered that we had forgotten to take up the leeks. 

The mild long autumn had been on our side when the renovation and the garden and everything had taken its time this year and when our only possibility to wash ourselves has meant a brisk run over the yard to the old sauna. So on the last day of this year we fetched the last harvest of the year.

We were very thankful for the deer that they had left us this much to have in the cellar - our favourite are the sandwiches with butter, mustard and leek plus a lot of cheese grilled in the oven. 

And that we remembered our pour leeks - it was the first snow... Beautiful big flakes and suddenly there was so much light and the feeling of winter when the sound of snow under the boots. 

What else have we forgotten, I don't know. Let's hope we can still save it tomorrow.

Happy New Year from Pellas!

Lights on!

We have twenty liters water all the time in big kettles on the wooden stove, batteries for the flash lights, matches and candles, canned food and juice, a generator at the shopping list. We are prepared but this latest storm lasted for hours. Our christmas tree had fallen by the village road - though it was quite a small misfortune compared with that the 23 metres high Christmas tree in Helsinki had fallen, too and compared to people who had had trees fallen on their house.

We had electricity off over 16 hours and got it back just in time to keep my 20 kg meat frozen - I had filled our storage before Christmas.. We buy all our meat from a fabulous local farm Nystu Lantbruk that has their sheep and cows grazing at the forest and meadows by the sea in Wattkast village in Korppoo. I didn't want to loose my steaks!

It's our fortune that we have a wooden stove to cook on and the other ovens keep us warm. It is cosy to sit in the candel light but a bit difficult to actually do something. So we were getting a bit bored with the dim atmosphere when we decided to take the car and drive to centrum of our island and to church to sing Christmas carols. We could see which of the houses were out of electricity because there were no X-mas lights, only a weak candel light from the windows. 

In the centrum and church they had electricity, so people sat on their seats and enjoyed singing both old and new carols. Then in the middle of the Silent Night the church went dark. The organ faded away. People continued to sing. I was moved and all the complexities that we had had without running water, difficulties to do every day chores became unforgettable. 

When writing this I can hear our roof banging again and I know many on our island are still sitting by the candel light, so I hope it won't get so bad  during the night. We have been working outdoors for hours today saving our building material when the tent over them had flown away. Please, no suprises next morning... And we haven't lifted up the Christmas tree yet, just in case.