Where's my zero-emission jetpack?

COPYRIGHT: KAUKO HELAVUO & FINNAIR

If you've read George Monbiot's book Heat you'll know that there is a considerable school of thought that flying just isn't a sustainable way to travel if we want to tackle global warming (along with combustion engine cars and, annoyingly, high-speed trains amongst other things).  He puts forward a convincing argument, and yet I have still flown at least 3 times since reading it.

Finnair is 85 years old this year (which is a strange number to celebrate if you ask me, but maybe given global economics waiting another 5 years is too risky!) and unsurprisingly for an airline are similarly in denial about there being a sustainable future for air transport with their Departure 2093: Five Visions of Future Flying with no.2 being 'flying is ecological'. Of course they don't say what the weather is like outside, although the ability to land on water is mentioned which will be useful if the ice caps have melted by then.

On the design front they present their 'future fleet' of supersonic, super wide-body cruisers, space hotel shuttles, and personal zero-emission aircraft. But one question where's my jetpack?

23 = 1+4+5+9+12+15+19+20+21+22

No, no, no - you were supposed to deliver presents in a white van. Pic via.

Lacking a sleigh, we have been playing 'white-van-mies' today... er, I mean Sunday (which was no. 21 in our virtual advent calendar), and which will have been two days ago when this gets published. By which I mean we have been driving around in a valkoinen paketti auto delivering little bundles of joy (no - not them, it didn't have a red cross and blue flashing lights) to various people. I refer you to exhibits 15, 19 & in one case 20 to a surprised Bore . In return we have consumed tea, coffee and soft-boiled eggs - as well as the more seasonal 4 & 9.  During these visits we talked about 21, 14, 22 & 5 (not looking promising), received 19, 15 & 12 (in kit form!) and observed 20, 11, 10, 7 & 16. Ymmärrättekö?

Lumimyrsky - a snowstorm in a teacup

From Porvoo 11/08

Sunday saw the first serious snow fall of the winter in southern Finland, even the Finns officially decided this was a lumimyrsky - a snowstorm. (Although the ones I was with just said 'Pah! This is just normal Finnish winter weather!'). We had been staying at a cottage in Rönnäs near Porvoo where the snow had been of the decorative type only, and were heading back during the day, stopping off at picturesque Porvoo for kahvia ja pullat as the snow fell (sata lunta) and the snow ploughs and gritters got to work on the main roads. 

Picture postcard shopfront: From Porvoo 11/08

We were dropped off at Konna's dad's place to pick up his keys, as he is going to Cyprus for the rest of the winter.  Out of the window we watched the wind shaking the street lights as the snow flew past horizontally. We trudged across the car park to Itäkeskus and the bus station, there was already ten centimetres of snow blanketing the uncleared lot. The bus was the first sign of anything not running smoothly as usual, running a few minutes late as it slithered in and out of the uncleared bus stops. Back at home the snow piled up on the windowsills and was blown across the glass like unconvincing fake spray snow. We heard on the news of a few flight and train delays.  'Imagine if we had been in England' we said, 'we would have got stuck in the first lane trying to leave the cottage, or if not there on the main road where the snow plough hadn't run through yet. And can you imagine London buses trying to run in 10cm of snow? Or the trains?'

Finnish studs

so... what exactly is this a picture of!? nokian talvirenkaat

Well the title might have generated a few unusual search hits, and you may be worrying what exactly that aggressive and phallic looking thing is (especially if you were trying to get here), but don't worry it's nothing like that - nor is this post about a suomea remake of the 1970's film of Jackie Collins' book...   

Instead, ask yourself - if you could hear winter approaching what would it sound like?

Since the beginning of the month, walking alongside the roads as the evenings draw in, I have increasingly heard the winter creeping up on us.  That is the crunching-hiss of studded talvirenkaat (winter tyres) on passing cars, almost like a distant gravel drive.  Studded winter tyres are allowed from 1 November to the end of March, and winter tyres (not necessarily studded) are obligitory between 1 December and Feb 28th (or whenever weather conditions are considered bad enough to need them). I imagine if we actually had a car that tonttu creature would be complaining we haven't changed tyres yet...

Other essential winter items are engine block heaters, so the car will actually start (so that's what those posts in all the carparks are), and super anti-freeze in the windscreen wash (there is one called superpiss - I kid you not).  Passing the Finnish winter (ice) driving test helps too I guess. It is often said that the combination of snow, ice, lonely gravel roads, studded tyres, and the terrifying 'I was here first' rule for joining traffic, is the reason for Finland's unsurpassed output of rally and race drivers (well except this year). 

Luckily for us (admittedly occasional) cyclists there also studded winter bike tyres available (as shown in the picture if you hadn't realised) - and if you have ever gone down on a bike on ice or snow you will appreciate that.  I just need to decide if I am really going to take my bike out in the cold & dark before buying some... I mean there's lots else to do inside...

Network problems (3W)

Tram going towards Viru Keskus

Tallinn's public transportation system seems a fairly straightforward network of buses, trollybuses and trams, all of which use the same tickets. Still getting on a tram from Kumu wasn't that straightforward... there didn't seem to be any tram stops nearby...

Toinen Koe

via kaupunkiliikenne.net: No, not a tram where you take exams (although the red pub tram does sell beer!)

If you have wondering why there has been a bit less hölynpöly recently then you probably need to get a life and get out more often... however one of us has been revising for his level two FFF (Finnish for foreigners) koe (test) which took place this afternoon. I get the results tomorrow, but I have a feeling it will not be as good as the last one. Just hoping to pass. Ho-hum.

Minun täytyy oppiskella joka päivä oppia lisää suomea, mutta minun ei tarvitse tehdä kotitehtevät tänä viikonloppuna.

Anyway level three starts next Monday, so back to reverse consonant gradation, and who knows what else then. 

But this week I also have to deal with a bit of Finnish bureaucracy and officially register my presence since it has been three months now; so through a great piece of 'Finnish logic' as an EU citizen I don't need permission, but I am supposed to register, with supporting documentation and details to show why I am here, which sounds suspiciously similar to the list of things required for non-EU citizens to get permission ... and being Finland this is done at the police station. Lovely. Now I understand those 'police state' jokes...