Spies

Spies?

As the resident nerd technologically competent person I get to do exciting things for Hiiri (and actually although Konna may say otherwise I have to do the same for her too):

• Change lightbulbs & fuses
• Buy and change printer cartridges
• Reset the cable digibox when it falls over
• Get the TV off menu when the wrong button is pressed
• Upload/download photos from cameras & phones
• Install/update antivirus (and any other software) on her computer
• Put batteries in, and demonstrate the use of, any new piece of technology around the home

It also means that when Hiiri says to Konna 'Your cousin asks you can see their house on Google?', I realise that:

A) They are talking about Google Maps Street View (which is still fairly recent and hot topic of conversation around these parts);

B) Somehow Konna has never heard of it even though it was around causing controversy (yawn) in UK before we left;

C) I am going to have to show them how to use it in about 30 seconds time.

So after owning up to having already scouted my cycling route from here to town (as the Helsinki pictures seem to have been a summer afternoon) we set to 'visiting' said cousins house, Hiiri's childhood home (which is apparently a forest based on the view we could get), our current abode & Konna's childhood house (so Hiiri and Konna could complain about the owners leaving rubbish bags outside and not watering the plants). Then Konna hit on the bright idea of 'visiting' my Mum's home for Hiiri to see (as she has never visited... for real that is).

So I show the house ('Wow isn't it big and nice looking' says Hiiri to my momentary disbelief, forgetting she would not be used to the boring 60's English developer semi/detached suburban typology). Then I show my Junior school at the top of the road. Then the stereotypical english (red brick Oxford movement) spired church where my Mum is the verger. Where my Mum spends a lot of time... Where my Mum is standing outside the front door of the church apparently oblivious to the camera car... hello Mum!!

Day for the Big Chief of the Clan

Zig Zag: From Dartmoor 2009

We ended our family get-together-cum-holiday in Dartmoor today in a rather fitting way on a rather fitting day. But some explanations first.

What 10 things do you associate with Dartmoor?

1. Ponies (in the road)
2. Walking up 'Tors' (the granite outcroppings on top of the moor)
3. The prison
4. Narrow roads/tractors
5. Family holidays
6. Windy days
7. errrm...
8. Heather??
9. Sheep?
10. ..... oh yeah - that thing with stamps

No.10 is properly called 'Letterboxing' which was a past-time my youngest brother, li'l sis, Mum & Dad picked-up visiting Dartmoor sometime after I foreswore family holiday's in my late teens - so something I had zero interest in back then. Later Mum and Dad continued to visit the area to walk the moors and Tors. So it was appropriate that last year, when we went to Dartmoor on 'goodbye' family holiday before we headed off to Finland that the clan left a box out on the moors in memory of our 'big chief'.

So this year, 18 months later, with my own significant large-numbered birthday celebration at hand, we have come back to Dartmoor to regroup, catch-up, celebrate (two birthdays other than mine), meet new additions (nephew and b.f.), walk (best one just Konna & I - 12km, lovely sunny day, Hameldown Tor, Grimspound bronze age settlement and around), eat (excellent and over-ample cooking all round), to dress in Victorian clothing (obviously), take lots of photos with my new 'toy' (and thanks to all my family for the present); and to check on Dad's letterbox.

So yesterday we recovered the box from Feather Tor, near Windy Cross and replaced it with a new one (with an appropriate cross stamp); then after browsing the visitor book last night we placed that box on Top Tor this morning, the day of his anniversary. It was nice to arrive home this afternoon to take some of his favourite flowers from the garden to the churchyard and tell him about the new boxes. I think he would have liked it.

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Clues to find the letterboxes: (remember to wear appropriate clothing, take an OS map and a compass when walking on the moors! A notebook, pen, stamp and inkpad, as well as a sharp pair of eyes, may also come in handy...)

• The new box in the old place:

1. From the car park on the B3357 head south to Windy Cross;
2. Cross the aqueduct and head up to Feather Tor;
3. Find the 'balancing rock' (see picture) and head east-ish towards a square looking rock;
4. The box is somewhere about halfway between...

• The Chief's old box in the new place:

1. From the small car park on the B3387 cross the road and head south to the small Tor;
2. Look for this small stack (see photo) you may want to scale it for the view west;
3. Head towards Widecombe-in-the-Moor's church tower - about 70 paces
4. The Chief now resides nearby...

Kaappi kuin kaappi

Savusauna at Taiska's cottage in Sysmä (hatch for the outgoing smoke & incoming candle light)

My mom was born in a savusauna in 1945 near the place were Kekkonen is from. Perhaps you know the place perhaps you don't - that's not relevant... Relevant is the next question that was made to my mom when she told the story of her being only 1.9kg and coming to the world only after 7 months in the safety of my grandmother's womb. the question was: 'Oliko siellä keskoskaappi?' (=was there an incubator?)

How detached are we from the reality that in 1945 in the middle of nowhere (7km from the main road to the nearest village, which is approximately 30km away) in a savusauna the last thing there could have been is an incubator, unless the Doctor travelling in a blue phone box brought it there! The next question was: 'No oliko siellä edes kätilö?' (= was there a midwife then?) Yes, the old hag from the neighbour's house, said my mom... The title 'Kaappi kuin kaappi' (= Cupboard as a cupboard) refers mainly to the savusauna acting as 1940's model of an incubator for her (and many others!)

P.S. Emmdee is now on his 'kaappimopo' on the way to kesämökki & 'rapujuhlat' (= cray fish party) for the weekend... Only 130km to go... I'll gladly wait for the Meze to pick me up. Have a good weekend you all!

Setä ja täti

Olemme nyt setä ja täti - minun veljanpoikani syntyi pari päivää sitten. No niin, onnantoivotukset keskiveljalleni ja hänen puolisollensa! *

Last week the topic in my conversation course was perhe - family. Which was a subject on my mind anyway for the reason mentioned above.  Compared to English, Finnish is sometimes a bit funny when it comes to words for relatives, being alternately vague, very specific or over endowed. You may already know that there is only one word for he/she (hän), which gives you an idea of what I'm getting at. 

• Children (lapset)
  
• Poika - boy or son
  
• Tytär - girl or daughter
• Sisko, sisar, systeri - sister
• Veli - brother

• Nephew - no specific word, but the compound: veljanpoika / sisarenpoika (brother's son / sister's son) is used
  
• Niece - again no specific word: veljantytär / sisarentytär (brother's daughter / brother's daughter)

• Setä - Uncle (Father's brother)
  
• Eno - Uncle (Mother's brother)
  
• Täti - Aunt

• Käly - Sister-in-law
  
• Lanko - Brother-in-law

• Puoliso - spouse, partner
  
• Mies - husband, man, mister, male, bloke, etc... (could be confusing); Aviomies - husband; Avomies - cohabitant/common-law husband (i.e. not actually married but in finland has same rights - which is lucky if you miss the i out on a form...)
• Vaimo / Aviovaimo - wife; Avovaimo - cohabitant/common-law wife

And for especially for my mum:

• Grandmother - isoäiti, mummo, mummu, mummi

* If all that didn't help translate, it says: We are now uncle and aunt - my nephew was born a couple of days ago. So, congratulations to my middle brother and his partner!

Wool gathering

Not quite wool: Balls of string at a market

Came across this article in the weekly edition of the Gruniad.  Obviously I haven't been here long enough to form more than a superficial opinion, but although it seems to ring true with what I have read, heard and experienced so far, but it also reinforces a lot of the 'Scandinavian' stereotypes that are around in the UK. Read the comments and you will see what I mean. As ever, any generalisation can be countered by a specific example or experience to the contrary - but our friends A&J in Germany, who have just had a bouncing baby boy, didn't feel the need to come rushing back before the birth... but that just opens up a whole other debate on another country.

Talking about babies, my brother (the middle one - let's call him Keski) has just found out that he (well his partner to be accurate) is expecting... somewhat to his and everyone's surprise. I'm not sure who had him in the sweepstake as to who would make our Mum a granny first, but he would have been the outsider not so long ago!  This rounds out a whole bunch of changes between us siblings -  youngest brother (let's call him Godzilla) finding a new GF;  Lil' Sis moving in with Godzilla (maybe we should call her Gosberry now?); Keski's news... anyone would think they were trying to compete with us for attention!  

Anyway at some point I will have to stop this displacement activity, do some work on my portfolio, and get my books together for language course starting Monday...