Eduskunta

Luckily Finland has a substantial paper industry: Winter 2010

A couple of weeks ago we did one of those touristy things you never seem to do when living in you home country/city.  In this case visiting Suomen eduskuntatalo - Finland's parliament building.

Lost Post 3: Pesis

Pesäpallo: From Kesä10 - lost postcards

What is the national sport of Finland?

First thoughts go to ice hockey, followed shortly by jääpallo (ice hockey with a ball), mäkihyppy (ski jumping), and rally driving (although maybe that's just a mode of transport to the match).

But apparently some claim it is pesäpallo or pesis. Well maybe in the summer. If you live in what Konna disparagingly refers to as 'middle-finland' - Helsinki doesn't even have a pesäpallo stadium these days...

Sporadic sausages

via mtv3

Posting here seems to be getting more sporadic and sparse as time goes on, partly because we are well into the repetition zone as we get closer to kaksi vuotta (what is there to say about Vappu that wasn't said last May day for instance); and also because staying at home sitting in front of the computer trying to design kitchens/extensions/invitations doesn't throw up a lot of insightful or exciting moments. Also I have realised that a lot of my posts are picture led - i.e. an excuse to show off whatever randomly appeared in front of my camera, just be glad you don't have to see the full slideshow. So if I haven't been out somewhere with my camera I don't seem to come up with much to post about.

Not to say nothing is happening. Since the last blog post we have bought a flat, had our 4th client/project, bought a bonsai tree, had a name day and killed my Xbox360 (the dreaded red ring of death). The latter is probably a good thing as will stop me being tempted to play Fallout 3 instead of looking at Finnish building regulations. Now I will have to talk to the bonsai tree instead. (It's called Bernard).

About the most interesting thing going on here just now is people panicking that they won't be able to buy nakkia and perunasalattia for their vappupäivä picnic due to striking/locked-out food sector workers - I imagine if the 'Suomi sausage shortage' goes on much longer the Finnish government will have to declare martial law to prevent rioting when Finns realise their summer barbecue will have to be vegetarian.

Is it winter, spring or summer?

White on white: From In search of Spring...

I'm clearly a bit late with this post as the warm temperatures and rain of the last few days have (ehkä) decisively cleared a lot of the snow now and we have changed over to 'Summer' time (daylight saving time) already. We are starting to get summer speed limits back on the roads, optimists are changing to their summer tyres and bigger optimists are planning their Vappu picnic for a months time.

But last week, on the spring equinox, following another 5cm fall of snow, a kaunis sininen taivas tempted me out for a walk with my camera around what still seemed to me a wintery Mustavuori, busy with skiers and sledders. While its undeniably lighter (hurray!), and the twittering of a few birds can be heard (and the bright yellow ones spotted), only a few buds on trees suggest much life coming back to the forest. Growing grass (rairuoho) in a tray for the easter table starts not to seem quite so strange...

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Talking of strange things at easter I'm pretty much forced to mention mämmi at this point. I've been saying for the past few years that the visually unappealing brown sludge of orange peel flavoured malted-rye was up there with salmiakki and villi in my mental least-favourite flavours of Finland list. So I was surprised to find that on being served it at a friends house yesterday I not only ate it, I quite liked it. Maybe I've been here too long...

Culture corner

Tapio Wirkkala: Utima Thule, 1967. via.

I suppose we are overdue an Architecture Corner - but not much going on that front so we'll have to cast our net a bit wider. Although only as far as Espoo it seems...

This week we visited EMMA (Espoo Museum of Modern Art) at WeeGee for an exhibition of the work of Finnish sculptor and product designer Tapio Wirkkala (1915-1985). He trod a strange path between sometimes figurative, sometimes abstract works and apparently unwilling to differentiate between his product work and sculptures. Much of his work - certainly his best known pieces - are in carved plywood (for which he used extremely high-quality birch plywood to his own specifications). 'Ultima Thule' (pictured above) which shares it's name with the Iittala glassware he also designed, is one of the centrepieces of the exhibition, although I actually liked the roughness of his studio doors more made from simple pieces of standard timber (unfortunately I couldn't find a picture on the web and we couldn't take photos). You can read more about him here and here.

Also in Espoo last night were RinneRadio (a jazz via hip-hop, electronica, straight fusion, dark dub, ambient, and Saami yoik singing experience since the late eighties) and Circo Aereo performing 'Ruostetta iholla' (rust on the skin). Featuring a RR backed choreographed acrobatic act with scaffolding, posture balls, planks, tyres, a trampoline and a suspended hoop... you can find video of their other shows on YouTube, but here is Ommatidi from RinneRadio.

And finally...

Eija Laakso of Finland mid-fling during the Mobile Phone Throwing World Championships in Savonlinna, 2007. Photo copyright by Seppo Sirkka / EPA via Flkr

I guess all Finnish summer sports were invented by drunk people

Harri Kinnunen, boot-throwing world championships organiser, Via BBC News website

So here's the annual "those Finns are crazy (and drunk)" summer article from the UK, supposedly triggered by this year's totally sensible kännykkä chucking event in Savolinna (

although as it was actually written by a Finn for the BBC I suppose it was a sort of self-stereotyping). You'll have to wait until winter for the "seasonally affective disorder/suicidal (and drunk)" one to be rolled out.

Interestingly for grapheme spotters auntie beeb doesn't seem to do Ä or Ö - and is also apparently inconsistent in (semi-incorrectly as it isn't an umlaut) transposing Ö as OE in the the only* 'foreign' word used (mökki -> moekki) but A for Ä in a few of the place names and surnames (which is more conventional). Mind you, even Konna's passport has AE for the Ä in her name so we can't be too critical.

Maybe they don't use Macs so can't figure out how to get those ¨pësky¨döts¨ from their UK localised Windows keyboards?

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* Okay I realise sauna is Finnish, but we use it too, even if we pronounce it wrong!

One year on

verilettuja ja puolukkan hiloa - blood pancakes and lingonberry jam

Today is a year to the day when we came to Finland (or rather was, as this is a retrospective post because of being off peddling in Åland and not having an internet connection in our tent).

I feel like this should be significant, but strangely can't find much to say about it even though a lot has happened in the last 12 months:

1. Quit job
2. Rented out London flat
3. Moved to Finland (obviously)
4. Didn't get a job (yet)
5. Visited a few places / buildings (by foot, cycle, boat, train, plane, canoe, kayak, ferry, sledge, (husky and reindeer), skis, snow shoes, schooner, 'meze', and ladder)
6. Took some photos; okay a lot of photos
7. Learnt some Finnish - Nyt minä ymmärrän (ekhä sanoisin vain kirjoitan ja luen) suomen kieli parempi kuin vimme vuonna, on totta, mutta ei puhu hyvin tai nopeasti vielä. Tiedän minun täytyy harjiottaa lisää puhuminen, kunneleminen, kirijoittaminen ja lukeminen suomeksi.
8. Sold London flat
9. Entered an architecture competition
10. Had a few saunas (electric, wood and smoke)
11. Eaten sausage, moose, blood pancakes, cloudberries, lingonberries, macaroni laatikko, rye bread, salmon...

It would be good if I could at least say that the 'culture shock' is over - but since I haven't worked here yet I think that is really still yet to come... ask me next year.

Hauskalta juhannukselta mökiltä

NnneeiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeEEEEE - [WHACK!]

...whawaszat...?
Just another mosquito. Go back to sleep.

Mayday! Mayday!

ilmapalloja - ballons

I'm a bit bemused by how excited everyone (i.e. Konna) is getting about Vappu (May Day to the rest of us) - celebrations for which start on Thursday (like all things Finnish they have to start the night before everyone else...) and seem to include 

• a statue having a hat put on it, 
  
• buying ballons, 
  
• ex-students wearing white hats, 
  
• needing to book a month in advance to get a restaurant table,
  
• having a day long picnic on Friday.  
  

Lots of people have asked if I have been here for Vappu before. When they learn I haven't they generally shake their heads and say 'oh well you'll find out' and start talking about picnics. Suspicions aroused by this a bit of lazy googling careful research throws up the enlightening quote:

Vappu without drinking is like Christmas without presents

Now I understand... 'Picnic' is Finnish shorthand for 'reliving your student years by getting steaming drunk on cheap champagne (or shampange as Konna calls it) while sitting in a park with ten thousand other people doing likewise'.  Oh great.

Elvis spotted in Helsinki

Elvis is in the building...

While I'm waiting to set up the new Guardian Twitter feed by doing this quiz, I thought I would post this picture proving Elvis is alive and well and partying in Helsinki.  

It's also a little known fact that today is the only day that it is actually illegal to fly the Finnish flag - as they say here (very quickly) "Aprillia, aprillia, syö silliä ja juo kuravettä päälle!"

All things being equal

The military version of the Finnish State flag via

Today is a flag day - Minna Canth's day, and the day of equality, in Finland.

Finland was the first country in Europe to introduce women's sufferage, and the first in the world to allow women candidates, both in 1906. 

Kalevalan päivä

Defence of the Sampo, by Akseli Gallen-Kallela

Today (as has been pointed out) is Kalevala day - the day of Finnish Culture.  The 'New' Kalevala is 160 years old this year (the original version will be 175 next year), and this epic poem compiled by Elias Lönnrot of Finnish and Karelian folklore creates a mythic past inextricably linked with the rise of Finnish identity and culture; and for inspiration for Tolkien's lord of the Rings.

Although pretty archaic, impenetrable, and rarely read by the average modern Finn (check here for a sample), elements from it do crop up in modern day life. Sampo - the magic mill - becomes a bank; Otava -  the constellation Ursa Major - becomes a publishing company; while several of the character names are still in use today. Even closer to home, in today's Hesari was an article about the latest comic book version of the Kalevala - whose gods, heroes and spirits were recreated out of the last construction recession, when drawn by unemployed architect Gene Kurkijärvi, and finally published this year.

If only my cartoon drawing skills were as good.

I'd give my eye-teeth for that...

Hiiri has an inexplicably large collection of toothbrushes...

Hands up all those who like going to the dentist. No, I thought not.

As you may remember, I have just got my Kela (social security) card, which gives me access to, amongst other things, state health and dental care. Konna has just had to spend over €500 on visiting her private/specialist dentist (to be spread over 4 visits, but still) and decided I really have to go, so I thought I should save my pennies and use the state system hammaslääkäri (lit: tooth-doctor) - much to her dismay.

I know in the UK there has been a lot of talk about shortage of dental care in some areas, waiting times etc, but my last visit in Islington, I had a walk-in, same day examination and treatment, with more treatment the next week, so wasn't expecting to have to wait three months to be seen in Helsinki. Yes the end of May.

Okay now I have to own up that is not a fair comparison - as that London dental practice doesn't even take appointments for first exam/consultation, you have to walk-in and wait. And I had a broken tooth. And it was more than three years ago. 

Too be honest I'm not generally that keen on visiting the dentist, it's one of these things I deal with by not thinking about it - I can't even remember when I went to the dentist before then... shockingly it was probably when I was still a student living in Brighton (so that would be... erm, actually I'm too embarrassed to say exactly, so lets just say it was in the last millenium). Anyway my excuse (apart from being a lazy sod) is that I probably have a mild form of odontaphobia, brought on not by the tragic selection of magazines in the waiting room, but by the rather traumatic removal of several teeth of my favourite when I was about seven eight years old. 

[If you are squeamish you may want to look away now...]

When my milk-teeth got collected by the tooth fairy, as my new teeth grew in they found things a bit crowded in my mouth. So much so that my canines (or eye-teeth, they're the pointy ones) ended up growing over my incisors/first molars rather than between them. This meant they stuck out of my gums like vampire fangs (which for a six/seven eight year old wasn't all bad news, but maybe not the best look later in life).  So they had to go. I don't remember being to worried beforehand, afterall I was getting a day off school, but obviously I had no idea what was coming.  Now since this was a) the 70's b) fairly major, I had to have a general anesthetic - which is where things started to get iffy.  Firstly they tried to give an injection into a vein in my arm. After three or four failures finding the vein they switched to the other arm, and then despite try to turn me into a human pincushion they had to give up on the injection idea, and switch to Plan B.  This turned our to be gas; I remember they rolled in a trolley of equipment and canisters, then the black rubber mask was put over my face, and I was told to count to ten. 1, 2, 3, ... the room disappeared and I fell down a long dark tunnel... When I woke up, woozy and spitting blood (literally) the teeth were gone, leaving huge holes in my gums which my tongue would find unexpectedly for weeks afterwards. All pretty scarey stuff, especially as I had to come back again the next month to have the other two out... (Or did I? My memory is strangely a bit hazy about this - did they all get taken at once?).  

I needed a light brace to straighten up the front teeth a few years later to adjust for the spacing, but at least it probably helped make room for my wisdom teeth - which I have thankfully not had problems with.  But now, however much I really, really like something, I can't give my eye-teeth for it (as the saying goes).

And I don't seem to like going to the dentist... funny that. At least I have three months to prepare myself...

Tampere proof

Finlayson sign: from Tampere 02/09

Team hölynpöly drove to Tampere last several weekends ago (well better late than never) to look at Vuores, one of the two Finnish Europan10 competition sites. It snowed on the way there, rained on the way back and was misty inbetween.  Tampere is sometimes compared to Manchester; having a somewhat similar history and built heritage (e.g. brick mills and warehouses) from having a significant cotton textile and clothing industry, much of which now converted for residential and cultural uses (e.g. the Finlayson area). 

We were staying in urheiluhullu Sportgirl's apartment (in a converted shoe factory), although Sportgirl was of course away doing something ridiculously sporty as usual - this time a 24hr nordic skiing competition - in which she won the women's class and came 5th overall, covering a staggering 270km. Yes I know, Finns are mad. Last time we met (a few weeks previously) she was preparing for a skating competition (outside/distance rather than twirling in sparkly spandex) as part of the same overall Kalevan kierros competition, and when we first met her a few summer's ago she taught us how to canoe. (Luckily we had just been on a cycling holiday so didn't feel totally inadequate.)

Vuores (strapline: 'the small town in the midst of nature') itself if still just a greenfield site (although being Finland that should be greenforest), although work has started on tree clearing and road building, mainly by blowing things up to judge from the signs, so there wasn't an awful lot to see apart from trees, rocks and a bit of a slope. Hard to imagine that by 2015 homes for more than 13,000 inhabitants and business premises providing 3,000 - 5,000 jobs will have been built in the area and as the site of the 2012 Asuntomessut (the annual housing fair - see here for some pics from Vasa last year) and so may get 200,000 visitors over a few weeks. I should add here that we most definitely did not get the car stuck on a snowy track and have to dig and push it out with the help of a passing local in his Subaru Forester. No, never happened. We also cruised around the neigbouring area of Hervanta, which mainly gave us tips on what not to do, although we came across a rather curious set of 80's buildings at the centre, which we didn't understand the significance of until later.

The weather put an end to our plan to visit the observation tower, as 12€ is a lot to pay to look at the inside of a cloud - as you can see above. However while wandering around the town centre I did manage to buy 2 pipoa for 1 euro from H&M and spotted a poster for an architecture exhibition while lurking in a cafe.  The exhibition turned out to be on the works of Reima and Raili Pietilä, well known humanist-expressionist-modernist architects (in the 60's anyway, maybe only in Finland now), who have several major buildings in and around Tampere - including those curious 80's buildings in Hervanta. I was rather taken by their early works, such as the Dipoli student union building in Espoo (which I must try to get to see sometime), and Finnish pavilion for'58 World Fair in Brussels, the but less so by the later ones (although certainly interesting and unusual) which we actually saw there though.

We rounded off the trip with a visit to the Plevna restaurant / beer cellar, also in the old Finlayson area. (It's named for the old Finlayson building it is in, which itself was named after the siege of Plevna in the Russo-Turkish war of 1877 where the Finnish Guard were involved in the battle. The building was the first in Finland (and only 4th in Europe) to have electric incandescent lighting using Edison's 110V DC system). They specialize in a selection of their own and some imported beers and ciders, along with a range of hearty Finnish food, in a somewhat Germanic beer-hall style setting. The menu suggested combinations of drinks and food, so I went for a dark Plevna beer and the sausages and potato pannu. This turned out to be literally a frying pan full of creamy sliced potato with four types of sausages, and pickled cucumbers heaped on top, and probably enough for two people- but somehow I managed...

A light snack at Plevna... From Tampere 02/09

Friends: The one where it isn't quite the same as St. Valentine's Day

Tänään on ystävän päivä - mutta 'Valentine' on erilainen...

If you are used to the British / American commercialised version of St. Valentine's day (selling the ideal of romantic anonymous gestures like flowers, chocolates, champange, of maybe a candlelit dinner for two, or a  surprise trip to Paris) you could be forgiven for thinking that Ystävän Päivä being today, 14th February, is just the Finnish version of that. Not quite.  

After Konna and I became a couple, the first time St. V's day came round* I had known her (and anything about Finland) less than a year. So I was a bit taken back when she got a number of cards and presents from Finland, and even more confused when they turned out to be from various mainly female friends; was there something I didn't know about her past!? Well of course there was (although not like that). In Finland Feb 14th is 'Friends Day' (no, not a celebration of the TV show) and is not so strongly connected with romance, and cards an presents are swapped by friends, although the Anglo-American version is encroaching... 

So Happy Friend's Day to all our hölynpöly friends...

*Actually there is another story about that same year - but Konna say's I can't tell everyone she fell asleep halfway through the fancy romantic candle-lit meal I made her on our first Valentine's... 

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?

Uutta vuotta

From Lapland - Winter 08/09

Happy New Year!

Back from 'up north', and showing aiti & sisko around Helsinki & Porvoo.  Pictures and reports on the cold, dark, snowy adventures of emmdee and konna in Lapland to come soon...

4 - Glögi

Glögi is a hot, fruity, spicy drink served at christmas-time in Finland (and various other Nordic countries), and similar to mulled-wine or glühwien.

Usually served in a glass with raisins and almonds, it comes in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic varieties so can be enjoyed by all the family through the christmas and new-year period - great when the weather is cold and dark, preferably in front of a flickering open fire. Mmmm!

We like the 'Marli' non-alco one best, and of course you can always mix with wine or even kosu if you need your pikujoulu party to go with a bang. Kummenna 1 osa glögiä ja 3 osaa vettä tai punaviiniä kiehumispisteeseen, älä keitä.  Lisää halutessasi rusinoita ja manteleita.

If you want to make your own, you could try this recipe from the Nordic Recipe Archive; or if you can't pop out to you local K-Kauppa you can buy alcoholic Glögg (note Swedish spelling) in Ikea all over the world - just add almonds, raisins and perhaps dilute it to taste, as I find their version a little strong.

Hic! Hyyväääjoouluuaa! Kiiiippisssh!

those vital ingredients...

Apologies (redux)

Michael Fish, via

Firstly, apparently I left everyone (well my mum at least) with a bit of a cliffhanger last week because I didn't reveal the outcome of the dread suomenkielin testi.  Well I was pretty surprised to find I actually got a better mark in this one - viisi (5) - which is the top mark in the Finnish university grading system (0=fail, 1=50%, etc).  Although I did still make a couple of stupid mistakes and struggled with partitiivi/akkusitiivi objekttilause (malli: minä kirjoittan bloggin sitten katson televisiota) I pretty much cracked omaslause (to have...) malli: minulla on iso pää; nessesiivi lause (must/to have to) malli: sinun täytyy lukeä tämä bloggi joka päivä; 

I suppose I should also say anteeksi for reinforcing the stereotype lots of people have that Finland is cold all year. Before I came across that old chestnut from the days of nil point, I was originally going to write a serious post about the weather and daylight, particularly as Daylight Saving Time just ended. And if you question the advantage of BST in UK (particularly if you are in Scotland) - ask yourself what the hell is the point in Finland, except to synchronise with the rest of Europe? As this article points out (despite getting confused about GMT and UK time) Finland has plenty of light in the summer, and being in the east west half of the GMT+2 timezone (as shown on this map) is naturally half an hour into 'summer time' anyway. That is also (I guess) why the work day here is pushed to the morning - start work by 8am, lunch at 11:30, go home at 4pm.  Anyway, for anyone wanting to know about Finland's climate they can always look here and remember Helsinki (on Finland's southern coast) is at the same latitude as Lerwick whilst it's Lapland border with Norway is over 1000km further north.  For the record though: 

In Helsinki the average July high temperature is actually 22°C (which is only 1º lower than London).

The highest temperature ever recorded in Helsinki is 31.6°C. The highest temperature ever recorded [in Finland] is from July 9, 1914, when 35°C was exceeded in several places (the maximum being 35.9°C in Turku).

The lowest temperature recorded in Helsinki is -34.3°C (1987). The lowest temperature recorded at any weather station in Finland this century is -51.5°C (1999).

Now compare that to UK recorded extremes (via Met Office):

Highest: 38.5 °C 
Brogdale near Faversham (Kent), 10 August 2003.

Lowest: -27.2 °C
Braemar, Aberdeenshire, 10 January 1982 and 11 February 1895.
Altnaharra, Highland, 30 December 1995.

But enough from Michael Fish for now.

[edited 28.10.08 23:05]

Sääpäiväkirja

Keskiviikona, 22. lokakuuta: Tänään on vahan pilvista ja vahan aurinkoista. Myös tuulee. Ulkona on 10 astetta laminta. Helsingissä aurinko nousee kello 8.56 ja laskee 16.56.

Nimipäivät: Anita, Anitta, Anja, Anniina

Pilvista päivää. From Around Helsinki.

One of the things we have been doing on the suomen kielen korssi the last few weeks is to keep a weather diary (sääpäiväkirja) for each day. Since this entails looking out of the window (which I am well practiced at as my school teachers would probably remember) and looking at the outdoor thermometer (which almost every Finnish home has) this is not exactly hard work. For those of you unfamiliar with the Finnish climate, here's some background:

Finnish weather explained

+15°C / 59°F
This is as warm as it gets in Finland, so we'll start here.
People in Spain wears winter-coats and gloves.
The Finns are out in the sun, getting a tan.

+10°C / 50°F
The French are trying in vain to start their central heating.
The Finns plant flowers in their gardens.

+5°C / 41°F
Italian cars won't start.
The Finns are cruising in cabriolets.

0°C / 32°F
Distilled water freezes.
The water in the Vanda river gets a little thicker.

-5°C / 23°F
People in California almost freeze to death.
The Finns have their final barbecue before winter.

-10°C / 14°F
The Brits start the heat in their houses.
The Finns start using long sleeves.

-20°C / -4°F
The Aussies flee from Mallorca.
The Finns end their Midsummer celebrations. Autumn is here.

-30°C / -22°F
People in Greece die from the cold and disappear from the face of the earth.
The Finns start drying their laundry indoors.

-40°C / -40°F
Paris start cracking in the cold.
The Finns stand in line at the "grilli-kioski".

-50°C / -58°F
Polar bears start evacuating the North Pole.
The Finnish army postpones their winter survival training awaiting real winter weather.

-60°C / -76°F
Korvatunturi (the home for Santa Claus) freezes.
The Finns rent a movie and stay indoors.

-70°C / -94°F
The false Santa moves south.
The Finns get frustrated since they can't store their Kossu (Koskenkorva vodka) outdoors.
The Finnish army goes out on winter survival training.

-183°C / -297.4°F
Microbes in food don't survive.
The Finnish cows complain that the farmers' hands are cold.

-273°C / -459.4°F
All atom-based movent halts.
The Finns start saying "Perkele, it's cold outside today."

-300°C / -508°F
Hell freezes over.
Finland wins the Eurovision Song Contest.

...hang on a minute - didn't that happen already!?