Sumu ja jää

lumi polku: From More snow days

Saturday was a bright, clear day, with almost no wind, although still -14ºC. Almost perfect for walking in the snow and maybe venturing on the ice to take some photos. This of course meant we woke late, then spent the rest of the five short daylight hours in supermarkets and shopping centres. So looking at similar sää enuste (weather forecast) for the next day we decided we would go out before 10am to enjoy some hyvää ilmaa.

Sunday was white. Not from snow, but from fog; and from the covering of white stuff, a hoare frost on steroids, on all the trees left by the freezing fog. Like tiny leaves or blossom, a thick covering of delicate feathery white ice crystals had grown on the skeletal winter trees, so that even our view of Citymarket car park and the Shell bensiiniasema became almost magical. We took our walk anyway, and instead of low sun, glittering snow and impossibly long shadows, we had a sugar frosted world in shades of white disappearing into the dim mist, and where a gust of wind in the tree tops brought down a shower of frozen powder.

On ice, in fog: From More snow days

feathery ice crystals blossom: From More snow days

From More snow days

More photos here

Are we here yet?

Kurpitsat! From Winter 2009 - Helsinki & around.

In case you were wondering we didn't turn into pumpkins, but did actually come back to Helsinki. So what's been happening to Emmdee and Konna?

• A fancy dress party where we went as teenagers c. 1987 (for me think black jeans, sister's of mercy T-shirt, studded belt...; for Konna think language student - complete with EF rucksack)
• A week dog/house sitting (good weather for walkies in the central park - where Konna had never been!)
• Mennimme Linnänmäkiin - katso valot karne kuvista (see Linnänmaki Carnival of lights pictures on Picasa) - the lazer show was crap though...
• Five (more) boxes of stuff arrived from UK: we now have more clothes, a TV, DVD/home cinema, and A3 printer again after a year! Hurrah! (But where the heck do we put it all?)
• DVD player and printer aren't working! Boo! Where's that insurance claim form...?
• Konna is working for a small but successful and critically acclaimed practice doing very interesting buildings (down to the doorknobs) ... can't say any more than that
• We (or I as Konna is working full time now) may have some small projects coming... the big problem is of course what to call the company if we do
• Menin hämmäsläkkärille / suunhygenistille, ja nyt minun hampaat ovat (melkein) valkoinen... ja hän sanoi minulle - sinä puhu hyvin suomea jos olet assunut suomessa vain yhden vuoden (!) Well who says Finns aren't polite?
• 'Somebody' lost that dentist bill - cue comedy misunderstanding of spelling of my name on telephone: dee ... day - pay?, DEE - bee?; DAY - ...? Voisinko lähetää sinulle sähköposti..?
• First sauna for six weeks (I even started to miss it)
• First cycle ride for six weeks (since the biggie); 75km Porvooseen ja takaisin - was so damp and cold that on the way back had to stop at a bus stop to take of my shoes and socks to warm my frozen numb feet; notes to self: a) dress warmly when it's 5°C; b) after six weeks 75km is too far...
• A video of my TdH triumph is on Strands here; and my Strands page is here (a sort of Facebook/training log for running/cycling)
• We may have blinked and missed autumn... it snowed today...

Going home?

Fish'n'chips via.

That was weird. Without thinking about it I just typed the title of this post (before I added the question mark) - I wonder if that means something? So actually our 'holiday' back in UK visiting my family is ending today, and we will be back in Finland tonight. After three weeks of unusually sunny, warm weather in Blighty, with only the first autumnal tinges showing, we will be greeted by temperatures 10 degrees cooler, and touching zero at night, and autumn in full swing... the first snow has even fallen in Lapland.

But is Helsinki 'home' now, after only fifteen months? Strangely it is Stadilainen Konna who keeps saying 'If we come back in a year's time ... we'll wish we hadn't sent six more boxes of stuff over' or '... we'll want most of this stuff that is now filling your mum's spare room'.

While I've been here I've been keen to partake in several important local cultural culinary treats:

• Battered fish and chips (not fries) with salt and vinegar - from a fish'n'chip shop, in paper
• Steak and kidney pie - mmm pastry
• 'Proper' italian style, wood oven roasted, thin crust, pizza (no Finnish kebab-shop minced-meat pies thanks)
• Sunday Roast (lamb) - cooked by my Mum (who makes fantastic crispy roasties)
• Sitting and reading the weekend papers

I've also realised that I actually missed British TV and radio (particularly radio channels that play new and current music... a radical idea that doesn't seem to have reached Finland yet).

Maybe this all explains why I managed to lose 7 kilos this summer (leading to some comedy trouser issues) not having this stuff around to eat, but I dread to think how much I've regained in the last few weeks. Back on the bike for me then until the snow comes.

Ruska tulee, sitten tälvi...

Senaatintori steps: from Around Helsinki - Autumn09

You might think that this month's new header image is a bit early, especially if you are in the UK having just enjoyed the late summer bank holiday, and breathing a sigh of relief the kids are back to school. But looking out our window you can believe autumn is already here. A cool, damp, windy day; koivu (birch) leaves fading and falling to the ground; mushrooms sprouting up. In fact that header picture was taken at the end of September last year (see Autumn Colours), and this year's ruska (the aforesaid autumnal vegetation) will be well underway, the autumn equinox will have been and gone, and Finns will be bringing out the cold weather gear from the attic before the month is done and the header changes again. And the bad news for me is the same is forecast for next Sunday - not ideal for the big ride.

It seems like only yesterday I was wandering around stadi under blues skies showing our weekend visitors from London the sights, and taking touristy snaps with my (slightly early*) birthday present. Hang on it was only yesterday... Where are my jumpers and wooly socks?

*Well I had to make sure it worked, right?

Kevät... ehkä

Jääpuikkoja, kuva Borelta

God, sometimes I am slow.  It was the spring equinox a few days ago, which would have been clever (ha-ha) to mention on the 'All things being equal' post. Really, sometimes I wonder if my brain is seizing up.

So now it is officially spring (kevät). Well there are more birds around, the Helsinki rabbit population is about to explode and some startled walkers did come across a mother bear and her cubs in the Nuuksio national park near here last week. But yesterday looking out the window was like being in a snow globe, it was -9°C last night, and I'm beginning to wonder if the snow will melt before Easter...

Anyway we're going on a cheapo 'cruise' to Stockholm tonight for some better 'spring' weather... hmmm, not sure that'll work out.

White fluffy stuff

Snowy Logs: From Lapland - Winter 08/09

I'm looking out of our window now, watching the post lady in her yellow uniform trying to pedal her yellow bike across the icy yard in the falling snow. There has been snow on the ground for the whole of February, as well as at least half of January, and we still have more than 10cm in uncleared areas - a proper Finnish winter in other words.  It is funny how quickly I have become used to it really, so it is strange seeing pictures from Britain of swathes of crocuses and other early spring flowers.  However according to YLE it has still been warmer this winter than average, and December was very dreary and dark - which gives me an idea of how depressing it is when there is not much snow in the winter.  Maybe I should go out and enjoy it while it lasts.  

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By the way, I hope you are liking the new look blog title headers.  The idea is to change it each month using a seasonal picture from our collection.

Red tape and icicles

From Around Helsinki Winter 08/09

This week is the Finnish skiing holiday - and apparently as we are having a 'good' winter (i.e snow on the ground) the sports shops have all sold out of their 'sale' skis. Even though there has not been a lot of snow fall in the last few weeks (in fact it even rained once) there has been white all around for at least a month now, and in the bright sunshine and clear skies of today it is quite lovely.  There are also lots of icicles hanging from gutters and eaves, although they tend to be quite hard to photograph (had to stand in the middle of a street to get this...)

I can now tick off another couple of things from my list of Finnish 'bureaucracy' that needed doing (maybe I should say 'official existence'), although I hope the latter is only temporary:

• I now (finally) am part of Kela (so have access to various social security and health care things)'
  
• I am officially registered unemployed (although fat lot of good that is as I don't seem to qualify for any benefits).

This is the first time I've ever been officially unemployed in the 20 years since I left school. Even in the last recession when I was on my 'year out' between degree and diploma in Brighton, and there was very little work around, I managed to find a few architectural things to do, making models and helping tutors with competitions mainly (and drawing layouts for caravan parks now I come to think of it!).  Mind you I also worked for a temp agency, which meant things like cleaning wards and toilets at a mental hospital; clearing tables and washing dishes at a department store restaurant; stewarding at football matches; moving office furniture etc. People were generally quite surprised to hear I had a degree in architecture.

I wonder what qualifications you need for clearing snow?

Ice, ice, baby

Ice fishing/Pilki: From Helsinki/Porvoo January 09

In the last couple of weeks (yes I know it's a bit late, but hey - this a blog not a news service) Helsinki has finally had enough snow (10-25 cm) and a cold enough period (-10 to -15°C for several days) for the lakes/sea inlets to freeze properly/thick enough to be walked on (I heard it's about 15 cm). With the cold temperatures came a few days of clear skies and the sun skimming over the roof-tops and tree line, bringing out skiers, skaters and ice-hole fishers to enjoy the ice and snow.

Unlike the UK, Finland hasn't run out of salt and grit yet, and life just carries on in these conditions (which of course are normal/mild winter here), but at a cost in resources and equipment which I imagine would be difficult to justify when only used a few days a year, or every 4 or 5 years on the recent scale:

Local councils [in UK] spent £138m last year on clearing snow and ice. The Highways Agency spends another £30m on average.
But Finland, which has a similar sized road network to the UK, spends more than £400m. [source BBC]

In fact there has been some debate here that in Helsinki (particularly younger people) are getting used to milder, less cold/snowy winters and aren't so prepared for harsher weather (there was a recent case reported of child dying in -20°C in a sledge while parents were skiing); and that drivers (particularly bus drivers) are less used to driving in snow here now. 

There is also the cost to individual drivers, as by law you have to fit winter tyres which are going to set you back several hundred £/€ at least (probably more as most people by a whole second set of wheels).  This also means that snow ploughs and diggers start clearing the snow at 4am so that everyone can get to work... not a quiet operation outside your bedroom window I can assure you!

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The snow and ice is just as slippery here as anywhere else, and despite best efforts to grit and sand (not much salt though, Finland is cutting back as it pollutes it's many lakes as well as hardening your arteries) every square centimetre of Helsinki, while out walking on Sunday I still managed to slip and land on my knee, while simultaneously straining my calf (how is that even physically possible?) - so have been limping around ever since. Maybe I will have to get spiky winter over shoes like the grannies wear...

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...

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!?