Non-Angry Birds

Sorsa X Tööllönlahden lähellä sunnuntaina: 'En ole vihainen lintu'

If you live in Finland or read any 'tech'/games media (or own an iPhone) you probably don't need me to tell you about Angry Birds (Vihaiset Linnut) the hit game developed in Finland by Rovio (and no. 1 downloaded paid app just about everywhere).  Over Christmas Konna and I discovered the phenomenon and quickly became addicted. I even had to get the Mac version for her to play while I was away so she would let me take my iPod with me... I'm convinced that even though the birds and green pigs (don't ask) only make nonsense noises, you can tell they have Finnish accents. And just to rub it in on one level the linnut are attacking a 'tank' manned (pigged?) by said vihreät siät flying a ruotsalainen lippu (thats the blue and yellow flag of the country just to the left of us in case you were wondering).

On Sunday we went for a four hour walk around across Hakaniemenlahti and Töölönlahti (just getting used to taking winter short cuts after three years).  The sky was gloriously clear and blue, though the wind was fierce, so ideal for a few (dozen) about a hundred photos.  Stopping to look at the ducks and snow sculptures, we then headed past the Olympic stadium, where traditionally clad skaters were flocking for the first ever public access to the temporary ice rink, and then through Sibeliuksenpuisto to the my favourite, the fantastically unorthodox Cafe Regatta - only to discover we had the sum total of eight euros* between us for a lunch. We settled for freshly baked korvupuustia and a shared coffee...  and luckily coffee refills get a five cent refund making it a bottomless cup. As I said - unorthodox.

Crossing Töölönlahti

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* Not enough for two drinks and two pullaa, let alone lunch. And Regatta isn't particularly expensive.

Reverse culture shock

Konna's tea shipment

Something I noticed while back in UK was that I have now been away long enough to notice and be surprised by things which were part of my everyday life not so long ago. Some examples:

• First, an obvious one - how busy, diverse, big and loud London is compared to Helsinki (remember the population of London is bigger than the population of Finland). Especially on the Underground.
• Cold and damp - walking to a gig in Portsmouth I was shivering, even though it was +3°C and I was well dressed. The cold, damp air was penetrating; give me -7°C here in desiccated Helsinki any day.

Un-boxing days

Twinkle kept out of Heisenburg's boxes

I'm sure our boxes had been breeding - there is no way we left a whole room full last year...

Although I had two weeks to do it, seeing a room full of 34 boxes, 2 chairs, 2 glass tables, 1 rug, 2 shelves, several large framed pictures, a drawing board, several portfolio cases, and a crate and several blue Ikea bags of miscellaneous 'stuff' (1950's radio anyone?) and a cat* made me think I had my work cut out for me. I actually  wondered if I would have time to visit friends in Pompey** and Town*** as promised.

Boxing Days

These are not my shoes left in a box in England...

Okay the title sounds a few weeks late* (a bit like the updating of this blog), but anyway in a few days I am heading back to Blackwater/Hawley (whichever it is - even though GoogleMaps claims it is Frogmore!) for a few weeks of sorting through boxes.  Yes these are the boxes of 'precious' items (aka junk) that got packed up over three years ago, spent over a year in storage in London, got moved to a spare room in my mother's house and have survived various attempts at selecting useful/desired things to bring over here.

Hyvää Joulua kaikille!

Joulukortti 2010 © Arkkitehdas / Mark Davies

  

Happy Christmas, Hyvää Joulua, God Jul, Frohe Weihnachten, Joyeaux No el, Feliz Navidad, j.n.e and similar Juletide Greetings from emmdee, konna (and the tonttu) at hölypöly

Lost Posts: TdS day 6 & 7

Kirkkovene / Church boat at Sulkava - photo by konna.

Something I forgot to mention earlier (and as she hasn't even read, let alone posted to, the blog recently she didn't notice until now) all the photos during our 'Tour de Saimaa' (TdS) cycling trip were taken by Konna and not by me as I didn't take my 'big' camera - and even though they are on my Picasa album rather than hers (well if I had waited for her to do it... said the pot of the kettle). Anyway, moving on...
 

Lost Posts: TdS day 5

If you use enough sauce you can't see the fishes looking at you

Viides päivä: perjantai 5. heinäkuu, Savonlinnasta Sulkavaan (noin 44+ kilsa)

Day 5 of our summer Tour de Saimaa, in which we...

• Get immediately lost on leaving the campsite by trying to find a postbox
• Have novelty of clouds and showers (but still 27°!)
• Encounter the odd mosquito as we enter the forest... and some trickier gravel roads
• Roads and amount of bugs get worse; Konna is struggling on the short but sharp hills - I am unsure if she is flapping her arms to get up them or get rid of the insects that seem to prefer her to me