Turning 2020 into a different kind of adventure

 Greetings from Turku, our small, quaint corner of a beautiful, green, city on the southwest coast of Finland. I am toweling off after getting caught in a really impressive rainstorm, and the kids are in the tiny kitchen washing the breakfast dishes (after being informed that because there is no dishwasher, this was how it was going to be). I realize I need to tell them about the draining cupboard as I can see Kai towel drying cups. That’s just one more detail they’ll become familiar with in the coming weeks, if all goes to plan. 

The plan is that the kids start school in Paimio (small town near by) after our self-managed quarantine is over, and continue attending school until the winter break on the 19th of December. I hope to work remotely through that time, and we all live with my mom. 


A few things we have seen so far: San Francisco airport was deserted and empty, but Frankfurt was busy and bustling. Helsinki airport was somewhere in between, although the driver of the taxi we took all the way to where we are now told us that they get in a week as many people as they used to get in one of their busiest hours. We can’t really speak for other cities, but the people of Turku behave largely as if there was no covid virus - there is very little mask wearing in the under 75-year-old categories even at grocery stores, and walking around with masks on gets you some very strange looks. Masks are supposedly mandatory on public transit, but even there mask-wearing rates are very low. 

Keeping fingers crossed, for everyone, for all reasons, and waiting for a break in the rain. 

Popular posts from this blog

Winter -- the second best day of the year

Image
 A few summers ago, I saw an advert in Helsinki that tried to catch the attention of consumers with some brutal honesty. It said: Summer - the best day of the year. For those not in the know, this refers to the frustrating lack of predictability as to when the "heat wave" (anything above 77F) might arrive. And similarly, the frustrating briefness of this warm happy time. Hence - it's the best day of the year.  But for the remaining seasons, there is another highlight - the first snow. This is again based on the terrible trend of more recent years called global warming which last year robbed the very south of the country of any snowy time altogether. So when late last Sunday night (as the forecast has been promising for a few days) temperatures dropped and precipitation became white and fluffy, we looked forward to The Day Of Winter, the second best day of the year. There was snow on the ground in the morning, and as we all hopped on our bikes, plenty more came down on the...
Read more

11.8.2008 - Tyttöenergian uudet ulottuvuudet

Image
Mitä kuuluu, pitkästä aikaa? Et ole ehtinyt paljon blogia päivittää? - no, onhan tässä ollut kaikkea tekemistä. Muutettiin juuri, ja sitä ennen yritettiin täällä vähän remontoida. Nyt on ollut tavaroiden purkamista, ja keittiön viimeistelyä. Kaikkea pientä vielä tekemättä - seinien maalausta, yhden lattian vaihto matosta korkkiin, sellaista. Ihan kivalta alkaa näyttää. How are you? Long time... You haven't been blogging much recently? - Well, we've been kind of busy. We moved house just a few weeks ago, before that we were busy fixing up the place. Now we have been unpacking, finishing the kitchen. All kinds of small stuff still to be done - painting walls, changing out the carpet. But it's starting to look nice. No nyt taisit jättää jotain kertomatta. - no joo... I think you still have something to tell! - well yes... On vähän maha kasvanut! - On on, ja syystäkin. Vauvaakin tässä odotetaan ja laskettu aika on hienosti tammikuun ensimmäinen päivä. Ollaan juuri kohta puolivä...
Read more

30.4.2006 - vappua!

Image
No niin koitti tännekin kivat kesäilmat vihdoinkin. Lounaseväät kattoterassilla ovat oivallinen tapa katkaista muuten pitkät päivät. Tässä näyttää kovin aurinkoiselta, mutta varjopuolella on vähän viileää vielä. Finally! The warm summery days have arrived here too. Lunch on the sunny roof terrace is a great way to take a break in an otherwise long workday. This looks warm, even hot, but in the shade it is actually still a bit cool. Vappu on kuulemma Suomessa tänä vuonna lämmin ja poutainen! Miten hienoa! Täällä juhlittiin vappuaattoa meidän etupihalla grillaten. Tarjolla oli nakkeja ja perunasalaattia, vihreää salaattia ja jälkkäriksi mansikoita ja jäätelöä. Kavereita tuli niin paljon että tarvittiin naapureidenkin tuolit... Unohdin, harmi vain, ostaa ilmapalloja ja serpentiiniä. Ai niin, kyllä poksautettiin myös pari skumppapulloa. Sen verran siistit juhlat kylläkin, ettei ylioppilaslakkiin tullut yhtään uusia tahroja. I heard that first of May was going to be warm and sunny in Finlan...
Read more