Wellcome to get to know Finland and Finnishness, as well as the world of 80's and 90's childhood memories, dreams, dance, gymnastics, baking and other interesting topics. Jump along the dance girl's journey!
The best of Finnish meteorologist and news anchor: Pekka Pouta
Pekkabursts into laughter when reporting on the weather in may 10th 2017. During that time, Finland experienced an exceptionally long period of extremely cold weather relative to the season. (This spring was also cold for a long time, but as May progressed, the weather warmed up. Now we have been in more or less summery vibes for over a week.)
Pekka Pouta’s dog invades the news broadcast. It’s so cute!
Pekka in ”Game of thrones”
By the way, we didn’t win that ice hockey match against Sweden, so it was a double loss for us since we lost to Sweden in both the Eurovision Song Contest and ice hockey match. We won the next games against Hungary and Austria (although the victory against Austria was a close one, but it would have been odd if we hadn’t won these two matches). Tomorrow we will be playing against Denmark.
Belated birthday wishes to Pekka, who turned 55 (on May 20th)!!
(”Pouta” -by the way- means sunny or fair weather. An apt name for a meteorologist.)
Today is a chance for a rematch. Sweden may have won Eurovision (narrowly), but Finland will win today’s (preliminary series) ice hockey match against Sweden (2023 Ice Hockey World Championships)…
…Oh and I’m sorry Sweden, here’s Loreen’s Eurovision Song Contest 2023 winning song, if someone who hasn’t heard it yet would like to listen to it… just for the sake of comparison, or otherwise…
…and by the way, I just turned 43, and it feels really unreal because somehow my mind still feels stuck in my 30s…
Last night we experienced exciting moments as the winner of the Eurovision Song Contest was chosen after a tight competition. Just as predicted beforehand, the competition for the victory was ultimately between Finland and Sweden.
Finlandessentiallywon because we received the most audience votes but in practice, we came second, right after Loreen due to the high scores given by the juries to her.
This is still a big win for Finland. We have only one Eurovision victory from 2006 and no second or third places. On the other hand, coming second is disappointing as we were so close to winning. In any case, Käärijä made an impression on many people, and the shouts of ”Cha cha cha” echoed among the audience during the points distribution on television.
Sweden’s song has also been accused of plagiarism, as a part of the song resembles the song of Ukraine’s old Eurovision representative. In my opinion, the songs are clearly different songs. Similarities are bound to happen. So much music has been made already, and there are so many Eurovision songs as well. It’s quite impossible to create a completely new kind of song.
The audience was clearly disappointed with the Eurovision winner. They felt it was unfair because no country had Loreen as their favorite (based on the televote). This can happen when half of the votes come from the jury and the other half from the public. The jury and the public often have different opinions.
I too have started to like ”Cha cha cha” more and more the more I hear it. I understand why it appeals to people. The song and performance are fun and of course catchy, making it easy to sing and dance along to. It may not be art, but it is a good party song and mood lifter.
However, I liked the Norwegian song the most. It sounded like a traditional, grand Eurovision song with a great melody! England and Poland also had good, catchy songs. I wonder why they didn’t do very well. Norway, on the other hand, was (I think) in the top five.
In any case, once again CONGRATULATIONS KÄÄRIJÄ, YOU ARE OUR WINNER!
The summer season has finally begun… at least when it comes to ice cream.Yesterday, I bought my first ice cream cone from a kiosk. It tasted incredibly delicious on such a summery day, which finally, after a long wait, arrived here in Finland as well. I chose a rich rum and raisin flavor for my ice cream, which had good-sized pieces of raisins in it. I was so caught up in indulging that I forgot to take a picture, which would have been a fun addition for you to see.
I saw this kind of fellow outside yesterday. I have never seen such a big beetle (or something like that) in Finland.
Although temperatures have risen quickly from the freezing weather of a few days ago, the trees still aren’t blooming properly. In recent years, it’s been usually greener around this time, but the spring was very cold for a long time, it snowed, and there were even sleet showers just over a week ago when my partner and I were driving and suddenly exclaimed, ”oh my goodness, what is it coming there?”(It wasn’t a goal, like in the historic Ice Hockey World Championship ’95 victory song ”Ihanaa leijonat, ihanaa” (Wonderful Lions, wonderful) where our legendary commentator Antero Mertaranta uttered those same words). This time it was sleet coming.
Street art
ICE HOCKEY WORLD CHAMPION CHIPS
That was a great segue to the next topic. Namely with warm weather, traditional spring events have also arrived. As every year, spring brought along (a bit late, but still) the Ice Hockey World Championships, which begun today. Unfortunately, Finland lost their first game against the USA today, 4-1.Well, you can’t always win, not even every time, like the character from the game program (that was familiar in Finland with in my youth), Hugo the troll used to say. Tomorrow with a clean slate against Germany.
THEEUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2023
Also, the Eurovision Song Contest is here again. The winner of Eurovision will be decided in tomorrow’s final. Finland made it to the final after qualifying in Tuesday’s first semifinal. Finland’s Eurovision representative, ”Käärijä,” is probably already familiar to many, but if it isn’t to you, I’ve included a link to his winning performance in the UMK competition here (where Finland’s Eurovision representative is chosen). Personally, I’m not a big fan of the song, but it might have a chance of doing well. ”Cha Cha Cha” is unique and different from the other performances, also Käärijä is a nice, likable, and charismatic person… Let’s see. You never know. Anything can happen in Eurovision.
Has anyone else noticed after the turn of the year that it feels like if the passage of time had accelerated even more? Or maybe I’m just getting old. Time seems to pass so quickly these days that you don’t notice when morning turns to evening and evening to morning again. It feels like there’s never enough time for everything that should be done, even though I’m always busy with something, but often free time at home is spent by doing a little bit of this and that. In the end, you don’t really get much done… Some of the moving boxes (and bags) have yet to be unpacked. However, I have managed to keep this new apartment tidier than the previous one, which is something…
Of course, there have been some coincidences (as always) too, for example my phone totally broke down. After turning off my phone tried to restart automatically but it didn’t recover anymore, just flashed the restart screen. In the end, my husband forcibly removed the phone’s battery to prevent it from exploding. We then ordered a new phone, which also took some time to install. This Samsung Galaxy A33 had a really good price-quality ratio, and even an offer of 100€.
Also a large part of my free time is spent doing paid surveys. (I think I mentioned this before. The post about the topic is still in progress but it should be completed at some point.)
My mom (on the right side).
Even Easter came and went completely unnoticed. I remember how we often used to spend Easter together with my parents and older brother. My brother would usually cook for us, as he was a good cook. So we ate, drank, and listened to music. Good memories… Unfortunately, this is no longer possible, but this year I visited my mother at the nursing home.It was also her 79th birthday on Saturday.Despite her advanced Alzheimer’s, we managed to have a fairly good conversation. She did mention my father as if he were still alive, (even though he passed away almost 4 years ago). These are the things she doesn’t remember (like my brother’s death too). Otherwise, everything went well. I fed my mother at dinner, and she ate and drank well…
Here are the lyrics to the song above. These words bring to mind me and my highschool friend ”Lissu” (which conveniently leads to the next topic). The characters may not be an exact match. However, the chorus line in the song: ”I was the shyest and the most outsider” resonates with me. As a teenager, I was quite introverted and sometimes felt lonely. It wasn’t as much of an issue in high school, but I did have still (social) anxiety and uncertainties. Additionally, I was nostalgic, just like the protagonist in the song.
LISSU AND I
As a child, Lissu had an obsession To walk with her eyes closed on the motorway She screamed, everyone will leave Sooner or later, it’s true And still, I hesitated
Under the monkey bars, Lissu held court Quoting Madonna and Bon Jovi And headbanging, she opened doors Tough camel walks, sticker pictures
And I was the shyest and the most outsider I was afraid to live and that I would die You wanted boots and an ostrich feather A riot fence and a traffic jam
And so it can be because Of late nights or wine I stayed in my dreams I clung to them Yeah o o o oo The earth circled the sun
When we were twenty, the days were easier Sometimes Lissu drank a bottle of cough syrup Scratching the carpet with a stick She yelled: oh god damn it Bring a salami toast and ”Lärvilauta” (finnish cocktail).
At forty, Lissu took her cut breasts to the paper She had a younger man They told what they had done And how they knew the snow and the trails of our country Embraced on the cover of a winter war book
And I was the shyest and the most outsider I was afraid to live and that I would die You wanted boots and an ostrich feather A riot fence and a traffic jam
And so it can be because Of late nights or wine I stayed in my dreams I clung to them Yeah o o o oo The earth circled the sun
The years passed somewhere and got sucked up Lissu got married four times, I think Retired, she left for somewhere Strange missions to the jungles I observed the seasons They were stranger than before
And at Lissu’s funeral In 2072 I had become more fragile too I had thought of a speech even though I knew I wouldn’t dare to give it They talked about factories There were some in Europe too, once Where did the years go, I lost them
And so it can be because Of late nights or wine I stayed in my dreams I clung to them Yeah o o o oo The earth circled the sun And the earth circled the sun.
Last weekend I went to Helsinki to meet my friend. On the way back on the train, I ran into a twin of another friend of mine, my highschool friend: Lissu. She was downright strikingly similar. However, I did not immediately see her directly, only through the reflection of the window, because I was sitting on the side, and the bench in front of my view covered that area, and the girl was left in the dark. However, after seeing the reflection, I stared back and forth at it many times, and I was already pretty sure that it was my childhood friend sitting there (although she did look really young. On the other hand, I had seen her a few years earlier, and even then she looked quite young. Besides, I was only looking at the reflection, which could have been deceiving). I was about to greet her and ask how she’s been, but then she got off and walked past me, and I realized it wasn’t my friend after all…
I began reminiscing about our high school days and our shared moments. I still remember how we met during the first days of school and hit it off immediately. I think I asked her something related to the lesson, and we started talking. Soon it became clear that she was also a Jokerit fan (a former Helsinki ice hockey team, now playing in the KHL), just like me (and my family). Jokerit and HIFK were competing for Helsinki’s supremacy at the time, and these two teams divided people of Helsinki into two camps. There were the Jokerit fans and the HIFK fans.
I remember how we used to writechain letters during classes, and the math teacher gave us pluses because she thought we were doing exercises. We apparently managed to deceive her well. Sometimes we also played the Snake game on our old, basic mobile phones during classes. Back then, playing Snake on those primitive mobile phones was a cool thing.
I remember how we used to follow one student boy to the nearby kiosk, to which both of us had a crush. He was so cute that we gave him the nickname: ”Teddy”.
I remember the high school cruises, in which we participated in each one, and how much fun we always had there!
I remember how we went to the nightclub (with our group of girls). Lissu was still underage (17) at the time, and none of us were old enough for that place (age limit 24). Just like that she immediately found a boyfriend, (on her first night at the nightclub) whom she later married.
I remember how I was jealous of Lissu’s boyfriend because they spent almost all their free time together. My friend didn’t have much time for me anymore. That made me feel sad…
We were like two peas in a pod in high school, but then our paths diverged. We saw each other by chance at a store years later, but even that was years ago, as it seems to be with almost everything these days. Life takes you places… I wonder how she is doing these days…
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I’m sorry for the long silence on this blog.I’m trying to pull myself together and find time and motivation to write more often! Until we write again!
Last year was a year of changes. A lot happened, both for us personally and in the world.
Well, everyone knows roughly what has happened in the world (such as the war in Ukraine, economic difficulties and the ever-changing corona situation).
I’m not going to say more about these, but I will say that we took the flu vaccine in the beginning of the year, because that too is causing a bad disease at the moment, atleast in Finland. There are a lot of viruses going around here now. My mother unfortunately got sick in the nursing home just before Christmas with the A virus (influenza virus type), which is why we couldn’t see her. This saddened me a lot. I was hoping to see her at Christmas. The nursing home also had Corona virus on the move. My mother has had it mildly once. Fortunately, he already had three vaccinations by then. Speaking of vaccinations, I don’t understand why Finland doesn’t offer fourth corona vaccines to everyone (only to risk groups). However, we have over half a million extra vaccines that are about to expire. Wouldn’t it make sense to offer them to people? Or is it a better idea to just throw them away? In any case, I’m really happy that I don’t live in Helsinki anymore (where especially diseases spread).
I also found a nasal spray in the online pharmacy that prevents influenza and colds. I’ve never heard of that before. I ordered it right away. The preparation is also available as an oral spray, which I only read about afterwards, but according to what I read, the combined effect is the most effective, so I plan to get that as well.
At the beginning of theyear 2022, big things happened in sports when Finland won its first Olympic gold in ice hockey. In the same spring big things also happened in my own life. The year started with my brother’s charter occasion. A little later in the spring I put my childhood home up for sale and the apartment was sold in the summer. We had to compromise somewhat on the price because that’s when housing prices started to come down. Fortunately, however, we sold the apartment then, and not now, when the prices of apartments are really low.
During the spring, the division of the inheritance was also started. For this, I had to apply for my mother’s trustee, for which luckily we had already prepared the papers few years earlier. (That is, a paper with my mother’s consent that primarily my brother becomes her guardian if necessary). I was the backup in case my brother was prevented. Since my brother had passed away, I became the trustee. All this required an awful lot of paperwork and explanations.
At first, I even received incorrect advice about the best way to proceed with this but apparently these things are made so difficult in Finland that even lawyers/other civil servants do not always immediately know how to act. That says a lot about this level of bureaucracy.
The peak of everything was when I was waiting for the decision to distribute the inheritance of the registry office and I found out that my lawyer had forgotten to send the actual application to the agency. He sent the inheritance distribution draft there, but in addition, the necessary application was missing. He had been on summer vacation and had forgotten about it. I understand that mistakes happen to everyone, but in our financial situation it was a pretty fatal oversight. Well, he soon sent in the application and naturally a positive decision came but the division of the inheritance was still not easy. After the decision, it took some time before I got anything for myself. In the meantime, I tried to reconcile the bills, and explain everywhere that we will get money soon, and then we will pay everything. This was a very stressful time… and all this in the midst of sorrow…
My decorative side salad. This was good!
MOVE
Last year also one of the biggest things happened for us. We finally moved into our new terraced house. Until now, I have always lived in an apartment building although I have always enjoyed the countryside. I love this rural setting and the peace. In addition to the location, I really like that this house has two floors and the kind of warm country house feel that I’ve always loved. We also have a small backyard and a balcony here. Indoors, I especially love the fireplace and my own sauna. I have never had my own sauna before. For many Finns, own sauna is a matter of course, for me it’s a luxury. I don’t know a better way to relax in the evening, than a gentle sauna baths. We also started the new year with a night sauna, while enjoying sparkling wine and watching the last fireworks from the window. Could it be more romantic?
My gingerbread doll house, which turned out to be a really challenging project
Fortunately, the year changed in better conditions but at the end of last year, we received one more surprise shortly after our move, just when I thought that our new life would begin. We received a compensation claim from the buyer of my childhood home, related to water damage in the bathroom. Long story short: since we didn’t have the money to go to court, we were forced to pay her the settlement amount (which was done through a lawyer I hired). Several apartments had water damage, but I didn’t know it at the time. Also, I used a broker so I shouldn’t be solely responsible for this but there were two reports on the condition of the bathroom of which the broker says she only received the first one. Its information was not completely up-to-date at the time of sale. The housing company also reimbursed for buyer for its share so she did already received compensation money. Now my lawyer is finding out if we could get something back through the brokerage company’s liability insurance.
By the way, this buyer is selling the apartment now at a high price (she is a real estate investor), but she certainly won’t get anywhere near the amount she asked for it at the time like this.
THE BEGINNING OF THE MENOPAUSE
As if there weren’t enough events for this year, I’ve apparently also had the onset of menopause as my problem, or at least it would seem so. I had hot flashes last year and I was a restless sleeper (although I’ve never been a very good sleeper). For some reason, the hot flashes disappeared after the third corona vaccine. After the second vaccine, my periods were completely gone for a long time, so I don’t know exactly what is the effect of the vaccines and what is not. However, there was a long break in the periods again, when they had already returned to normal after the second vaccine. However, this seems to be the beginning of the end for periods, whatever the reason. In a way, it would be nice to get rid of them, (they only bring unpleasant inconveniences and ailments), but then again, I do feel really old if they run out. Well, every woman faces this sooner or later.
This year has already started a while ago, I just couldn’t get this post done, one of the reasons being the gingerbread doll house shown in the videoand photos, which took all the Christmas holidays to make.However, I wish everyone a very good continuation of this new year 2023! A good year would be a nice change after a long time, at least for me!
We in Finland do not need to dream of a white Christmas. Especially here in southern Finland, there has been lately more than enough snow. Sometimes it felt like the snowfall would never end. It just snowed and snowed and snowed for days.
One day when I went out, I barely got the door open and sank right into the snow as I stepped out the door. I had to get a shovel from the car and make a path to the road.
Our car in Park.
And as you can see from the pictures, our car was almost completely covered in snow until about a week ago. I was shoveling the car at night, when I also took those two pictures (I took the one without snow on the car earlier). I must have worked at night for almost two hours. Still, the next day we had to continue snow work together with my spouse for another two hours before we could get going.
My Winter wonder land.
Fortunately, we got the car front bumper (and the tires enough) out of the snow which was not an easy task at all. First you had to dig a proper passage to the car front bumper, so that you could work there. The most frustrating thing of all was that when you had cleared enough snow from the sides of the car so that you could work on the car, so much more snow kept falling from the roof, windows and doors that you had to constantly make more leg room. I would never have thought that (already in December) I would have to do such hard snow work. However, we are still in the southern Finland, close to the capital region, even though we don’t live in Helsinki. Southern Finland rarely has this much snow, especially these days.
Two trees. ”Kaksi puuta” (two trees) is by the way a great song by a popular Finnish singer: Juha Tapio.Beautiful Christmas lights.
From my childhood in the 80s, I remember that there was a lot of snow, but apparently not that much, because a taxi driver told me one day that even though he has been driving a taxi for 35 years, he can’t remember when there was as much snow than lately.
On the other hand, it’s nice that we at least got a white Christmas. They don’t exist very often here in the south anymore. Even though it is no longer frosty, and yesterday’s rain came as water, I don’t think all this snow will melt by Christmas.
This year I haven’t had time to make a Christmas calendar due to moving (and other hassles), but maybe next year.
It has been an honor to be able to live in Finland for 42 years. Thank you for the beautiful moments in beautiful Finland, 105-year-old Finland!
IN THE PEACE OF THE COUNTRYSIDE
Helsinki is now a life left behind for us. That landscape above is the view from our new home, about 30 km from Helsinki. More snow fell today, which made the landscape magically beautiful. Maybe this year we will have a white Christmas… I really hope so!
Here in the lap of nature, it’s nice and quiet. The connection with nature was born right away in autumn, when I was looking out the window at the birds that came to our bush every day.
One morning I woke up (from the sofa) to a strange noise and wondered where it was coming from. I opened my eyes, and noticed that the great tit was sitting on the handle of the courtyard door, and was knocking on the door. It was the best wake up call ever. This is exactly what Finnishness is at its best!
I’ll quickly show you our new car: SEAT Leon. I’m so happy of this because we were more than two years without a car. Here are some good features in this car. The best part is that it parks itself. Neither of us likes (pocket) parking so this is a great feature! We are moving to a small town, so car is handy there! You can also get to Helsinki quickly by train e.g. to see my mother but the train station is about 2 km away and it’s about the same distance to the closest market so it’s good to have a car too.
The rush STILL continues, mainly because of the move this time. Just wanted to show this. I’ll be back again!
Tanssitytön blogi 