X-mas Gale

Damn! We got a serious gale coming from the Atlantic all over the country for two days: first day it was max. 31 meters per sec (about 69 miles/hour). In Norway it was even worse. Local pine and spruce forests looked like battle grounds, because the soil was not frozen and the trees were easy to capsize. Oh boy, our neighbours lost quite a lot of trees from their home yard. But luckily not their house.

We were without electricity for more than 30 hours. But we had our own well, our own firewood and a Good Old Grandfather's House with stoves and ovens.

It is a bit silly: the shops or pharmacies did not work in local towns because cash registers & automatic doors needed electricity. Local people needed running water but the infrastructure did not work because lack of electricity. WTF? This is a well developed economy, and 250 000 - 300 000 households lacked information and support from the companies. It was our good luck that it was not minus 20 Centigrades. For some people this situation will still last several days.

So, 1) we are vulnerable more than ever (because of these stupid doors?), 2) it will remind all my fellow people about the underdeveloped countries, where the results are more fatal. This was not an earthquake, or a monsoon flood...

Before X-mas

See little girl fly! Images by Riitta Päiväläinen.

Robots, Fairies and Other Drawings

New Love

Passalacqua Cremador espresso – check the yellow package at the right hand side of the photograph... 70% Arabica with 30% Robusta coffee beans. Good stuff with a strong character. Goes well with my handpresso domepod (not in the image). I got one when I turned into 50 in March and I will not leave the shoreline for camping without it.

Sushi and Sashimi

Ahem... maybe Hawaiian style?

November, November...

First really chilly nights and days, wooden stairs of our house were still frozen this afternoon. The whole family hiked few kilometers at a nature reserve area: ponds were covered by thin ice, reed and trees had a thin cover of frost. Lumi looked quite professional. She had brand new winter trousers which we got with little (financial) support from grandmother.

At Sea Again...

My daughter gave a a small plastic dinosaur, to keep me safe... I got a rare opportunity to enjoy a sauna for two nights though I slept in my tent (night temps at lowest -3 Celsius, swimming water chilly +5 Celsius). First frost, and full moon! Pure magic!

Father's Day

Preparing a Lecture at Sea

Last weekend I was able finally to have some holidays -at least so I thought! A new lecture about landscape and a crisis at the gallery forced me to shorten my trip. I lost 80% of my cell phone batteries during one day, making phone calls and organizing things.

Well, I got some sunshine and good sleep, though the tent was very humid in the mornings. And the view wasn't so bad either... Sigh... (these are cell phone images)

Morning, Grandfather's Old Cottage

A New Toy

A chainsaw makes a man feel like a man... grin...

Well, this year could have been easier

Since I got nominated as chairman of the board of the Union of Artist Photographers, Finland, time started running short. I am also a board member of the Artists' Association of Finland and also board member of the Museum of Photography, Helsinki. This means that though I have not very much weekly activities, I got some long looks from my wife, who asks me how long am I going to do this... Especially because of our little daughter, who can be quite active sometimes (read: often).

My most sincere apologies to those who have followed my blog. I am going to do some updates - and I have not forgotten you.

SUMMER!

I am going to the sea for two weeks. Season's Greetings!

Kauvatsa Moped Festival 2011

Damn! It was good to hear 139 mopeds start their engines. They are now collector's items and expensive (museum registered and renovated pieces up to 3500 €). Mopeds were traditional vehicles at the countryside from the 50's to 80's. A Finnish response to Italian scooters. The last classic ones were manifactured in 1987.

Gardening, Renovating and Soap Bubbles

It's not easy to work when there is a little demanding daughter hanging around. Maybe we have spoiled her, but she wants us to play with her right from the early morning hours. Aww... and we are renovating the house (Riitta is doing a great job with the windows, but it is definitely slow work, which has to be done step by step). My job is to change roof tiles and boards. Luckily, the roof is in good condition and the boards are mostly perfect. Maybe next summer we will have enough money to repaint part of the house, sauna and the long shed.

Summer

Life is great, even though this little girl gives us lots of trouble when we want to renovate the old grandfather's cottage... We have again too much to do...

Bugs, Insects, Again

Well, our mosquitoes do not seem to give it up! I am back in the old Grandfather's Cottage with the whole family and the mosquitoes are bloodthirsty again this summer. We bought this stuff from Aomori, Japan back in 2004, and it still works very well. The label is quite funny, though I can not even understand it... Does anybody know how to get it within EU?!? Seriously, we are facing full two months of vacation and the stuff is running out!

Face Painting

The first mask is supposed to be an ape... my most sincere apologies, if the artwork (by your's truly) looks liks like a cat!

FINALLY

... I got some holidays and I got time for paddling. I'm sorry folks, posting to this web site is sometimes painful: the images pile up and I have too much to do (again) in too little time. I got nominated this January as the chairman of the board of the Union of Artist Photographers, Finland, and I am therefore also a board member of the Artists' Association of Finland. My daughter also takes quite lot of my time, so occasionally, I am full of anxiety and got a strong need to go out to the sea.

Spring Flowers

Spring Fairies Are Here

This little girl breaks my heart. We have now discovered fairy tales and
-unfortunately- pink colour.

Jurmo Island in 2011 (#4)

Dad's little helper! The nightdress got quite wet, though...

Jurmo Island in 2011 (# 3)

Blizzards and a backpack... we headed to the lee side of the island, where Lumi was hunting for treasures by the seaside...

About Instant Coffee and Quill Pens (Jurmo #2)

Lumi found several swan and gull feathers, mummy made a quill pen for drawing. The final product was a treasure map made by thick (and quite awful) instant coffee... yes, I am an espresso man...