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Sandy and Olivia pose with daffodils and willow catkins!
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Where it all began, St Petersburg, April 2000
We love our home...
My favourite speedway rider
Me, trying out speedway!
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Oh how I love them! (So do Anna, Sandy and Olivia!)
I took this photo of the best Monarch of modern times, Peter Carr, chasing Carl Stonehewer at Workington, July 2000.
A very proud moment for me, as Anna and I pose with Frede Schott, Edinburgh's inspirational captain in 2003, after winning the Premier League!
A House Martin, feeding its young..
Superfast's ferry
Silja's wonderful Stockholm- Helsinki ferry..
The Finnlines service which runs from Travemunde to Helsinki. This is a fantastic ship!
Pictures and thoughts from the family on a regular basis...
Privet! Welcome!
Hello!
Me with Anna...
Where it all began, St Petersburg, April 2000
Our castle...
We love our home...
Flyin Mike Faria...
My favourite speedway rider
What could have been...
Me, trying out speedway!
The Header Images...
Each time you visit this site, an image loads randomly behind the blog's title. Each of the six images were taken by me in late March/ early April 2007 and I think they all have a relevance to the website. All were taken within 2Km of our house. One is from our back garden; another is of the house bricks! I hope by seeing them, that you might get a flavour of what life is like for us here in this part of the world...
Weather conditions currently here, where we live.
Vaajakoski is very close to our favourite holiday cottage in central Finland, where we have spent our summers since 2012.
About Me...
- michael..
- Some folk think I am a bit eccentric. Is it justified? Well, all I know is that I do display some characteristics that are also shown by my dad. And he is definitely eccentric! It has been commented upon that I am obsessed by many things. Some of them are listed below. Judge for yourself...
Finland
In 2006, almost be chance, we ended up holidaying in Finland after problems obtaining visas to go to Russia, and this started an ever deepening love affair with this truly beautiful country far to the north of Europe.
Who would have thought that it would be such an attractive place to spend the summer? Who would have thought that this land of nearly 200,000 lakes would be so warm? Who would have thought that we'd have found spending time in the sauna so intoxicating?
This fantastic country is well worth a visit. For us, we look forward even more each year now to our trips there, to relaxation and sunshine, and a way of life that is so tranquil and different from that here in Scotland!
Time...
Ever since learning to tell the time at 4 years old, I've been fascinated by it. I feel lost if I don't know what time it is, so I never take my watch off. Ever. Friends know only too well that I take time very seriously, and so am extremely punctual. If I say I'll be there at 6pm, I get very upset if I am even a moment late. Crazy, or just polite? You decide...
Just like I did many years ago now, Sandy is able to tell the time perfectly before the age of 5. Both Anna and I are very proud that he has achieved this important skill at the age of 4 yrs and 10 months! Well done Sandy!
The weather...
Many of my friends have recognised my obsession with the weather. It has been going on for many years. Why? I'm not really sure, but I do know that there is, historically, a link between my inclination to observe the forecasts and any upcoming speedway matches, which could of course be directly affected by poor weather.That's possibly how it all started, many years ago. Now, I like to see what's going on in various places around the globe. I am also very interested in the relation between the weather patterns and global warming. Nothing unusual in that- we should ALL be concerned about it, if you ask me!
Blueberries...
Ah yes, the humble little blueberry! This is a fairly recent obsession, which probably started in 2006. When we were on holiday in Finland, there were loads of blueberries growing wild next to our holiday house, and I really started to get to like them. Since then, any time I walk into a supermarket and spot them, I almost invariably have to have some. Blueberry juice is beautiful too! Of course, the health benefits of these lovely fruit are well known- they are packed with anti-oxidants.
Oh how I love them! (So do Anna, Sandy and Olivia!)
Speedway...
Where do I start with my favourite sport? In July 1976, my dad took me to Berwick speedway on a warm Saturday evening, to watch my first speedway match. I insisted on standing right on the 1st bend, despite my dad's warnings that it wasn't a good idea, and was promptly showered by wet mud and shale as the four motorbikes hurtled around the corner. I hated it! What's more, my usual Sunday evening bath had to be brought forward to get me clean when we got home..
On Friday 15th April 1977, we returned, this time to the now demolished Powderhall Stadium in Edinburgh, to witness the rebirth of Edinburgh Monarchs, after a 10 year absence from the city. This time I loved it, became hooked, and returned on a weekly basis to watch my newly adopted team. I've been going ever since, and have spent more money than I care to think of following the fortunes of the Monarchs, home and away.
There have been very many highlights over the years. The biggest though, was in 2003, when Edinburgh after a 55 year wait, finally won the Premier League. I was a very proud supporter!
What's more, they repeated the feat in 2008, with an even better display, with what was surely the best Monarchs team ever!
On Friday 15th April 1977, we returned, this time to the now demolished Powderhall Stadium in Edinburgh, to witness the rebirth of Edinburgh Monarchs, after a 10 year absence from the city. This time I loved it, became hooked, and returned on a weekly basis to watch my newly adopted team. I've been going ever since, and have spent more money than I care to think of following the fortunes of the Monarchs, home and away.
There have been very many highlights over the years. The biggest though, was in 2003, when Edinburgh after a 55 year wait, finally won the Premier League. I was a very proud supporter!
What's more, they repeated the feat in 2008, with an even better display, with what was surely the best Monarchs team ever!
I took this photo of the best Monarch of modern times, Peter Carr, chasing Carl Stonehewer at Workington, July 2000.
A very proud moment for me, as Anna and I pose with Frede Schott, Edinburgh's inspirational captain in 2003, after winning the Premier League!
House Martins...
My favourite birds. As a child, I longed to have House Martins nesting under the eaves of our house. They never did. I kept records for years of the dates I first saw them each spring. Now, I'm happy, as our new house has a House Martin's nest, and we all had lots of fun watching them last summer, before they departed for Africa. Soon though, they'll be back...
A House Martin, feeding its young..
Ferries...
In 2002, when Sandy was only a few weeks old, we travelled on the new service from Rosyth to Zeebrugge and thus started a series of really enjoyable ferry journeys. Since then we have been on DFDS's service to Amsterdam, Silja's wonderful ferry from Stockholm to Helsinki and this year, and have driven to and from Finland on the Finnlines service from Travemunde in northern Germany right up the Baltic Sea to Helsinki and back. Ferries are such a comfortable way to travel on holiday, with your own car, though our last trip was in 2011, as prices have become pretty expensive since then. Still, one day, I certainly intend to drive once again to Finland and back using these great ships!
Superfast's ferry
Silja's wonderful Stockholm- Helsinki ferry..
Finnlines
The Finnlines service which runs from Travemunde to Helsinki. This is a fantastic ship!
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