A Finnish Sunday

While Orb went to Helsinki to fetch Rustle the cat (don't get me started on the vagaries of airlines and carrying pets or not as cargo), M and I have had a lovely day in the sunshine. We set off this morning on our bikes to explore the lakeside, stopping at every playground along the way.

We saw lots of Finns washing their rugs by the riverside, and found some top class play equipment, including a rather nifty pirate ship. No squirrels in amongst the trees today though (yesterday we saw a very tame red squirrel in EFI's back garden, collecting moss for his nest).

This afternoon we explored the car boot sale in Joensuu's marketplace, seeing how many Moomin items we could find (many!). M scored a Moomin headscarf for 20 cents, which made her day, as all little Finnish girls seem to wear headscarves rather than hats.

Greetings from Finland!

We have arrived!!
Here we are looking suitably shattered after the third flight of the day. We flew from Newcastle to Heathrow (grotty as ever) to Helsinki (clean and full of Moomin shops) to sunny Joensuu. All our luggage made it (bar the car seat, which is somewhere in transit), as did Rustle the cat, who is currently ensconced in a cattery in Helsinki. We may have also eaten our bodyweight in sandwiches...

We are now living in the staff flat at EFI for a few days, while we sort out the house. We went to take a look today - this involved picking up the hire car, trying to work out the speed limits, and trying to decide who has right of way in Finland. We didn't hit anything, so we think we got it right...

The house is in the suburb of Marjala - here's the centre, with a bridge over the canal. And two rather tired people in the foreground.

There's a little swimming beach, lots of boats, and a nice park. I think we'll enjoy living here.

Our other excitement today was heading to the Finnish supermarket, and discovering that they sell Whiskas. Rustle's going to be very happy. I've also opened a Finnish bank account to pay for all the Whiskas.

Finally, we sat in the market square in Joensuu in the sunshine, eating ice creams. It still feels like we're on holiday - it hasn't really sunk in that we're here for a year yet!

Oh, and I was forced to try on a crayfish hat for general family amusement. I'm not convinced...

Away you go!

This is what enough possessions for three people for a year in Finland look like in box form:


We have very different priorities: Orb's got his music gear, I've picked cookery books/kitchen stuff and a craft box full of knitting needles, and you can see M's dolls house perched on the front pallet. We're also taking three bicycles (in very large boxes), and a *lot* of jumpers.

All this is being shipped off tomorrow by the transport firm - and will hopefully arrive after we do in Joensuu.

Now all that we have to do is pack up the rest of the house....

I think we're going to like Finland just fine...

Any place that has Moomin biscuits can't be bad!

The packing madness continues unabated, and things are being divided into three piles: ship to Finland, store in UK or recycle/ebay/give away. It's like an enormously complicated jigsaw puzzle. Only without the picture that you can look at for help.

The other challenge is letting organisations know we are leaving the country for a year. Most places are just set up for people moving house rather than moving country, so it's proving interesting. You practically have to show a death certificate to the TV licence people, to prove you no longer want a tv licence....

Washed and brushed

After a yesterday's excitement (our flights are booked!), the troops spent this morning washing and polishing our car, so we can sell it (anyone interested in an Audi A2 with a tow bar, do drop me a line!). The plan is to buy another car in Finland when we get there...

The troops also hoovered out the Danish/Northumberland beach which had been sitting in the boot for a while, despite our best efforts. The car is now cleaner and shinier than it's ever been...so this afternoon we took it out for a spin to Belsay, to meet some friends for a picnic. It was gloriously sunny: here's the view in the quarry garden.

I can thoroughly recommend visiting on a Sunday afternoon - it was really peaceful. Everyone seemed to disappear off home at about 4pm, leaving us with the place to ourselves. And best of all, the ice cream shop at the castle does mini milks!

Heigh ho, heigh ho, it's off to work I go!

And not just any old work. On 28 July Orb, M and I are off to sunny Finland for a year, as I'm leaving freelance life and taking up a post at the European Forest Institute in Joensuu.

That's here:


View Larger Map

(yes, it's a long way north of Gateshead...and yes, we'll be packing our sledge)

We leave on 28 July - which leaves 27 days to pack up and rent our house, ship out our belongings, and arrive (via three flights) in sunny Finland. Eek.

Finland in the sunshine

Travels in Finland

0540: Newcastle airport is surprisingly busy at this time in the morning. The rest of the city looked quite sleepy as the taxi zoomed through, but the airport was jumping. There are lots of people heading out on holiday (folks, the hats and acres of skin are a bit of a giveaway), and even more business people standing around looking shifty in suits.

0755: BA’s scoring points for a very comfy aircraft for the trip down to Heathrow. Sadly it’s a bit cloudy, so you can’t see much en route – although by the time we’re coming into London you can grab a quick glimpse of the Thames.

0930: I’d forgotten how much I hate Heathrow. Terminal 3 is awful – far too many people, far too few places to sit, dirty and hideously expensive. Welcome to Britain, everyone. It does get better.

1045: I’m sat on a Finnair plane, en route to Helsinki. Or I would be had we not missed our slot for takeoff – we sit on the tarmac for a good 40 minutes. I manage to fall asleep and miss the safety briefing, so I’m hoping we don’t crash.

1130: Top marks to Finnair for their sandwiches. They’re edible – although that may be because I’m starving.

1522: We land in Helsinki. A top class landing (unlike the bumpy BA one at Heathrow, which woke the passengers up a bit). Helsinki is warm. Very warm. I’d even go so far as to suggest a national stereotype, and say it’s like a sauna.

1645: Not enjoying the packed bus from the airport to downtown Helsinki. It’s far too hot, there’s too much luggage stacked everywhere, and I’m desperate for a cup of coffee.

1800: Helsinki central station. The train bound for Moscow looks suitably knackered and Russian, and there’s a huge stall in the middle of the platform selling fresh peas, cherries and strawberries. You don’t get that kind of thing at King’s Cross.


1920 I’m in the middle of the Finnish countryside, doing 160km/h. More trees than you could ever believe possible are flashing past, making Kielder Forest look like a bit of a copse. I’ve just seen a ski jump (they look quite surprisingly concretey in summer when you’re used to seeing them on the telly covered in snow), lots of lakes, and more trees.


Finnish trains are pretty impressive – double decker, air conditioned and amazingly clean if you’re used to East Coast and Virgin. I’m sat in a ‘work cabin’ – a two-seater compartment with seats, electric sockets and tables.


2030: Ok, I might be a bit blasé about the tree thing now. Ooh look: lakes!


2200: Not dark

2245: Arrived in Joensuu! Hurrah!


2345: Still not dark…

Chopwell Woods

We did the blue (Outside Line) mountain bike trail at Chopwell Woods today, which was hard work - too many hills for little legs, which meant we had to help push. It wasn't helped by the usual pathetic Forestry Commission signage - Chopwell's generally pretty good, in comparison to some other FC places we've been to, but there were some areas closed off due to logging, and no clue given as to which way to go.

But the ride through the pine trees was lovely (especially the downhill bits). Bizarrely, you could smell strawberries...

Cherries!

To be jammed tomorrow...

Bandas!

What do you do when you've got up at 5.45am, flown a couple of thousand miles and spent all day swimming in the pool in the sunshine? You go out for moules frites for tea, of course.

So we did. With added souzaphones...

This was the Nuit des Bandas, in Pineuilh (nope, still no idea how you say it) not far from Sainte Foy la Grande. It's quite a festival...beer tents, moules/poulet and frites, and more souzaphones than you've ever seen in one place before, as five bands roamed around competing for an audience. This lot above were Les Pourquoi Pas - who were (a) very loud but (b) rather good fun!

Finchdale Priory

Miraculously, it was warm on Friday too, so on the way to the airport we stopped at Finchdale Priory. It's hidden by a river in what feels like the middle of nowhere in County Durham (actually, it's only a couple of miles outside Durham). Bizarrely, the site is next to what looks like a deserted MoD camp (lots of bunkers and tangled barbed wire). Must look it up and see what exactly it was.


But back to Finchdale. It's an English Heritage site, but it's free to go in and stomp about over the ruins - as long as you don't mind paying the £3 parking charge (a bit steep). There's virtually no explanation of what's what - but it's certainly an atmospheric spot.

The first day of summer

It was incredibly hot and sunny up at Druridge Bay today - it looked like the middle of the Caribbean. Even the sand was warm on your toes, which I don't think I've ever experienced on a Northumberland beach before.

So we played the obligatory beach games, dug some *massive* holes and paddled in the freezing cold sea. That bit wasn't so Caribbean.

If only the north east would look like this every summer's day...

Corbridge Roman Fort

We had a lovely trip out to the Corbridge Roman fort this afternoon, which made me quite nostalgic for my trowelling days (I worked on a couple of Roman and Iron Age excavations as a summer job while I was at university). I really liked Corbridge - it feels rough around the edges like the archaeologists have just left. You can wander about all over the site, clamber over the walls, and explore the nooks and crannies. Here's Orb and M peering under the granary floor...

What I also liked was the way the tiny on-site museum had made itself child-friendly with the minimum of expenditure. We hunted for Grricola the lion's favourite items (which were nicely interpreted and explained), and did a couple of jigsaws. It's not rocket science, but the addition of 10 small cuddly lions suddenly made the rather dry display cases far more exciting.

Sadly, there were no bath houses (I have a soft spot for these, having spent what felt like months cleaning out the hypercaust in one), so we might have to try Chesters, the next major site along Hadrian's Wall, before our English Heritage cards run out.

On yer bike!

I am so proud of my little girl. She managed to ride 7.5 miles of trails around Dalby Forest yesterday, and came home covered in mud and with a grin from ear to ear. At age 5, that's not bad going.

As a family, we've really got into the whole cycling business over the last year. At first, it was just a way to make sure we all got a bit of fresh air and some exercise. But it's been brilliant on so many other levels:

• it's something we can all do together
• it's given M a huge confidence boost (and a skill that will be useful for the rest of her life)
  
• we've got out into the countryside almost every weekend, seen the seasons change, and experienced a whole lot of wildlife that you just don't get in suburban Gateshead

The other thing we like is that cycling is (mostly) free once you've got a bit of basic kit (ie a bike). We've paid for the odd trip into forests (Dalby being a case in point), but for the most part all we've had to shell out for is petrol.

Here's our top tips for getting kids out riding:

1. Buy a decent bike for them to learn on. We bought M an Islabike, and can't recommend them highly enough. Sadly, there weren't any around second hand (they're like gold dust), so we cobbled together enough Christmas and birthday money to buy one. Once M's grown out of it, we'll either trade it in for a new one with Islabikes themselves, or sell it on ebay, thereby funding the next size up... Why are they so great? They're designed with kids in mind - the bikes are incredibly lightweight (which is brilliant if (a) your child is on the small side like M and (b) you yourself end up having to carry/tow the thing), they have child-sized (and easy to operate) brakes, and they are tough as old boots.

2. Have patience. It took a while for M to learn to ride her bike - she's not the most fearless of kids - but we persevered. What really caught her imagination, and made her determined to do it was what she could potentially do if she learned to ride. We talked about cycling holidays, and said we'd take our bikes to Denmark this summer if she could ride along with us.

The other thing we found was that pottering up and down the street wasn't the most exciting way to learn. What did it for M was heading out into the woods - especially some of the long, straight, relatively smooth paths at Dalby Forest and the riverside route at Newburn - and the cycle routes along the Quayside in Newcastle. There, she could build up some momentum and learn to balance, with us walking/running alongside to give her some confidence if necessary (we did a lot of running...). It took a good couple of months before we got our bikes out too - and even now, we have to be prepared to hop off and push if we're going up a particularly steep bit!

3. Make the rides fun. We've explored Hamsterley Forest, Dalby Forest, Chopwell Woods and the Derwent Valley, as well as done some more urban cycle rides along the rivers in Sunderland and Newcastle/Gateshead. There's been lots to see along the way - we've taken photos, chased butterflies, smelled wild garlic, ridden through puddles and up streams, talked about railways/coal mining/weather, looked at maps, played on adventure playgrounds...the list is endless. One of the most useful things we've recently acquired has been a trip computer (£4.99 from Aldi), which has given M a real sense of achievement about how far we've ridden/how fast we've gone, and which also accurately answers the 'are we nearly there yet?' question...

4. Take lots of snacks/drinks. It's amazing how small children who complain that they are on their last legs can be revived by chocolate or cake. We make 'explorer mix': dried fruit like raisins, apricots or dates chucked into a pot with a few nuts and smarties or bits of chocolate left over from Easter. Flapjack is also popular, and doesn't melt.

5. Let them have some 'bike kit'. You don't have to go out and buy fancy stuff for riding bikes (apart from a decent helmet that's the right size and won't fall off), but M is very proud of her designated 'bike clothes'. That's a pair of leggings (so if she falls off her knees don't get too scraped), a long-sleeved moisture-wicking top (very pink), and a lightweight windproof raincoat - all of which we already owned. What we have gone out and bought her is a pair of kids cycling gloves (£3.99), because (a) she's one of those who grips the handles quite hard downhill, and complained about her hands being sore and (b) after a couple of falls we wanted to protect her hands - grit everywhere is no fun, and can ruin your nice cycle ride.

I should point out that any encouragement/bribes are just what work for us and a five-year-old girl obsessed with kittens, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third and chocolate chip brioche. Yours may be wildly different.

Vegetables!

The box scheme continues....it's amazing what you can fit into quite a small space. Here's the sweetcorn/beetroot/radish box (with a rogue french bean). I'm not completely convinced there's enough room for the sweetcorn...they might end up being rather tiny.

Up next, potatoes. Plus several of the many onions dotted around the place (this is what happens when you buy an enormous bag at the allotment shop) and some mint.


And finally, the bean/salad fest. To be honest, I've forgotten what I actually planted in here. I think there's carrots, rocket, lettuce, beetroot and peas, as well as the french/borlotti beans at the back. That'll teach me to write things down.

Rievaulx

Even in the rain, Rievaulx Abbey is still a lovely place to visit. There's atmospheric ruins to scramble about over (our favourite game was 'spot the fireplace'), a small exhibition about the lives of the monks (M was fascinated by the information about all the animals they kept) and a pretty good tea shop. It's all very low key, which together with the drizzle, made for a very English day out.

Derwent valley explorations

Stage 2: Rowlands Gill to Hamsterley Mill and back (about 4.5 miles), still on the path of the old railway. We crossed two amazing viaducts, met some very nice, inquisitive horses, saw lots of butterflies, and generally had a lovely time. No garlic in this section (the bit between Swalwell and Rowlands Gill is plastered with the wild stuff), which M was very pleased about.

Book review: Annabel's Kitchen

I was sent an Annabel Karmel cookbook to review a couple of weeks ago by the lovely people at Random House. It's the newest in her extensive series (you might remember I went to the launch of the Top 100 Pasta Dishes last year, which turned out to be a really useful compendium of family recipes).

Annabel's Kitchen: My first cookbook ties in with a TV series of the same name, currently running on ITV. We aren't big TV watchers, so I must confess we've not seen the programme - and to be honest, I'm not sure the book works very well without it. Out of context, it's all a bit over-the-top 1980s zany, with some very stagy photographs, whereas it might make a bit more sense if you'd seen what went on in the studio.

The idea's great - "discover the importance of food and its ingredients" - and as a cookbook for kids, the recipes are nice enough, but the emphasis on turning your food into animals, faces or whatever does pall after a while. I might be turning into a grumpy middle-aged lady, but food's far too important to mess about with. The pig melon (p72) has to be seen to be believed (although anything that gets fruit/vegetables into small children should be applauded, I suppose, and if you were making it as a one-off for a party, it might be worth it).

But for me, it doesn't hit the spot. The book's not simple enough for the age group targeted by the programme to read/engage with/use - there's a lot of recipes, a lot of small text if you've got a just-starting-to-read small person, and not quite enough step-by-step pictures. If you're a bit older, you'll probably be turned off by all the penguin shenanigans (and anyway, should really be using the bible of children's cookbooks, the River Cottage Family Cookbook).

Sorry Annabel. Better luck next time, in this household at least.

In which the tomato plants continue to take over the world...

Annoyingly, M's tomato plants are still far larger than mine. Humph.

In other news, the new planter is ready, so the beans are off shortly to a new home. Bet you never knew there could be such excitement in the world of gardening...