Friday, July 15
Outside Porvoo, 13:00
We had been planning on going to Helsinki tomorrow but when we got up and saw the weather we decided to go today. Looking out of the window we could see Camilla and others picking vegetables under a makeshift tarpaulin while the rain poured down on them. The rain continued through breakfast and as we packed, varying between heavy and heavier.
We are driving to Helsinki and the rain has got heavier and heavier. It is now harder than any rain I have seen outside of a tropical monsoon. The windscreen wipers are on full and the road still looks like this. Irma is driving and she has had to slow right down. The rain has been like this for twenty minutes and will continue until we are in Porvoo when it will slow enough to resemble normal rain.
We will take the old road to Helsinki and on the way we will stop at Handelsmans Cafe, which doubles as Box Bed and Breakfast. It will strike both of us as being exactly like a rural bed and breakfast somewhere in south west England.
The rain will continue on and off for the rest of the day. Sunshine will hide under the chair when the thunder starts.