Friday, June 9

 

 

I woke up feeling very tired. Yesterday the British elections took place and when I went to bed I looked online at the exit polls. I discovered that, far from the expected Conservative landslide, the polls predicted a hung parliament. I kept waking up about every two hours wondering about the situation. The first time I tried to ignore it, lay awake for thirty minutes, and eventually got up to see if the predictions still held.

At 7:30 I woke one final time to find that Teresa May’s completely unnecessary decision to call an election, after saying many times that she wouldn’t, had backfired spectacularly. She had gone from a majority of 20 to a position where she lost 12 seats, watched Labour gain 31, and therefore fell eight short of a majority, with her authority almost cripplingly diminished.

The negotiations for Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union (the result of a similar act of hubris by David Cameron) start in ten days time. Britain may not have a government by then, let alone a negotiating team.

I had breakfast, checked the post, played with Sunshine and sat reading in the garden.

At 11:30 I walked to Puotila, got the metro to Kamppi, waited for the number 18 bus, and sat next to Pluti. We chatted until we got to Eira and walked down to Café Carousel for the official media team lunch. Elisabeth, Jutta and Liisa didn’t come, for different reasons, but everyone else turned up. We sat by the window where we could see and hear the planes rehearsing for this afternoon’s airshow. I failed to find it fascinating.

Lunch over, I walk back to the bus stop. I pause to look at the boats. One of them belongs to Fred. I can see sea mist in the distance. The weather has turned properly summery, and even my cardigan feels like too much clothing. People walk by in skimpy shorts, and I feel glad I decided not to bring my umbrella. A lone cyclist glides by, reminding me that tomorrow I need to change both my tyres and inner tubes.

I will go to Arcada because I need to write two sets of questions for two students’ maturity tests. I will join Rektors Kaffe, because Monica will alert me to the fact that I can get ice-cream and fresh berries.

I will do what needs to get done this week, and leave for home at 15:30. Just before I leave I will learn that May intends to form a government with the backing of the 10 DUP members from Northern Ireland.

Let’s see how that works out.