Sunday, March 4

 
 
YEAR:  2018 | Tags:  | | | | |
 
 

 
 
 

Kamppi, 15:12

 
 

Today we got up early and had a proper breakfast, after which we did household chores, had showers, and read.

In the afternoon we drove to Kamppi to deliver some things to Irma’s mother and then help her with certain practical matters. Marja had also arrived and we sat and chatted. We sorted out old clothes and I had the task of removing the E by cutting some of them into cloths, which will find a use mopping up spillages and cleaning corners. I then took some remaining rubbish downstairs to the bins.

Having finished the material matters Irma turns to more abstract concerns involving announcements and legalities. Marja begins to work her way through the Sunday paper. Irma suggests that I might like a walk and I agree. I leave the apartment and walk down to the square at Kamppi. I pause and photograph the street-art bus shelter. After this I will turn right and walk down to Tavastia to see what bands will perform there in the next month.

While there I will look in the window of the record shop, one of Helsinki’s best, where I will see the cover of Jan & Dean’s album Filet of Soul, an album I have tried unsuccessfully to get since its release eight months ago. I have asked at three record shops and all have claimed they could not even order it for me. I will walk in and buy it if only because the opportunity may never arise again. To my surprise they will have more than one copy.

I will walk back, wait for Irma, Marja and their mother to complete their business, and then we will drive home.

Finnish culture celebrate name days and several years ago I decided to fix the fact that I had no name day to celebrate. I trawled through the web until I found an entry for Owen in an online resource about traditional Irish name days. My home-made name day occurs today, and Naa will turn up at 17:00 to celebrate it. She will present me with the brightest pair of Happy Socks that I have ever seen.

When Irma takes her home later in the evening, after we have all eaten, Sunshine will takes a place on a chair by the kitchen table. I will realise that he has settled in to await the possible arrival of the big ginger cat. He will wait there an hour or so until his internal clock announces that the danger has passed.