Friday, December 6

Finally, as though to celebrate Finland’s Independence Day, the weather changes and all pretence of inipient rain vanishes. It didn’t rain yesterday, but today it really didn’t rain.

The wind had worked all through the night, though, and so I got up and swept the yard, the steps, and the courtyard in front of the gates to the road.

I had my regular Friday massage, which gave me enough time to walk back, have a shower and some brunch, and prepare for a trip to see the club members at Sisp.

Irma and I exchange words shortly before 18:00, the traditional time for Finns to place a candle in their window. I chatted with Naa for a while, and then made myself an omelette and ate it outside with the Independence Day serviettes that Irma had left me as a surprise.

I then sat on the terrace in the dark feeling genuinely lonely. I found myself wishing I could teleport myself to Helsinki for the night.

I couldn’t so I didn’t.