Wednesday, April 9

Last weekend we received the booklet for Stockmann’s twice-yearly Crazy Days sale. I read it and found one thing I might possibly want; or two, depending how you look at it. Crazy Days start today, and so I accompanied Naa all the way to Rautatientori on the metro, before leaping off and joining the queue in Keskikatu, outside the Stockmann doors.

At 8:00 the doors were opened and people literally ran in. I followed and as everyone ran upstairs I ran down. In the basement lay a stack of 1TB Seagate Backup Plus USB3 hard disks in for colours, at 89.99 each. I got two: one in blue and one in black, and was out of the store by 8:10.

I spent the morning with the XML gang, who spent their time trying to make a css-based front cover for an epub book; learning why this was nearly impossible; and then beginning to rethink and remake it.

At 14:30 Irma and Naa collected me. Now I am sitting in the car as Irma drives through the long winding roads of Malmi Crematorium, on our way to finally collect Auo’s ashes. The sky is bright blue and the sun is bright.

We will collect them, and afterwards Irma will ask me to take a photograph of her holding the canvas bag in which the ashes are stored. The photograph will be unbearably sad to look at, although Irma will post it on Facebook.

When we get home we will go for a short walk, which will take us to Plantagen, where a couple of plants will be purchased. Later I will decide to go for a longer more active walk. I will almost jog, in fact. During this process my right knee will give way, I will sit down for ten minutes; and finally, I will hobble home.

My leg will be agony for the rest of the evening, which will seem like a suitable end to the day.