Saturday, August 29

We all got up late and had breakfast. It is Irma’s birthday and Naa and I gave her presents. I gave her a pair of Nespresso cups and some of her favourite Nespresso; a Japanese diffuser from Monocle; and the promise of a plane ride to a destination of her choice.

After hugs and thanks I set off for the centre to meet up with Bryan.

He was staying at Klaus K at the end of Bulevaardi, so we walked down to the harbour and into the indoor market. Bryan asked about the boats. I explained that the huge ones went to Sweden, and the very small one just pulling up travelled to and from Suomenlinna. By the time the boat had docked we had decided to see the island.

Bryan has a lifelong fascination with old fortifications so we made a different tour of the island to usual. We more or less walked right round the coasts of all eight islands. This involved walking across rocky coastline and this stretched some very different muscles from the walks I have been doing along roads in Vartiokylä.

Now we are looking out to the open sea and Bryan is contemplating the trajectories that the cannons behind us would have used.I will be very happy to do so.

He will ask if we can go and eat somewhere in the early evening and I will suggest Zetor. He will find it fascinating, both in terms of its decor, the Finnish sense of humour embodied in it; and the food itself.

I will get home in time to share a glass of birthday wine with Irma.