Friday after the holiday

My head feels heavy and I am truly glad that this oppressive July week is done. However, my thoughts are already wishfully three weeks ahead when I travel to Arillas for a gorgeous two week holiday. Simply CAN'T WAIT!



Tonight naturally some vino and this weekend my plan is as always to do as little as possible. Life is good!

Butt & mind numbming Tuesday

Second day back at work and it is slowly starting to feel like "was I ever on holiday...?". So absolutely nothing is inspiring me to write so here is a funny picture instead.

Finland trip captured on video

Back in London

I left a sweltering +27 behind me when I entered the Helsinki Airport. Feeling slightly blue I sailed through the security checks in a haze of trying to internalize the past few days.

I parked my back side in the bar to enjoy last couple of cold Lonkero’s and messed around in the Facbook and played the ever entertaining Bubble Shooter game to pass the time.

Then it was time to board the plane and I got to my seat in the last row and thankfully on the aisle. Then I saw buch of blokes a size of a football team arrive in red shirts. Turns out they were Leyton Orient who had been playing 4 games in Finland.

A young chap approached my row and took the window seat informing me that he was flying over to attend a festival in the UK. Then the other passengers started to populate the last rows around me.

Well, it was none other than Michael Monroe with his band and also the Von Hertzen Brothers along with assorted motley crew of tour managers and roadies. I had just seen these bands in Ilosaarirock so there was a certain feel of continuum.

The flight it self was uneventful with the footballers, musicians and motley crews were behaving them selves. The cabin crew served cold beverages and my MP3 player kept away the annoying sound of screaming monsters few rows ahead of me.

Got home with no delays and now it is back to normal life. *deep sigh*

Thank you Finland!

The last hot & sunny morning here in Espoo has dawned and it is time to pack up the suitcase and head to Helsinki-Vantaa airport in the next couple of hours.

It has been really good and it is such a shame it has to end but here it is. Thank you Finland, thank you friends and family and special thank you to the weather gods for excellent summer weather!

Next stop London.

Finland - back to Espoo

After another few hundred km driving south through Finland and totally numb derriers on Monday, we finally got to Miss T's summer cottage in Karjalohja. Appropriate merriment started with gorgeous food, company and cold beverages. We had so much fun that we had to leave the sauna session for the next morning.

Next morning it was raining but it soon passed and the sauna was prepared. It was almost an religious (if I was!) experience the amazing cleansing effect of sauna as always and few jumps in the lake in between ensured a nice jump start to my rock festival veary circulation.

Then last night we drove back to Espoo with 1023 km on the clock and started the small mammoth size task of sorting out all the dirty laundry we had generated on our travels. Now all is more or less done, there is a heatwave happening outside and life is good!

Only two more days of this and then it is back to the Old Blighty on Friday afternoon for me.

Greetings to Ms B at work!

Finland - Joensuu day 3

Sunday morning again dawned sunny and with a grateful breeze. Breakfast was enjoyed with no visible signs of hangover but I did come to have a little lie down after.

Then we met some more old friends and scrounged a lift straight to the back stage area and we parked our behinds on the sunny terrace of the VIP tent. More old friends and more beer.

We did stop drinking for a while in the evening as we made our way down the hill and headed to see Madness on the mainstage which was brilliant. You can hear it from my voice this morning that shouting and singing has taken place the previous day.

But now the festival is finished, our friends are hard at work stripping down the festival site and ferrying truck loads of rubbish away.

Shortly we will pack up our gear and leave the hotel and go and say hello to my brothers and nephews and then we will make our way back down to southern Finland. After 450 km we head to Miss T's summer gottage and some merriment is expected at her summer cottage by a lake.

Thank you Joensuu, Ilosaarirock, friends and family! It was a blast ;)

Finland - Joensuu day 2

Sunny Saturday went in haze of dear old friends and lovely cold beer. In the festival area the high light for me was the most excellent Ojos De Brujo on the Rentolava by the beach. Most of the other bands I saw in the VIP tent in passing but we did make the effort to see few in action as well.

This morning my gammy hind leg is telling me to sit more in the VIP tent and less live action. Well, I am sure when Madness takes to the main stage even my bad leg wont let me stay still, pain or not.

Heavy fun @ backstage

Finland - Joensuu day 1

Yesterday after a wet start in southern Finland we made way to the sunny North Karelia. The drive went well, only one large beer was consumed by me with two quick stops for a bathroom break.

After 5 and half hours in the car my gluteus maximus was rather numb and as fun as travelling by road is, it takes forever and a lot of trees were seen.

We came to the hotel, parked Heavy's car, quick change of clothing and a little freshen up and we headed to my Big Brother's and made our aquaintances with little V-Bright and handed over the noisy toys to Young-Vic which he received with much enthusiasm.

Then my Younger Brother arrived and more stories were told and verbal sibling abuse was conducted accordingly.



Then we headed to the festival site with Heavy and my Younger Brother who ditched us at the gate and vanished into the endless crowd of revellers. Heavy and I headed to the beer tent and spotted a lot of old friends, aquaintances and festival work mates. We also met a bunch of new people and when we left around midnight we headed back to our hotel bar which is actually a pub and had more fun with assorted people.

This morning dawned grey but no hangover, result! We have justed wolfed down a huge breakfast and now we will go and see some more old friends before heading back to the festival site. Life is good!

Finland day 3 - towards Northern Karelia

Yesterday was take it easy day and not a lot happened except catching up, gossip and few cold beverages.

But now we are ready to go, Heavy's Kia is packed, we have a full tank of petrol and beers are still cold. Shortly we start the 450 kilometer drive towards Joensuu in beautiful North Karelia.

We have booked a room in the Atrium Hotel which will be our home until Monday. Tonight we are going to see the nephews Young-Vic and little V-Bright and take some noisy toys for them to their parents delight ;)

Then Saturday it is finally time for the long awaited 40 year old Ilosaarirock. The weather forecast is not very favorable, but then again we are not made of sugar and we have our waterproof gear with us.

Pictures and reports to follow depending on my sobriety and which way the rock'n'roll behaviour takes me. Life is good!

Finland - Espoo

My trip started well, it didnt rain when I walked to the bus stop, the bus arrived after 30 sec wait and I got a seat! Mind you, not so difficult at 06.00. Managed to get to Wimbledon in under 10 min and when I got to the station the District Line train was there ready and waiting. Same thing happened when I got to Earl's Court and had to change to Piccadilly Line train which arrived as I was dragging my suit case along the underground platform.

Got to Heathrow terminal 3 in good time and thought this is going well. Wrong! The checking in system was shambles as a very large group(40 or something!) of Japanese tourists tried to get checked in at the Finnair desk with just one translator. Normally the process takes 5 min tops and that includes waiting in a queque, but not this time. 25 min and few deep sighs later I got my turn and my checking in happened in 1 min 32 sec (yes I timed it

I left the hoardes of Japanese behind me and headed to the security checks which I cleared in most agreable time of 10 min, including standing in the queque. Straight to Duty Free shop to purchase my favorite fraquarance Tommy Girl and few large Toblerones.

Then I headed to the bar and thought 08.40 is acceptable time to have a drink as it must be 12.00 somewhere in the world. I ordered half a cider and a croissant and sat on a table with this chap who was on his way to Dallas to see his grand daughter. We chatted until he got up to go to his gate and I buried my head in a book about espionage called The Manhunt by James Barrington.

Boarding happened on time and in orderly fashion. But would you believe it...I was seated in the middle of the Japanese hoardes....Then Captain Ari announced that because of congestion in Helsinki airport we would have to postpone our take off for a half an hour but assured that he would get us there faster in 2 hours 20 min, which he did I am happy to report!


Finally we took off and the drinks service started and I enjoyed a nice airplane size bottle of red vino and cranked up my MP3 player and rest of the flight was quiet and relaxing as the Japanese are well behaved and not loud like some other people from that corner of the world.

Heavy met me at the airport with a can of ice cold Lonkero and we proceeded to have fun and dinner at Mrs Mum's house.

So here I am in Espoo Finland slightly hungover and life is good ;)

Travel day

It is veeeery early and the rest of the house is still deep in the land of nod. Shortly I will start my trek towards Heathrow and then I will arrive in Finland around 15.00 local time. Ta'raa peeps and next update is from the Northern reaches ;)

Last day at work before holiday

Well, the last day at work before my holiday naturally turned out to be an almost nightmare"ish". Some clever glogs somewhere had intefered with a fibre optic cable and cut down our connection to internet and the telephone system.

But all was sorted after agonising 2 and a half hours and the normal crafting could resume. But now all is thankfully done, the out of office message has been switched on and I am now off home to pack. Yeeeiiiiii!

It'z Monday

After a gorgeous quiet and relaxing weekend the dreaded Monday is here. Mind you it is sunny and warm and I have only today and tomorrow to work before heading over to Finland. Life is good ;)

Today I have been mostly...

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Quick crush and touch of lust

Earlier tonight I experienced a feeling that I sincerely can't recall when I last had. My personal internal chemistry set went expoloding belly up along with the proverbial legs up in the air when I saw a seriously handsome stranger on the Northern Line south bound platform on my way home after work.

First of what I saw of him as I was approaching my usual spot right at the end of the platform, were his tattoos winding down his shirt sleeve. I then looked down his tall legs covered in black denim and saw the flame decorated cowbow boots and thought what the...?

Once I got over the flaming boots I spotted his thumb tucked into his jeans pocket and his ever such a straight posture. Phawwrrrrrr...so far soooooo good!

Then I saw the jet black smooth long hair hanging down his back and then he turned his head like in a slow motion and I went all jelly in my head! The handsome face half shrouded with the black hair with piercing blue (not sure but thought so!) eyes looked down to mine from the height of 6'4 or there abouts and all hope of dignity was lost...I melted there and then and Nine Inch Nails song Closer started in my head.

By the time I passed him I was feeling slightly dizzy and was grateful that the train arrived. I got on and he turned and came throught the same door instead of the next one.

By this time I was probably beet root red with my impure thoughts and as he took his magnificent body and moved it fluently to the seats on the right and I made a self preserving move and took a seat on the left with a wide aisle and wide doors between us.

I collected myself and tried to cover my severly blushed face with my book and turned up the volume in my MP3 player. As surprisingly good as it felt to feel an animal attraction, the cynical me soon took over and shook away the blushing maiden behaviour.

And let's face it, nothing takes your attention better away from a handsome man than a gruesome murder in a book. I finally lifted my head up after 25 minutes when the train was nearing my station and put my book away sighing with tiredness.

But the gorgeous handsome stranger was still sitting there reading his paper totally oblivious to the inner turmoil that he caused by his uber masculinity, probably and most likely I never see again.

I left the train grinning stupidly and happy that someone actually managed to stir the primordial lust in me for the first time in a long time, even though it was just a fleeting sensation on my way home.

Anyway, this is more than what has happened to me in years anyway.

I am still smiling though of the thought and who knows...it MIGHT happen again one day ;)

It'z Friday

Finally it is Friday and last 30 min at work. Quiet weekend ahead packing for the Finland trip with some red vino at hand. Have a good one!

Men in uniforms

This morning 09.17 the fire alarm at my work building started blaring. I jumped horizontally in my chair about half a meter up in the air before the training kicked in and I started to act and get on with what was my job in the situation.

Building was evacuated in under 2 min and Fire Brigade arrived in 3 min and all clear was given after close inspection after 20 min. It was not us, but the bar/restaurant next door that also tripped our alarms.

Now that the adrenalin production has subsided in my body and the handsome men in uniforms have gone, the day will continue as usual. Phewwwww....

Wednesday dance

British lady writers

I took a brief literary break from the Scandianvian Noir whilst waiting for new books to be published and I have read few British female writers productions. I can sincerely recommend them and these are the kind of books you simply can't put down.

Stella Rimington was the first female head of the infamous MI5 and she started writing spook novels after she retired. Her heroine is called Liz Carlyle who survives by her wits in the very male world of espionage, but also gets battered physically along the way. Cool lady!

The second lady writer is June Hampson who's chronicles of the life and times of Daisy Lane are coming to an end with the last book called Fighting Dirty which I am reading at the mo. She describes colorfully the gritty life of prostitution, violence and gang land code peppered with torturous love stories. Good stuff!

Once I finish the Fighting Dirty I need to find couple of new authors to wade through their productions.

Quiet weekend

It'z finally Friday

This week has been pants work wise so Friday drink is more needed than normally. This is the problem with having a quiet steady non eventful life, because when little things start to irritate you they feel way bigger than they are. Ce la vie!

Penny is having a B-Day do tonight but I won't attend as I am feeling grumpy and unsociable. But I am sure they will party on nicely until somebody falls down ;)

What ever you are doing, have a good weekend!