Month: September 2023

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Birthday reflections

John Lovie

And a look forward September has always been a pivotal month for me. There’s a back-to-school energy, now enhanced by not actually having to go back to school. Here on the island, most of the “summer people” are packing up the beach cabins, the ferry lines have become more reasonable, and we’re getting our island back. We have some rain after a very dry summer. September’s also the month of my birthday, actually today, and my 72nd, if you’re counting. The start of a new trip around the sun coinciding with the change in seasons makes it a perfect time … Continue reading Birthday reflections

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Bars and cars, moors and tors, coast paths and wild swimming

John Lovie

and more travel drama! Here’s the third and final post about our summer travels. The last part of the trip was to Devon, England – the country, but not the county, of my birth – to visit family and also to see Dartmoor and the South West Coast Path. We left Finland on a Wednesday, changing planes in Stockholm, arriving at London’s Heathrow Airport and were dealt an instant dose of culture shock. Heathrow airport essentially barely functions. There were three lifts down to the rental car shuttle bus stand, and a huge queue in front of just one of … Continue reading Bars and cars, moors and tors, coast paths and wild swimming

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Finland by water, part two

John Lovie

A three hour tour… “Just sit right back, and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip” – a boating adventure We though we would try the cabin’s inflatable boat. The owner had asked us a couple of times if we’d used it, so we broke down and gave it a try. Our host recorded videos about the house, the e-bikes, and the rubber boat, as he called it. We watched the video and started to prepare. We located the main battery – essentially a car battery – and set it to charge. The charger said it was … Continue reading Finland by water, part two

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Finland by water

John Lovie

Rain, plumbing, swimming dogs, and saunas Drinking water, fog, and lakes In the last couple of posts, I talked about Vierumäki, Lahti, and the Ironman, covering drinking water, fog, and lakes. But there’s more! Here’s an update from Helsinki and the Turku archipelago. Helsinki and Suomenlinna – plumbing and rain The day after Brenda’s race we drove down to Helsinki for a few days. The big city. We arrived a couple of hours too early to check in to the apartment, so were walking around in the rain for a while until we found refuge at a French Café. A … Continue reading Finland by water