I have spent the entire day in Finland. The occasional piece of UK news from Twitter suggests that our government has got back into “persecute the immigrants” mode, rather than applauding their contribution to our health service. I guess that indicates some sort of return to “normal”.
Farewell, Finland #GiveItUp125
It is time to leave Finland now, but before I got I want to share this photo. Otto, Paula, Irma and I were chilling in a cafe on a place called Women’s Island in Jyväskylä. While we were eating Paula spotted the little lady above watching us. You never see red squirrels in England these days, but they are still common in Finland.
I see that my fundraiser has been stalled on 45% all day. Hopefully that’s because you have all been too busy enjoying the Finnish content to pledge money. You can do so now. I’m going to answer the day’s work emails, then go to bed. I’ll see you all tomorrow in Virtual Canada.
More snow, eh?
Harald #GiveItUp125
My final set of photos from Finland is from my favourite restaurant, Harald. It is a very silly place, but the food is excellent. Besides, they are making fun of the Swedes, which is a very Finnish thing to do.
Tampere Photos #GiveItUp125
Tampere is a little easier because the cathedral is so very photogenic. Thank you, Hugo Simberg.
Jyväskylä Photos #GiveItUp125
I have even fewer usable tourist photos of Jyväskylä. Sorry Irma!
Helsinki Photos #GiveItUp125
I have huge numbers of photos of Helsinki, but few of them are a) of tourist sites and b) any good. Here’s a few I managed to find that seem worth including.
The Åland Islands #GiveItUp125
And here we are in the beautiful Åland Archipelago, home of Åcon.
Turku Photos #GiveItUp125
I don’t have many photos of Turku, as I’m usually passing through going to or from the Åland Islands. But in 2011 Finncon was in Turku. Here are some memories.
Finland Photos #GiveItUp125
Who knew I had so many photos of Finland? Let’s start with a few to give a sense of the country.
Cheryl & Kevin Go To Finland
It is time for another Cheryl & Kevin Go To video. This time we are in Finland. There’s quite a bit of history so we get nefarious Russians, nefarious Swedes, and inevitably the nefarious British. There are also Moomins, Lenin, and of course sauna.
Introducing Finland #GiveItUp125
Hello, and welcome to Virtual Finland. I’ve had a busy morning in the kitchen. You can see the results in this video.
The recipe that I used for the Karelian Pies is this one. I’m not hugely impressed with it. There seemed to be rather too much filling for the amount of pastry. But I did have to improvise quite a bit along the way.
In the video I promised you some photos. Here are the Karelian Pies:
And here is the cream tea with cloudberry jam:
For the benefit of folks from Devon and Cornwall who care passionately about such things, I put the cream on first because the cloudberry jam is a lot more liquid than a traditional English jam, and if you put the jam on first the cream will just slide straight off.
Coronavirus – Day #65
I’ve had a busy day in Virtual Australia. I have no idea what is happening in the UK.
Well that’s not quite true. The BSFA Award winners are being announced tonight, we hope, internet connections willing. More on that tomorrow. I’m going to watch from bed as I have a busy day tomorrow in Finland.
Thank You, Australia #GiveItUp125 #IDAHOBIT
Being in Virtual Australia on IDAHOBIT Day is a poignant reminder that I did most of my gender transition while living in Australia. There were a number of reasons for that, but one of them is that the medical support for transition was better in Australia than it is here in the UK. That’s even more true now. I will always be grateful for the support I got from friends in Australia, in particular the folks at the Melbourne Science Fiction Club who accepted me without question.
One of the disappointments about not being able to travel to New Zealand for Worldcon this year is that a planned visit to Melbourne has had to be cancelled too. Maybe another year.
The photo above was taken at the Wilson’s Promontory National Park, which is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been.
Kuranda #GiveItUp125
The mountain village of Kuranda deserves a post all of its own. I think you’ll see why. As usual, click on any photo for a larger picture and slide show.
Cairns #GiveItUp125
Here are some photos from the trip that Kevin and I made to Cairns in 2010. My apologies for the lack of photos of fish. We didn’t have the right kit for underwater photography.
Sydney #GiveItUp125
Here are a few photos from Sydney when Kevin and I visited in 2010.
The Aquarium deserves a photo set all of its own (yes, I’m obsessed with fish, I have an oceanography degree, it is allowed).
Food Shopping in Adelaide #GiveItUp125
One of the things I love about Australia is the quality of their food markets. I don’t have pictures of my beloved Vic Market, but in 2009 I visited Adelaide and found that they have a great market too. Here are some photos.
Country Victoria in 1999 #GiveItUp125
Here are some photos from the trip that Kevin and I made following the World Science Fiction Convention in 1999. First up we have the Puffing Billy Railway, which made Kevin very happy.
And second, one of the best ways to get up close and personal with Australian wildlife, Healesville Sanctuary. (Sadly digital cameras back then had little in the way of zoom so these are the only good shots I have.)
As usual, click on any photo for a bigger image and slide show.
Cheryl & Kevin Go To – Australia #GiveItUp125
Here is the second in the series of tourism videos that Kevin and I have made for the One25 fundraiser. This one is all about Australia.
I’ll be bringing you photo selections through the day from some of the places we discussed.
Welcome to Virtual Australia #GiveItUp125
G’day possums, here I am in another one of my favourite parts of the world. Let’s kick things off with a brief introduction to the wonders of Australia.
And of you like what I’m doing here, please consider donating to help One25.