This was in Väike-Õismäe. I actually like the area, quite an impressive plan the suburb has. I also like the building, at least with the balconies repainted.
No doubt it's the ideal job for someone who likes mountaineering and other high places stuff, and being outdoors. I wouldn't even consider it. I don't like heights!
I've been having pleasant summer days at my parents' house in the countryside near Oulu where I used to live, 600 km up north from Helsinki. That's not to say I've done nothing at all, on the contrary I've been working on an article text and my photos. Oh, and eating strawberries freshly picked outside. Very warm, like today it was +28 C out there. Luckily, the old house stays fairly cool, and furthermore at one end of the house I can keep two windows open and have a pleasant, cooling wind blow through the room. Another thing I've been meaning to do is to go out some night and take pictures, because it doesn't get dark here now, just kind of a milky dusk. But I was scared off by the hordes of mosquitoes! I hate mosquitoes, and at night time they would come at you in clouds!
Oh, I was also bitten by a wood tick. Quite amusing in retrospect because it bit me in the arse. I can just imagine a tiny, little wood tick labouring up my leg and sinking its teeth (or whatever it has) in the best meaty part. :D Nothing happened there, there's no sign of infection or anything, it didn't even manage to draw any blood. But I did panic for a little bit before I found out that the chances of getting Lyme disease from a single tick bite are basically zero. It's just that it's so much in the news, whenever they talk about ticks and tick bites they talk about Lyme disease.
Next thursday it's back to Helsinki. They're saying it's going to be +31 C on the weekend, but luckily I managed after all to find a cheap table ventilator online. They'll even carry it to my door with no extra fee.
7 comments:
Oh those ticks. I have been bitten so many times, it is amazing how they go the location they get to, without you knowing, sneaky buggers. but they have that certain feel when they are starting to bite and dig in. I had to have the head of one cut out of my arse one time, now that's embarssing.
The weather and the fresh strawberries sound lovely. And very agreed with you on mosquitos, we've had troubles with their abundance this year too, too much rain and water.
Val, well, that's certainly good to hear. The media tend to go for the extreme in this as well. Often when they talk about Lyme disease, they tell the horror stories, like the isolated cases where it went undetected and developed into a harsh neurological illness.
Grace, yup, at least mosquitoes make the infuriating 'nnnnn'.
Hi Maria, impressive pictures as usual... :) The heatwave is on top of us here as well, last tuesday we reached +28 out in the middle of the sea a our sumer house. We sat in the shade under a large birch at the beach all the day.
Today we are back to normal +21 and a rain shower early in the morning.
Woodticks are nasty creatures and they are spreading all kinds of diseases at our latitudes now. I have been bitten a few times in my lifetime, the last time over 30 years ago.
In fact, my youngest uncle was the first person to be diagnosed to have Borreliosis in this part of Finland, that happened in mid nineties and he had been seeking treament for very typical symptoms for several years but he never got tested for borrelia because "woodticks don't spread that disease at our latitudes" so he remained untreated for several years!
When they caved in at last and tested him he got cured within some few weeks but there was damage done and he is still somewhat paralysed in the left half of his face.
skeeters will let you know they are there, those ticks...sneeky buggers.
Hi Maria,
the weather in Europe this summer has certainly been splendid, no? We met some Swedes in Italy who were thrilled with the 29 to 35 C they were getting in July. This is quite the norm in the summer for Toronto- is that true of Finland as well?
I'm glad you have your parents' country house to enjoy in the summer, as that is the essence to me of what I imagine summer relaxing to be, out away from the city.
xx
AM
How's is your Summer going Maria?
Anne-Marie and Grace:
Oops, sorry for the late passing of your comments! I had been forced to turn on comment moderation because of some Chinese spammers but had forgotten that I had it on, so when the notifications of your comments arrived in my inbox, I forgot to click the 'accept' link.
Certainly can't complain about the weather, been 25-30 C just about the whole of July. Which is why I haven't done much, just enjoyed the summer.
Post a Comment