Things we love about Finland

I slept till noon today. Midweek. I can do that but remember me Sunday morning while you brows through the, well, Sunday Times? I will not be doing such thing but clearing away your Saturday night mess. In a manner of speaking. Being nice. I am like Santa! Which in this wicked inside out upside down world means that I AM Santa. Claus.

Or maybe just Gavri’el with an identity Crises.

Been like that for the last day. Talking nonsense. Tobi has had enough of it and as he didn’t know I was planning on spending the morning in the dream world he headed out picking flowers early today. Having lunch/breakfast with him and Lili - fried bacon - we pointed out to him that it is berry season, still. (I think he is starting to realise the size of the bite he is chewing. Winter. Even if it hasn’t begun yet. So looking for flowers was a nostalgic exercise for sunny days etc.) He has been out for 5 hours. Think about the berries he could have gathered in that time. Especially if fairies chipped in! But he came back empty ended.

In the afternoon we went to town, left Jen, Lili and two other kids at home. Smiling in the wind and taking the bus. We visited Kela about some money we stopped receiving from the UK wondering if they could replace that. They said that Yes, Her Majesty’s Inland Revenues have told them about it and they were expecting us for some time now and of course, not a problem, they will even backdate it properly and everything. I wondered if they would offer us coffee and cakes?! Tobi would have liked it. The cakes. It was weird. Smiling, friendly, easy going… I almost want to be unemployed and be a regular at Kela but then I remember stories I hear whispered in dark alleys, unlit corners of small, side street pubs about treatment some people receive there. How Kela takes inspiration from the famous TV series ‘24’ when treating those who don’t pay taxes. The same series CIA and US Army watches with scrutiny to learn new techniques from. When I watched it I lasted only about till half the second season before cannot taking now more, how sick it is. Tobi lasted about 11 minutes. Maybe only 10. Of the first episode. But he is not big on TV anyway. He got it right.

Kela likes me!

They like me because I pay taxes. So I contribute. That’s good. Of course theoretically I should be in the same category as those who only dare telling the menacing stories in the unlit corners and dark alleys for as a family we use up probably about 15-20 times as mach resources from tax payers’ money (maybe an exaggeration, maybe not) than we put in but luckily the law is biding for them so we are, I am on the good list. For the time being. When it stops doing so, the low its biding I guess it will be time to leave. Where? There is the saying about bridges and crossing and timing. Tobi has connections. We will keep him close always.


After Kela eventually we made it to Välkkylä to pick up one of our bikes that had a punctured tire 3 or 4 days back. Between 7 and 8 kms to cycle home from there, riding another bike, which we just happened to pick up from outside a café after borrowing it to a kind of brother for some time. I put Tobi on the bike with the punctured tyre so it would look like he is riding and I am holding on to it only to help him balance as he is new to cycling. He cautiously brought Lili’s helmet with him and really enjoyed the ride. After all I only had to let go of the bike because of loosing my balance 2 times during the journey causing it to fall over while in motion to the amusement of all passers by.

I received looks on the way home all saying in different ways ‘THIEF!’ As if one cannot just bring his own bike home riding another one. I thought that having Tobi riding the second bike would save us from those looks but I came to realise that there are lots of people who cannot see him. There are many people, in fact probably most of us who when meeting something out of the ordinary, unusual or even outstanding or astonishing chose not to see it from such trained reflexes that the person may not be aware of making that choice. Thus, Tobi is invisible for most. It is a way for people to maintain integrity of perception, a securely structured, enhanced and defined identity making the world a safe and cosy place to be. He for many doesn’t exist. But there you are, I mean you are there. For you he is real. You assume, something, just like the magpies.

We had a couple of good laughs on the way home. Those looks. Some made me think that after all, however libertarian I might be I am maybe better off joining the Facebook group ‘Tighten the Finnish Gun Laws’. After all, next time I push/pull home our bike with a flat tire I may not be so lucky and not that just everyone gets the wrong idea but one…