Last weekend's X-Factor saw the Finnish singer, Saara Aalto, wow the judges, so I thought I'd give you ten things you need to know about her (and my) native Finland. Finland is a land of thousand lakes. At last count there were 187,888 of them - more lakes in relation to a country's size than … [Read more...]
A bit of a scoop at HEL YES!
HEL YES! at night, picture courtesy of www.helyes.fiI must admit to feeling a little worse for wear this morning. My hangover has nothing to do with yesterday's brunch venue, HEL YES! a Finnish pop-up restaurant in Islington. It has, however, everything to do with being Finnish. Which sort … [Read more...]
How I came to be in England – Part 2
On a Thursday in mid October in 1980, I was baking bread in the small kitchenette of my Helsinki flat. It was two days after the Embassy Party where I'd met the Englishman. Who'd promised to phone and hadn't. I knew sooner or later I'd have to come clean to my boyfriend. But not tonight. I started … [Read more...]