Yes, it's true, my novel, The Englishman is finally out in the world all on its own. Late last night, I pressed the scary, 'Publish' button on both Amazon and Smashwords sites. As I sat and watched the screen change from 'Pending' to 'Publishing' to 'Success', I suddenly felt my heart in my … [Read more...]
Oh to be in England – Part One
I may not have told you that I'm planning to publish How I Came to be in England, a series of blog posts, which so caught the imagination of many of you, as a digital book. (I am eternally grateful for all you readers who left such beautiful comments during the months that I wrote those blog posts. … [Read more...]
The London Number 13 Bus
Stan Butler (Reg Varney) and Jack Harper (Bob Grant). Picture from Elstree CallingBefore I met my husband I believed Englishmen to be boring. The image of England I had came from the TV series broadcast in Finland in the 1970's, mainly from 'On the Buses'.The series was so popular in Finland … [Read more...]
How I came to be in England – Part 48
‘You’ve lost weight,’ my old school friend said. Her eyes were sharp under newly blow-dried short hair. We were standing in front of the hall mirror of my grandmother’s house in Tampere. She was shorter than me and had to stand on tiptoe to zip up the bodice part of my white silk tulle wedding gown. … [Read more...]
How I came to be in England – Part 47
After the registry office wedding I suddenly became somebody in England. I had a banker’s card and a cheque book which my new husband had organised for me. I had a title, Mrs X, which immediately brought respect whether it was when paying with my brand new cheque book in the local butchers or … [Read more...]
How I came to be in England – Part 46
The Englishman and I fell sound asleep in the vast bed at The Portsmouth Hilton Hotel at about five in the afternoon. We were both exhausted after the ceremony at the Registry Office, where with my trembling voice and in his confident, sure words we’d promised to love and honour each other for as … [Read more...]
How I came to be in England – Part 45
The day of our registry office wedding on 4th May 1984 was gloriously sunny. During the two days of frantic organising, the Englishman had managed to enrol the help of our neighbours in Southsea, a couple who lived opposite us, people whom I hardly knew. The husband had deep sideburns and grey hair. … [Read more...]
How I came to be in England – Part 44
Two days after the Padre's visit, on Wednesday 2nd of May 1984, exactly one month before we were due to marry in Finland, the Englishman came back from Naples. He stepped out of the taxi as the evening sun was about to set at the end of the tree-lined street in Portsmouth. He was tanned and wearing … [Read more...]
How I came to be in England – Part 43
The Padre wore a dark suit with a white dog collar. He was a tall man and his dark form loomed large over the door of the terraced house in Southsea. He offered me his hand and held onto my palm for so long I felt trapped by his grasp. But he continued gazing into my eyes and smiling … [Read more...]
How I came to be in England – Part 42
II spent most of the spring of 1984 alone in the house in Southsea, studying for the final exams I was to take at the Finnish Embassy in Chelsea. Before the Englishman left for Naples, he'd set up an small office for me in the unoccupied middle bedroom. We found an old trestle table in the … [Read more...]
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