The rest of the summer of 1983 in Helsinki was glorious. But the weather didn’t suit my mood. If it hadn’t been for my good friend at the Swedish School of Economics, I don’t know how I would have survived the latter part of that year. By the end of July she’d finished her finals and submitted her … [Read more...]
How I came to be in England – Part 31
It was raining when the plane landed at Helsinki airport. The goodbye at Heathrow with the Englishman had been even more difficult than usual. I lost count of how many times we said 'I love you.'On the last day together we didn't get out of bed until the afternoon. We talked about how we met all … [Read more...]
How I came to be in England – Part 30
I finished my drink in a few large gulps and asked the Englishman to get me another. We were leaning against the low balcony wall at the Dolphin mess. Music was flowing in from the rooms beyond, and people were moving in and out of the long, wide outdoor space overlooking the harbour mouth. Lights … [Read more...]
How I came to be in England – Part 29
I arrived at Helsinki airport only twenty minutes before the flight to London was due to leave. I’d missed the bus from Espoo, where it stopped outside my Father’s house, by a whisker. The nasty old bus driver had, I was sure, seen me running towards it dragging my heavy suitcase, but nonetheless … [Read more...]
How I came to be in England – Part 28
In February 1983 I got a part-time job at Stockmann’s department store selling fabrics on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings. My studies at the School of Economics were going well and I’d passed all the exams I took when I came back from Edinburgh. I continued to get good marks for my … [Read more...]
How I came to be in England – Part 27
The drive from Edinburgh to Newcastle was much shorter than the journey from Wiltshire to Scotland had been five weeks earlier. Sitting next to the Englishman in his yellow Spitfire I wished time would stop and we’d be on the road South forever.‘You must take one of these,’ the Englishman said. We … [Read more...]
How I came to be in England – Part 26
The Englishman and I spent our first day, New Year's Eve, in the flat in Edinburgh kitting our room with a few missing essentials. Our street was just off Leith Walk where small shops sold everything from light bulbs to loaves of bread. On the corner of our street was a place called Naz Superstore. … [Read more...]
How I came to be in England – Part 25
The Englishman and I drove up to Scotland on Boxing Day after a lovely, jolly Christmas with his parents in Wiltshire. The journey took a whole day. The Englishman had bought new tapes for the trip, ABC's Lexicon of Love, Night and Day by Joe Jackson and East Side Story by Squeeze. We sang along to … [Read more...]
How I came to be in England – Part 24
The Englishman and I spent the week in August 1982 playing happy families. We stayed in every night, cooked together, and smiled into each other's eyes. In the mornings I went to work at the bank, and the Englishman went shopping for food. He told me the women at the meat counter laughed at him when … [Read more...]
How I came to be in England – Part 23
I woke up with a dry mouth and a screaming hangover. I felt constrained, and realised I was pushed against the wall in a narrow single bed. The shape next to me moved and I looked around the room. A studio flat somewhere in Ullanlinna. There was a window draped with a see through curtain, a sofa … [Read more...]