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...]
Happy Independence Day Finland!
Today Finland celebrates 97 years of independence, and although my home country is in the grip of a recession, I think we still have a lot to be grateful for, and need to celebrate an independence which during our short history has at times been difficult to maintain. In his address to all Finns … [Read more...]
Scotland votes ‘No’!
Out of a hap-penance, the Englishman and I have been in Scotland during this historic time when the country decided on its future.We'd been invited for a weekend of fly fishing on the Scottish Borders (him on the river, me tucked up in the house by an open fire writing), so I decided to kill two … [Read more...]