Want to forget all about the Brexit vote? (I certainly do) Immerse yourself in The Red King of Helsinki, a Cold War spy tale set in Finland in the chill of midwinter. And now there's good news! I bet you didn't think I'd say that this morning ... The Red King of Helsinki is now £0.99 … [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 21
The same Sunday night in late June 1982 I'd said my tearless goodbye to the Englishman I started to be sick. When two days later I still couldn't keep a glass of boiled cooled water inside me, I phoned the student health service in Töölö, in the centre of Helsinki. They told me to come and see them … [Read more...]
How I came to be in England – Part 13
My father, who had two daughters, called me 'My Best Girl.' As I grew up his obvious favouritism became a burden to me, rather than a source of pride. So when my parents finally split up after years of fighting, it was a relief to both of their two daughters.Our parents gave us a choice of which … [Read more...]
How I came to be in England – Part 11
The lectures at the School of Economics restarted a few days after I came back from my holiday in England. It was September and the afternoons were already turning dark in Helsinki.On the first day of term I got up early, gathered all my bills, including the overdue rent for my flat and headed into … [Read more...]
How I came to be in England – Part 10
I had never felt as numb as I did waiting for my flight at Heathrow on 31st of August 1981. There were just a handful of us sitting outside the gate for the Finnair flight to Helsinki. No-one wanted to travel from London to ‘Hel’ as the label on my luggage read. It felt like Hell was just what I was … [Read more...]
