Roofs and Assurance

A quarter of a century ago, Catherine and I were persuaded (coerced?) to take out a savings and life assurance policy, with 'the Pru', naturally. The monthly fee was GBP10 per month, which at the time was a quite substantial amount. For comparison, as a student my weekly budget, after paying the rent, was GBP20 per week. Nowadays, of course, you would be lucky to get half a dozen 99 flakes from the ice cream van for GBP10.

After paying for years and years, the policy finally matured, and the money allowed Elk's Street to replace the old roof on our house. Below a couple of photos.

The builders arrive - only a few weeks late.

A builder hard at work. (Photo courtesy of neighbour Kaisu.)

For the inquisitive among you, the total cost was EUR 16,170 (incl. 22% VAT). We do qualify for a tax deduction for homeowners of EUR 3,200 but the moral still remains; don't buy old houses!

Older Brothers (Part 2)

For various reasons, I was at work and Hwei-Ming had to take Thomas to his horn lesson, Henry was left alone at home for a couple of hours. Having done his homework and piano practice, he decided to give us a surprise - he decided to bake a cake.

Below, the outcome.

A Swiss roll. (It must be in the genes!)

While the cake tasted nice and was a great success, for reasons of safety, Henry has been discouraged from cooking when he is on his own in the house. Oh, and any rumours that one week later we are still clearing up the kitchen are considerably exaggerated.

Older Brothers (Part 1)

Sometimes it is better to view the bright ideas of brothers with a degree of scepticism!

Below a photo of Thomas after Henry persuaded him that it would be a good idea to fix a suction cup to his forehead.



Luckily, it didn't hurt and the bruise wore off after five days.

Autumn Colours

As the long days get shorter, the warmth of summer gives way to the cooler weather of autumn. Finland has two autumns - 'dry autumn' and 'wet autumn'. Dry autumn, in September and the beginning of October, has misty mornings, dry days, and the first night-time frosts. In wet autumn, the nights draw in, the skies darken, and the country is enveloped in a shroud of damp darkness, broken only when the first snows of winter arrive.

Below a few photos of 'dry autumn' in Lappeenranta.

Lake Saimaa, near the factory making the famous 'Marianne' sweets.

Lake Saimaa, even closer to the factory making the above-mentioned famous sweet with a "crisp mint shell and a soft chocolate filling ."

Landing stages at Huhtiniemi. (Many of the boats have already been taken out of the water in preparation for the winter.)

Sammonlahti beach. 'Compare and contrast' fans should look at July's post "Sunny Days" to see what it looks like in summer.

For the meteorologists among you, the photos were taken in the early afternoon, temperature +9 degrees celsius, and with a stiff breeze blowing.