As I drove back yesterday evening, I saw a group of Oulu University Students, dressed in their Student Union Overalls (each department and laboratory has its own distinctive colour with lots of ads from companies that sponsor them) and they were in the Central Park of Oulu, having fun, swigging their beer or whatever else they could drink, and preparing for a long weekend bingeing on the bottle.
Comforting sight of who and what is being educated in Finland, as this is a common scene up and down the country at this time of the year.
When I reached home, the mood was different. Annikki was dressed in her outside work clothes, and I knew that "we" were in for some heavy work.
We first shifted the old front steps from the front to the back of the garden - to a new resting place as planned by Annikki. I thought I would call my Mr. Atlas, Kamu, to help us. Annikki had other ideas. Using some small birch logs and a lot of imagination, she (and ME?) managed to get this whole heavy contraption to the exact spot she had planned for it, negotiating the narrow space between the building wall and the compound fence.
Annikki plans to do many things with this, as a flower display platform, as a play area for the grandkids, as a sitting place, etc., etc.
But there was more work.
With the heavy snowfall of this winter, the pergola which Annikki had designed from wooden logs had crumbled under the weight of the snow on the plastic roof - just like many architect designed roofs all over Finland this winter.
Annikki surveyed the ruins. Then she rolled up her sleeves and got to work to start work on getting her pergola back and up.
There is a lot of work to get the garden back to exactly what Annikki wants. She is going to be working many long hours. She was already discussing some of her many ideas with me - and they literally flew over my head. I could not visualise what she clearly sees! I never can as I am a dumbo as far as art is concerned.
The neighbours, our new ones, a young couple, were also busy doing up their garden. It looks as if Annikki will have some good company to chat across the garden fence. They are surely going to motivate each other! Annikki has that effect on people as they see her toiling late into the summer nights.
Watch this space to see how all Annikki's new ideas develop over this summer. Here is a creative artist at work - and it is fun to (just) watch! :-)
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