Interesting day

I had to get my old car certified today. I first took it to my regular mechanic who tested it, repaired a couple of things and said that there were only very minor problems, so it would be better to get it tested so that he could repair them when the official test report was issued.

I then went to a small private testing place in Ruusko, which is located directly opposite the big Government test centre.

Konetien Katsastus Oy

Called Konetien Katsastus Oy, there was no waiting. The lady organised the test to be done immediately, while she offered me tea and biscuts. I could opt to join the testing officer or watch it from the coffee room. I decided on the latter.

I was most surprised to see him test the vehicle and when he found some small mistakes, such as the exact focus of the headlights, he actually fixed the errors. This has never happened in all my time in Oulu. Usually, the testing officer marks the errors in the computer and issues a report, which means you have to come back, pay another hefty sum and get the car tested again (only for the errors noted).

After the officer finished the testing, he came to the coffee room, told me my car was OK and it had passed the test and that one small error of rust should be corrected within a month, but it was not important enough for him to fail the car.

So I have another year of trouble free driving with my 1985 jallopy, known to Samuel and me, as my "rabbit", a name given to it by Kamu, who runs two large cars, a Volvo and a Saab, but cannot keep up with this antique!

On getting home, Annikki was waiting to go on her jaunt to the Fleamarket. So off we went.


Oulu Pentacostal Church Fleamarket


Annikki emerges with her goodies
from the Fleamarket

Annikki has been carrying on an experiment this year. Usually Sweet Peas are used as climbers (creepers). This year she tried them as hangers from a basket, and they looked rather nice.


Annikki's experiment -
Sweet Peas in a hanging basket

And finally, after an exhausting day chasing a whole lot of little birds in the garden, Iitu, our 14 year old cat, fit as a fiddle, decided she would lie at my feet and be nice to me, licking my toes.


Iitu lounging on the living room carpet

Iitu is getting ready for winter, where she goes out only for a few hours a day, unlike spring, summer and autumn, where she hunts in her territory covering much of the estate in which we live. For a 14 year old (78 years on the People Scale), she is remarkably sprightly. One cat has been reported to live till the ripe old age of 34 (154 on the People Scale), so Iitu has plenty of life left in her.

What a comforting thought - she may live to see our great grandchildren, even if we don't! She will have plenty of stories to tell them, and believe you me, she does "talk".

Autumn sunsets in Oulu

As I mentioned in my previous entry, we are having a really wonderful warm sunny autumn here in Oulu.

Here are some photographs taken at the Nallikari Beach of some absolutely colourful sunsets. (Wish I had a better camera!)

Early evening on a windy autumn day


Trees swaying in the wind


Lands end watch tower


A light glow of beautiful colours


Annikki walking to her mission


The watch tower has a different shape in this light


Sunset minute approaches


Sunset fire blasts out


A speedboat crosses the firey blaze


The blaze shoots out of the water


Walking back to the car


In the failing light Annikki looks for more stones

Tony heads for Newcastle

Last Friday, I went over to Vesaisentie, Joanna and Tony's house, to help Tony pack the car when he was on his way to Newcastle. (Not that he required much help!)

Car is open for packing luggage for England


Luggage ready for putting in the boot

While waiting for Tony, I admired the autumn colours that now abound in the garden. They are a couple of weeks late, but now they are really beautiful. The colours will stay bright and alive for a few more days, till a heavy gust of wind or some strong rain brings them all toppling doen. Then there is a Lot of work to be done, FOR GARDEN ENTHUSIASTS, clearing the gardens.


Colours of the leaves are changing


Beautiful autumn colours of gold and red
mixed with yellow and green

The weather has been wonderful and we are really enjoying the extra days of a late warm autumn!

Dead birds in Oulu

A few weeks ago when I was driving my grandson, Samuel, somewhere, I noticed a dead seagull at the side of the road. I wondered how it happened to be there.

The next day I was driving to town with Annikki when I saw the bird and pointed it to her.

She told me that there had been several cases of dead birds being found in Oulu and it was being investigated as to whether these birds had died of the Bird Flu.

A couple of days later, there was a report confirming that they had died of Bird Flu, but not the very dangerous type, and that sufficient vaccine had been acquired by Finland, in case there was an epidemic outbreak.

Another couple of days later, some authorities made a statement that the dead birds found around Oulu had died due to starvation!!

Last week was quite a glorious one. Annikki and I were off to the beach almost every evening for Annikki to gather stones.

As we were walking on the beach last Wednesday, we came across this corpse:


Dead Sea Gull on Nallikari Beach

It certainly did not look malnourished.

On Saturday I took my new friend Theera, also known as Soda, the 14 year old son of my Thai friends who own a very nice restaurant in Oulu, to visit his new school. My intention was to teach him the bus routes to the school. The visit was a success as can be seen from this nice picture of Soda in front of the International School.


Soda in front of the International School

We took the bus back to his parents restaurant and as we were walking through the very nice park in Peltola, we came across this dead bird lying on the grass.


Dead Sea Gull in the Peltola park

This bird was also not looking starved.

It is obvious that the cases of dead birds in Oulu have nothing to do with lack of food but are cases of bird flu. The Finnish authorities are covering up the situation so as not to cause alarm amongst the population, but the whole philosophy is wrong.

What if some youngsters see a dead bird, pick it up and take it home to show their parents. THAT COULD LEAD TO A CATASTROPHIC SITUATION.

It is better to make an honest statement. But Finnish Authorities are famous for trying to hide bad news from its people!

Stormy night in Oulu

Tuesday night was quite stormy with quite a few trees around Oulu having been toppled. Some parts of Oulu lost their power supply. We were unaffected in our locality.

Day-before-yesterday was a beautiful day, sunny and windy. Annikki wanted to get to the seaside to collect some more stones for the pond.

On the way she wanted to have a look at a dilapitated house which is up for bids. The condition of the house is pathetic. The condition for bidders is that they will renovate it.

So we took a detour. Annikki was thrilled with the house and the potential it holds. If we can put together a group we will bid for it to see whether we can turn it into some form of museum cum meeting place for foreigners. It used to be the Dutch Consulte in Oulu. Here are some photographs of the place.

Driveway to Dilapitated House



Annikki peeking through the front window


Side view of front entrance hall


Side view of the House


Back of the House


Fourth side of the House


Outhouse


Annikki in the garden



Back house with sauna

After viewing the house, we went to Nallikari beach. It was a very windy day, but the sun was shining and it was really a great day to be at the beach if you were properly clad. Lots of people were wind surfing. Annikki spent her time collecting stones. I spent my time in the car listening to music, but I did step out and take a couple of shots. Here is one:


Beautiful windy day at Nallikari beach

It would have been great to have our grandchildren with us!

Tony and family in the local newspaper

Last Sunday, the news of Tony moving to England to be with Joanna, as she studies medicine in Newcastle, was announced in the local newspaper.

Matthan-Manninen family shift to Newcastle
makes splash news in the local newspaper, Kaleva

Tony has certainly earned his nickname as "Game-Manninen", as now he is considered as the leading light in the field of Computer Games, not only in Finland, but all over the world.

Certainly a nice title to have in probably the ONLY field which has shown an absolute and steady growth over the last couple of decades.

I Remember Nalini

Today, 16th September, would have been Nalini's 68th birthday if she had not been rudely taken away from us 35 years ago.

I pay tribute to my dear elder sister.

I also thank God that she was taken when she was.

1959: Nalini at the Taj

This picture of Nalini taken in front of the Taj Mahal in Agra by Thambichayan. It was taken when she visited our dear cousin, Ashwathykochamma (Nalini's closest friend), and her husband, Thambichayan, just before Nalini was engaged to be married.

Nalini had a wonderful time in New Delhi. On her return she had told me that I would really enjoy living in Delhi which she thought was a fabulous city and really looked and felt like a capital.

When I joined St. Stephen's College in 1960 and Nalini came back to Bombay for her tragic confinement in September 1960 at St. Elizabeth's Nursing Home on Malabar Hill, I had told her that I agreed with her that New Delhi was a great city.

Despite her being so close to her confinement, Nalini came to the Bombay Central Railway Station to see Suresh (Dr. Peter Philip) and me off on the Air-Conditioned Janata Express after our September holidays from college. We had had a wonderful holiday.

A few weeks later, I returned to see her suffer her last few days as she went through the horrible scourge of tetanus.

Sadly, she was not conscious. But all of us who were there knew that she knew, even in her unconscious state, when a person she loved was in the room. I especially remember Peelukuttychayan (Pappa now 93), Chinammakochamma (Mummy now 87), Ammachi (our late mother) and Appachen (our late father) being among those she reacted too.

As I held her hand on a few occasions on those last few days, I could feel the throbbing senses of a truly wonderful personality - my most beloved sister.

Indian slum in Oulu?

The local church magazine has an item in which it says that one of the parishes in Myllyoja, in co-operation with a local school, is going to create, here in Oulu, for a period of two days, 22nd and 23rd of September 2005, an Indian Slum.

The process is, supposedly, to educate Finnish school children about how life is in an Indian Slum.

Without an Indian man, who lazily lounges on the rope cot smoking his beedi and drinking his hutch, while the women and children of the slum work like bees around him, no Indian Slum would be complete.

I am thinking of volunteering for that job so they can have a real life Indian Slum Dweller. :-)

It would also be nice if the Finns, especially this parish and the school rector, would also show the children how a REAL Finnish Oulu Slum also looks like.

We have pictures from a real Oulu Slum (not a fake one) which lies in one of the poshest areas of Oulu, in the shadow of Nokia's High Technology Building, taken at various times between March 2004 and August 2005.

Recently, the Oulu Police had to give permission for a few artists to create and live in a slum type dwelling in Oulu for just a FEW DAYS.

However, in the case of this real OULU SLUM we highlight here, the Oulu Police, the Environmental Authorities, the Health Authorities and Social Workers, the Chief Executive of the City of Oulu, and MANY local and national politicians know of the existence of this slum, and the absolutely unhygenic and horrible conditions in it, but not a single person or organisation has come forward to help or rescue these Oulu slum dwellers.

One Health Worker told us that they had been told not to enter the slum dwelling!

Even the local newspaper journalists whom we informed of this slum have remained ABSOLUTELY SILENT.

These slum dwellers just happen to be poor individuals unable to take care of their personal matters.

Their Public Guardian, who is a senior member of the Oulu City Administration, who is supposed to look after the affairs of these slum dwellers, and the Oulu Magistrate Guardianship Authority, which is supposed to supervise how the Guardians looks after those in their care and custody, have remained silent for over 5 years while these people have been made to suffer and live in these totally degrading conditions.

In fact, in a recent court case the Guardianship Authority vouched for the professionalism of the Public Guardian in whose custody and care these unfortunate slum dwellers are!

Despite our informing the Finnish Parliamentary Ombudsman of this horrific situation as far back as January 2005, absolutely nothing has been done to assist these slum dwellers by the local authorities. Only the Environmental Department and some doctors and nurses from the local medical centre have visited these slum dwellers. They have gone away, some of them seen laughing at the desperate plight of these unfortunate people.

Justice delayed is justice denied.

Another miserable winter awaits these poor people in Oulu.

The garden is a rubbish tip. The inside of the cramped slum dwelling is a disgrace.

Here is a picture of the Toilet Facility in the one-roomed pokey Slum Dwelling - the Blue Bucket:

Toilet Facility in the Slum Dwelling - the Blue Bucket

To see a complete slide presentation of the slum, you can visit the Oulu Slum web page. Click on the first picture ON THAT PAGE you will see a slide show of 84 pictures of the slum.

I hit 99!

That is not a cricket score.

When I was a kid, I was tall and skinny. My mother, as an encouragement, told me that I could start wearing long trousers, like all my heroes, the minute I hit 100 lbs (45.36kg), as we still in the British system then.

1948: Standing in the driveway
in our Mysore home

I was stuck on 99 lbs for a long time, even though we had a great cook who did his best to try and tip me over that critical mark with Bombay Toast, pancakes, masala doasia, bondas, and other mouth-watering sweets.

I finally made it and got my long trousers and never looked down again at my skinny wobbly knees.

The reverse is true now. Two years ago I was 120 kg (264.55 lbs). I had a sort of competition set up with my two daughters as to which one of us would drop down below 100 kg (220.46 lbs). It was a sort of unfair competition as my daughters would not reveal their weights, so I had to accept their word!!


2002: Susanna and Joanna just before
we started our informal weight loss club

As you know, once I make up my mind to achieve something, I go at it with hammer and tongs. I was walking between 2 and 3 hours every day that the weather permitted. I kept my pulse rate at over 140 for most of my walking time. I ate normally, but cut out my favourites - crisps (except when picking Samuel from school, as we both loved to get our hands greasy in the crisp packet). No chocolates, no sweets, and especially no condensed milk!

Slowly and steadily over the last six months the weighing scale was going down. Then, I decided I would not watch the scale for a few weeks.

Last weekend, when I visited a supermarket, there was a person who was measuring fat content and calculating the BMI Index.

My fat value had been over 35, even after my intensive workouts in the gym over a year ago. My Body Mass Index (BMI) was also abnormally high, being over 35. I dared to take the test. I was pleasantly surprised to find that my fat value had dropped to 31.1% (normal for me should be around 25%, preferably around 20%) and my BMI was also down significantly to just 29.4, down from my high of over 35.

So yesterday, I decided to take my weight.

Lo and behold, the scale was down to 99 kgs (218.26 lbs) with all my clothes on - which means possibly a couple of kg lower in my birthday dress. (At the new weight my BMI is just 27.7 and I am still overweight by about 10 kgs or 22 lbs!)

Given that my weighing scale is notoriously inaccurate when it shows weights above 100 kg, I will have to verify this value sometime today when I go to the Railway Station where they have one of those heavy duty weighing machines.

But I was excited. As my two daughters were having a pow pow session in Newcastle, Susanna and Asha having gone up to visit Joanna, Samuel and Daniel, I sent a celebration (for me) text message to Joanna.

I haven't had a reply as yet, but I am sure both of them will be thrilled!! :-)

Happy birthday, Susanna, and wish you another great year of dieting, but for heaven's sake stay away from that Atkins ho-ha.

Walk and walk well, and eat less - that is the best steady cure to the battle of the bulge. And I feel just great for a doddering old man.

Very very disturbing news!

Those of us who have been very contented users of the Skype Voice Over Internet Service have reason to be very worried. Many American companies are trying to buy over this successful company. The latest which was reported in The Financial Times and Wall Street Journal today is the offer by Ebay.

Ebay appears to have made a cash offer of between US $2 and 3 billion. New York Times reported a figure of US $5 billion.

I had suggested many months ago to Google that they should be the one to integrate Skype into their Personalised Web Service. But Google chose rather to introduce a very stunted Talk Service losing a golden opportunity to score over Microsoft, Yahoo, and even Apple, who with their iChat have now entered the Mobile Phone market in conjunction with the Motorola Rokr phone and the Cingular Phone Service. Apple have integrated iTunes into this new mobile phone and it will not be long before they also integrate iPhoto into the camera phone version which must be now under intensive development.

Just at this moment there are over 3.25 million people actually using the Skype service. Registered users may be double or even treble this.

I have been talk to granddaughter Asha in England for hours at no cost. I will be talking to grandson Samuel who has now moved to Newcastle. I have been speaking at no cost to friends and relatives in India, UK and USA for many many months. I have introduced Skype to many of my friends. The technology is just perfect, especially on the Macintosh Apple platform, as the sound, input and output, is even better than a normal fixed line or mobile phone.

With the Americans trying to edge in to take over Skype, the free service will probably vanish as whatever the Americans touch means death and destruction in terms of the have-nots.

Migrating to the US? Think twice!

UN hits back at US in report saying parts of America are as poor as Third World, by Paul Vallely, Published: 08 September 2005 in the British newspaper "The Independent" is certainly given immediate validity by those of us who have watched the New Orleans and surrounding area tragedy caused by Hurricane Katrina unfold.

Here are some key comment points contained in this latest UN Report on World Poverty:

Parts of the United States are as poor as the Third World, according to a shocking United Nations report on global inequality....

The annual Human Development Report normally concerns itself with the Third World, but the 2005 edition scrutinises inequalities in health provision inside the US as part of a survey of how inequality worldwide is retarding the eradication of poverty.

It reveals that the infant mortality rate has been rising in the US for the past five years - and is now the same as Malaysia. America's black children are twice as likely as whites to die before their first birthday.......

But the 370-page document is critical of American policies towards poverty abroad as well as at home. And, in unusually outspoken language, it accuses the US of having "an overdeveloped military strategy and an under-developed strategy for human security".

"There is an urgent need to develop a collective security framework that goes beyond military responses to terrorism," it continues. " Poverty and social breakdown are core components of the global security threat.".......

India and China, the UN says, have been very successful in wealth creation but have not enabled the poor to share in the process.....

Blacks in Washington DC have a higher infant death rate than people in the Indian state of Kerala.

More important, it is not only in poverty that US is in tandem with the Third World - it matches it also in being a Banana Republic filled with corrupt or compliant politicians who care a damn whhether or not their constituents are drowned in water, blood or debt.

English Club of Oulu meeting

It has been a long time since I have attended an English Club meeting.

Annikki and I were the first registered Life Members of this Club which we had joined way back in 1985 after the Club had asked us to give a talk about India. We still have the various paintings that Annikki made for the exhibition including a beautiful one of Mother Theresa and several of Indian birds.

For several years, Annikki taught English to little Finnish children who had lived abroad and wanted to keep their English speaking skills at par. I used to give a talk to older children at every summer school.

Annikki was Chairperson way back in 1988. At that time we started regular monthly meetings where we had speakers on different topical subjects.

We had over 200 active members in the Club at that time. Activities had included from Chinese cooking demonstration at the teacher's appartment to playing Pétanque in front of the Oulu Governor's residence, and talks on the Freedom of the Press (time of the release of Satanic Verses by Salmon Rushdie) and Social English.

After her term, this idea just went to pot. There have been very few events of significance which encompassed the interests of all the members. The active membership seems to have dropped down to a much lower value now.

Today promised to be an interesting meeting. I am an sort of expert of common written errors in scientific papers by Finnish research workers. This was a discussion on "Common errors made by Finns speaking English".

We only received the circular about the meeting in the afternoon post. I thought that maybe I should take part to get out the state of depression that I have fallen into after the departure of our grandkids for Newcastle upon Tyne.

The meeting was being held at Topelius House, which is the International Centre in Oulu. Annikki could not make it as her mother is at home.

Sally Howes, the performer for today, had a couple of games which tested our English skills. I found that my English skills have certainly degraded after living in this country for 21+ continuous years. Luckily, they are not required by me as a professional requirement any longer!

We then played Pictionary. My senility was fully exposed when I tried to convey the idea of "disk" by drawing a gramaphone!

I was saved further embarrassment when the English Club Chairperson, Anna-Maija Hirvenoja, called a Board Meeting to order. I was permitted to stay for the Board Meeting.

Here are some photographs I took at the meeting. I really must get a better digital camera!

English Club Chairperson Anna-Maija Hirvenoja, Gemma Dunn
and Sally Howes (speaker for the evening)


Erkki Tjader and Anna-Maija Hirvenoja


Board Members of the English Club, Jouni Alamikkela


Sally Howes and Anna-Maija Hirvenoja


Erkki Tjader and Gemma Dunn

I remember the celebrations for the 50th Anniversary in 1985 organised by the then Chairman, the late Yrjö Liimatainen, and Secretary Pirkko Böhm. Yrjö and his wife, Annikki, were a real treasure of a couple, oozing with friendship and good spirit. The event was a grand success. Pirkko had turned out a nice little booklet "The English Club of Oulu r.y. 1935 - 1985, Past and Present" which I still treasure. (I helped in my own small way. Pirkko rewarded me by heaping a lot of undue praise "in writing" on my shoulders.)

The Club is celebrating it's 70th Anniversary in October 2005. It appears to be a carefully planned and interesting series of events over 3 days. It will be interesting to see how this one turns out, as that 1985 event is a tough act to follow.

Happy birthday Annikki

Close to 15 years ago, when we were visiting Susanna in the UK when she was studying at Exeter University, as we walked down the High Street, Annikki felt like having a cup of coffee. We walked into a rather nice coffee parlour which also sold fresh ground coffee.

She smelt a delicious aroma and ordered a cup of coffee, which, to me, seemed to be priced at an astronomical figure.

One sip and Annikki was in heaven. She exclaimed loudly that this was the finest coffee she had ever tasted. I could not know as I had given up coffee drinking about 8 years earlier.

So I asked her to buy a kilo or two to take back to Finland.

Annikki asked the price and I was dumbstruck by the figure quoted. It was priced almost as much as a pot of GOLD!!

It was a coffee called as the "Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee".

The shopkeeper explained that they managed to get only a few kgs in a year as the Japanese usually buy up the entire crop.

A couple of days ago, when I had a friend from India visiting us, I took him to the main market and found a shop which sold tea and fresh ground coffee. I asked whether they had Blue Mountain Coffee . They had - just 150 gms and at THE price.

I went out early this morning to buy Annikki all that was available in Oulu as her birthday present!

Our grandchildren left for England yesterday, but they dropped by to say goodbye to their grandmother and me. Here are a couple of shots of Annikki with Daniel and Samuel in the Kampitie garden yesterday.

Annikki with Daniel and Samuel


Annikki with Daniel

Happy birthday to my love of the last 42 years.

A depressing week

Joanna was really stressed packing for her departure for Newcastle. I was available for looking after Daniel while she packed.

Here are some photographs I took while I looked after him.

Daniel with his wry mischievous smile


Daniel with me


Daniel with me


Daniel with me

It was such a pleasure looking after this little fellow who loves to sit on my lap and for me to read to him!!

Hilja, Annikki's mother, came home at the end of the week. She is excellent health and great spirits. here are a couple of photographs.


Hilja enjoying her afternoon meal


Hilja enjoying her afternoon meal

It was sad and very depressing when Joanna and family left last Wednesday to spend a few days at a summer cottage in Kalajoki before their departure for Newcastle. I was exhausted as well.

They have rented their house to three student ladies and will get it back when they return next summer. Tony will stay in the Kampitie cellar till he leaves for Newcastle at the end of September.