Tidbits from Lauttasaari

Most people seem to take pictures only at their holidays, and at birthdays and when someone marries. That makes for an odd archive of your life, doesn't it? Likewise most news, and a huge portion of blogs focuses on accidents and large disasters. No, i don't think we should pretend there aren't problems, but this hung-uppedness of the tragedy of life makes for a very odd archive of our lives, doesn't it?

There was a bad car accident yesterday evening at Lauttasaari, involving two Espoo buses, a lorry and a van on Länsiväylä. Some 30 people were injured, at least three of them seriously. We heard all the zillions of ambulance, fire brigade trucks and police vehicles trying to get to the spot of the accident. The traffic out west was blocked for hours, and cars were sent through Lauttasaari, honking their horns outside our window, and getting impatient.

So, work started again. I liked it at first, but then the server broke down, and hell broke loose. I blame it on the thunder storm that even cut the television broadcasts from the world championships here in Helsinki. At first it looked like we had managed without more than a fright, but on closer inspection our server room was damaged. So now i am shopping for a new one...

There are few things as sweet as the smell of a summer morning in August in Helsinki. The smell is sweet, and carries a hint of water. This smell brings me back to our sailing days, when we crossed the canals in France with a small boat. I think of it as the smell of the Continent, because that is what it reminds me of. When the weather peaks out in August we call it an Indian summer, and we sure are having one right now. It is a pleasure walking the kids to school and kindergarten in the morning hours, when everything feels possible. There is a silence, and a physical sense of wellbeing connected to it.