But I Smile Anyway…

Moi all!

That’s ‘Hello’, for those of you that aren’t familiar with Finnish, or you could say ‘Hey’!

So far we have had a fantastic time!

The journey to the airport could have been a bit better, we got stuck in traffic… thank you M25! But we got there in time, checked in, and had a few rushed moments to get to duty-free, then on to the flight.

It is not fun travelling with two kids at that “I HATE my brother/sister” stage, and that is exactly what we were dealing with here!

But we managed to land without bloodshed and the promise that Hubby Dearest sit in between them on the way home!

In the taxi, Lil Man was practising his Finnish, or the one word he knows… Moi. If said twice, Moi Moi, it means bye.  He asked the driver if, because we say Moi for ‘hello’, and Moi Moi for ‘bye’, is ‘bye-bye’ Moi Moi Moi Moi? That got a few giggles!

We arrived, and the hotel was great, though the room really HOT!  We had been upgraded from a family room to a superior room, though I struggled to tell the difference… still, we got a balcony and a sea view!

My brother snuck out without letting Pops know and popped over to see us, to make plans for the forthcoming surprise then left, so we could get unpacked.

The next day was the surprise photo shoot.

As we were eating breakfast, I got the following message from my Pops…

Sat Siri Akal everyone.
Just had breakfast.
Talking to your brother, I told him it was always in my mind, I wish we had a whole family photo so that I can see the whole family as I get up in the morning, rather than loooking at individual pics.
He says when they come to the UK in July we will do something.
May Guruji make his idea and our wish true.
Wish you were here today.
Don’t get upset, I love my whole clan dearly.

That’s it, he knows. We were convinced. The surprise has got leaked…

We were convinced. The surprise has got leaked…

The surprise has got leaked…

My brother came to get us. And he reassured me that no, Pops has no idea, but he was just very emotional this morning, wishing we could have all been together.

Mum, my sis in law, nephew, and Pops were at the studio and we arrived 5 minutes after them.

It was a good thing Pops was sitting down when we came in.

His face just dropped in shock, then he gave me the biggest hug, and said, ” I have no words…”

There were tears, many hugs, and lots of love flying around, as he came to terms with the fact that his wish was going to come true!

The photo shoot went swimmingly, with whole family shots, individual family shots, all the combinations you could imagine, and some individual shots too… My brother thought it could be a good shot for when I finally get that book out there, and can say I am officially a ‘Writer’!

Since then, we have walked lots, been to many of the numerous parks for children littered around the inner city of Helsinki, And Lil Man got to go to the Team Finland cricket stadium, which he loved! We’ve been to the Cathedral, markets, the Wooden Church, and the kids saw the giant Weeing Man too!

It was soooo hot today too, 23 degrees celsius, which , though pleasant, I wasn’t prepared for!

Still, walking lots, in slightly warm clothes, may do wonders for my weight loss!

Tomorrow we head out, on the ferry to the zoo! It’s on an island!

It’s been wonderful, building special memories for us all, with Pops and Mum, and my brother and sis-in-law, my own little family, and most importantly, my lil nephew. We don’t get to see him enough, so these few days are even more precious so that his little 18 months self can remember us all too. Those little giggles, the cheeky monkey faces and hugs are so amazing!

I will post photos when I am back at home, but it has been wonderful so far!