Finland | But I Smile Anyway...

July 26– Flash Fiction – Stranded Suitcase

27 Jul 2018 86 Comments

by Ritu in #CarrotRanch, Fiction, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: #CarrotRanch, Alone, Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Charli Mills, Family, Finland, Flash Fiction, Grandchild, Pops, Recovery, Stranded Suitcase

Charli’s prompt this week:

July 26, 2018, prompt: In 99 words (no more, no less) write a story about what happens next to a stranded suitcase. Go where the prompt leads you, but consider the different perspectives you can take to tell the tale.

Suitcase of Hope

Opening the bedroom door, the first thing I saw was the abandoned suitcase, open on the bed. Half packed, it had been left, bereft at not being full, zipped up, and off on another adventure.

I walked over, closed the lid, fastened it and placed it to one side. “Don’t worry, he’ll be better soon, then you can both go on your travels, with no worries at all.”

Pops appeared by my side, having taken a few moments longer to climb the stairs than me.

“It’s okay Pops, rest up. I’ll pack your case when the time is right.”

Today’s take is based upon true events. If you have been reading my blog recently, you’ll know that my Pops has been extremely unwell, needing emergency open surgery a few weeks back. On the day he was being operated on, my sister-in-law gave birth to my new nephew, and Pops’ fourth grandchild.

My mum is already in Finland with my brother and his family, and the plan was that Pops would be joining her there so he could enjoy the delights of his new grandchild too.

Unfortunately, that is not the (suit)case at the moment, he won’t be flying anywhere for a while. I arrived back home with my children today, to ease him back into his own home, after spending the last three weeks after being discharged from hospital convalescing at his niece’s house.

Though a case was not actually strewn across his bed, there are several scattered around the house, Mum’s part-packing jobs done before she left, so she could take more things when she does a return journey, with Pops!

He’s doing so well, considering the ordeal he went through, but still very weak. We went for a slow, short walk this evening and it was so wonderful to see my Pops almost back to normal, a little slower, a little thinner, but definitely my Pops. ❤

❤ my Pops

And here’s hoping that after his follow up appointment in September, he will be able to go and finally give that new addition a proper cuddle! ❤

https://carrotranch.com/2018/07/27/july-26-flash-fiction-challenge/

It’s Never All Gonna Be Smooth Sailing, Is It?! Finndian Update Part 2

31 May 2016 34 Comments

by Ritu in Family, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Family, Finland, Sickness, tired

We had another fun filled day today, after a very restless night.

Trying to sleep as a family in one bedroom in a hotel is ever easy, but when one member comes in slightly sozzled from a great night out, the ensuing bumping around, and settling down is guaranteed to wake the little people up!

There I was requesting Hubby Dearest to be quiet, and Lil Man woke up, worried we were arguing, and getting divorced! After reassuring him, we settled down, to hear a little ‘poot’ and Lil Princess giggling and saying ” It was only me!”

All this at 3am!

It had been planned that we would visit the Helsinki Zoo today that requires a ferry trip, as the zoo is on an island. We went, but all like zombies!

The whole family crew was tired, as even my nephew had decided it would be a great idea to wake at 6am, instead of 8am.

But the trip was fun, and the zoo was great, even though a nesting Canadian goose decided to attack me, as I rummaged in my bag to get a camera out! It pecked the top of my head, and I was in a little shock for a while!

But we saw lions, tigers, leopards, monkeys, reindeer, emus and wallabies, bears and all other animals! The kids were tired, but they had fun. It was another hot day reaching over 23 degrees celsius today!

After we had eaten a quiet family dinner, Lil Princess was sick. Wonderful!

Not sure if it was something she ate, a bug, or heat stroke!

But we came back to the hotel and settled down for an early night. Then she was quietly sick again, in her bed! It was lucky I woke, what if she’d choked on her own vomit?!

The Hotel staff were great and changed all the bedlinen. But it means that I was wide awake again, so here I am, on my 3rd post of the night! Oh well, at least I caught up on my challenges!

We are meant to be going on a speedboat ride tomorrow… but it may not be all of us going, with my Lil girl feeling how she is. And I need to be up at 5am to check in online for our return flight!

I can already feel the yawns….

Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Week 27 – ‘Vintage’

31 May 2016 10 Comments

by Ritu in Challenges, Photography Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Finland, Hugh's Photo Challenge, shoes, Vintage

It is Hugh’s Photo Challenge again! Back after a 2 week hiatus!

1. Take or choose a photo that you’ve taken which shows something that is Vintage.
2. Create a new post on your blog entitled “Hugh’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Week 27 – ‘Vintage’
3. Add the photo(s) you have taken to the post and tell us a little about what you are showing.
4. Create a pingback to this post or leave a link to your post in the comments section so other participants can view the post.

Being in Finland at the moment, I really wanted to take a photo of something here. I saw some amazing vintage cricket balls in an antique shop we passed, but my camera and phone battery had died at the time, so no photo taken there!

This whole trip has been about ‘vintage’, as we celebrate my Pops reaching that grand old age of 70, and him still being a sprightly soul!

But I found this one, and it made me think of ‘vintage’ high heels! I used a mild sepia filter on the photo to give it a slightly aged look! It was a great flower display holder made of twine and wire!

2016-05-31-23.25.46.jpg.jpeg

No matter how big,
Or even how small
Women love shoes
Oh, we love em all!
Old ones or new ones
Tall ones or short
We’ve all lost count
Of the amount we’ve bought
Skyscraper high
Or ballet pump low ones
Or beautiful vintage
You never could wear ones
It’s just an addiction
That we cannot help
Even if sometimes
They make us yelp!

Ritu 2016

It may be slightly off kilter today, but that’s what you get from a tired brain, who has spent an hour tending to a vomiting daughter! Never easy when you aren’t home, but the hotel staff have been wonderful!

Finndian Update!

30 May 2016 36 Comments

by Ritu in Children, Family, Thoughts Opinions & Memories Tags: Blog, Blog Post, Blogger, Blogging, Creating memories, Finland, Finndians, Pops

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!