Thursday 29 July 2010

Thursday 22nd July





We have been here at our second cottage, close to Puumala, since last Saturday. It's a much larger place than last week's, and it is also very nice, with another really wonderful lake. Anna's family arrived safely last Saturday, not long after us in fact! We haven't actually been to many places, as it's not easy to get folk transported about!


The gravel road that leads to our cottage

Cottage number 2, next to Lake Lentunen, close to Puumala.


Straight to work with some fishing. There were thousands of fish here, and they were easily caught- bream, perch, and some pike!

Anna and Olivia were immediately picking wild strawberries.
Finland is famous for its silver birch trees.

Olivia swims with her Russian grandad!

..and with a water lily!

Lake Lentunen- another beautiful lake!

Water lilies are everywhere in Finland's lakes.
Posing with Dayadushka.

Just posing!

Taxi for Baboushka and Dayadushka!
Uncle Nikolai, practising for London 2012!

The sun sets on our wonderful lake!

Sandy and Olivia, with cousin Arnold from St Petersburg!





However, we welcomed my mum and dad and brother Keith here last Sunday, and they spent a good afternoon eating and swimming in the lake with us. On Monday, I took Anna, Olga and my mum-in-law to Juva, where they searched for bargains and spent their money in the shops. We later had saunas and swimming sessions here.
Sandy, with a huge dragonfly we found in the garden!
Diving from the jetty!
I think that was Sandy!
This is definitely Sandy!
Olivia with Uncle Nikolai and cousin Arnold.





On Tuesday, we all had a big barbeque and much more swimming in the lake here. The weather continued to be really outstanding, with the temperature sitting at around 30C each day!

On Wednesday, we all went the 9 mile journey up the dirt road to my mum and dad's cottage, where they welcomed us again on a very hot day for lunch. We tried out their lake- which happened to be warm, but not quite as warm as ours, then we came back and had more saunas and swims in our lake here!
At my mum and dad's cottage, about 8 miles north of ours.
The Russian and Scottish grandparents, along with their grandchildren from Scotland!
Sandy and Olivia, with Anna, Olga and Nikolai, and grandparents Irina and Vladimir.
Me, my mum and dad, and brother Keith, along with Sandy and Olivia.
View to the lake from my mum and dad's place.

Before we went up there, I had taken Olivia to the doctor's in Juva, as she had been bitten by some type of fly which had gone a bit nasty. There, we were given some cream to apply, and hopefully it would begin to clear quickly.

On Thursday, we met my parents at Puumala, on another very hot day, and took some wonderful pictures of the fantastic scenery there, after having our lunch in a lakeside cafe.
Puumala, eastern Finland, a beautiful village.
Next to the water at Puumala.
View of the harbour, Puumala.
Brother Keith with Puumala harbour behind.

What a view, with the temperature at 32C!
Above and below, on Puumala bridge.


Small boats abound in Puumala! It would be a great place to rent a boat for a day or two's sailing!

We then came home and swam again in our wonderful lake here. I think we have been amazingly lucky with the weather- it has been 30C or higher almost every day we have been here- with only one or two days when the temperature has only got as high as 28 or 29C!!
Anna and I enjoy the sun at the jetty of our cottage.

Olga and Nikolai.

We have only seen rain one morning, which cleared up very quickly (Monday this week). The forecast suggests it might rain heavily on Saturday, as we head back to Helsinki- we will see! We have also been incredibly lucky with our two cottages and lakes- both different, but very beautiful in their own way. While last week's lake, Hakojarvi, was shallow and easy to walk into, with thousands of fish, this week it has been great to dive into our deep lake from the end of the jetty here in Kaislajarvi. Brilliant :-) Have we missed home? No way- we have had the most amazing fun here in the fantastic weather, and indeed none of us wants to leave for our return journey, as it's just so beautiful here.


1 comment:

Nigel Bird said...

it does look like paradise. the purity of the water is amazing.

i'm impressed by the dives and somersaulting - shame the london olympics are probably just too soon.

i reckon a job for the finnish tourist board wouldn'g be out of the question.

fantastic.