Sonic Youth - Youth Against Fascism

I first heard this song 23 years ago and listened to it on repeat; after hearing that UKIP won 135 seats in local elections last night in the UK it seems an appropriate time to replay  Kim and Thurston...

I'm not at all surprised ....historically times of austerity have always fanned the flames of fascism; disempowered communities turned off by conservatives who are ideologically opposed to welfare state expansion have no-one else to vent at but the immigrant/ the benefit cheat/ single mum....

And with the tripling of university tuition fees under the current coalition government and the scrapping of the education maintenance allowance down south,  it is no bloody wonder that the giant turd Farrage and thug friends got elected...

Of course we have the EU elections here in Finland on Sunday so it's really interesting to see what's going to happen here as the UKIP equivalent, the True Finn party, have made massive inroads of late...It is too depressing to think about so all I can do now is listen to Sonic Youth.  Loud.  And
hope that this discontent somehow translates into yes votes in Scotland come September 18th...

But positive news!

Tomorrow we are off to the first festival of the summer in Helsinki, the multicultural village festival and we can  not wait!  85,000 people attended last year and I hear it's even bigger this year.   The theme is South America and there is an excellent kids field as well as brilliant talks from disability rights activists, a Moroccan journalist is speaking on life in Morocco post-Arab Spring, small scale farmers and climate change in Indonesia, notions on the Mexican Zapatistas and Zapatista autonomy and Latin American communities in Finland...right up my street!

here is a link if you want to take a look xx

http://www.maailmakylassa.fi/english/home

Happy Weekend!

Happy Finland (Pharrell Williams & Aki Kaurismäki)

Photovoice: Hameenlinna buses

Spring has arrived in Hameenlina and the city has burst into bloom; it is a delight to walk around and see the cherry blossom everywhere and breathe in the heady jasmine scented air....So lucky to be here in Finland right now...

 

 

THe photovoice group which I started last week seems to have taken on a life of its own...Lineesh joined this week; he is from Goa, India and moved to Finland recently with his Finnish wife.  He has a degree in fine art and is a master carpenter so it's great to have him on board as he is super enthusiastic....

ON Tuesday one of the group members brought in this photo of her bike which represented freedom of the city to her; her husband and her only have one car and if she didn't have her bike she would be stuck as the bus services are so limited in town.  On Tuesday my bicycle tyre exploded on the way to work and as I am now reliant on my feet or the bus service this really struck a chord with me and many other members of the group.....

SO.....lots of photos of other bicycles....
  Serious bike jealousy on the way home yesterday.

want the pink one.

too much time hanging out at bus stops....although i like this  dandelion offering at the one by my apartment...

 

 unfriendly bus drivers in the morning again...

 

 

 

 

 

really limited timetables

What about people who can not use bicycles?  The buses stop really early in the evening, and the routes are so limited....Helsinki public transport is much cheaper, much more efficient and parents with a buggy go for free.  Hameenlinna is altogether different...Taxis are a prohibitively expensive beast in Finland also....

 

My new hang out in Idanpaan...one bus every hour ...and three euros 30 for a single trip is too expensive.

 

Leningrad Cowboys - These Boots by Aki Kaurismäki

obsession grows...

Sunday Sunnuntai

A weekend spent in Hameenlinna, attending restaurant day pop-ups/ going on a childrens treasure hunt around Lake Vanajavesi/ running after my monsters and trying to find Ameenah's pink shoe...

Stories in the Helsinki Times about huge alcohol problems in the Finnish workplace...and it is overwhelming at times to deal with substance misuse problems as a front-line worker...

http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/10552-survey-alcohol-related-problems-visible-in-finnish-workplaces.html

Sad to read that Finland has slipped down the league for sexual and gender minority rights...
http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/10636-finland-slips-further-on-ranking-for-sexual-and-gender-minority-rights.html

As a front line social worker it is vital to switch off, forget, recharge, spend time with family, enjoy restaurant day....

http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/eat-and-drink/10591-timo-santala-the-co-founder-of-restaurant-day-for-one-day-everything-is-possible.html


Entrance of my local supermarket. 

In Tori, the main square of Hameenlinna...

  Malika asked me why the boy was so sad...and she wondered if they were from Morocco and what they were doing in Hameenlinna.  and I wondered also...

less pondering more cake-eating.  first pop-up of the day at the Garden Party Art Studio's...Apparently the pop-up restaurant was a Finnish invention...

second pop-up of the day in café 1932
...beautiful house and gorgeous garden

where the wild things hang out...

another weird finnish tradition to add to the list....en-route on our pop-up trail

fried pulla with rhubarb and cream.  immense.

pop-up happening....underwear out to dry

Burger Corner crazy busy

with Finnish friend Aarne

 

with Finnish friends Salla and Aarne

 

Part of Alfreddo Jarr's exhibition at the Kiasma...I had no idea Finnish immigrant policy was so poor...

Back to I Heart Helsinki # 5

I have just seen on the Guardian website that Michael Gove has proposed that child protection social work should be privatised.  What the hell is that weasel thinking now?  Prick.  First he rifled almost one billion pounds from the education budget into the free school fund and now this....And did he not recently propose testing in schools for two year olds?  Friends, I despair....

 

(Speaking of child welfare I've just read this report on the terrible state of child welfare in Helsinki...really troubling.  Here is the link to the story http://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/10624-helsinki-child-welfare-in-crisis.html)

 

Anyway Friday night in Hameenlinna and I am recovering from a hectic week; I had my mid-point meeting last Monday which went really well followed by a talk for 1st year undergraduate social work students at HAMK university, Hameenlinna.

 

This week I have taught more yoga classes for addiction as well as pre-school yoga as part of my intervention plans...I am now focussing on a photography advocacy project for the second half of the placement called Photovoice.  Photovoice is a type of photography therapy as well as a charity who help build photography skills and digital storytelling with marginalised groups around the world.  Find out more here...

http://www.photovoice.org/

I'm really looking forward to seeing what comes out of this and some really interesting people have come on board so lets see....Hope to produce something interesting in the next seven weeks.

 

 

We are spending the weekend in Hameenlinna this weekend and plan to go to Restaurant Day tomorrow (apparently the pop-up restaurant was invented in Finland).   We'll spend Sunday with Finnish friends at the national park Aulanko walking around with the kids and in true Finnish style having an outdoor grill.

 

Anyway some postcards from last weeks trip to Helsinki.  I have fallen truly and madly in love with Helsinki...My mum will have to drag me kicking and screaming from its awesome Baltic shores in July....

 

Brunch in massive in Helsinki and we are always seeking out new family friendly spots.  Sandro's in Kallio district, has been voted no one brunch spot in town at the moment and we really wanted to go as they serve Moroccan food; Malika really misses Omar's Moroccan tagines and breads.  It was fully booked though so we went to the classic spot Fazer in downtown Helsinki.

 

This place is amazing, with an excellent brunch and crammed with Moomin bits and bobs ...

 

 

and stacks of Fazer chocolate.  heaven...

for Ameenah also...

I'm getting really obsessed with Kaurasmaki and thinking of going back to Lapland in a few weeks for his Midnight Sun film festival....(this cinema is next door to Fazer's)

Malika practicing the Lion Pose from the yoga class.

Outside the classic department store Stockmann's.

We stumbled across the opening event for the Helsinki African Film Festival in the square beside the railway station; this was an Ethiopian tea tent.

INside the awesome Temppeliaukio Church also known as Church of the Rock.

Malika and Ameenah had so much fun climbing up these rocks outside the church...

 

Our Scandic home from home in Katajanokka, Helsinki.

Sunday in Kallio district

 spontaneous dance performance, Kallio Church

 

 

 

Tram 3

 

Selfie at the most unchild friendly gallery ever, the Kiasma.  do not bring your children here

 

 

 

 

 ok the tea room is worth a visit just to see these amazing high-chairs

 

 

 

 

 

much more fun to be had running up and down the slope x