Day five: Mältinranta Art Centre, The Park, The Library, The Art Shop, Baking with Leena and Tina

Right in the middle of the city elderly women swim in the lake. They swim in the lake all year around. In the winter they break the ice.

I found Saara’s etchings in the shop at the Mältinranta Art Centre.

Naoise found the fountain from Catherine Putz’s 1970’s guide to Tampere. Behind the fountain he discovered a playground. Naoise made a river, climbed a frame and kicked mud in the air. I watched the mothers, the grandparents, the fathers caring for their children. The sun shone and shone.

The battery on my mobile phone ran low.

In the evening we met Leena after work at the bus stop and went home with her to bake some bread together. Tina had baked a gorgeous apple pie for us. We drank tea and then  baked bread together and chatted.

We made bread of sour yoghurt and loganberries and flax seed and three types of flour and soda. Naoise played with the next door neighbours children. Me and Naoise tried to speak in Finnish including reading a child’s book.

The kindness and generosity of Leena and Tina was so very much appreciated, we loved having a window into their lives. I must remember to ask Leena and Tina for the bread recipe.

Leena and Tina gave us a lift home to our house at Takahuhti and I put Naoise to bed…again it got later and later and two chapters later and two rounds of toast later he fell asleep. PHEWIE

There is so much to learn….always.