Misery on Ice or How Finland Won Olympic Bronze in Ice-Hockey

I know this post is a bit like London buses, you wait for ages for one then two come along at once. Last time I wrote about ice-hockey was in 2011, and here I am writing two posts back to back in 2014!

But as you must know by now, ice-hockey is more than sport to me. It reminds me of my childhood, it's part of who I am, and it makes me proud to be Finnish.

Yesterday's bronze medal match between Finland and the US, where Finns thrashed the Americans, was dubbed by the BBC commentator as 'Misery on Ice', but to me it was just a delight to watch.

Here was a team of players which included Teemu Selänne, the worlds most decorated ice-hockey player, and a veteran (he is 43 years old, in theory far too old to be still active in this, one of the most physically aggressive sports), and two others for whom this match was going to be their national swan song. They weren't easily going to give up on an Olympic medal.

But only a day before this same team (although without the wondrous goalie Tuukka Rask) suffered a dispiriting defeat against our bitter old adversaries, the Swedes, and thus missing out on gold or silver. According to Selänne, the team decided in the dressing room just before going out to face the Americans, that they were going to take the bronze - no messing.

History has shown that when Finns en masse decide something, they rarely fail. 

And what a match it was! I could barely watch when in an unusual sequence of events in the second half, with the score still at 0-0, the Finnish player Kimmo Timonen moved a broken stick left on the ice and it hit the puck being manoeuvred by a US player, resulting in a penalty shot against the Finns. When Patrick Kane failed to score, I had a feeling this was a crucial psychological moment for the US team. I was proved right; Finland scored two goals in quick succession and in the third period made the final score a joyous 5-0!

The Finns on ice looked the better team, but you could also tell that, unlike the Americans, they really, really wanted to win.

As if Teemu Selänne, who scored two of the five goals, wasn't a complete star in Finland already, he will be now. Here is an interview with him and some of the other team members after the match. Even if you don't speak Finnish, you'll enjoy watching these tough guys get emotional in front of the camera - except for the hero of the day, Selänne of course. He just makes the reporter weep, saying, 'I promised myself I would't cry, so I won't.'

That's Sisu for you!

Are you enjoying the Sochi games?

I know there's been a lot of controversy over these Winter Olympics in Russia, and I understand how many people feel they want to boycott the games. I totally abhor Putin's politics and can only image what horrors people have to endure merely because of their sexual orientation, or because they want to have the (basic!) right to free speech.

But as a Finn, I am completely hooked on winter sports. I don't believe that by watching the games I approve of Putin, or condone his actions.

I love skiing of all sorts, but get especially excited about ice-hockey. As a child, growing up in Tampere, known in Finland for its strong tradition in the sport, I went to matches regularly and used to be a passionate Ilves supporter. In winter, I'd wear my Ilves woolly hat and scarf with pride.

Ice-hockey has even infiltrated my fiction. In my story of immigration and family drama, Coffee and Vodka, Pappa takes Eeva to see a Nordic derby match between Finland and Sweden in Stockholm. I won't tell you what happens, but it's quite a crucial moment in both Pappa and Eeva's feeling of displacement.

Courtesy of Sochi Games

In Sochi this year, Finns have not done as well in the medal tables as they used to. Still, I'm enjoying watching them in action in cross-country skiing, snowboarding and of course ice-hockey where they beat the mighty Russians to get into the semi-finals. Sadly, though, that is where their Olympic Gold medal dreams were crudely taken away - you guessed it - by the bloody Swedes.

Though absolutely gutted, I'm pleased that we'll still have the chance of a Bronze.

The Royal Baby - Are You Interested?

Following on from my post about British Citizenship, which caused quite a flurry on two Facebook Groups, Finnish People Living in London and Britanniansuomalaiset (Finns in Britain), I thought I'd share my thoughts the Royals and the most exciting and talked about Royal event about to happen in the UK.

You may know that one of my guilty pleasures is to follow the lives of the Royals, both here in Britain and in Sweden. (We don't have a Royal family in Finland, thank goodness).

I don't go overboard with this nonsense (which it is, after all, nonsense), but I do like to see what the Royals are wearing, read what they are getting up to, and most of all, watch the weddings, which we've had quite a good crop of recently. The Swedish Crown Princess Victoria married in 2010, followed by Kate and William in 2011, and the second Swedish Princess Madeleine got wed to the British-born financier Chris O'Neil earlier this summer. To me this is just a bit of fun, or escapism. I don't wish to make a political statement with my guilty pleasure, nor do I wish to say (or for once, think) too much about the usefulness, or not, of the Royals. To me they're just like a real life soap opera. I know this is wrong on so many levels, but there we go, I told you it's my guilty pleasure.

Picture by www.hellomagazine.com

I also think that Britain really comes into its own with the various Royal events. The Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations last year, (together with the Olympics of course) were a highlight in the calendar and made the country generally feel great. There was a huge sense of community and positive feeling during whole of the summer.

As you can see I'm not dressed quite as patriotically as others were at Buckingham Palace last year.

The crowds outside Buckingham Palace during last summer's Diamond Jubilee

And now in 2013, to top it all, there's going to be a Royal baby. The due date was yesterday, so you can imagine that the press as well as Twitter and Facebook are all a flutter.

Photo by www.mirror.co.uk

What do you think about all this? Are you a Royal watcher like myself, slightly embarrassed about the fact that I enjoy the spectacle of weddings, births and funerals so much?

Or are you a confirmed Republican, who believes the Royals are just one of society's parasites?  

Andy Murray and my citizenship status

A spurious connection? Let me explain.

I've mentioned on this blog a few times now that although I've lived in the UK for the best part of my adult life, I've never felt the need to apply for British citizenship. Also, when the children were young, the crazy pre-EU Finnish laws stated that my children, because they were born outside of Finland would lose their dual (British/Finnish) citizenship if I were to apply to become a British natural.

This has long since changed (when Finnish Expatriate Parliament pushed through the legislation in 2005), and nowadays it's quite possible to be a Finnish citizen while also being in possession of another country's passport.

But, I've never seen any reason to apply to become British. Why would I? I know I live here, but I still feel very Finnish. And more importantly, not very British.

Or so I thought.

It took a Scot to change all that…last year when Andy Murray lost in the final at Wimbledon, something snapped in me. I hadn't realised how much I wanted him to win; how much I felt that his winning would also mean that my nation would win. When I was struggling to hold back my tears, and Murray freely shed his on Centre Court in 2012, I suddenly thought, hold on a moment: why am I in tears - UK isn't my nation!

Roll on a few weeks, and Murray is in the Olympics Tennis Final and WINS! I cried like a baby. It was the day after Super Saturday when Team GB got so many medals, and I'd been joining in all the celebrations, laughing and crying, and feeling very patriotic towards a country I have rebuffed so long.

So I decided I would apply for British citizenship. Finally.

And then British winter happened, it rained, and rained and rained, and the citizenship application lay unattended to -  forgotten in a obscure folder on my computer.

Until Wimbledon comes along again, and I get the same feeling of pride in my nation: the UK. Those of you who follow me on Twitter or Facebook know that from the very beginning of the two week marathon for Murray, I vowed to apply for British citizenship if Murray won.

AND ON SUNDAY MURRAY BECAME THE WIMBLEDON CHAMPION!

Picture: The Times

So, I've just dug out the file again, and I will be sending the application on by the end of the week. Wish me luck with the citizenship test…will 30+ years in this country be enough to know the correct answers? And will Team GB want me? What if, after all these years, they turn me down?

*Makes a Munch Scream face*

Olympics and patriotism..and dogs with medals

I was going to do a final post about the Olympics today and thought before I start I'd look at what other bloggers said on the subject. I clicked on Tania Kindersley' blog and there, as usual, she summed it all up perfectly. (If you don't follow her blog, you really must. She writes a thought-provoking post almost every day and, with me at least, her sentiments invariably match my mood.)

For me the highlight of the Olympics has to be Murray's Gold Medal. Even before I moved to this country some thirty years ago, I rarely missed Wimbledon on the telly. I'm a rubbish player myself (as witnessed by my poor children once during a holiday championship where I failed to get a single point during my doubles match partnering with the Englishman), but I love the game. Daughter and I were lucky enough to see Federer win one of his earlier matches at the Olympics, and so I knew he was in excellent form. When the gold medal match started I was absolutely convinced it would be a repetition of the Wimbledon final couple of weeks previously. But no, from the very start Murray looked as if he was not going to give in this time; his expressions were almost demonic as he drew game after game to deuce and went on to win them.

When Murray served the ace, which won the match, I felt tears roll down my cheeks. I cried out of happiness for a good few minutes, so much so, that Daughter, laughing, had to tell me, 'Pull yourself together woman!' (She's very English, that one).

Murray posted this on his Twitter feed the next day - the champion even has the same breed of dog I (we) do!

Afterwards watching Murray being interviewed, and realising how much his winning meant to me, I suddenly understood that, for the very first time in my life, I felt more British than Finnish.

'I'm going to apply for British Citizenship,' I announced to the Englishman and Daughter later that evening.

'About time,' the Englishman said and Daughter just smiled. (She knows me too well)

The rest of the Olympics I cheered even more empathically at all the British competitors, cried at each medal won and lost, and at each BBC montage (they are too good?). I no longer tried to hold back my emotions as I had before, feeling I was such a hypocrite since I wasn't even British. I finally realised that feeling you belong to one country doesn't mean you give up another. (There were very few Finns competing at the 2012 Games since Finns are more proficient at the winter sports; a fact which helped).

I was, however, brought down to earth with a heavy bump this morning when I found out how much British citizenship costs these days. Oh well, I guess it's the thought that counts?

London a friendlier city during the Olympics?

Picture: Time Out 

Before the 2012 Games, the greatest worry for the organisers and ordinary Londoners was transport. How would the already overcrowded public transport system cope with the extra 260,000 people estimated to come to London during the Olympics? Even I had my doubts before the games, when, once again I tried to catch the tube on an ordinary commuting day from Kings Cross, and had to wait for several trains before being able to squeeze myself (dangerously) onto the carriage. I also knew that many tourist hot spots, such as Covent Garden tube station, are often closed during busy times.

However, today on Day 7 of the Games, the general traffic chaos which was predicted in central London has not materialised. As a family we've been to three events, and have found that we've got to our destinations pretty much in the time predicted by the official transport sites, such as Get Ahead of the Games and TFL. Even the Jubilee Line, which goes to the Olympic Park, was OK on Tuesday when we were making our way back from the women's gymnastics at the O2 Centre at the same time as the spectators were leaving Stratford. We haven't, though, tried to drive into the centre of town. (But this is something we'd not normally do anyway, so it'd be foolhardy to drive in London while the city hosts the biggest sports event in the world.)

It does seem that both the tourists and ordinary Londoners have kept away from the city, so much so that the retailers are complaining that the visitors have been scared away by the pre-games information campaign. But then it's fairly typical for this country that if one day we predict the end of the world, the next we are dissatisfied that it never happened and life carries on as normal…

For me, however, I've noticed an improvement in the general mood while travelling on the tube and bus. On several occasions now the Englishman and I have got into conversations with people on the tube, something which never normally happens. The few commuters who are not having duvet days working from home, seem to be more than happy to help the visitors find their way, or even smile (the country is going to the dogs) at tourists draped in their countries' flags, celebrating a medal, or just being happy to be here in London.

Our local area are hosting the Dutch at Alexander Palace, which they've renamed Heineken House, and I'm getting quite fond of seeing the orange-clad revellers on the bus, smiling and generally being happy. What a difference a few days make to the general mood in the country! Gold medals help, of course…

Helen Glover and Heather Stanning who won gold yesterday. Photo: Guardian

Federer at Wimbledon in the London Olympics

Two happy campers!

Daughter and I managed to get a pair of last minute Olympic tickets to see the tennis at Wimbledon. Before the day, we had no idea who we were going to see, nor what kind of seats we'd have on Centre Court. All the same, we were more than  excited. Daughter had never been to Wimbledon, and I'd only been once more than ten years ago when some delightful clients of ours gave us a pair of Centre Court tickets.

This time, we decided to leave home early, as the recommended journey from Crouch End took us via Vauxhall. We, however, met with no crowds, just helpful staff both at the Wimbledon station, village as well as at the venue itself.

When we got to Wimbledon, our first thought was to find out who we were going to see. We both whooped for joy when we saw Federer on the board. When we found our seats were level with the Royal Box at the other end of the court, we were just amazed.

And when Federer and Benneteau came on court, the atmosphere on Centre Court was electrifying. Daughter whispered, 'We're close enough to smell Federer!' What a pleasure it was to watch the two master players fight it out. It's just a shame in the Olympics the matches are shorter, and with Federer's masterful strokes, he easily won in two straight sets.

Wimbledon station wasn't too crowded.

The day's play

Swiss fans were all out for their star

This is how close to the court we were!

Benneteau serving. 

Seppi and Del Potro having a rest.  

To cap it all, we even caught Federer waving to the crowds after he was interviewed on the balcony of the players area. We swooned. (And I forgot to take a picture!)

Today we're off to see the women's gymnastics at the North Greenwich Arena (or O2 as it's known here in London).  Let's hope Team GB do as well as their male counterparts did yesterday.

Olympic fever reaches London - at last!

I just love this picture of David Beckham holding the flame as it arrived in Cornwall in May. Photo: Guardian

Over past twelve or so months I've sometimes despaired at the attitude this city, that I now call my home, has had towards the Olympics. Especially my former employer, our national broadcaster, the BBC, seem to have taken delight in putting the most negative spin on the Games.

Each night on the national BBC TV news it's been bad enough, but on the local London BBC channel there has been nothing but whinging about the forthcoming 'traffic chaos', 'security shambles', 'commuter nightmare', and 'failed promises about the sporting legacy'. The local Olympic reporter, Adrian Warner, has ended each report with a comment such as, 'but there are people who worry that the Games will disturb their daily lives.' Really?

If there was a report on the building of the Olympic Park being on time, it'd be followed by a negative comment about the cost. They'd have Londoners on who had issues with the security, shop-keepers in Stratford centre who worried that their establishments wouldn't get the footfall they normally receive, black cab drivers who not being allowed into the Olympic lanes, were complaining that (in spite of the increased fares which were not mentioned) due to the traffic queues, their income during the Games would be reduced. Reports on the 70-day torch relay through the British Isles, which this week reached London, have been subdued, even though the public reaction to the torch bearers exceeded all expectations. In spite of the unseasonal wind and rain both the runners and spectators had to endure.

The worst of all has been Radio 4, which even compared the Olympic Lanes (which will help the competitors and officials reach the Olympic Park without having to get stuck in traffic) to the ZiL lanes in Moscow. Even though the correspondent in Moscow made the point that the Olympic Lanes will only be in force during the 17 days of the Games, whereas in Moscow, the ordinary people have to endure the officials whizzing past them every day of the year, the programme still ended the report on a negative slant.

But yesterday, when the Olympic torch reached central London, the reporters seemed to have made a secret pact to start celebrating the Games. There were smiles all around, even the whinging London reporter, Adrian Warner, smiled on camera! I nearly fell off my seat.

So today, when the Olympics will finally open, I hope the negative press will at least take a back seat here in the UK. Let's look forward to the opening ceremony, created by Danny Boyle, UK's foremost theatre producer and film director. Let's celebrate the fact that the greatest sports event is coming to Britain, that this country is actually pretty good. That London, the Capital - to quote this week's Time Out - has 'Better museums than Berlin, cooler art than New York, wilder bars than Chicago, and finer food than Paris.'

Our Mayor, Boris Johnson, put my feelings into words last night. He whipped up some national pride when the Olympic flame reached Hyde Park. It was just what the disparaging BBC reporters and whinging London cab drives needed!

Olympic Torch Relay

It's mainly a photo post today.

You must know by now how I feel about The Olympics. I have severe Olympic fever already and so when I saw the torch relay was coming quite close to us, I immediately decided to walk to Prior Road to see it. The atmosphere was fantastic - the road was lined two or three deep as far as the eye could see. People were cheering anything that went past: sponsors buses, policemen on bikes and motorbikes, relay staff jogging, waving flags or unicycling…

Here is the next but last torch bearer of Day 68, who was going to jog up to Alexander Palace and hand the Olympic flame over to Daley Thompson.

The torchbearer is Bill O'Connor - a teacher and a marathon runner who has inspired generations of children achieve their goals through sport.

And here's a video of Day 68

Olympic Torch Relay Photos & Videos - 2012 Olympics | London 2012

My guide to London Transport

The Olympics are nearly upon us and so I thought I'd give you a little personal guide to how to get around in London.

Before I start I should make it clear that I have the worst sense of direction of any person I know. I couldn't find my way out of a paper bag and often get lost in London.

Because of this, I never leave the house without my iPhone; that little blue dot on the digital map has saved me many a time, although the 3G reception in London is appalling and can fail you when you are most in need. So I make sure I prepare, prepare and prepare.

The best way to find out how to get from a to b in London on public transport is to use The London Transport site. Apart from the many maps and general information, the part of the site I most use is the search facility. It gives you the best route on the tubes and buses, which will have the shortest walk underground on stations when changing tubes, and it will even give you a little map for each change. They also give you an approximate time, which I find is always more than adequate, especially as I'm quite a fast walker. All the same I give myself another 10 minutes, and print a map of the place I am going to. I know this sounds excessive, but I hate getting lost and being late.

London also has so called Boris Bikes - named after the London Mayor, Boris Johnson, which you can rent for half an hour at a time. I haven't yet used these but would think that they are a lovely way to get a different view of London.

There are a few apps which I use while on the road.

1. The LJP app will give you the same info as the site, including status of the tube and overground lines and buses, a tube map and other useful bits and pieces.
2. Bus Checker, which gives you routes and a live bus timetables.
3. Tube Pro is an app for the severe control freaks. It gives you the tube carriage you should take to be closest to your exit at the other end. (I don't have this, but the Englishman loves it).
4. Barclay Bike App which tells you where you can find the Boris Bikes and live status on how many are available where. (As above).
 
There are also a few useful things to know when travelling by public transport in London:

1. Always let people off the tubes, trains and buses before getting on. It's polite and it makes sense.

2. Even if it doesn't look like it, bus stops have a queuing system. I've once witnessed a man being quite firm with a woman and her two teenage children who tried to queue jump. I can't repeat his words here, but be assured the woman and her off-spring made their way dutifully to the back of the queue.

3. Most busses do not sell tickets: you have to buy them in advance from machines at the bus stops.

4. All buses, tubes, overground and trains have an effective system of telling you what the next stop is. On the tube the woman even tells you which side of the train the next platform is.

5. When crowded, the tube can be hellish, especially if it's very hot. Often it's easier to get on a bus, or walk. In the centre of London tube stops are very close to one another, so it's worth checking on a map how far your destination is. But if, in a crowded compartment, you find your nose precariously close to a tall man's armpit, don't even think about making eye contact or cracking a joke about the situation. In London it's just not done. Try to pretend you're alone on the train, everyone else does.

6. As a Londoner, I use an Oyster card, a prepared travel card, which can be topped up at tube stations or newsagents and similar shops. It costs a little to buy one, but it is the simplest and cheapest way to get around. But there are day travel cards, and single tickets, all of which can be bought from the underground stations.

No-one really seems to know how London's public transport will cope with the additional crowds that the Olympics will bring. There are many people proffering the chaos theory both publicly and privately. There's even a comedy TV series on the preparations for the 2012 games, something that could only be done in Britain. (Brits do like to laugh at themselves.) But I think we who live in London will all do our bit to make the visitors feel welcome. I am a huge supporter of the Olympics, and believe that the games are a resolutely good thing for London.

So enjoy your visit, whether you are coming to London for the games or just for the shopping, and use the public transport. It's cheaper than taxis, it's much better than it was, say ten years ago, and it makes you feel like one of the locals!

Westfield shopping centre in Stratford

The Olympic site as viewed from Westfield shopping centre. 

I was planning to write a post about the Westfield shopping centre in Stratford near the Olympic site today, because last week Daughter and I finally got to go and test this, the newest shopping mall in London. But before I even managed to put one finger to keyboard, I had an email from Bloglovin and saw that my blogging guru and friend, Liberty London Girl, had only yesterday blogged about exactly the same thing.

My experience at Westfield Stratford wasn't as negative as LLG's; we actually quite liked the shopping centre. It has all the brands you'd expect and few that you wouldn't (Mulberry and Prada were a surprise to me, although I never got to sample their wares - read on....).

The staff in the shops seemed friendlier than they are, say, on Oxford Street, and the space was light and airy. There were nice chain restaurants to eat in, as well as the normal cafes and fast food outlets.

But, but.

I completely see the points LLG makes. (You can read her post here, I won't recap too much). Even though we had chosen a less busy day, (last Thursday, just before the Easter school holidays in the UK) and a time (11am to 4 pm), and we are both able bodied, it was still a real challenge to find our way around the centre. It's true that there are far too few signs or maps; the doors are heavy and there could be more guidance on which way to exit the shopping mall. When I wanted to head home, I had to consult a poor shopping assistant on her break to find out if I was walking in the right direction for the London Overground (I wasn't). The loos are incredibly few and far in between; I can't imagine what happens when the centre is full - we had to queue at the ladies when it was relatively quiet.

Also due to the lack of maps or directions, we completely missed the outdoor shopping area, The Street, even though we had lunch at Jamie's Italian - which was very good - and which is situated right by The Street. Hence I missed out on Prada and Mulberry. A shame, although with my strict budget at the moment all I could have done was to drool look.

So, for all its faults, Stratford is still a place I'd rather visit once than not at all, especially now when the Olympic site is getting its finishing touches. I, at least, felt quite excited when I got the occasional glimpse of the Olympic buildings. But then, as a fairly new Londoner I sometimes still feel such a tourist when going about the city.