Socks, Mugs and Rock’n Roll – What Midlife Crisis?

I am officially addicted! To sex, drugs and rockn’n roll? No, to socks, mugs and rock’n roll! You know how we say “labour of love” in English? Well, in Finnish (and Swedish) we have something called “labour of grief” (fi surutyö, swe sorgearbete), meaning something to keep your hands and mind occupied with, whilst going…

Dementia Action Week – The Loss of a Person

Very few people know the real reason behind my blog. People used to say to me that “so many funny things happen to you, you should write a book” and then started retelling me one of my own stories that I had totally forgotten had happened. I used to laugh it off, but inside, deep…

Can I Still Throw British People into Prison After Brexit?

It seems that after nearly 25 years in this country, I might not exist! How did that happen? Not sure I know myself! Apologies again for another Brexit shambles inspired post! In 2013 I received a very formal looking letter from the British authorities summoning me for jury service. The letter stated that as a…

Three Stupid Brexit Questions I Get Asked

Apologies in advance for my politically charged blog post.  As you know, I normally try and stay out of politics and write about my personal life experiences. But unfortunately as an EU citizen in Britain, politics have now become a part of my daily life. You see, since the Brexit referendum two years ago, I…

Mrs Finntastic’s DNA Results Revealed

The results of my DNA test are in! How Finnish is Mrs Finntastic? Will I have to rename my blog? Oh boy, did I get a surprise of a lifetime when opening my DNA results recently! I have to admit that my worst fears were actually that it was all going to be a damp…

A Marriage Between a Finn and a Brit – or a Viking and a Roman Soldier?

Have you ever struggled to come up with a brilliant birthday gift for your husband? Well, that is me every year! So I was exceedingly pleased with myself this year when a stroke of genius struck me! For years my British hubby has been stating that he thinks his ancestors were Roman soldiers. As the…

What Not to Say to Your Finnish Wife

It has been a fantastic summer so far hasn’t it? The weather has been great and I have been busying myself by enjoying the sunshine, gardening, socialising, reading and by making a nice trip to a summery and hot Helsinki. And believe it or not, I have also been dieting this summer and have lost…

“Stop Breathing!” When a Finnish Mum Got Banned From a Sports Venue

Have you ever been banned from a sports venue because you are breathing wrong and the players can hear you? Well it probably comes as no surprise to you that I have! Now before you think I am a football mum, shouting and swearing on the sidelines, telling my son to kick the opponents and calling…

A Place Called Puhelin – A Brit in Finland

Learning languages isn’t easy. Especially if you are British and used to just speaking your native tongue, English, louder when you are abroad. So spare a thought for hubby, who when moving to Finland all those years ago after falling in love with a bi-lingual Finn, had to deal with not just one, but two…

“Are You Planning on Dying, Mum?”

Before anyone gets worried – no, I am not ill and that is not the reason why my blog has been so quiet lately. But some sad and unexpected events occurred this past autumn that made me think of death and how it impacts on others, leading to some unusual actions and conversations within our family,…

The Secret is Out – Mrs Finntastic Finally Confesses

The secret is out. Well, it really wasn’t much of a secret for many of you, but anyhow, Mrs Finntastic’s identity has been revealed after a few near misses! It all started a few weeks ago. Over the last year I have been taking a lot of pictures of a big beautiful red lightvessel (LV21) that is moored…

How to Annoy Your Teenager – Tips from an Evil Finnish Mum

I admit it, I enjoy annoying my teenager. In my defence though, this is only payback for all those years of having to live with the rolling eyes, loud sighs and comments like “Are you stupid?” So how do you annoy a teenager? Here are my best tips. Act immaturely. I love playing Hide and…