Best laid plans... : (

It's fall break week in our town, and Annu had long since planned to take herself and the boys to Kuopio to her mother's. It's such a long drive that one will not take it lightly, especially with kids.

And then the impossible happens: Reko is taken down with a nasty bug: a high fever, with belly cramps and headaches on the side. It began yesterday for good, although he was a bit out of it on Sunday already, but we thought he was just tired. He was, but for a reason... Mind you, our boys are very, very rarely down with anything, but on the rare occasion when something manages to break through their defences - well, it tends to be pretty tough going then.

There was extra drama with Reko's falling ill, because Annu had a day off and she was spinning and bodypumping away (yes indeed!) in a nearby town - without her phone that she always carries like 10 centimeters from her. But not yesterday, so the school calls Make at work, and when Annu remains unreachable, he leaves work for the day, takes the train home to Järvenpää and worries himself sick on the way. The sight of Annu's mobile on the kitchen table was such a relief - rarely has Nokia made someone so happy, for real!

Reko is so brave and he tries hard not to worry us unduly. He fails, of course, but it's moving to see him try to keep a brave face. We naturally hope this is nothing really serious, and that he will be back on his feet in a couple of days.

Annu is in a sticky spot; not only will she miss her Mom, but with Atte healthy (at least for now) and Reko the way he now is, there's little chance of leaning back and enjoying the fall break :-( Make is no help, he's working this week all week.

Before things turned the way they are now, us adults in the family celebrated our 12th wedding anniversary on Saturday. A very nice celebration it was, and we also learned that the legendary restaurant Kosmos in the downtown Helsinki nowadays offers delicious veggie dishes too!

Fight the fall season bugs, people. And take care of someone, ok? Of yourself at least, if no one else happens to be around.

Meeting family - and some royalty...

Spent a few pleasant hours last night at Make's half-sister Hannele's place. Make's half-brother Kullervo and his wife Jatta were also there, so it was very much a family gathering, in a way. Funny that even though the three got together for the first time ever only less than 2 years ago, it feels like there's a lot longer history together. As, in a way, there is, but that's another story.

We enjoyed ourselves and were thus reminded that we ought to visit people more, maybe. Annu more than anyone has been saddled with work; on top of her regular hours she's put in some extra time. But a week from now it'll be autumn vacation: Annu and the boys will travel to Kuopio to her mother's. And Make will spend some time watching horror, flying virtually and whatever middleaged men do when they're by themselves. Drink beer and check out the sports channels?

A week ago we had a fabulous time at the Finlandia Hall, when the vocal group Rajaton, along with Sinfonia Lahti and some top-notch rock musicians performed a full set of music of Queen. Most often the rock+classical combinations don't work but this time it did, wonderfully. The singers in Rajaton were in good shape, and the orchestra, arranged and conducted by Jaakko Kuusisto, was very much in the right wavelength. We got the cd as well, and even if you just can't beat the originals, Rajaton and Sinfonia Lahti have made a very respectable and enjoyable tribute to the greats.

Coming up next Sunday: our 12th anniversary! So many years... and we hope to have countless many more - every second's been worth it! Cheers, everyone!

Go and be good to someone, ok?