Saturday, October 13

Since I have no compulsory activities at all today I lay in bed until 7:45 and then got up and showered. After this I cycled to Prisma and walked from there to Stockmann. I had not managed to get there yesterday and so I needed to be early to see if what I should have got then was still there now.

It was, but only just. I bought the last three remaining bottles of bargain avocado oil. Then I went upstairs for today’s bargains, which some skincare products that Irma wanted called Burt’s Bees. Both packages were there so I grabbed one of each and left. During the first part of this process, downstairs in the deli, I had also picked up some freshly baked bread and two sorts of cheese for breakfast.

Cycling back I really felt autumn descending. For the first time since April I wanted gloves.

After getting home, I spent five minutes anointing Sunshine with the world’s most expensive disinfectant spray, before spending the rest of the morning raking leaves and sweeping up random bits of tree that had fallen on the road and yard.

At some point I realised that it looked as though the day might stay dry. It seemed a shame to waste the opportunity to do something else outdoors, so I decided to go into the centre to look at the annual Herring Market which has been there all week and finishes tonight. Walking through the centre I saw the new Hard Rock Cafe that will be opening next month. It is near Suomalainenkirjakauppa, where the women-owned sex shop used to be.

Now I am at the harbour looking around the herring market. Here are Jorre and Johanna Kellgren from Pellinki, selling their fishand bread from the back of their boat. I will buy one jar of pickled herrings from them, as much to say hello as anything. The ones I get will, according to Johanna, be swimming in apple juice. I am not sure that this is usual.

On the way back I will wonder if I should have bought two.