People and Languages...

I had a thought today, actually I have had several however this one in particular stuck in my mind. I've recently had discussion with two people who are either learning Finnish or learnt Finnish. And they both said that "the Finnish language sticks to the rules...Just like Finnish people" and I started wondering whether the language you learnt as a child has an affect on the way you act later on in life. This is probably waffle but hopefully it'll be good waffle...plus I'll be able to have a laugh at the French so it should be worth it :D

Let's start with Finnish, it has rules which it sticks to and you pronounce it exactly as it is spelt (so learn the Finnish alphabet and Finnish speaking becomes much easier.) Finnish people stick rules like super glue to your fingers! J-walking over here is classed as the unforgivable sin. I got shouted at the other day by an old lady purely because I crossed the road when the light was red. It didn't matter that there wasn't a car for 10miles...purely because the rule stats that you are not to cross the road on red, Finns won't cross the road. They stick to the speed limits, even though the speed limits here are actually slower then the mobility scooters old grannies drive back in England! If there is a rule there they'll stick to it... Jersey's sister got a note on her windscreen on Christmas Day purely because she didn't park her car in a designated parking spot at her parents block of flats! What ever happened to Christmas Cheer!?

So that's Finnish... French... well the French language is pretty boring, has a few irregular verbs and the rest is borrowed/stolen from English... sounds remarkable like the people! English is consistent... consistently irregular! Which makes it interesting... Just like the people...I will admit Barnsley now proves to be a bit of sticking point for my theory...I haven't met many interesting people from Barnsley...infact I'm not sure I've met anybody interesting from Barnsley...However take East Anglia for example... you get some interesting (and in-bred) people from there... People from Yorkshire and The West Country...you need an interpreter to understand them... and well people from the North they can be pretty interesting...So yeah English...interesting language - interesting people... also it's one of the best languages... don't believe me? Just look at how many people speak it! So it's one of the Best languages and is it co-incidental that the people are some of the best in the world? I think not! (yes I know you will now say what about Liverpool...well really is Scouse really English? Is it even a language? If it is it just proves my point even more!)

What else...Welsh!! Well now welsh...it's a dying language (I know that's going to any somebody! What are you gonna do about it? Throw a sheep at me? This aint Worms mate! Sheep don't explode!) So anyway Welsh dying language...and just look at the Welsh people...do you really think they're gonna last much longer? It's also a totally uncomprehensible...much like the people...it's also a bit stupid as clearly they don't understand their own language as they have to put all there road signs in English as well just incase they don't understand their own language.

So there that is my thoughts...maybe you would like to continue them and give me your thoughts on the issue...what languages do you speak? Do the native people appear to be like the language? And if you would like to nominate me for a Nobel prize for this rather excellent piece of writing...feel free... At least I've done more then Old Obama did to get his!

Is this enough Bruce?

Well having announced I had a job interview coming up I thought I had better say how the interview went! I went to meet the gentleman, also known as Juha, and having looked through my record of achievement and talked about my experience etc for about 5 mins he informed me that he would like me to work for him if I would like to work for him. So quite simply I replied yes I would! So then we spent the next 40ish minutes talking about tractors, rallying, work, and generally a bit of everything. So now I have a job until at least September. So that is very good indeed! So there you go two posts in 4 days...quite impressive :)

Apparently setting up a Blog creates expectations...

So I will write something. And I apologise for the silence. Life here continues in a slightly warmer state then what it has been for the last 2 months. The temperatures are now regulary above 0 and the sun is getting quite warm so the snow is finally going. However even the Finns have been complaining about this winter, it's been abit colder then the average. But they know how to enjoy it. They've snowplowed off a large area of the lake and everyone goes skating, and there's cross country-ski tracks everywhere...people actually skate and ski to work...which is a pretty cool way to do it. However it is a strange feeling when you suddenly realise that you are stood in the middle of a lake!

I have a job interview on the Friday coming (26th) and I already have a job offer. So hopefully I will start work sometime in April...also just got a car. They're very expensive over here, so unfortuantly couldn't afford anything quite as good as my old motor but I've got another golf just not quite as nice or powerful.

Oh and I've discovered I'm pretty good in the kitchen too! I can make a mean cake, pretty good at scones, and quite a few other cakes and meals and my most other recent triumph was crumpets. :D

Probably should write something:

Well what is there to say...it's still snowy...had two blizzards in 3 days... this week...that means alot of snow added to what was already a huge pile! Life otherwise keeps on ticking by...I have been doing a paper-round for a couple of weeks as a way to generate a little cash. I had one job offer last weekend but having been to visit the farm we came to the decision that it was too far away (about 3.5hrs from Jyvaskyla) for not really what I wanted to do. It was pretty much all cow work...feeding and milking and virtually no real tractor work to speak of. So yeah we turned that one down. But there is another possible one in the pipeline...me and Jersey (well Jersey mainly) have to translate my CV into Finnish and a few other things and I may well have a job driving tractors...but we shall see. God is good and he will take care of me and provide me with the job he wants me to do...however it would be really nice to get back behind the wheel of a tractor again...even if it is a New Holland!!! Anyway time to go to bed now

Apologies for the lack of posting.

Sam

2 weeks have gone by...

and I'm still in Finland! And it is still snowing, more then ever actually, it's practically a blizzard out there. But hey God is good is he not? He promised that While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease. Is that not good???

Anyway you may or you may not want to know what is going on in my life, so I'm going to tell anyway. I've settled into my flat fairly well. I can't say I'm overly impressed by the cleaning abilities of my flat mates...infact I'm pretty disgusted but such is life. Living here is probably keeping me a bit fit, it's about a 20 minute walk into town where Jersey lives so I've been getting a bit more exercise then I may otherwise have done...and forcing your way through the snow adds to the health side of things. Nothing yet on the job front despite sending off a lot of CVs and stuff, however this time with nothing to do has not been wasted at all...

God has really been teaching me a lot about him, and about using my time wisely for him. I think when one is in there normal home it is so easy just to let time pass, and not to really use it for God. There's always the tv or the internet, or if that gets boring you can always find a friend to see. However being out here, without many 'friends or even a tv has meant I've had to think about what to do, and I've realised that I certainly havent been spending anywhere enough time with God and because of that I've been missing out on so much of what God can give me. So I am really trying to spend more time with him and in his word. And as I a result I am really learning so much. So praise God. Trust and obey the song says, for there is no better way. And how true is that!

And here is the place I now live

my room is above the two doors, and the door on the left is the one I come and go through :D

The view from the window

And yes I have a flat!

Hello all from the freezing land which is Finland, just for all those who thought it bad winter weather in England, it was -22 day time temperature here yesterday and although it's warmed up a little it's been snowing all day!

Anyway main news from here is...I have found a flat! And I'm moving there tomorrow. It's in an old farm house about 2kms away from where Jersey lives. It's a room with a shared kitchen and bathroom and sauna :) The people who rent it out are christians who live in the downstairs part of the house. And I'm allowed to use some furniture which is stored in the loft which makes it pretty much perfect! Oh and the rent is pretty dirt cheap so things are good! I've sent off a ruck of job applications as well and I'm pestering every agricultural contractor in the land so hopefully God will have something in store for me.

Anyway I'm hungry so I'll post more another time

It's a new dawn it's new day it's a new life for me and I'm feeling good!

Well I have made it to Finland, for a change all the planes were on time and it was a pretty easy journey. Jersey's parents decided they were going to pick me up from the airport which was interesting because they don't speak any English and I dont speak much Finnish yet! So 2 hours in the car with them was an experience. But anyway I have made it here and today we're going to look at a flat for me and phone up some possible employers.

On another rather sad note. My former farm manager, Phil Preston, one of the most knowledgeable farmers I've ever come across died on Saturday night while he was on holiday in New Zealand. It's thought it was deep vain flambrosis which obviously he got on the flight. But needless to say everyone who works/worked on the farm is devastated, none more so than his father Bill Preston who also worked with us. So yeah if you could remember the family and lads who work for Taylors in your prayers it would be much appriciated.

Well let me see now...

Yes that is correct, I, Samuel Hardy, am leaving these pleasant green shores to go the cold, snowy shores of Finland. And this blog will serve as a very unreliable, irregular source on information on whether I'm still alive. So if I don't post anything for a while don't get your hopes up it doesn't mean I'm dead, it just means I could be bothered writing! So yeah I might wack a few pictures up here for those of you who don't do facebook (like you Mother) and I'll write the odd thing now and again, just don't expect it to be good english!

keep in touch

Sam