STILL NO SNOW

just rain and grey.

My favorite part of town:

Beautifully kept old wooden houses and large yards with fruit trees

MERRY CHRSTMAS! 

GARDEN

How does my garden grow?

Quite well, thanks for asking.

Tomatoes (two plants) are blooming and developing fruit.

and one out of five sweet pea plants blooming and producing.  Others just kind of dried out.

DINNER 

Roasted cauliflower with lentils, not too colorful but good.

 Apple Vinegar and oil for lentils

Sun and Blue Sky

LOCAL FOOD RELAY

Bicycle relay promoting local food production. Cyclists came from Pori, north of Rauma last night and new crew continued south towards Turku and from there to Helsinki

When the old courthouse (now a museum) clock struck 10, the bikers took off. First a police car then a policeman on a bike after that the VIP people, whoever they might be, maybe town council members?

Not a big hit in this little town. The children from nearby daycare were amazingly well-behaved and attentive trough the ordeal
Spectators (Aija and I) stayed in tori, sampled some local food cooked by local chefs. We skipped the black and brown sausage and tried some veggies

And of cause we bough some potatoes and flowers for my mother.

On the way home we stopped in a local coffee shop bakery (no Starbucks anywhere in Finland) for a refreshment.

Through old town streets and over the Rauma river home we scampered.