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Continue reading →: Southern Konnevesi National ParkDay 132 of the course and the only real rain day I’ve had so far. There have been part days typical of the ocean coast with occasional fronts passing across in a couple of hours, but even these have been few. The storm broke about 9:30 pm last night and…
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Continue reading →: Red Crosses by Sasha Filipenko
translated from the Russian (though the author is from Belarus) by Ellen Vayner First published in Minsk in 2018, Filipenko’s novel features two main characters, 30 year old Sasha, a soccer referee who lives with his young daughter, and 90 year old Tatiana Alexeyevna who is in the early stages…
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Continue reading →: In The Beginning Was The Sea by Tomás González
translated from the Spanish (Colombia) by Frank Wynne This isn’t as good as The Storm, but González’s prose is still captivating, especially when he writes about the sea, which is the case in both novels. It is about a young and ambitious couple (J. and Elena) who seek out the…
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Continue reading →: Trails of Koli
The highlight of Koli National Park outside of the winter is the ridge that extends from near the Hotel for about a kilometre, taking in three peaks all about 350 metres. The Hotel itself is at 300 metres, so it doesn’t require much effort.mI would imagine that a few weeks…
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Continue reading →: The Son of Man by Jean-Baptiste Del Amo
translated from the French by Frank Wynne – published 2024 A French family, father, mother and 9 year old son, are making their way to their father’s old house in the mountains of the Jura, but this is no holiday. We get a drip feed through flashbacks of the situation…
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Continue reading →: Koli National ParkKoli National Park was the fifth of Finland’s National Parks when it was established in 1991. Now there are 41, and it is the third most visited (Pallas–Yllästunturi, despite its northerly situation, is by some way, the most). Koli consists of gentle hills, rising to about 350 metres, lakes and…
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Continue reading →: Cadejo Blanco
Crime Drama Guatemala 2021 – recently released to streaming services This is an evocative indie crime drama with a gradual and addictive reveal. At the heart of it is a wonderful performance by the lead, Karen Martínez, just one of a powerful and yet non-professional cast. Bea and Sarita are…
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Continue reading →: Between National ParksI’ve spent the last two days moving between National Parks, from Oulanka to Koli. Koli is also in the east of Finland, and also quite close to the Russian border. But more on Koli in the next post, as I’ve just got here.. I split the journey at two places…
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Continue reading →: The Karhunkierros TrailTranslated as the Bear’s Trail, or the Bear’s Ring, this long distance hiking path runs for 82 kilometres, and is the most popular in Finland, attracting about 15,000 hikers each year. Over the course of five days I will encounter much of it, starting with the loop section which I…
To live more widely
supera superiora sequi
SafeReturnDoubtful is my alias. Rua is my fox red labrador pup, born 14 Feb 2026 and learning fast..
Where is Rua?
I was so much older then…
Quote of the Week
Alice asked the Cheshire Cat, who was sitting in a tree, ‘What road do I take?’ The cat asked, ‘Where do you want to go?’ ‘I don’t know,’ Alice answered. ‘Then,’ said the cat, ‘it really doesn’t matter, does it?’
Lewis Carroll
Safe Return Doubtful 