08.10.11 – Life has been crazy lately! My last couple of weeks have left me feeling “in the weeds.” I’ve been running around trying to deal with building inspectors, the health department and realtors trying to find a suitable space for the cafe. Emma also started football (soccer) practice with a group that practices on the outskirts of Helsinki, so I’ve been trying to show her how to get out to practice by riding with her on the buses. No big deal but the round trip by bus is an hour and a half 
While Emma was practicing with her team I had some time to kill so I wandered around the field and found some colorful bushes to take some shots of. Not the best post but I hope you enjoy the shots.
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Too bad you are not posting anymore. I like your blog.
Thanks for the comment and “kick in the pants”
I was just thinking about posting this morning 
I’d submit that weeds are about done for the year in Finland.
Bring a good book Tom!
I assume you have the Helsinki book of timetables..? It’s fairly useful. If you don’t, you can get one (or several) for free in the HSL office in the tunnel under the central railway station. They also have the timetables for Vantaa and Espoo.
Sometimes the Reittiopas website doesn’t find the most convenient route. That’s when the map of routes in the back of the timetable book becomes useful. (Interpreting it may require some time and a proper map of the city, though.) Books, of course, work independently of internet connectivity. Besides, they cost way less than the N hundred euro smartphone (in this case: nothing) and can take rougher handling.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed this but the commuter trains are way faster than buses if your destination is anywhere near a station and they tend to run more often. I’m not sure if Reittiopas conveys this fact very well either.
So, instead of a 45-minute bus ride, you might be able ride a train for 10-20 minutes and walk for another 5-10 minutes. (Or catch another bus.)
The thing about Reittiopas and similar sites is that unless you know how long it takes you to to switch transportation (varies per location and transportation used) and how fast you walk (varies from person to person and depending on location), it can not tell you the fastest or the most convenient way. Even then there are fluctuations and it has to err on the side of making connections. So, while it is a useful thing to have, it is not always as useful as people might think.
I don’t know what I would do without my iPhone. Luckily when I first moved here a Finnish friend told me about an app ReittiGPS which has saved me many times. Between that and Google Maps, I would be do lost.
I know exactly how you feel “in the weeds” this last few weeks myself. Time’s going so quickly and there’s more and more to do. You end up forgetting half of what you’ve done, or forgetting something important!
At least we both managed to spare little bit of time for photography. Sometimes that can help no end!
Luckily there’s always time for photography
Not always time to post though!