The Wheels of Bureaucracy Go Round and Round

My struggles with official documents in Finland started as soon as I arrived in the country.  I've always been a bit of a traditionalist and assumed I would take my husband's family name when we got married. But by accident I (stupidly) registered myself in my maiden name and it's been a nightmare rollercoaster ride up and down the mountains of paperwork to get it sorted out ever since.  When people in government offices are arguing with you about what your real name is, it tends to make you question the reality of your own existence.  Just call me Jason Bourne.  And why do I have this random Russian passport?

The fact that our little family addition also needed documentation for both countries has only made the thrills and spills that more nauseating.  But hopefully we're on the last loop-de-loop of paperwork, at least for a while anyway.

In brighter news, the summer weather here in the north has managed to hang around a little for our return home, so we're sporting sockless feet and short sleeves as long as we possibly can.  The grocery stores are chock full of fresh summer veg at a fraction of the cost in the wintertime so I've been frantically snapping them up in an effort to set a little aside for those long, cheerless winter months when the only green thing to be found are the faces of those eating root vegetables for the last 9 months.

And, just a reminder to be grateful for the little things, my 'mother-in-law's tongue' finally sprouted enough shoots to fill my trio of pots in the kitchen so I don't have to shell out 16 euros for two more.  I told you  green things don't come cheap here.

Only took me 2 years to complete this little DIY project.