The final countdown

Aki and Tina came to visit us this weekend from Australia. Well, on the way home to Australia from Leeds to be precise. We had a pretty nice weekend and we even got to drink Jim Beam and coke like old times. And get a bit of a hangover like old times too.

But on the Saturday night as I was in bed falling asleep, I realised that all the things we have been waiting for have all happened now, except one. We have been to Ähtäri for Ulriikka's dad's birthday. We have had Aki and Tina visit and now all that is left is for us to get married. It has been good that we have had things going on the whole time so that I haven't had much time to panic but now there is nothing inbetween now and then.

Last week we went to see the judge in the courts. He took us into what looked like a normal interview room off the main corridor, only for it to turn out to be a proper courtroom. The judge took his, presumambly regular, seat behind the judge's desk and we were sat in what looked like the defendants seat. He then asked us some questions about why we were getting married. Under the pressure of it all my Finnish shrank to a tiny squeak and I was too shy to say very much.

Before that I have to navigate my family and friends to Tampere from varous arrival points in Finland. However, Tampere airport is not very big. There is only one bus stop and only one bus stops at it. Helsinki airport is only slightly more complicated. So I am not expecting them to face the kind of problems that I would imagine come from landing, say, in Delhi at 2am. That said, it won't be the same without them so I hope that they make it.