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There is a small but finite probability that Famille Renewable will be given the chance to decamp these Sceptered Isles and more to Finland. Yes, seriously!

I have found myself mentally weighing up the pros and cons with a PO-type calibration. Even down to whether or not the making of Whine at home is illegal in that part of the world. (It isn't. Just.)

My weather reference says the summer (JJA) temperatures are the same as here, it's just the winter ones (NDJF) that are the shocker. House prices, I found to my chagrin, are as ludicrous there as here (and all the houses seem to be flats). All of which will make growing food rather impossible. The Finnish language has 2(two) known relatives, and 15(?) cases. But on the plus side, the place is 72% forest...I'm not sure what that even looks like! And the "social" side seems better than the UK, also there's plenty of space.

Has anybody on Board ever lived there? Been there, even? Or know someone who has? All thoughts/speculations welcome.

Hey, fair play to you RC. The very best of luck to you. Finland has it all!

Here's a good article about the sensible attitude to 'trespassing' in Finland.

I've been in Norway a few times and the cold is more bearable than you'd imagine, as it's much drier.

Blimey thanks for the Orlov...how did I miss that??

Another thing...lip balm. Essential.

Thanks. I guess citronella's pretty crucial and all.

emordnilap wrote:Finland has it all!

What a grand adventure! Way too many questions of course but for starters would this be a permanent move or something on the order of a decade move to fill out one of the RC's carrier paths and then a retirement back to the UK or Bermuda? No point is trying to secure land and permanent housing if you have a leave date in mind. 75% woods? Probably all it is good for, best not waste your time doing something else with it.

I know someone from Norway, and they speak well of both Norway and neighbouring countries as being good places to live both whilst times are normal, and post crash.

Good points
Low population density
tolerant society
Well forested for fire wood and to export
Plentiful oportunities for winter sports and hunting.

Bad points
Very cold, heating is an absolute requirement, unlike much of the UK in which one could survive without heating.
High taxes, on alchohol and many other things.
A bit cold for agriculture or gardening

On balance I think that I would prefer either Finland or Norway to the UK.

Drawbacks I have thought of:

Gardening severely limited
Winemaking prob all but impossible (I wouldn't be able to source the bulky kit)
Insects that eat me alive (I got to know their cousins in Russia )
That LANGUAGE! 14 cases!!

Nice things:
The Scandanavian Model (No not that I mean the economics)
Snow (I like snow)
proper insulation

If we go ahead, it'd be a permanent Northward relocation of the Renewable C of G.

An observation on the language. We had a group of Finns contracting at a company I used to work for. They spent most of the time talking English to each other!

On the upside when you master the tongue you'll find ready employment as a translator.

Whatever you do I wish you luck. I think you'll be able to get round the gardening problem 24hr sun in the summer!!

As long as they have UPS there can be wine by the case.

Did you pick up from the Orlov article the interesting stuff about the language? Apparently gender inequality is not really an issue in Finland, as they have no seperate words for He and She in the language. Also, there isn't really a way of separating the present and the future in linguistic terms, which has the effect of the future being perceived as "now", not some ethereal place we don't have to worry about.

FWIW, I understand that Finnish has similarities with Hungarian, which is totally unlike any of the Slavic languages around it.

I wouldn't worry too much about the winter temperatures. They take hyper-insulation and triple-glazing for granted. Wood-fuelled heating is the norm, and the market for wood fuel is mature and well-organised. Much better than here in that respect. (there's a Finnish guy who posts on the Arbtalk forum - gives some good insights).

Do you have to live in a flat? Surely there must be rural properties available? Or, failing that, do they have an allotment system, I wonder? Thinking about it, the notion of a super-insulated timber house in the woods, with the Northern Lights arcing over the tree-filled vista sounds very romantic, but urban living may be more practical given the severe winter conditions.

Either way, sounds very exciting!

ETA, I imagine you will love the light. I've never been to Finland, but have spent time in St Petersburg. The colour and clarity of the light there is amazing (as it is in Northern Scotland)

My brother-in-law lives in Oslo, and the Norwegian government (or his employer... can't remember which) covered the cost of him taking night classes in Norwegian. He's been there about 11 years and is quite fluent now. I know Norwegian is (North) Germanic and therefore related to English (West Germanic), and that Finnish is Finno-Ugric, and will be MUCH harder to learn, but hey, exercising the brain is good for us

You could live in an awesome super-insulated eco-house, and make us all jealous!

A plan of sorts has been formulated. If Marvellous Other 1/2 gets shortlizted for what they want to do over there, I shall accompany him and suss out the territory. If it looks crap and soul-less (i.e. like those parts of the USA where you can't really live without a car) we stay put. If it looks alive and interesting, we continue to plan.

Google Streetview of the burg doesn't look too promising but that's prob only because I don't know where to look. If they have a "Dacha"-type system where you all go and live in the woods for the whole of JJA (as in Russia) that might just make up for everything else

ujoni08 wrote:You could live in an awesome super-insulated eco-house,

with attached polytunnel.

f they have a "Dacha"-type system where you all go and live in the woods for the whole of JJA (as in Russia) that might just make up for everything else Very Happy

Sounds lovely- do they commute back for work during these months or is it one long summer holiday?