I don't want to overthrow the Government.....

...but I would like to buy a washing machine. Finland can be an odd country for bureaucracy. They have no problem with us buying a house here, we pay our taxes and other bills. We even have a Finnish bank account! - but the most difficult thing I have found so far is trying to buy a washing machine! Because we are not Finnish citizens, we do not have the 'magic' social security numbers to ease our way through our time here. As I couldn't understand the web site, I telephoned the store that sells them. The first lady I spoke to was extremely helpful but told me the item was out of stock, although I could still order it. Unfortunately, they'll be back in stock when we leave.

I telephoned the next day, after deciding to order one and negotiating with our lovely neighbours (who's English is not there with the chap and a little with his wife) to supervise taking the delivery. I went through the options with the different woman who was not as forthcoming as the last person I had spoken to. It all went swimmingly until I asked for the bill to be sent to our UK address, so we could pay it. It all went downhill from there. She informed me that we could not make the sale because 'you do not live in Finland'. I was quiet for a time and she asked if I had understood. I said I had - but was just flabbergasted at the response! She was clearly not going to give an inch, so I gave up. Instead, I've had to ask a friend in Helsinki to order it and hold onto it for when we come next year.

So, that's the saga - now to the machine! It is known as 'pulsaattoripesukone'. It is basically a machine that uses electricity, but you put the water in yourself. We have no running water at the house and we draw water from our well by rope and bucket. In the sauna changing room is a wood burning water heater. Oh boy, does the water get hot! So you put the water in one side and start the paddles, adding the soap powder and gently placing your clothes in it. The clothes get washed and you put them in the other side of the machine to spin. Then you rinse them, let the dirty water out, replace with clean water and repeat the process for rinsing. Genius!

We witnessed this when our neighbours showed us there 40 year old Hoover pulsaattoripeskone. And they washed our clothes for us! (Thank you Teuvo & Anita!) We have always done it by hand in the past and it just wasn't cutting the mustard any longer (cheesy towels anyone?).

So, we'll have to wait until next year to give it a try; but I'm quite excited! Which is actually quite sad :)