Today, we thought it would be nice to have a few people around for some Pavlova and coffee so they could meet my brother and my brother could talk to some of the locals who aren't actually related to my family in any way. After sending some messages, I realised there are going to be 25+ people which means, a lot of Pavlova. There are two in this picture and another one in the oven which means, 30 eggs in all.
A little while ago I did a post with the recipe I use which you can find here if interested.
It is 30 degrees and our apartment doesn't handle the heat well plus, having the oven on since 9 am hasn't helped matters. It is a bit of a sweatbox. Add 25 people and it is going to be quite unbearable. Luckily, this is Finland so they are used to being in a sauna although, I hope there is a little less nudity this afternoon.
We will probably move outside pretty quickly I would say as there are a few children coming and it is much nicer for them to head out to the park plus, being surrounded by the green trees in this weather helps combat the heat.
We haven't really had many people come and visit us lately as we have generally just been too busy or tired to plan anything since our daughter was born so it is nice to have a few people drop by. It is funny in Finland that in general, things need to be organised weeks in advance and even then, cancellations are common. Life used to be much more spontaneous in Australia, I am sure that age plays a role.
It is interesting how much life changes and it isn't just 'having kids'. For example, I am much more social than my wife which means that even though I would like to spend more time with friends, she is happy being home doing not much.
It is actually quite common in Finland that people only have a very close circle of friends but no depth. In my opinion, this is fine until later in life as people drift away or, pass away completely. I know many couples who are relatively isolated and even though they enjoy each other's company, if one passes, the other is lost at sea.
These days though, it is getting increasingly hard to have a long-term circle of friends as more and more people are relying on social media and organised events to keep in contact. Yet, when it comes to those deep friendships, it is the spontaneous group who can drop in whenever (no matter how clean or dirty the house) who will be a support network for a lifetime. This takes maintenance.
One of the problems we have here at Steem I think when it comes to community building is that the investment required to build friendships and networks is just too much work for most people who are used to swiping for dates, and sending a smiley face for a birthday present. Effort invested into others seems so foreign.
Anyway, that is a conversation for another day. Pavlova number 3 is about ready to come out of the oven and there are litres of cream to whip and strawberries to cut. If you want a piece, you have to visit or, make it yourself :)
Taraz
[ a Steem original ]