Finnish Meaty Balls

It feels like I have been meaning to go to Brighton and visit Kaarina for ages. It must have been a year since the last trip, so while Dusan was away this weekend I made the trip down to Brighton Saturday afternoon.

Kaarina has often cooked me the traditional Finnish dish of Meatballs in the past and they knock spots off the shop bought kind, so she had promised that if I come back and stay the night she would teach me how to make them.

I took the train down early afternoon and arrived just after 4PM moments after the heavens opened and the temperature seemed to have dropped about 6 degrees between leaving London and arriving in Brighton. I queued patiently for a Taxi with the queues building and didn't mind at all when an eccentric older lady, (Think Betty White crossed with Hilda Ogden) asked if anyone wasn't in a hurry and would they mind if she jumped the line as she was late for a funeral. For anyone that wears that colour lipstick at that age, how could you resist?

The taxi pulled up to Kaarina's new flat and I spotted both Lisa and Kaarina through the shutters, both waving and eagerly opening the door and greeting me with loving open arms. Kaarina has this wonderful warmth and spirit and you can't help but wanting to spend time with her and funny to think that I met Kaarina almost the same time I met Dusan.

The last time I visited we went to Browns for dinner but this time we would stay in and cook Meatballs, so Lisa and I headed out to buy groceries and then popped into a local pub in Kemp Town for a couple of drinks and a catch up. Kemptown is like stepping back in time to an old town in anywhere England. Local shops galore, an Antique Shop, Green Grocer, Butcher, Coffee shops, Deli's and not one chain store in sight. They say the High Street is Dead. Perhaps this is the future. We are, after all, fed up with the same stores in every town across the land.

The local Pub could have easily have been the Students Bar in Harry Potter, had they had such a thing. Books and Memorabilia dawned every wall and the ceiling and a locals dog sat patiently sniffing at our food bags. The dog reminded me of Sprocket from Fraggle Rock with his scruffy fur and un hostile mannerism.

Back at the flat we made the meatballs and sat down to a lovely candlelit dinner for three catching up and enjoying Finnish Music. (So how we came to sing French Songs I will never know).

We all retired to the sofa for chats and to watch a DVD and I was the last to think that someone of her age would want to sit up so late but it was a late night for us all before we finally retired.

The phone woke me in the morning and Kaarina answered it the second time they called, waking me fully and the two of us sat on the sofa sharing memories, stories and singing along to Abba songs and Television Commercials.

It was fabulous to catch up with them both and I finally boared my taxi to the station 24 hours after I arrived, having laughed non stop and spent a truly wonderful time with two very dear friends and to top it all I can now make Finnish Meaty Balls! Yum Yum!