Restoration

One very challenging thing in life is the restoration of old things into their former splendour, like changing the upholstery of old settees or the painting and lacquering of tables and bookshelves. Interior decorating has long been growing in interest here in Finland but it has not yet reached the heights of European standards where the French seem to be the ones having been caught by this frenzy for the longest. There is has grown into an art from to make new contemporary things look like they are antiques. The paintjobs all cracked up using special techniques with uneven paint to even more enhance the look.

Well, that is not quite my fancy, I rather like what is old and what I am accustomed to and want them to look the same from year to year, maybe a change in colour of pattern of the sofas once in an odd twenty years or so.

Finally I now am seeing the end of my latest project which has dragged out in time out of many reasons, soon we will be able to eat proper food on a proper table again, the dining room table of my grandparents that I have been working on lately.

Ripping all the old lacquering and paint, grinding the top even and polishing, repainting and lacquering it all over with the drying time in between to let it set hard before the finishing touch of waxing and furniture polish. Well it does not look like a professional job, but I am very proud of having done it and the table will be standing for hard work another 60 years at least or more if properly taken care of by the offspring.

Maybe this is where I show signs of nationality and heritage which the Finns are very keen on doing.

What is domestic as in from your home country and national as Finnish is good, at least that is what has been said since the war some fifty years ago and has stayed put. But is something better because it is done in Finland and not in Germany, or are you better because it is British and not Finnish? Carrots you do not have to speak Dutch with anyway, or Spanish to your strawberries either, you just eat them. Finnish produce is said to be cleaner than foreign, well watching the road sides where the potatoes are growing right next to the busiest roads in the country just makes me wonder.

Guess it sounds like another cup of tea for me again and getting on with the table.