120709 Celebration for the Painting

 

Today started with a big celebration. Two boats full of people came here to inspect and celebrate the painting work of the lighhouse. We had here old and new crew, the architects, the painting company´s boss, the ex Märket lighthouse keeper KEE Eriksson plus Ville, Bror-Eric and Pekka, who have been supporting the painting from the continent. We also had represenatives from the society that paid the painting, which is called Jane ja Aatos Erkon säätiö. And of course Sjöströms, the great transporters of us.

We raised champagne glasses for the successful painting and had even fresh strawberries with them! We heard some speeches, and after them The Finnish Lighthouse Society gave its annual prize for the most important work in preserving the lighthouses to architect Tapio Rönkönharju, who have planned many restaurations of Finnish lighthouses, latest of them beeing Märket which he did on a voluntary basis!

It was quite a strong wind when the old crew started their way home (most of the guest had left two hours before). Sjöströms boat could not land so Jari went to pick up the small rubber boat to take the people to the boat.

From left Jari, Päivi, Jake, Eeva and Heikki and we still have here the veteran Jari K who took the picture. Its windy and sunny and lovely here. We even saw our first seal tonight – so qute.

 

130709 Dishes and Visitors

 

We were doing the dishwashing for this morning in a quite nice weather but it was still a heavy wind. We had to move the dishwashing table here behind the historical toilet wich is now used as a shower room for us workers.

Today the guys did a great work putting up the scaffoldings to fix the roof. It was a hard work and took the whole day. Tomorrow is then the day for the painting.

We had this nice doublecouple wisiting Märket today. They came in sailing, but we picked them up with the motorboat from buoy because of the wind and the waves. We had such a nice time showing these people around. At the same time we had also three seals wisiting us and there were lots of pictures take again – of course. What a nice day!

 

140709 Another Hardworking Day

 

Morning started in a thick fog around Märket. Behind the fog we heard the seals singing and from somewhere in the direction of Sweden we heard the ongoing sound of the fog signal.

This morning we started to work with the roof of the machinery house and we hope to finish it tomorrow. Also two walls of the machinery house was painted and for that the guys had to build the high construction stands – this work will also continue tomorrow.

We had only one visitor today, who had the courage to come all the way to Märket through the fog and arriwing with wild waters and that was the boat picking up the huge empty watercans for to return them filled tomorrow, so that we can continue washing the walls. We saw a couple of phalacrocorax carbo and they were huge and beautifull.

During the dinner we still discussed yesterdays latenight cardplaying game – we also wondered where the playcards wich were brought to Märket last summer had disappeared? Tomorrow we will luckily have a lots of visitors and thats always exiting and very nice.

 

150709 Busy Sunny Day

 

As You can see from the photo we have now done all that we can for fixing the roof of the machinery house, so we are waiting for the tinsmith to arrive.

Quite a lot happened today: First the engine of our motorboar broke and it took quite a while from Jake and Jari K got it fixed. Then the coastguard arrived at Märket with the superfast rubber boat just to see how we are.

As normal guests today we had a very nice family today from Sweden. We did of course take them around Märket telling about the history and showing the lighthouse. Lighthouses were very special for the young couple because they had changed rings in one of the Swedish lighthouses. They had planned visit Märket for a long time and now they arrived in a perfect weather. We were also very lucky to hear the seals singing. That was something special to our quests.

Today we had so nice weather that we had lunch outside and we even made fresh pancakes in the sunset. Lighthouse Society´s vice chairman Petri Porkola arrived with a sailing boat to join us for some pancakes. You can see his photos of lighthouses for example in the lighthouse calender.

 

160709 Lovely People

 

We had two boats visiting us today. One sailingboat from Kemijärvi with a nice finnish couple, who told us that they have already seen lots of lighthouses and that they are planning to visit all Finnish lighthouses.

Then we had big group from Sweden who came with motorboat to the northern harbour. They had a nice picnic on the clifts. The little captain even tried to catch some fish here. Unfortunately all the fishes were sleeping.

Heikki was mainly using the motorsaw for to make firewood and Jake consentrated in building new constructin stands. Our active and professional handyman Jari left today. He has been here already twice this summer and he promised to come back in august.

And then in the evening Yvonne and Mats brought in a lot of people: our new architect Salla, a reporter from Ålandstidning and a free lance reporter, a couple which are active lighthouse society members, etc.

We all had an nice evening with our lovely guests.

 

170709 Work and Swallow

 

We had a swedish family visiting us this afrernoon. They came in to the habour south side and they came here to have a look around – they had been here before.

Salla started working high. She did also explor Märket`s wildlife but she survived quite well only with a swollen finger, when she did meet the fly with black and yellow stribes.

Today was the last working day for few of us. Päivi was spending her last day in a very very wet job washin the walls.

The mashinery room is now totally painted and the construction stands are now waiting for the profs of tinroofs.

Two days afer the eastern wall was painted and ready a swallow already built her home under the roof and moved in with the family.