At home in Vantaa: “The forest landscape from my window is like a painting that keeps changing”
Annukka Lyra moved back to her childhood home in Kaivoksela. The forest in the backyard is fascinating no matter your age or the season.
“One morning I was having a cup of coffee when I saw from the window a beautiful fox come and settle down in a ball by the root of the spruce. The forest landscape is like a painting that keeps changing,” says Annukka Lyra, sitting in her kitchen in the oldest suburb in Vantaa.
Lyra’s childhood apartment building was built in the early-1960s, and the closeness of nature keeps on thrilling Lyra year after year. Kaivoksela's old water tower makes a distinct contrast to the surrounding nature.
Old Kaivoksela with its landscapes is a particularly dear place for Lyra.
“There is some simple charm here. Kaivoksela has remained an exceptionally unbroken entity since the 1960s; its scale equaling that of a human being,” says Lyra who also acts as deputy chair of Kaivoksela seura (“Kaivoksela society”).
Familiar people make a place of their own
Lyra lived in Helsinki for ten years, and the return to her roots was not a given. Her Vantaa identity has been building up as an adult taking her kids to daycare centers, schools, and hobbies.
“Somewhere along the line you notice that when you leave home, you recognize the passers-by. You get the feeling that this is your very own place,” Annukka Lyra describes.
The family loves the building where the neighbors plant bulbs together and decorate the stairwell for Christmas.
“I have wonderful neighbors,” Lyra sums up.
People to talk to and neighborly help
One of the neighbors decides to drop by for a visit. Her name is Mae Cedercreutz-Pesonen, and she moved into the building with her late husband, Jorma, in the 1970s. The neighbors’ cooperation began when Cedercreutz-Pesonen, a teacher, helped Lyra to prepare herself for the Swedish matriculation exam. After Lyra moved back, their friendship deepened, and Swedish became their mutual language of communication.
“It’s nice to have someone to talk to and positive contacts with the neighbors in general. That gives you a feeling that people care about you,” Mae Cedercreutz-Pesonen says.
“It’s important for everybody to have help close at hand when it is needed,” Lyra adds.
Neighborly help is provided by one’s close neighbors as well as more widely: the condominium has set up a Facebook group of its own to support community togetherness.
“The group invests in good neighborly spirit. The group members share their nature observations, welcome new neighbors, and ask a neighbor to help, for instance, to carry a new washing machine in. This kind of present-day “lending of sugar,” that is, helping a neighbor, really takes place,” Lyra rejoices.
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