The people's Markku

Today it’s wonderful to know that the book Koko kansan Markku is at the press. A year-long journey through the landscapes of the hometown is finally becoming a book. The journey on the pages is light-hearted. We adventure in the railyard with the frost cracking, hop into a Datsun, and kick-start a moped with a fur hat on. Now and then we warm up in the sauna, grab waffles at Wille, or drop by the church in Sumiaiset to try the organ. At goldsmith Sanna’s workshop, even a spoon is bent into a ring, and the book shows how. Markku swaps his brimmed hat for a fur hat on the fly - and off we go again.

In Markku and Anne’s home, interior and building dreams come true. From small projects all the way to very large ones. Skilled hands come to the rescue from the seamstresses at Suoteks, and lighting tips are picked up from Johanna at Valotar. Frosty decorations are glued to the greenhouse windows, with help from the experts at Ijäksen Mainostyöt, and Markku socks are finished the way Venla does. At the sheep farm we zip around by tractor - the ears stay warm, of course, thanks to a beanie knitted by the hostess. The most beautiful spruce in the spruce forest is chosen from Ristola farm - in the end you’ll know how the most beautiful spruce tree is grown.

Every landscape in the book is familiar to the residents of Äänekoski, and its pages feature many skilled experts who share their best tips with the reader. On the final page, it’s easy to be proud of your home region and of the fact - that you have been one of the book’s creators.

Ilona

Koko kansan Markku - Markku Saukko, Publisher Docendo, Photos Ilona Pietiläinen, Layout Pekka Sell

Check out Ilona’s photos @valkoinen_puutalokoti -on Instagram.