We are the Black Light

Today the weather was unusually warm. The forecast had predicted rain, but in reality the sun was shining. Towards the evening the wind picked up and clouds started gathering, and at about eight there was indeed a few drops of rain. But it was still quite warm, about 5 degrees. In the morning we went to the OCCP meeting and on the way back we stopped by at the local blacksmith’s workshop. He had raised his prices with 20 to 30% for the second time in three weeks, and he was not ashamed to say why: “Local people can buy this knife for five dollars, but for you it’s eight. You are foreigners.” I should really have turned around and left the shop – my IP told me afterwards that if I had done that, the blacksmith would have come after me and the prices would have been lowered – but I didn’t, and paid the price that he asked. The blacksmith did come out after us, though, but only to ask for a radio. I told him that we have already brought him a radio a long time ago. He said that he gave it to his cousin. I said that two weeks ago we brought him another radio. He replied that his son wanted that radio. I told him that if he wanted to listen to music while he is working, he would have had to keep the radios that we brought him. I said that those radios were for him, not his family, and that we are a security organisation, not a welfare agency, and that we would not bring him another radio. We will have to find another blacksmith.

In the afternoon we went with the PO patrol and two MOT’s, D and Z, to the shooting range. We practised the whole afternoon, had a bite to eat at dusk, and continued to practise in the darkness. It was interesting to try out the combination of infrared illumination and night-vision sight in the real environment. It’s baffling how the infrared light, that cannot be seen with the naked eye, lights up the landscape bright as day when looked at through night vision optics. Thermal imaging is equally amazing. I must say that the Finnish defence forces has provided us with some excellent equipment.

Another view from the shooting range, this time towards the south-east.