Living by a fairytale forest come to life – peace of mind and friendships in Hiu
- Heidi Marjunen lived happily in a renovated wooden detached house, but her spouse Joni wanted to build a house for the family by himself. Now, the family of three lives in the new residential area of Hiu, surrounded by a forest that looks like it’s straight from a fairytale but still only a bike ride away from the services.
On a midday in February, the fog still lingers in the air after a rainy night, but a charming atmosphere seems to encompass the Marjunen family’s new detached house, despite the weather. Stepping outside the border of the plot through the backyard, you’re greeted by a forest with towering pines and rocks covered in soft moss.
“Right at the edge of the plot, there’s a lovely place for picking chanterelles. We picked a large bagful of mushrooms there last autumn. You don’t need to go very far to find berries, either,” says Heidi Marjunen.
In the eyes of Unto, the couple’s 7-year-old son, the forest exudes an enchanting charm. Many play forts have been built in the shade of the trees during the half a year that the family has lived in their new house in Hiu.
For a long time, the family of three lived happily in a renovated wooden detached house, until Heidi’s spouse Joni, who works in construction, told her that he wanted to build a house for the family by himself. Heidi found the thought of a single-storey house intriguing as well, and it wasn’t long until they had reserved a new plot for their new home in the Hiu area.
While working, Joni built the house by the edge of the forest in his free time, and the family was able to move in at the end of the summer, right before Unto started school.
For the Marjunens, the new residential area seemed nice, as the neighbourhood had many families with children. At first, Unto’s grandmother drove him to Uusikaupunki comprehensive school in her car, but later he started going by bus or bike. Heidi can get to her work at Saarnisto School quickly either on foot or by bike.
The trips are even quicker to her hair salon that she keeps in a building in the family’s yard.
“I switched careers a couple of years ago, but I simply couldn’t leave all my customers behind, so I’m occasionally doing hairdresser’s work in the evenings. It’s convenient to do it here, as we were able to build a hair salon of our own next to our house,” says Heidi, who has had a long career as a hairdressing entrepreneur.
At first, the move from near the town centre felt like a big leap, but Heidi soon realised that the distance isn’t so bad even now.
“It’s only three kilometres to the town centre from here, and we get to enjoy a peaceful life here away from everything. The best thing about it all is being so close to the forest. The paths to the Hiu lean-to start practically from our backyard. They’ve got excellent forest paths for trekking and mountain biking there,” says Heidi.
The family also has front-row seats for watching the fauna of the nearby forest through their window. By the edge of the forest, you can see all manner of woodland creatures from the deer and hares to the loudly drumming woodpeckers.
Here, you can breathe in peace, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
In the article series, residents of Uusikaupunki tell us about their own residential areas.
