Exercises for the following four weeks 30.10 - 27.11.2013

1. Test the site: Breaking News English - different levels.
2. See exercises that the other groups recommend i.e. "Loistoharjoitus" in European Cuisine.
3. Write two new entries each.
4. Visit the site: Speak English.

Autumn Equals Melancholy

Some of us love autumn but I’m not one of them.  The sunny days we’ve enjoyed in the last few weeks will soon be over. When days get darker and shorter I find it more and more difficult to start my morning.  Bears are the lucky ones, because Nature has provided them with means of passing  the autumn and winter months hibernating.
It seems that even the newspapers are full of negative news. More and more employees are given notice or they are outsourced, which means that they lose their jobs eventually after having taught their skills to foreigners.
Public health care and other municipal services are reduced and elderly people neglected.
And Finland is in danger of losing the AAA-status, because we are deeper and deeper in dept.

Is this picture beautiful?  Perhaps but it makes me sad.

Any suggestions for positive thinking?  Anybody?
And remember: An optimist is a misinformed pessimist!

Comments are most welcome!

Tässä hyvä harjoitus

Kuules tässä sinulle hyvä harjoitus

What happens in Alba

I visited  Alba 25th – 29th  September this year. Alba is situated in northwestern Italy in province Piedmont.   It is famous for some of Italy´s top red wines like Barolo, Barbera and Barbaresco. So it is one of the best places to taste different kind of red wines in Italy.

 We were in six different vineyards in Alba and its nearby villages.

People in vineyards were gathering their grapes just now.

While producing wines, they don´t use any food additives. 

 Italian fashion

This autumn grey and its  different shades are in mode. Bright colours are used as stop colours. You can see trousers and skirts made of leather. In the street you can meet a tomboy look which can be given a feminine edge by adding heels, skirt and tights or a smart handbag. Dots and stripes are used very much. This season you must have checks and classic red scottish scarf.

Fashion shop in Alba.

Temperature

As the temperature in Finland is falling it’s time to talk about

The Finnish Thermometer

+ 15º C: This is as warm as it gets in Finland, so we’ll start here. People in Spain wear winter-coats   and gloves. The Finns are out in the sun, getting a tan.

+ 10º C: The French are trying in vain to start their central heating. The Finns plant flowers in their gardens.

+ 5 º C: Italian cars won’t start. The Finns are cruising in cabriolets.

   0 º C: Distilled water freezes. The water in the Vanda river in southern Finland gets a little thicker.

-5 º C: People in California almost freeze to death. The Finns have their final barbecue before winter.

-10º C: The Brits start the heat in their houses. The Finns start using long sleeves.

-20º C: The Aussies flee from Mallorca. The Finns end their midsummer celebrations. Autumn is here.

-30º C: People in Greece die from the cold and disappear from the face of the Earth. The Finns start drying their laundry indoors.

-40º C: Paris starts cracking in the cold. The Finns stand in line at the hot dog stands.

-50º C: Polar bears start evacuating the North Pole. The Finnish army postpones their winter survival training awaiting real winter weather.

-60º C: Korvatunturi – the home for Santa Claus – freezes. The Finns rent a movie and stay indoors.

-70º C: The false Santas from Sweden and Norway move south.

              The Finns get frustrated since they can’t store their Koskenkorva vodka outdoors.

              The Finnish army goes out on winter survival training.

-183º C: Microbes in food don’t survive. The Finnish cows complain that the farmers’ hands are cold.

-273º C: All atom-based movement halts. The Finns start saying:”******, it’s cold outside.”

-300º C: Hell freezes over. Finland wins the next Eurovision Song contest.

Let’s hope we all survive another winter and use it by learning more English!