CATS

This comic strip “Kamut”  in Helsingin Sanomat a few weeks ago made me think once again how extraordinary animals cats are and how much they differ from dogs.  Most dogs are eager to make friends even with strangers and to please you in whatever way they know how. Cats are much more precautious when choosing a person they can rely on. They quite simply ignore you, if they feel like it.

Siiri

   

Ruusu

Siiri and Ruusu are stray cats from a cat protection centre. After a few days in the shelter Siiri gave birth to five kittens, which she nursed till they were old enough to be sent to new homes. Siiri still has  a kind of maternal instinct left, which she sometimes shows towards Ruusu, a bit younger.

Ruusu was a couple of weeks old when she was found half dead in a dumping ground.  It was doubtful, whether she would make it. Against all odds she has grown to be a strong and beautiful creature. She is very shy, though. Perhaps in a corner of her heart she still fears of being ditched.

Today Siiri and Ruusu are the adored pets of a friend of mine, and I sometimes wonder, if they understand how lucky they were having found a butler and staff most cats can only dream of.

Minni

Nemo

Minni nad Nemo are Maine Coons and they know nothing about “a bleak childhood”. They are my niece’s pets and so different from each other that you wouldn’t guess they were born on the same day. Minni is hungry for strokes and praises, so much so that she rapidly covers the tabloid newspaper, if you spread it on the table and start reading. Nemo again isn’t at all like his namesake Captain Nemo. The big cat is so shy that he hides under the bed or in the sauna as soon as he sees or hears a stranger. No calls or treats make him show up until the visitors have left. And even then he waits for half an hour or so to be on the safe side.

The comic strip Mutts (Kamut) I mentioned above is created by Patrick McDonnell and was first published in 1994. The  artist has always had cats and dogs as pets and thus he knows their behavior only too well. Earl (Jalo) is a Jack Russell terrier, ready to please. Mooch (Kati) again shows all the typical characteristics of an ordinary cat and she just can’t miss an opportunity to tease her companion a bit.

Some friends of mine have both a dog and a cat as pets, and it’s usually the cat who is the boss of those two. Dogs are quite simply too kind to fight for power!

Turkey 15.- 20.3.2014

Blue Mosque in Istanbul

Blue Mosque is one of the most famous religious buildings in the world. The mosque is known as  Blue Mosque because of blue tiles surrounding the walls of interior design. Mosque was built between 1609 and 1616 years, during the rule of Ahmed I. It is a mosque with six minarets. Each minarets has two or three balconies.

Pray happens five times a day with the first call to prayer at sunrise and the last one at nightfall.

Before you step in to Mosque you have to take off your shoes and put them in plastic bag. Women have to wear a head covering when entering to Blue Mosque.

PAINTINGS

When decorating a new flat the most problematic detail has turned out to be how to hang up the paintings. The following four haven’t found a proper place yet. Perhaps landscapes would have been easier.

”The Priest” by Olavi Vaarula  (1927-1989)

Vaarula is often called a naivist and his paintings can be recognized anywhere. His work crosses the borderline between dreams and reality. He painted flying figures – both people and animals – using a mixture of oil and watercolour. This painting in oil is not typical of his artistic repertoire, but the priest with a serous expression on his face may touch your conscience.

”Pierrot” by Taisto Ahtola (1917-2000 )

This painting could actually be called ” The Clown”, because Pierrot was originally a comic character with a whitened face and wearing loose white clothes. Ahtola  painted  a number of clowns in different styles and colours, more and more obscure in his later years

“ The Fisherman” by Nikolai Lehto (1905-1994)

Lehto turned more and more to the naivistic style after trying all else earlier in his career. As a naivist he was actually  one of the first in Finland. This painting shows us a proud fisherman with his catch and we are happy for him. Perhaps Lehto was an optimist by nature, because most of his paintings express certain positiveness and joy of life.

“ A Portrait of a Young Couple” by Lasse Marttinen (1926-2007)

This playful painting reminds me of the framed photos, which could be seen on the walls of well-to-do farmhouses  at the beginning of the previous century. Marttinen painted hundreds of portraits of his contemporaries as well. He founded Espoo Art School and was an excellent and inspiring teacher. In his work we see a skilled colourist full of surprises.

Stockholm 9. - 11.12.2013

I visited Stockholm on December 2013 with my husband. We travelled there by Silja Serenade. In Värta Harbour security gard checked people carefully because there was distribution of Nobel prizes at the same time. 

We made some shoppings which we thought were good as Christmas presents. We visited famous Östermalm market hall and admired different kind of fresh fishes and crabs.

In the nearby nice bistro we ate healthy lunch, fresh salads.  After that we travelled to Liljeholmen because we read about one interesting exhibition there, but unfortunately it was closed already.

Stockholm is a good place to make some special shoppings. The food there is always tasty and more trendy than in Finland.

NK:s shop window before Christmas

                                       Östermalm´s special sausages with Christmas covering

ELLEN GALLAGHER : AxME

AxME, an exhibition of works by African-American artist Ellen Gallagher is open at the Sara Hilden Art Museum. Ellen Gallagher (b.1965) lives and works in New York and Rotterdam. The exhibition consists of paintings, washes and paper cutouts. Her subjects are the difficult past of African-American people, popular culture, fashion and the special quality of the vernacular language.

Ellen Gallagher's method of working is very physical, although she often uses extremely fragile materials such as sheets of penmanship paper and newsprint. Her tools include a surgeon's scalpel, plasticine, hair cream and other materials, both rigid and plastic. Gallagher´s art is characterized by layering, an inventive use of materials and multi-dimensional structure.

Go and see this unusual exhibition at the Sara Hilden Art Museum, it is open until 26 January 2014!

Venice 16. - 21.10.2013

I visited Venice for the second time in my life. This time I spent there five days and saw much more than last time. We flied to Marco Polo airport and continued to centre with water taxi. Venice is situated on one hundred islands, which are separated by one hundred and fifty canals. Three hundred bridges are built to go over these canals. Today there are living about 60 000 people in Venice. Young people are moving away because it is not easy to carry baby carriages there.  Prices are quite high because of tourism. We paid 25 € - 35 € for lunch, consisting pasta, a glass of wine and dessert. You can understand this because you must carry everything by boat.

La Fenice Theater

This opera house was burned down twice. It´s name reflects that it has risen from the ashes. La Fenice theater is one of the most beautiful operas in the world. We were sitting on the third floor and listening opera Madama Butterfly of Giacomo Puccini. The scene was very simple, they had used only white color and besides curtains there were two simple pillows and nothing else. The dresses of the singers were white, too. The singer as the main role was an italian singer Fiorenza Cedolins and she sang and acted very well.

Punta della Dogana

This house was former the customs house.  Renovation was done by architect Tadao Ando in 2009. Permanent exhibition comes from the Francois Pinault Collection. This is a spacious art museum just beside Canal Grande and Giudecca Canal. From every window you can see water. It is diagonal from the Piazza San Marco. The art there is modern and interesting. There is one room, which is full of lamps and the light is becoming brighter and brighter and in the end you look really pale. On the floor in the same room you can see parts of human bodies made from plastic.

We were walking quite a lot in the town looking shop windows and interesting piazzas.
After you learnt the central area, it was not so difficult to walk without map.

Sorry Guys!

We made a plan to write two posts each  in our blog before the next session, but I shan’t be able to do my share, because I’m in the middle of moving out of a big flat into a smaller one. In fact, my new home is only a quarter of the size of my present one. So you see I have to pass everything else, even the numerous Quizlet-lists you have sent to all of us.  Luckily I have time to move till the end of the year. I guess you don’t really understand what I’m going through, unless you have experienced it yourselves. A fair warning to those who don’t know what I’m talking about: Don’t gather and store stuff!

Now you two ladies have to do your best and double your share. The world is full of interesting topics, and I’m sure we all like to read your articles.

Of course, I see you all towards the end of November. I wouldn’t miss it.

Wish me strength and tolerance!

This is a record-player I’ll definitely drag along and the pile of old records as well.

Talent

Click this link to watch a video of one of the performers in the Dutch Talent Contest. If you haven't seen it yet, now is your chance to experience something extraordinary. Skip the beginning of the video, if you don't understand the language and wait till the 9-year-old Amira starts singing. And please, watch the members of the jury, because they are about to lose it completely!

Enjoy as much as I did and still do!

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!

Today's Items

Wednesday, Sept. 18th, 2013

We have a new group of three: Tuula, Raija and Maija. We are trying to write about current news events and the trips we intend to make to other countries, first to Italy and Poland. It's Raija's task to describe Tuscany and Tuula's  Poland.