Photos Galore in a Show!

Here are for your perusal me fine photos of the river with many faces. Rii xx [rockyou id=62261039]

Liquid Dark Chocolate – Photos

These photos of mine on The River taken in February 2007,
reminded me of the liquid chocolate and hence,
the quotes and thingies in-between in this entry today.

“Good Living
is an act of intelligence,
by which we choose things
which have an agreeable taste
rather than those which do not.”

Brillat-Savarin (1755–1826)

“What you see before you, my friend, is the result of a lifetime of chocolate.”

Katherine Hepburn

“If you are not feeling well, if you have not slept, chocolate will revive you. But you have no chocolate! I think of that again and again! My dear, how will you ever manage?”

Marquise de Sévigné
(French writer and lady of fashion) February 11, 1677

Tis for now. Rii xx

PS.
No, I am not a chocoholic for I prefer liquorice to chocolate most of the time, that is.

© Photos: By Riihele. All rights reserved.

Plan for Spring – Maintenance of Image

This is a postcard that a friend sent to me from the UK that I have given a bit of a makeover!*

The in-thing these days, in particular, is the makeover programmes on television. This picture tells it all that one (supposedly) needs to be concerned over as a woman:

• Hips
• Thighs
• Tums
• Bums
• Hair
• et cetera et cetera…

I began with the hair and the etc’s – working my way through the rest of the list all in its own good time and timing. Am happy and content enough as I am. No major wishes to be this neither that way. The hairdo did me power of good, as the Irish say. Perks one’s mood up no end this time of the year. I highly recommend. Here are virtual hairstyles for her and for him; also not forgetting: ere is the WikiChic for your perusal.

Tis for now – Riihele xx.

* The card is called Animal Antics by Pigment Productions.

Incidents & Such Like: BYE!

I have lately talked an awful lot about Ireland and this happened there as well some years ago. I was working with the students coming from all over the world for ten years and this Incident took place in our home with a most lovely student from Italy.

She would come into the house every time and say:
“Bye!”

Then she would leave the house and say:
“Bye, Bye!”

This went on for a good while and then himself decided that we couldn’t possibly let the girl go back to Italy not even knowing the correct basic greetings, so he got up off the dinner table and did the following actions:

He walks out of the house closing the door and immediately comes in saying:

“Hello!”

Then he walks back out again shutting the door while saying:

“Bye!”

He did this for a couple of times and then the Italian girl gets the Eureka! and says:

“Aha!”

From then on the greetings were correct and she was one of the loveliest persons ever that we met. When we told this to some English speaking people they were thinking, that she was a bit ‘thick & dim’ but that is not the case if one keeps in mind that in Italian these greetings are:

‘Ciao‘ when coming in and

‘Ciao Ciao‘ when leaving;

so for her the way she was saying made perfect sense!

Tis for now yet again. Riihele xx.

PS.
The moral of the story: Never judge the foreigner to be dumb, if you do not know anything about their customs, culture and country or language.

WANTED: Europeans Union

Wanted, desperately, wanted the Europeans Unity! Europe got its name from a mythological figure of the same name and in some languages the continent is called, Europa, exactly as the namesake. Here is the official gateway to The European Union. The link to The Council of Europe is here. The Council of Europe page on the symbols is in this link. Another great and informative site is in here where the US events are reported. Yet another link with all kinds of information for and about the teachers and schools that took part in the celebrations on the Europe Day. And The European Parliament is in this link. – Take your pick on the language of your choice to view the pages, there’s plenty to choose from! – I know, info galore!! Yet another great and handy link into the European Union Commission pages is in this link.

The 9th of May, is the Europe Day and on March 25 there will be the 50th anniversary of the signing of The Treaty of Rome. In this link there is an array of colourful posters on the theme. The EU flag is shown in this link and here is the 50-year history of the European flag. The new proposed flag used officially in Austria in 2006 for the first time and it is called the ‘Barcode.’ You will see that it is just that, as you look at it. I say that if you do not know what the migraine is, you will most certainly after only a look at that flag!

“In the current European flag, there is a fixed number of stars. In the barcode however, new Member States of the EU can be added without space constraints. Originally, the barcode displayed 15 EU countries. In 2oo4, the symbol was adapted to include the ten new Member States.” (Wikipedia)

Here is an across-the-pond view on the Europe Day and things European. I don’t necessarily endorse all his views, but in the spirit of ‘unity in diversity’ it is an interesting point of view. Indeed, that is the motto of the European Union, in Latin, In varietate concordia, “UNITY IN DIVERSITY.” – The emphasis in this slogan is on the word ‘unity’ in this wording. The new proposed motto is this, “United in Diversity.” The emphasis in this expression is on the word ‘diversity’, in my mind. The Irish take on the diversity of the opinions and the platform provided for the same is in here.

The European Union anthem is the Ode to Joy by Beethoven. There in the previous link you can listen to it as well as sing along to it and get all kinds of background information on the same. There is also a Hip-Hop version of the Ode to Joy available in The Council of Europe link which is here on the top of the page. Interesting. This site has the notes, the cords and the words given of the anthem in Latin* :

Hymnus Latinus Europae

Est Europa nunc unita
et unita maneat;
una in diversitate
pacem mundi augeat.

Semper regant in Europa
fides et iustitia
et libertas populorum
in maiore patria.

Cives, floreat Europa,
opus magnum vocat vos.
Stellae signa sunt in caelo
aureae, quae iungant nos.

© Peter Roland, Peter Diem
musica scripta: Doblinger 44 781
(ISMN M-012-19562-7)

The speech entitled “Unity and Diversity: Europe’s Approaches to Culture and Languages“ on February 7, 2006 is that which the Commissioner Jan Figel held in Washington on a variety of topics among them on the European Culture and Cultural diversity. The newspapers called the EUobserver and EurActiv.com have online reports on all things EU.

HAVE A GRAND WEEKEND.
Tis for now. Riihele xx.

 

(*Latin dictionary)
The Economist.com quiz on The European Union at 50.

 

Memories: Outdoor Games

‘Memory… is the diary that we all carry about with us.’ (Oscar Wilde)

I want to write down some of my memories of the lasting sort and of the past things on the memory lane about my life and things in general in Lapland, in the Southern Finland, in Ireland and in the other places I have lived in.

I remember that the summers in Lapland were so cool that it did not get over 20 C degrees hardly ever at that time, yet we did so much swimming in there year after year and all other outdoor things. It must have been in order to keep from being chilly! My childhood memories of the summers are full of fun, activities and playing games of all kinds. The kids in the large village, where we lived, loved coming over to us to play so there were always crowds taking part in these games. Also, our cousins and relatives used to gather in the homestead, so we were never short of full teams for various team sports.

One of the games that we called the ‘Tin’ that was especially tricky if one was the one to having to name each player and this was the game that we all played much. The game was where the ‘sitter’ ie., the namer, had to be a very fast runner in order to get to the ‘tin’ after spotting the players in their hiding places and having named them one by one he/she had to run like a lighting to the tin. The sitter and the named player(s) both/all run to get to the tin, that is the marking post, to mark their point; sitter to get the named player out of the game and the player to kick the tin into the high heavens and free the crowd!

Oh, that I used to hate that particular game! For whatever reason I was the one – seemed to be like – always, the sitter with me fast legs and sprinting ability. After a good while into the game – like hours, I’m telling you – I would yell: ‘I am quits with this thing! I hate it and I don’t even know the names of the half the people here! I am not playing.’ And off I trotted. The funny thing is that nobody but nobody would want to be the sitter after I left and the whole game came to a stand still.

The rounders and the Finnish Baseball, a variant of the US version, were and still are my absolute favourites in team sports with the football. They were the games that I could have played ad infinitum without complaints or boredom ever coming from me lips!
What kind of outdoor games did you guys play when you were small? Do you know this game, that I absolutely hated?

Tis for now. Riihele xx

 

Female Pastime: Shopping

The female of the species in every culture, in every corner of the globe has one hobby, one pastime that is normally very high on the agenda – the shopping. It is not so much of the actual getting of the goods, but to just to be able to look at everything available, to walk about with your friends and have a quality cup of coffee in a cafe with the right ambience. To be at your leisure is the most important factor in the whole equation. Huh? Sounds complicated, this feminine maths and the female logic to the uninitiated, does it? Aahh, tis plain as mud.

I have two daughters who are all grown-up these days, yet still when we get together, we like to go browsing in the stores in whichever country we will meet. It does not necessarily mean that we will buy that much as it is more to get a feel of the locale. It is a culture test of a kind as what is in the stores speaks volumes to the one, that is so inclined.

One year when the girls and I were returning back from an extended visit to Finland, we had started our return flight Numero Uno in a town at 5am, we took the flight Numero Two in Helsinki at 7 am, so that by the time it was about 10am – that is actually 9 o’clock local time in Copenhagen, Denmark – we were so shattered with all this flying that we just wanted to get back home to Ireland ASAP.

What happened was that as the plane for our flight Number Three had been overbooked, I was asked if we would remain behind with ‘payment’. We three would be taking a much later flight that the SAS – the Scandinavian Airlines – would arrange for us. I gave a look at my exhausted girls and said:

“Girls, if we stay on now in Copenhagen,
we will each get US$ 200 in cash.

Also, we will get the same amount in the Danish Krones as a cheque.
The lunch et cetera would be all part of this deal.

What do you think?

We can do
some shopping
here in Copenhagen!!” 

Once the word – shopping – was mentioned, the girls got instantly and visibly bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on the spot! Oh, yes, they very much agreed and so twas settled that we would go on later.

The ground hostess took us and a few other passengers to the bar, where the bar attendant asked me as to what kind of beverage I would like to have on the house, but as I just was so tired, I could not think, and only downed a mineral water! Had I been thinking I would have surely had some very classy Champers. Anyway, by the time we had had the complementary drinks and were heading to the huge mall to do some shopping; what do know, but the ground hostess comes to us hurriedly and informs us, that we have got places on a plane leaving in a few minutes to Birmingham, England!! And then we were to take a fourth plane there on to Dublin.

It was a very promising shopping experience lost.

Tis for now. Riihele xx.  

MOTHERING SUNDAY ~ UK & Ireland

HAPPY MOTHERING SUNDAY!!

There is no end to the festivities in Ireland this weekend: first the St Pat’s and now the Mothering Sunday. This is the time of the year that I am used to celebrating that specially, special day for being a mum. It is a great privilege to be a mother, indeed it is. It is also one of the most difficult jobs to be in.

The rewards of this job are always long-term, more often than not, not visible and evident here and now. In the Quarterly Global Economy run by the greed, where one has to show the ‘money’ every few months, this kind of thinking does not fit in, it is totally alien. Hence, to be rewarded for being a mother is and has never been over the ages a job well paid and appreciated but, really, quite the opposite! Yet, the women have continued to want and have DESIRED to be mothers in all the corners of the world. They or we will continue to do so, because to be a mother is to be creative. Huh?! Yes, the aspect of The Creator is only fully captured by being creative. Bringing a child into this world is the most creative of all creative things in the whole universe!

Other ‘rewards’ on this job: Double the Mother’s Days – the Irish in March and the Finnish one in May – makes double the prezzies and double the blessings of being an international mum! Indeed, the brilliant thing about an international motherhood is that you can take the best of all the worlds and combine them into a tasty mixed salad of varied ingredients. That is: when both the parents are from the different nations with the clan roots of each one going to a whole lot of other nations. Also, when both have lived in various nations it all adds up to a pretty interesting mixture all in all!

Parenting is a very special gift as it teaches one like no other thing. Anyway, that is what has happened to me. It was most, most difficult and dangerous for me to have children – each time I faced the more than the likelihood of a miscarriage during the entire nine months.There was no certainty at all – will there or will there not to be a baby at the end of the pregnancy. It was nerve-racking to the hilt! Then the births – they were the riskiest of all, everytime, I and the babies were at each birth face to face with death for both of us. BUT GOD IS GOOD. He saw that we, that is: the girls and I, made it through in tact and in good shape! I did lose two babies who are not forgotten, even today…

That is why being a mum to me is an extra-extra privilege and an overwhelming joy that I count as the best thing, that has ever happened to me in my entire life!

 

Tis for now. Riihele xx

The Emerald Isle of Ireland – Photos

On The Occasion: The EMERALD ISLE of IRELAND photos which were taken by me last summer in Powerscourt Gardens.

Bridge in the Japanese Gardens

Entrance to the Walled Gardens

Lane in the Walled Gardens in Powerscourt

Picture Postcard view of the Main House in Powerscourt

Railings with The Sugarloaf in the distance

Side View of The Sugarloaf Mountain

Tis for now. HAVE A GRAND WEEKEND. Rii xx

© Photos: By Riihele. All rights reserved.

Saint Patrick’s Day – Feast in Ireland

This time of the year in Ireland – in a normal year that is – the daffodils are in full bloom all over the place: in the fields, on the sides of the roads and in the parks and people’s gardens. These ones are in the side garden of our old home and house in County Wicklow. May they, whoever they are, that live in our old house truly enjoy them like we did!

The Paddy’s Day that I was used to in Ireland was, normally, a parade with floats and a few drinks sort of a day. These days it has evolved into a major merriment in every way possible – there are days and days of amusements in all the different areas of the island. So much so that a journalist in the Irish Times was left wondering about it all last year. I was surprised to learn that the very first parade that took place was not in Ireland but in New York City in 1766. And it was arranged by the Protestant Irish over there! Here is a fun quiz about things Irish and here is another one on Irish history, while you are at it!

I find it very interesting and intriguing that Patrick himself was a foreigner and a blow-in as he nipped across the Irish Sea from Wales to Ireland, for I was that as well for over twenty years. Want to taste some delicacies in this festive occasion? This a site for all sorts of Irish recipes and for St.Pat’s recipes in particular for making yummy nibbles and things.

Here is a snippet about the festivities on the Official St.Patrick’s Festival 2007 site:

“From March 15th to 19th there is so much on offer – music, street theatre, family carnivals, comedy, street performances, dance, a treasure hunt, night spectacles … 4000 performers and 1 million people celebrating Ireland. So whether you are Irish or just wish you were, Dublin is the place to be this March to enjoy Ireland’s biggest party.”

Tis for now again. Slán (that is ‘Bye’) Riihele xx.