by Marja-Leena 
Warmest wishes to all for a Happy Christmas, Hauskaa Joulua, Frohe Weihnachten, Joyeux Noël, Happy Chanukah, Matunda Ya Kwanzaa and Happy Holidays…. and Peace on Earth! Thank you, dear readers, for your support and friendship throughout the year – you have giving me great pleasure in this blogaventure!
by Marja-Leena 
What a busy time of year! I feel like my several “roles” in life are all in competition. Here are the most demanding ones right now:
THE ARTIST spent a surprisingly pleasant hour and a half last Friday morning with a photographer in the AudioVisual Services at Capilano College, taking digital photos of my Silent Messenger series of prints. Regular readers may recall my writing about my difficulties with the reflections on the shiny transparent layer. I was told about Kathleen Klein, aka Kats’ abilities and booked an appointment. Kats met the challenge extremely well with her professional knowledge and equIpment – a huge thank you, Kats! I may need to have one or two retaken but most are only needing the normal minor corrections. As time permits I’ll do that and will post them here, to go into the archives under “Silent Messengers.” Sorry it’s taking so long.
THE PARTY GAL (hah, me?!) has been to SO’s company Christmas dinner, a rather posh affair in a posh hotel downtown. Dressing up, being introduced to numerous people and trying to remember names, and trying to have conversations in a noisy room of over 200 people are a major challenge for me. I think a lot of people were surprised to finally meet “the wife”! A much smaller, more casual and cosier potluck party was held a couple of days ago by Wayne to welcome Kim to the printmaking community – much more our style! And there’s another potluck lunch on Wednesday, an annual ritual for the Institutees!
THE CORRESPONDENT with the help of SO has finished almost all the letters and Christmas cards. We’re enjoying the cards and letters coming in every day now!
THE HOMEMAKER and DECORATOR has started to do some Christmas decorating with some outdoor lights on the shrubs by the house, with the indoors to follow this week. SO finished painting some of the rooms downstairs, so there will be the cleaning and returning of things into some order for guests coming over the holidays. I even looked at some beds today to possibly replace our old, rather saggy one that had been relegated for guests.
THE SHOPPER crossed off several items on the list today, with a sigh of exhaustion. She still needs something for the grand-daughters and SO, who have everything.
THE COOK and BAKER needs to finalize the food and baking ingredients list, shop and start baking! Youngest daughter finished classes today and will help with baking and decorating!
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A CHRISTMAS MEMORY: One year when my children were small and I was an at-home mom, I sewed almost all my Christmas gifts, including a winter coat for one of our girls, and a jacket for my husband! That gave me a great sense of pleasure and a connection to the old ways of my childhood! I wish I had time to do that these days. Ah well, maybe I’ll manage to make a couple of bibs for the latest family addition.
by Marja-Leena 
Living in North America, I don’t seem to hear enough about European news, especially about the European Union. So it’s very interesting to me to learn that recently there was an installation of possibly the world’s largest flag in Strasbourg, the European Union flag, in celebration of its 50th year. My first reaction reading this was – “50th?”
“The November celebration in Strasbourg was about the 50 years of the existence of the Flag of Europe, which consists of 12 yellow or white stars in a circle on a blue background. The flag was chosen by the Council of Europe for their own symbol on 8 December 1955.”
“The European flag was accepted as the symbol of the European Parliament in 1983 and finally of the European Union on 26 May 1986.”
And this: “The official motto of Europe is: United in diversity, which in Euro-speak, means that ‘Europeans are united in working together for peace and prosperity, and that the many different cultures, traditions and languages in Europe are a positive asset for the continent.'”
Do read “Europe, a State, a Nation, a what?”, an excellent article and check out the great links, especially the EU pages at Spring of Dionysos in English, or at Dionysoksen kevät in Finnish (where I first read this article).
Author “hanhensulka” (a goose feather) is a Finn living in Brussels, at the very heart of the European Union.
This is a fascinating and exciting period in history for Europe, don’t you think!?
by Marja-Leena 
Today I was scrubbing out dirt and those squatters of damp and dark quarters – slugs, snails, sowbugs, spiders and worms. No, not an art project, rather a gardener’s chore. I finally tackled the huge annual task of washing all the plant pots which have been hidden under a tree by the compost, a job I always put off until I’m desperate for clean pots for repotting. For some time now I’d been saying to myself that I must repot some of my plants that have been summering outdoors, to ready them for re-entry indoors in a few weeks’ time, as well as start taking cuttings of geraniums and such. It was laborious but satisfying in the end. Tomorrow I hope to do some of the repotting.
It’s the end of the Labour Day long weekend here, with a lovely sunny day too. The damper cooler nights and long shadows signal the coming of fall. It’s the last weekend of summer in a way, as most schools in Canada begin tomorrow. But our weekend wasn’t all labouring or puttering around home. The highlight was a wonderful evening last night over dinner in a local little restaurant with dear friends who came back to their old neighbourhood for a few hours to see us (they retired to Victoria a couple of months ago).
On this day, I also looked up the history of Labour Day and was surprised to read about the Canadian roots of Labour Day. You might like to also check out about Labour Day in different countries at Wikipedia.
by Marja-Leena Like everyone, I’ve been following the terrible tragedy of New Orleans in news and blogs, feeling deeply but not writing much myself. So many of us who have visited New Orleans have been recalling it, thankful for having had that opportunity, and sad at the loss of all that unique beauty and culture, and horrified at the loss of life and the continuing struggles of the homeless. Others have written far better than I could. I’d like to point to two very meaningful ones by an artist and a writer who both speak of the great culture of that city, that is deeply based on its people.
Artist James W. Bailey blogs about art at Black Cat Bone and lately of course it’s been all about New Orleans where he lived for 20 years. I was particularly moved by the one about the hoodoo culture in New Orleans. (I thought it originally came from Haiti though.)
Author Anne Rice, who was born in New Orleans and has lived there many years, wrote a wonderful article Do you know what it means to lose New Orleans? (via Conscientious). Rice extols the vibrant black culture, but also the Irish, Italian and German immigrants who came in, who all made New Orleans a special home.
Something else was going on in New Orleans. The living was good there. The clock ticked more slowly; people laughed more easily; people kissed; people loved; there was joy.
Which is why so many New Orleanians, black and white, never went north. They didn’t want to leave a place where they felt at home in neighborhoods that dated back centuries; they didn’t want to leave families whose rounds of weddings, births and funerals had become the fabric of their lives. They didn’t want to leave a city where tolerance had always been able to outweigh prejudice, where patience had always been able to outweigh rage. They didn’t want to leave a place that was theirs.”
Do read both articles!
by Marja-Leena 
back to school
a new year
new pencils and notebooks
new shoes new sweater
new hopes and fears
for little children kindergarten
elementary school
for teens first high school
then university or tech
mature student
back to university
life long learning
mother teaching child
grandparents teaching grandchildren
child teaching love of learning back
love of life
a wedding new life
a birthday long life
a growing new life
remembering
September 11
katrina
Mississippi
New Orleans
city of music life and death
pray for the homeless
hope
by Marja-Leena I rarely touch on politics in my own little blogworld, but thought this international effort worthy of a mention:
Reporters Without Borders selected around 60 blogs that, each in their own way, defend freedom of expression. The organisation then asked Internet-users to vote for the prize-winners – one in each geographical category. Check the results after two months of voting.
Via Pinseri (a Finnish blog).
by Marja-Leena 
Happy 15th Birthday to Hubble, showcasing nature’s greatest artworks for 15 years.
by Marja-Leena You may recall my posts last month about Pnina Granirer’s exhibition and my visit to her studio.
Some time ago, I was horrified to learn that two of her works have been stolen. This is a terrible thing for an artist to experience, and shocking that such a popular place like the Roundhouse Community Centre has so little security. Below is the press release. If you live in the Vancouver area, do keep your eyes out for these works.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 28, 2005
Theft of paintings from local artist
Two paintings by local artist Pnina Granirer were stolen from the Roundhouse exhibition during the last days of the Vancouver International Dance Festival, March 25 or 26.
Titles and cat. nos. on the back:
1. (top) In the Spotlight, cat.no.1602, size 26×20 in., mixed media on canvas, signed
2. (lower) One plus One, cat.no.1608, size 28×22 in., mixed media on canvas, signed
Both framed in new, black wood frames.
Anyone who has seen them or has any information leading to their recovery is kindly asked to call the artist, at 604-224-6795, or the police, file no.05-071632, on the name of Jay Hirabayashi.
This is an appeal to the people who took them, to return them to the Roundhouse or the artist- no questions asked.
Reward offered to the finder.
Please be so kind as to publish the images of the stolen works and the documentation describing them.
For more info please call
Pnina Granirer 604-224-6795
Jay Hirabayashi at Kokoro Dance 604-662-7441
by Marja-Leena 
Yesterday, or today depending on where you are, marks the spring equinox. Our first day of Spring in Vancouver was stormy with high winds, rain, some hail, even snow on mountain peaks and bright moments of sunshine. The past several weeks of spring-like weather has pampered us, and this felt rather like a step back in time.
Nevertheless we had a lovely day, getting family together to celebrate a birthday and happy family news with lunch, cake with candles and of course, lots of family photos taken by my other half. From that occasion, we’d like to share this “failed” photo that I find very mysterious and evocative.
On the drive home in the early evening, the lower western sky cleared to reveal a brilliant sun beaming like a giant spotlight beneath the dark and heavy rainclouds. West-facing drivers were shielding eyes with hands, and those driving east were blinded by the sunlight reflected off highrise windows. Then appeared an astoundingly brilliant and huge rainbow, which my husband captured from the front passenger seat of our moving vehicle. Serendipity and Happy Spring to us all!
