looking north
the view north from an office on the seventh floor of a tower:
the highrises of downtown Vancouver bleak against glowering showering clouds
hiding mountains, covering them in snow?
You are browsing the Blog for Current Events Archives - Page 7 of 13 - Marja-Leena Rathje.
by Marja-Leena by Marja-Leena a reunion
home late from an amazing reunion of ‘preschool moms’
my ears are ringing from all the excited chatter and laughter
some of us haven’t seen each other in more than 30 years
plus a few good friends who are still in our neighbourhood
and a dear friend who came over from the Island for this
and is staying here with us
now off to sleep, perchance to dream
of those long ago days as young mothers
by Marja-Leena yesterday and today
Sandwiched between some cold and rainy days, yesterday was a brilliant sunny one, such a pleasure when it’s now more rare and cannot be taken for granted. Above is an iconic Vancouver scene that I enjoyed in the morning – note the snow on the mountain tops. Back home in the afternoon, I I went out into my garden with a camera, wondering how much colour I could still find. Here and there are little spots still so I could make the collage below – enjoy!
Today it is raining cold tears, so appropriately for our Remembrance Day. I wear a white poppy in spirit. Can we ever hope for better tomorrows?
by Marja-Leena saving time
Prague Astronomical Clock, photographed on our visit in spring 2002
In most parts of Canada, early Sunday morning our clocks will be adjusted back to regular time (remember “spring forward, fall back”). It used to be at the end of October but that was adjusted to follow the US changes a few years ago. I always think this messing around with time changes idiotic, expensive, unsafe and unhealthy. The history and politics are rather interesting though, here and here. Do you have to change clocks twice a year where you are?
by Marja-Leena to carers
It is Mother’s Day here in Canada and a few other countries, but I’d like to honour not just mothers, but all people, young and old, who care for their families, friends, patients or strangers! You make this mixed up world a saner place because of your love.
It’s the first very warm weekend here, just glorious! Yesterday, we started the gradual migration to outdoor living by hanging my home-grown ivy geranium basket outside by the patio door and putting out the deck furniture. Later today we are going to have a quiet celebration with our youngest daughter, a Mother’s Day baby 25 years ago, by going for a forest walk then dinner at a favourite seaside seafood restaurant.
May your day be wonderful!
by Marja-Leena red hearts and lanterns
Red is for hearts and lovers and friends this weekend – Happy Valentine’s Day! or Hauskaa Ystävänpäivää and Happy Friendship Day as the Finns celebrate it.
Red is for the colour of the maple leaf on the Canadian flag.
Red is for Olympic mittens and clothing for Canadians hosting the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games.
Red is the colour of happiness in Chinese culture now celebrating the Lunar New Year, the beginning of spring and the Year of the Tiger.
Red is for the lanterns lining the streets of Chinatown for the bigger than usual parade and other events, thanks to the the thousands of visitors in Vancouver for the Games.
Did you know that Vancouver’s Chinatown is the largest in Canada, and second to the one in San Francisco? And that we have another city with a huge Chinese population from more recent years’ immigration, that of Richmond, located south of Vancouver and home of the Vancouver International Airport? That Chinese are our largest non-British ethnic group in an already very multi-cultural city and province? We also have a large number of other Asians here as well, some of whom also celebrate the New Year at this time.
Gung hai fat choi!
(Update: Apologies for not checking that the link within the link in my old Friendship Day post no longer works. I suggest Wikipedia’s page about various alternative celebrations around the world to Valentine’s Day.)
by Marja-Leena Happy New Year 2010
My husband and I will be home tonight with sleeping granddaughters. We’ll enjoy a quiet evening with a late simple supper of turkey soup, then some games or a movie, accompanied by some Christmas baking and chocolates, some Finnish lakka or cloudberry liqueur and whatever strikes our fancy. The bottle of champagne may not get opened for it’s too much for the two of us. We’ll save it for a special birthday, I think.
Last night I noticed a brilliant moon emerge for a while from the cloud cover and had hopes we might see the blue moon tonight. No, it is raining but I hope some of you will see it.
I’m over the flu but still too tired to compose anything profound as a year end post, but I’m enjoying so many others. As always, especially at these milestones on the calendar, I’m thankful for the many good things in my life even as these markers of time’s passage make me feel older every year!
Thank you to all of you dear friends and readers for the past year’s delights. I wish you all a New Year of Happiness, Good Health, Inspiration and Abundant Creativity! Hauskaa Uutta Vuotta! Bonne année! Allen ein frohes Neues Jahr!
Favourite New Year’s posts from the archives:
2007: old year, new year
2008: New Year’s Hope
2006: another year and our weekend in Victoria
by Marja-Leena happy winterfest
Happy Christmas, Hauskaa Joulua, Frohe Weihnachten, Joyeux Noël, God Jul or Blessed Midwinter!
Wishing all of you a joyful holiday, full of cheer with those who are dear, as well as some quiet moments for gratitude and peace.
Many thanks as always for visiting and reading and for the many friendships this blogging has blessed me with.
Many of you are having a beautiful white Christmas this year while ours is the normal green. So I’ve been satisfying some of my snow envy by looking at my photos of last winter when we had a record amount for many weeks. Check out for example this night shot and the countdown to Christmas a year ago which includes the photo that was used for this year’s card, both printed and e-versions. Cheers!
by Marja-Leena safe arrivals
Our middle daughter and our granddaughters arrived late this afternoon safe, sound and tired from their long flight from London, England with only slight delays but nothing like during last year’s snowstorms. How excited we all were to see each other but soon after a barely eaten dinner, they went to bed early. The girls’ daddy will be coming on Monday.
Youngest daughter had her last day of work today until the new year so now begins the countdown with all the baking to be done with many helping hands. First I need to restock the pantry! The house is prettied up, just the main tree still to do and just a couple of gifts still to buy, as well as the ham, the bird and vegetables closer to the big days.
Hope you are all enjoying the holiday preparations. We wish a safe journey to all travellers including our eldest daughter and partner heading out to Calgary for a few days. They will be joining us on Boxing Day. My holiday card and wishes will come next week!
by Marja-Leena Canada in Copenhagen
Taking a break now and then from posting pretty frost pictures and writing Christmas letters, I’ve been checking into reality: the news on the Copenhagen Climate Summit. Others have been far more eloquent than I could ever be, so here are the most powerful links I’ve viewed most recently about the shame and about the anger against Harper that many Canadians feel:
1. Just before the conference, George Monbiot wrote: ‘The real villain is Canada’. Or just view this video.
2. Why am I not at all surprised that Canada takes Fossil “award” on first day?
3. This is a great editorial run by 56 newspapers around the world.
4. Today my Finnish-Canadian blog friend has posted this: Canada, history is calling.
5. And the best, I think, by my “neighbour” on Bowen Island: A call to ignore our prime minister in Copenhagen “for he does not speak for most of us”. Reading this one most inspired this post, thanks Chris!