by Family Day
Well, the predicted snowstorm turned out to be just a light fall overnight. I was awake in the wee hours after midnight and noticed that a little wet snow started falling. A couple of hours later, I was again awake and found it was raining. Last week’s cold snap is broken. I do rather miss the bright sunny days though.
Today was the second annual Family Day holiday in our province. The mountains had reportedly many happy families enjoying some new snow cover after a shortage of the white stuff this winter. We stayed home enjoying our visiting family. This evening they prepared a lovely dinner to celebrate my birthday a day early – always a delight for me not to have to cook for a change! Tomorrow my husband is taking me out for dinner at a nice restaurant as is usually our tradition in combining birthday and Valentine’s. We might even pop in to see one or two exhibitions…
Have you noticed the days getting longer already? The snowdrops in the garden have been out for weeks. The photo above however is of my supposed-to-be-for-Christmas paperwhites which bloomed late – a touch of spring indoors instead. Life is good.
February 10, 2014 in Canada and BC, Home by Marja-Leena
Marja-Leena, A very happy birthday plus Valentine’s. Opened your blog just after finishing a notice about a Georgia O’Keefe VCR that I’m showing next month. What a surprise to have my flower attention mirrored in your lovely image. -naomi
Naomi, thank you! And I’m so pleased that my flowers became associated a little with Georgia O’Keeffe’s work.
Happy birthday Marja-Leena!
Thank you, Lucy!
Happy Birthday, Marja-Leena! Sounds like you’ll be enjoying a wonderful birthday. Wow, snowdrops already! We still have deep freeze and snow here, but I have definitely noticed the days lengthening a bit. Have fun!
Leslee, thank you! I wish I could send you snowdrops and spring for you have been suffering an awful winter this year.
M-L: I tried to send you this (presently invisible) comment at Christmas but found myself denied anything that resembled a “Submit” button. Gave up, wearied. I’m trying again. No doubt everything will be out-of-date and incomprehensible but some people say it’s the thought that counts. I’ve never believed this. Far easier to think than to push this round the world. This time I’ll try it in three parts. Cheers, Robbie
The great thing about despatching electromagnetic variations in the direction of Vancouver is the enormous amount of temporal elbow-room I am accorded. I can be certain at this very moment you are slumbering in a beneficent, centrally-heated structure and will remain so for several hours to come. Thus if I make an error (quite possible) or write something I regret (very likely) there’ll be enough time to do something about it. Of course you could also have woken up with a bump and started worrying about whether the turkey is going to fit into the oven, the rib of beef (a much more sophisticated choice) is going to be enough for sixteen, or whether the aubergine (egg-plant in your neck of the woods) will become squishy in the veggie-roast (it will, I assure you). But even if you are awake your first reaction will not, I think, be to switch on the computer. I still have time.
Gosh. I’m quite exhausted and have not said anything yet.
I see you ended your most recent post with a Finnish greeting, exhortation or, possibly, a curse. The first word includes two consecutive a-s, each with an umlaut. Half a dozen vital questions arise but I know not to go down that route because that isn’t a subject you care to enlighten me about. I asked several years ago and you turned me down. I conclude that Finnish is a defective sort of language and foreigners should be held at bay, left in the dark. Which is where I am.
Never mind about you worrying (The veggie-roast was a mistake), I’m starting to worry. This is turning into a longish comment and I always suspected you didn’t read right to the end of my long comments. Once, after an exceedingly long comment, you wrote something that proved you had got to the end of that one, and announced it proudly. But I think that was an attempt to fool me. Thereafter you went back to the old ways.
I sense you stirring in bed and I realise I’ve got to bring this to an end so that it can begin its long journey taking in, among other things, the Laurentian Shield (Did you know Ellena lives on the Laurentian Shield? I didn’t know it supported life.) Just time to say Season’s Greetings and – whoops!
PS: I’m a great fan of Lyse Doucette.
Actually – four parts (five if you count this). Chopping it up into smaller parts allowed me to retain (and operate) the Post Comment button. I take it everyone else sends you much shorter message. Verb. sap.
Robbie!! Whoa, what an onslaught of words to face here after not hearing from you since mid-December! Back then you said you could not see any images on my blog. I replied and emailed you as well but did not hear anything more…
Now this morning of my birthday (I slept late) there are five messages but no birthday wishes. Are you still having problems accessing my blog properly? I will have to come back and write more later. I hope you see this and send me just a word or two to confirm you really can see this. Ciao!
Happy birthday, Marja-Leena! Your paperwhites look lovely. Our narcissi are poking their green shoots well out of the ground, but are still very much in the potential stage. But, like you, our snowdrops have been out for a while now. They do so cheer me, especially in the glorious sunshine we get for half an hour or so at a time in between hours of rain, or wind and rain, or rain and rain, or wind and rain, …. Even the poor ducks look miserable on the pond. But, you are right, the days are getting longer. Spring will soon be here.
Olga, thanks! You have been having a terrifically wet winter in the UK, I’ve noticed! Well, yesterday afternoon and overnight we had heavy heavy rains, terrible to drive in at night with all the reflections on the roads as we were out for dinner and a visit to a museum.
Many happy returns of the day, Marja-Leena. An old friend of mine always celebrated birthdays as a brand new year.
It’s as cold now as it’s been all winter, but you’re right the days are growing longer. This afternoon I re-potted a shleffera and four african violets so spring must be on the way. Your paperwhites are glorious.
Thank you, Susan, it is indeed a new year! My thought are also turning toward seeds, cuttings, repotting, and hopefully some outdoor gardening when it’s drier to check on possible frost damage.
Hope the winter will soon turn to spring in Halifax!
M-L: Read them through carefully in the time sequence provided. These are Christmas greetings much delayed. The fact that they arrived on your birthday is coincidental. Your blog has a new restriction: if I try and send more than 100 words in one go the comment box increases in area to eat up the Post Comment button. I always send more than 100 words. Think of what I have sent as a conundrum and WORK HARD. Still no pix your end.
Robbie, I am sorry and surprised that you still cannot see the images on my blog, especially when I often use few words! And no, there are no restrictions on comment length. I do have a regular commenter who often writes long ones without problems. I’ve asked tech help and they say the problem is at your end, unfortunately.
Back to your original comments – it is indeed a peculiar feeling to communicate with those on the other side of the world – to think they are asleep when you send them a message. It’s rather a delight to find them waiting the next morning. No being woken up in the middle of the night by a phone call.
Belated Christmas wishes are better than never, thank you. I had no worries about turkey et all this past Christmas as we were in Victoria at one of our daughter’s – very nice not to be responsible for the big meal as usually is the case, though I did contribute some. But you brought back a memory from very early years of marriage and being the principal cook. A friend had suggested roasting the turkey in a large brown paper bag at low temperatures overnight. The delicious smells and a twinge of concern about it burning had me up many times checking on it! And it was ready for breakfast!
Of course, I’m not sure which Finnish words you refer to, but yes, umlauts are common. I’m sure you are baiting me again about my first beloved language and know that I will defend it fiercely once again. Rather than repeat myself, you may be interested to know that some English language scholars advocate changing the atrocious spelling system to one similar to the Finnish system. Finnish children learn to read and write much better than English ones, hence the reason for their successes in school. Illiteracy is almost non-existant. If you are interested, here are a couple of links on the subject:
Do We Need a Phonetic English Alphabet?
Regularizing the English Spelling System
Oh, and yes, I know Ellena lives in ‘la belle province’! Did you ever visit while you were living in the USA?
Phew, now this is well over a 100 words, I think, and worthy of several posts. Cheers!
Happy birthday (almost!), Marja-Leena. Enjoy your family days and your date night… It is still quite firmly winter here, but I am glad to think there are snowdrops where you are. I saw a goldfinch today–a hopeful sign.
Thanks, Marly, we had a lovely dinner at a favourite place, followed by an evening at a favourite museum – I will try to do a post about that soon. Our family is leaving today so there will be fewer distractions, delightful as they are.
Yes, wishing spring out your way, too! I remember February was often the coldest month in Winnipeg.
No reaction to what I said about Lyse Doucette. It’s an uphill job gathering Canadian minutiae, you know. Discourage me like this and I’ll be back to posting about the fat guy.
I’ve never heard of her. Did I fail the exam?
Marja-Leena: I love the scent of narcissus, and your photo is so lovely. Your life sounds blissful. And Happy Birthday. Enjoy.
Hattie, thank you! And Happy Friendship Day to you!
Failed hopelessly. Canada’s most gilded and honoured export to the BBC
I like this image!
I’m pleased that you do, thanks, Elisa!
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