Madame Butterfly

Yesterday we went to Opera with my husband Juha. I love opera and as a cunning wife I bought two tickets to Madame Butterfly for Juha as a christmas gift. I kind of hoped he would invite me to his companion - and I was right!

The first act was a little bit boring but in all I loved it! The last act was so good and the music so impressing and emotional it brought tears to my eyes. The story is so sad... An American officer buys a young Japanese wife to himself and leaves her in Japan while he goes back home. Three years this young Madame Butterfly waits for her husband to come home so that she could show their son to him and to love her husband only to see how her husband comes back with an American wife! Madame Butterfly is asked to give her son to the father and his new wife in order to get better life for the son. Madame Butterfly agrees to that and kills hershelf after loosing everything that ment something for her - love and the child.

One very interesting thing happened in the opera the man who sang the role of Goro (the matchmaker) lost his voice at he end of the part one. He acted the rest of the opera but there was another man singing his lines on the left side of the stage. I was amazed how well that arrangment worked!

Another thing I followed closely was the role of the child. As a mother I was very touched about the real child on stage and it brought those motherly emotions on surface very strongly and I could understand how bad it must have felt when Butterfly realized that she's going to loose the child too. I guess I need to be very happy that I've been able to keep my children.

Well, it's nice to be back in the capital area and close to our national opera. Once again it didn't fail me.

winter without snow

It's a very strange winter here in Finland this year. No snow, lots of rain, no sun, lots of clouds... It means darkness - darker than normally and it's getting to me. I love winter and snow and the lack of it makes me sad. My strength has been low for several months and this doesn't help. I'm tired of being tired... nice circle - don't you think. Fortunately we can rely that God will provide the strength we need.

picture cavalcade

It's been a wierd winter what comes to weather. We've had snow occationally but it has lasted only for few days. Waters get ice and then it starts to melt away again. This is how the sea looks in Helsinki now. It's beautiful, don't you think!

We visited Lappeenranta at the end of November. There was snow in there at that time and look how beautiful the fortress is in snow! Well, it melted away for Christmas in there too...
On our Independence Day the sixth of December we had snow. Every year we lit these outdoor fires on the roadsides leeding to our school in the morning of the Independence Day eve. It brings a solemn athmosphere for the whole neighbourhood and hopefully cheers up the people who wander to their work in the darkness.

We had a blessing of our new home in October. We got these candles as presents. And as you know I'm a big candle lover so I was happy. Soon the big white candle looked like this:

and now it's gone...

Another thing I love is flowers and especially flowers. So In enjoyed fully of all the welcoming flowers. This bunch of roses lasted a long time and brought joy to me (and others, but not so much for them...)

One weekend we decided to build a huge lego castle and here's the result. Awesome! Building it took several hours but it was worth it. Look how the king and his attendance enjoys living in the castle:

We've got a pet nowadays. It's been so much fun to watch the squirrels who come to dine on our yard.

They've learned their way inside our home too.

This fall we've also got to know this cat - Töpö. My sister's family decided to have a cat and found Töpö from the shelter for abondened animals. Good deal for both: Cat gets a good home and the family gets a pet.

Christmas time ment more flowers and more candles.

Hugo Bear - the new member of our family - wishes you all blessed year 2008!

Stockholm

We made a quick one-day-visit to Stockholm right before Christmas in the beginning of the Christmas brake. I enjoyed the ready made meals on board the ship and in Stockholm and the time to just relax in a cabin. I also like the city of Stockholm very much and walking around felt very good.
The old part of the city is my favourite with all the narrow alleys and old buildings. Fortunately we didn't need to buy anything so we were able to just wander around and enjoy the window dressings which brought the Christmas spirit to me after a hectic time at work.

In the old town we also visited the Stora Kyrkan (the big Church). It was a lovely moment to calm down. We lit some candles and I prayed alcohol free Christmas to children in Finland.

We also visited one mall quickly and watched all the people making last minute Christmas shopping. We ate in Burger King -thing we always do in Stockholm while we don't have it in Finland and we loved it in USA.

On our way back me and Viivi took part in competition and won these chocolate bars. It was a reaction game where you had to push the buttons that turned on in the right order. I got 164 in a row, the next one got 54 and Viivi who was third got 28. Am I good or what?!