Minna's Favourites

Terrified baby!

2011-03-16T18:53:00.000+02:00

Berlin, March 2011

2011-03-06T19:33:00.000+02:00

Brandenburger gate

Mercedes Benz Gallery

Cathedral and TV tower

DDR Museum

Music Monday - Beatles in Chinese

2010-12-27T12:17:00.001+02:00

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the ACTUAL LINK POST here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

Oh Tannenbaum - Oh Christmas Tree - Oi kuusipuu

2010-12-21T20:21:00.000+02:00

Love Me Do

2010-11-20T14:12:00.001+02:00

Love Me Do is one of my favourite Beatles songs. I love this version, too.

Greetings from Paris

2010-10-30T16:47:00.000+03:00

Louvre Museum

Venus de Milo, or Aphrodite of Melos

Mona Lisa, or la Gioconda, by Leonardo da Vinci

Pay no attention to what the critics say

2010-04-30T18:28:00.001+03:00

"Pay no attention to what the critics say;
no statue has ever been put up to a critic."

Jean Sibelius

Avoid doing work...

2010-03-30T18:22:00.005+03:00

“Intelligence is the ability to avoid doing work, yet getting the work done.”

Linus Torvalds

Future generations

2010-02-28T18:17:00.007+02:00

“Because we don't think about future generations, they will never forget us."

Henrik Tikkanen

My favourite love poem

2010-02-14T08:05:00.009+02:00

Let me not to the marriage of true minds

Admit impediments. Love is not love

Which alters when it alteration finds,

Or bends with the remover to remove:

O no! it is an ever-fixed mark

That looks on tempests and is never shaken;

It is the star to every wandering bark,

Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.

Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks

Within his bending sickle's compass come:

Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,

But bears it out even to the edge of doom.

If this be error and upon me proved,

I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

William Shakespeare

Sonnet 116

Beatles parody

2010-02-10T18:52:00.000+02:00

I take my love for the Beatles very seriously, but I love laughing at parodies of them, too.

Or at least at the ones by Peter Serafinowicz!

Home Heist

2010-01-31T16:23:00.001+02:00

These guys are so adorable!

I don't always like everything they do, but I love the way they do it!

And I wish they could come heist our home and make over our bedroom.

Winter wonderland

2010-01-22T20:12:00.002+02:00

I am not a winter person. I don't like January and February at all!

However, I enjoy the beauty of the snow. I took these pictures last Saturday, when I had my afternoon walk.

Y Not - Walk With Me

2010-01-14T18:49:00.002+02:00

Ringo and Paul :-)

Kalevala earrings

2010-01-01T18:18:00.001+02:00

My husband gave me these gorgeous golden Kalevala jewelry earrings for Christmas. I love them!

Maria Lund - the Christmas Song

2009-12-19T11:48:00.000+02:00

Kenzo Jungle

2009-11-20T14:10:00.000+02:00

One of my favourite fragrances at the moment is Kenzo Jungle.

I love the bottle with the elephant, too.

If I could add a scent to my blog, it would be Kenzo Jungle!

Moomin Adventure

2009-10-16T19:13:00.004+03:00

I like these new black and white Moomin Adventure dishes so much.

These days most Moomin products which you see have bright colours and I suppose that they are meant to please the children's eyes. But this is what the original stories and drawings of Tove Jansson were like. The Moomin world as she described it wasn't always so bright and happy. It had melancholy moods and some scary elements, too.

You can see more Iittala's Moomin products here.

Louhisaari manor

2009-09-06T15:02:00.006+03:00

When we were on our holidays in Naantali, we drove to a small municipality named Askainen where we visited the Louhisaari manor museum.

It is such a handsome manor. Its floors are decorated in different styles from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.

I took a lot of pictures. The were so many beautiful settings which I find very inspiring as I am decorating my old-fashioned dollhouse.

the Sunny Town

2009-08-09T17:01:00.017+03:00

We spent a lovely few days' holiday in Naantali, a small town in the South-Western Finland.
We have been to Naantali a few times before, as we have taken our children to the Moomin World amusement park located there, but we haven't previously spent much time in Naantali otherwise.

Naantali is said to be "the sunniest town in Finland". I think that there are many other towns located by the sea that have as many sunny days as Naantali does, but I have nothing against giving that title to Naantali, as the weather was absolutely wonderful during our stay.

The town was sunny, and so were the people.
They seemed to be very content and proud with their beautiful town,
and they had a nice way of collaborating to make their town a pleasant place to stay.
We stayed in the Naantali Spa, and we enjoyed its facilities very much.

The Brigittine convent church was built in 1443-1462.

the Moomin shop
(You can find an online Moomin shop here)

Please, click on the pictures to see larger images.

the Hawk Lake

2009-07-30T18:58:00.009+03:00

Pictures of another beautiful lake,
which is actually my favourite lake, I think...
Haukkajärvi - the Hawk Lake
(But no, I have not seen any hawks there.)

Please, click on the pictures to see larger images.

An evening at the Saanjärvi Lake

2009-07-21T18:42:00.007+03:00

My husband's family has a small summer cottage located by this lake.
I am not too fond of spending time at the cottage in general,
but I do enjoy sitting on the dock looking at the lake,
trying to see if there are any wild ducks or other waterfowls swimming in the lake,
listening to the sounds of nature... and just doing nothing.
It is very calming.

I am Elizabeth Bennet

2009-06-07T11:06:00.002+03:00

Take the Quiz here!

Walking in the forest

2009-05-24T18:37:00.006+03:00

I took my camera with me yesterday, when I went for my evening walk.
We live in a neighbourhood only a few kilometers from the center of our town, but we have several small forests within a short walking distance from our home. (Finland is a very sparsely populated country and we have forests everywhere).

Yesterday I climbed to this small hill
and I enjoyed the green colour and fresh air so much.

Helsinki South Harbour

2009-05-12T20:05:00.003+03:00

This webcam is in the South Harbour in Helsinki.
You can refresh the picture by hitting refresh button.
You can see other webcam pictures of the harbour here.

Pictures of my home area

2009-05-02T15:08:00.003+03:00

Here are some pictures of our home area which my husband took from an airplane a couple of years ago. It is not this green here, yet. The nature is actually still rather grey and brown after the winter. But it gets greener day by day.

A bad feeling about Yoko

2009-03-25T19:23:00.005+02:00

"Somehow the other three had a bad feeling that everything would change
after Dipsy had introduced Yoko."

I do not usually read the comic strips in the newspapers. For some reason, I just do not get them (but I do consider myself as a person with a sense of humour, as we all do, I suppose!).

The other day my daughter told me that there was this comic strip in the day's newspaper which she thought I should read. Oh yeah, she was right, I got it and I loved it!

It is from a series named "Outo valo" ("Strange Light") by Martti A. Vasamaa.

You say I'm a bitch

2009-03-21T17:22:00.001+02:00

This tin sign and other cool stuff is available at wickedcoolstuff.com.

La isla de la tranquilidad

2009-03-05T16:47:00.009+02:00

We have just returned from a lovely one-week holiday from Corralejo in Fuerteventura, Canary Islands, Spain. We had a very pleasant, relaxing vacation. I loved the island. It is beautiful, peaceful, distinctive.

Here are some pictures from our trip.

Kalevala jewelry

2009-02-08T11:29:00.009+02:00

"Little birds" earrings
"It was thought that flying birds were in communion with the gods. They were believed to have knowledge to which only the gods were privy and which humans could only learn if they spoke the language of birds. Perhaps this explains why many seers travelled to their ancestors in the guise of a bird. The bird was a messenger between man and the gods."
"Viipuri pretzel" earrings
"The prototype for this piece is a charm found at Kekomäki in Kaukola, which is on the Karelian isthmus. This find dates from the end of the Viking Era and the northern crusades, around the year 1000 A.D. Like other Kalevala Koru designs, this striking piece was inspired by the rich ornamental world of archeological finds."

Here are some of my favourite earrings, which are products of Kalevala jewelry. Kalevala Jewelry has a modern product line, too, but I prefer these kinds of items which are based on traditional Finnish and Scandinavian jewels. Some of the products are actually replicas of ancient jewels which have been found by archaeologists.

I have one of Kalevala necklaces, too, and next I would love to have an ancle chain, this "Heart of the house" perhaps:

If you can give your child only one gift...

2009-01-23T20:09:00.005+02:00

"If you can give your child only one gift, let it be enthusiasm."

Bruce Barton

Scenes of Kouvola

2009-01-21T19:31:00.007+02:00

I visited the new website of my home town Kouvola and I found these pretty pictures there:

Countryside in the Elimäki village

University in Kasarminmäki

Paper mill in Kuusankoski

Anjala manor museum

Repovesi national park

In the beginning there were...

2009-01-19T20:15:00.005+02:00

"It was a dark and stormy night" is a very well-known beginning for a novel. In Finland, we all know the phrase "In the beginning there were the swamp, the hoe — and Jussi" which is the opening line from a beloved novel trilogy named "Under the North Star" written by a Finnish writer named Väinö Linna, published in 1959-1962.

Jussi is a poor farmer who clears a marshland and builds there a croft of his own. It is a very hard job, but he has got the guts to survive and that - the Finnish "sisu", guts, perseverance - is what the phrase is about. When we hear the line, we think about all the "Jussis" we know or the "Jussis" inside of ourselves, and we know that we may have to struggle, but we will do all right.

Marimekko spring collection

2009-01-11T13:16:00.006+02:00

I visited Marimekko's website to see their new spring designs. I fell in love with these fabrics designes by Erja Hirvi. They remind me of the lovely fresh summer days which I miss so much. I even love the name of the design: "Kissanminttu" - "Cat mint".

Richard Harris: My boy

2009-01-10T19:42:00.001+02:00

Such a beautiful, sad song.

J Karjalainen: Väinö

2009-01-03T20:49:00.000+02:00

My favourite river

2008-12-29T14:13:00.006+02:00

Here you can see some of my favourite sceneries in the world, located right here in my hometown. The magnificient Kymi river.

Click on the pictures to see larger images.

Our children love the river, too. When we go to visit my old home village, our children insist us taking this old stretch of the road, which goes right by the river. From it you can see this old handsome noble mansion.

Christmas pastries

2008-12-20T12:11:00.001+02:00

These star-shaped pastries with plum jam are an essential part of the Finnish Christmas. I do not like all of our traditional Christmas dishes, and I do not like baking either, but I could not imagine skipping making these lovely pastries. They are fun and easy to make. You can find the recipe here. (As I am a busy working mom, I buy a frozen dough).

Italian nights

2008-12-14T15:05:00.007+02:00

My friend and I visited the Sinebrychoff Art Museum in Helsinki yesterday and we saw a fascinating exhibition called "Le Notti italiene - Italian Nights". The exhibition brings unique Italian evening gowns from collections of Fondazione Sartirana to Finland. The exhibition presents made-to-measure, handmade evening gowns and accessories from mid-1900's to the end of the century. Among the designers there are masters of fashion such as Giorgio Armani, Gianni Versace and Valentino.

This gown was one of my favourites. It was designed by Sorelle Fontana for Ava Gardner. I could imagine Ava looking gorgeous in this gown in some glamorous gala.

Christmas story

2008-12-06T19:18:00.004+02:00

This is the trailer of "Christmas story", one of the nicest Christmas movies which I have seen. It is a heartwarming story of how a little boy named Nikolas, who lived in a faraway village in Lappland, the North of Finland, became Santa Claus.
The movie was released last year before Christmas. I think I should now buy it on DVD so that we could watch it before every Christmas.

51 Questions About Santa Claus

2008-11-27T17:29:00.002+02:00

- How old is Father Christmas?
- Was Father Christmas ever a child?
- Are new elves still being born?
51 questions about Santa Claus -
everything you ever wanted to know about him!

The smaller you are

2008-11-24T18:13:00.000+02:00

Rudolf Koivu: "Christmas in the forest"

"The smaller you are, the bigger Christmas you have."
Tove Jansson

The first snow

2008-11-20T17:17:00.009+02:00

We have just got the first snow in the Southern Finland. It has been snowing all day and there is beautiful fresh white snow everywhere.

I took the two first pictures from our front door, and the last picture is of our garden which is at the back side of our house. When looking at these pictures you could think that we live in the middle of an enchanted forest. But actually these is a road which goes behind our garden but in this picture it looks like it isn't there.

Taste of Finland

2008-11-13T20:44:00.001+02:00

Traditional Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Photo by: Tommy Selin

1 large head cabbage
2-3 tbsp butter
1-2 tbsp golden syrup

Stuffing:
50 ml brown or polished rice
200 ml meat stock
300 g lean minced mutton
Shredded cabbage
100 ml whipping cream or heavy cream
1 egg yolk (use the white for sealing the rolls)
Salt and white pepper

Cook the rice in the stock until half-done. Cut off the stem of the cabbage. Blanch the cabbage in slightly salted water. Remove the leaves as soon as they start to separate. Save the bigger leaves for the rolls. Trim off any tough pieces and shred the smaller leaves ready for the stuffing. Mix the ingredients of the stuffing together until smooth. Dilute with some cooking water from the cabbage, if necessary. Place some stuffing into each leaf, fold them up, parcel-like, and seal with the egg white. The rolls should be small and thin. Brown the rolls in butter in a frying pan. Pack them into an ovenproof dish. Rinse the pan with some cooking water from the cabbage and pour into the oven dish. Pour a thin strip of syrup over the rolls and cook in the oven at 175°C (350F) for about 1 1/2 hours. Turn them once and add more cooking water, if required. Add a drop of cream before serving, for the sauce.

This recipe and a lot of other recipes and information on the Finnish cuisine can be found here:

http://www.finfood.fi/tasteoffinland

Do not spoil what you have

2008-11-08T17:17:00.000+02:00

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not;
but remember that what you now have
was once among the things you only hoped for.

(Epirucus, Greek philosopher)

Maritime Center Vellamo

2008-10-23T20:29:00.000+03:00

We live near to Kotka, which has one of the biggest ports in Finland. Kotka has got a brand-new attraction which they can be very proud of, the Maritime Center Vellamo.

We visited Vellamo recently and it was a very enjoyable visit. There are a lot of interesting things there to explore: in the Maritime museum you can learn about the Finnish seafaring and the exhibitions in the Kymenlaakso museum are about the history of our home area, the Kymi river valley. The exhibitions are very functional and captivating.

Finnish extroverts

2008-10-22T14:50:00.000+03:00

How can you tell the difference between a Finnish introvert and a Finnish extrovert?

When he's talking to you a Finnish introvert looks at his feet.
A Finnish extrovert looks at yours.

Online shop for homesick Finns

2008-10-14T20:31:00.000+03:00

What is the paradise for Finns living abroad? It is here, Suomikauppa.fi, an online shop where you can buy salmiac, ryebread or Fazer Blue chocolate and other Finnish goodies which we find very difficult to live without. You can also buy baby bottles decorated with the Marimekko Unikko pattern and of course, Moomin toothpaste or several other Moomins products. The shop delivers their products to places around the world.

The Beatles Story

2008-10-11T14:19:00.000+03:00

I went to a local theatre yesterday to see a play about the Beatles. The Beatles are my first and still my biggest musical love, and I was actually not quite sure if I wanted to see an amateur play about something that is so Important to me! Well, we went there with my hubby and some good friends and that was nice. As for the play, I liked the band which played the music, but I was not impressed by the play itself. The actors lacked all the charisma which you would need for playing characters like the Fab Four. Anyway, the end of the play reminded me of this rooftop concert and I wanted to share it.

The land that is not

2008-10-02T19:58:00.000+03:00

I have not been reading much poetry lately, but the autumn makes me sentimental and the darkening evenings are perfect time for grabbing a poetry book. Edith Södergran is one of my favourites poets and I was happy to find this captivating poem, "Maa jota ei ole" or "Landet som icke är", translated in English. I find her poems very touching and very easy to identify with.

"I long for the land that is not,
for all that is, I am weary of requesting.
The moon speaks to me in silvern runes
about the land that is not.
The land where all our wishes become wondrously fulfilled,
the land where all our fetters fall,
the land where we cool our bleeding forehead
in the dew of the moon.
My life was a burning illusion.
But one thing I have found and one thing I have really won –
the road to the land that is not.

In the land that is not
my beloved walks with a glittering crown.
Who is my beloved? The night is dark
and the stars quiver in reply.
Who is my beloved? What is his name?
The heavens arch higher and higher
and a human child is drowned in endless fogs
and knows no reply.
But a human child is nothing but certainty.
And it stretches its arms higher than all heavens.
And there comes a reply: I am the one you love and always shall love."

Anu Pentik ceramics

2008-09-18T18:17:00.002+03:00

I love these new "Kookos" plates by Anu Pentik.
Anu Pentik is a designer whose work is strongly influenced by the Finnish nature. She was born in Kuusankoski and we are lucky to have one of her shops here. It is one of my favourite places for buying high quality presents and it is a pleasure just to browse around in the shop.

Silence

2008-09-13T16:45:00.000+03:00

"Hiljaisuus,
kun se vihdoin
suostuu puhumaan,
on viisain
koskaan kuulemani
ihminen."

"Silence,
when it finally
speaks,
is the wisest
person
I have ever heard."

Tommy Taberman

The Autumn Leaves

2008-09-04T19:08:00.000+03:00

I love the spirit of autumn. And I have always loved this song sang by Yves Montand. However, I find this version by Juliette Greco is as impressive.

One of Alvar Aalto's blossoms

2008-08-30T15:40:00.000+03:00

I was surfing the net and I came across this quote by Alvar Aalto, the master of Finnish architecture: "The blossoms of an apple tree are standardised, yet they are all different. This is how we, too, should learn to build."

I lived my childhood years in a small town where we had several buildings designed by Aalto. For instance, the elementary school where I went from grades one to six, was his creation. I googled for pictures of my old school, and I found these excellent pictures in Flickr, by Sampos.

This picture is my favourite. In my school days, at the end of the corridor there was the principal's office and the teachers' room. Along the corridor there were the classrooms for handicrafts, English and music. I wonder what they use those rooms for now!

Mystic scenery by Tove Jansson

2008-08-24T11:03:00.000+03:00

Tove Jansson became famous as the creator of the Moomins, but she also wrote a few other books and had a long career as a painter.

The name of this painting is "Mystic scenery" and she painted it in 1930.

Ana Moura in Helsinki Festival

2008-08-23T18:44:00.000+03:00

This summer I attended the Helsinki Festival for the first time, as we went to Ana Moura's concert. I enjoyed it very much. I find the fado music extremely beautiful. Ana has a wonderful strong voice and she is a very charming performer.

In the festival there were a few other interesting artists, too, Estrella Morente, for instance. She sang that beautiful song "Volver" in Pedro Almodovar's movie with the same title. I hope to be able to attend the Helsinki festival next summer, too!

A crafter's nightmare?

2008-08-16T19:49:00.000+03:00

The situation is not quite as bad as it looks like! I had a small benign tumour removed from my left middle finger. I am going to get rid of the bandages tomorrow. But it will take a few more days before I will be able to do any crafts. And I miss crocheting already!

I was given anesthesia for the surgery. I am afraid of many things, and anesthesia has been one of them. I had been hoping that I would never have to be anesthetized. However, now I am happy that I had to go through it and to realize that it was not such a big deal. It feels really good to get rid of one of your stupid fears!

I have been tagged!

2008-08-08T11:25:00.000+03:00

How nice! I was tagged by Annette of Under the Loupe.

I am supposed to list six of random things about me and then tag six other people. This is fun! Here we go:

1. I love black t-shirts. I try to buy different colours, but when I come home from shopping, I realize that I have bought black again.
2. I hate spiders.
3. I like to eat oatmal porridge in the mornings. Every morning. When we travel, I miss my porridge.
4. I hate ironing, but I enjoy doing the laundry. When I am angry or upset, I go and tackle the laundry.
5. I am a horrible singer, but I like singing to my children. They are obviously more musical than I am, as they usually tell me to shut up.

Here are the rules:

1. Link the person(s) who tagged you
2. Mention the rules on your blog
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.

1. Beads Me
2. Polly's Peri-wrinkles and Piercings!
3. SuzeeeZ 's Home Sweet Home & Tranquil Garden
4. Nodin's Nest
5. Daisy the Curly Cat
6. The Peacock's Nesting Place

Have fun!

Evening at the Haukkajärvi Lake

2008-08-06T11:55:00.001+03:00

Lauri Tähkä & Elonkerjuu concert

2008-07-31T11:17:00.000+03:00

Lauri Tähkä & Elonkerjuu's music is a combination of rock and folk music. Also their lyrics are a mixture of folklore type of poetry and modern lyrics.

The group comes from a province named Ostrobothia. It is said to be typical for the Ostrobothnian people that they are not too modest about themselves. They have a saying which goes something like this: "We try to make it good, but it tends to become first-class".

I went to their concert with my daughter last Tuesday. It was first-class alright!

Goodbye Lucia

2008-07-29T10:56:00.000+03:00

I am a fan of the Spanish Los Serrano tv show. Yes, they show it Finland's tv, too. We are seeing episodes made in 2006 now. I am on my summer vacation at the present and the children and I watch the show in the mornings. Usually, we laugh a lot when we watch it. Fiti is my favourite character. He is so manly, in good and in bad, and he always messes up both his and his friends' things!

Today, my daugher and I cried a lot instead, as Lucia died in a car accident. It was like somone you know well had just passed away. We sat together on the sofa and cried and then we felt ourselves so sentimental and stupid that we started to laugh.

It is just a silly tv show but I love it!

Remember Mafalda?

2008-06-27T10:14:00.001+03:00

When I was a young girl, I enjoyed reading Mafalda books.
I still have my books left and some time ago I gave them to my daughter,
and she likes them too. This strip is one of my favourites.

Rhododendron

2008-06-09T18:50:00.000+03:00

I got this rhododendron as a Mother's Day gift from my family several years ago. Last summer it finally bloomed for the first time, and now it is starting to bloom again. I am so happy!

the Hattifatteners

2008-05-09T11:04:00.000+03:00

The Hattifatteners are tall, thin, ghost-like creatures, resembling long white socks. They have round neckless heads with two round eyes. Below their heads on either side are five finger-like projections. They are silent and serious, having neither the ability to talk nor to hear, but in contrast, their sense of feeling is extremely accurate, and they can sense even the most minor tremblings of the ground. They also seem to be melancholic characters.

Read more about Moomins in the Unofficial Moomin Character guide.

Fado music - Ana Moura

2008-05-05T08:15:00.000+03:00

I like Portuguese fado music very much. One of my biggest favourites is Mariza, whom I saw live last year. Now I have just bought the tickets to Ana Moura's concert in Helsinki in August.

Exciting discoveries

2008-03-31T13:14:00.000+03:00

I have to start with something, and I decided to do it by writing some of my favourite quotes.

"One of the advantages of being disorderly is that one is constantly making exciting discoveries."
A. A. Milne

"The only place where housework comes before needlework is in the dictionary".
Mary Kurtz (- By the way, in the Finnish dictionary it is vice versa!)

"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."
John Lennon

"A man does not forgive, he forgets. A woman forgives everything, but she never forgets."
Tove Jansson