The Latest Edition

The past few days have been really cold, like now it's -28°C so everyone has had to become creative in thinking how to spend time inside usefully. The good thing about the Siberian weather conditions is how beautiful the nature becomes. It's like it was meant to be seen through a glass, meant to be watched from inside a house or car.







Luckily I have had some work to do so surfing on the computer has suited me just fine. The other times off work I have spend mostly with our latest edition, the newest family member Justus. He's soon 5 months old, bold and daring, just a little rascal like a bear cub but for that even more lovable! For these few moments we captured he managed to stay still.









Justus in a pink Valentine's Day wrap.

The actor and hunk Ashton Kutcher has once said about Valentine's Day [as quoted in People]:
"I hate Valentine's Day," Kutcher tells Parade magazine. But he doesn't hate the lovey-dovey sentiment that is celebrated every Feb. 14: In fact, he feels quite the opposite.

"I think every day should be a day of romance," he says. "Then, on Valentine's Day, you should get to tell whoever you hate that you cannot stand them. There would be one day of hating, and 364 days of love."

Although I agree completely with what he says, I dare that and sounding corny by wishing you all a Happy Valentine's Day!

Ice Queens

After a long while - maybe the last time I did ice skating a few years back with Claudia in Austria - I thought it's time to go and try again. Luckily I got my friend Outi to join me! The wind was quite cold and it was snowing but the worst part was to tie the laces.

I was a bit rusty, but after a while of hee-ya moves and finding the core balance it started to come back to my mind again.

Ice skating is a great sport like jogging in the summer - it's economic and you get fresh air!

Although I look like a queen on the skates, it's possible that I need still some practice before I'm as good as Kiira Korpi. Ok, that goes also to my list of still-to-do's...

To the end some wise words from Dr. Wayne W. Dyer:

The state of your life
is nothing more than
a reflection of your
state of mind.

Some Sunday Chores

Already a few weeks ago Lukas flew back to the Chilean summer as I, in turn, decided to stay in frosty Finland for five fabulous weeks working. Now you might ask how have I been spending my time in Finland?

Today the sun was shining and the piles of snow were shimmering so my friend Hanna offered me to join her for a Sunday ride.

Hanna's 2-year old boy Atte took us for a ride in the beautiful nature.









Instead of sun bathing in +30 °C I am shoveling snow, losing my toes to a frost bite and enjoying other winterly pleasures of this Arctic land.

But it doesn't matter, because I'm enjoying myself also here!


At the end some food for thought:
The future belongs
to those who believe
in the beauty
of their dreams.
-Eleanor Roosevelt

New Year's Eve 2011

This update is somewhat late, but hey, at least it's still January! Better late than never, eh?!

The afternoon started with some bubbly while we girls - Doris, Julia and I - were preparing the midnight snack and getting ready for the evening.

All pretty and set, we drove up to Marul. Some of us managed even to do a little power nap in the car... ;) And a nicely decorated table waited for us.

Lovely cheese fondue and some rice salad with a delicious glass of white wine.















Ok, whose idea was to open a bottle of Jägermeister???

And do a game of schnaps? Although not very challenging, the game was a lot of fun!









I believe Niklaus and I made quite a memorable performance interpreting Ave Maria.

Notice the body language - all into it!

I seriously think we could perform this beautiful piece on Magdalena's birthday next year.





Later around midnight the programme included dancing the Viennese Waltz out on the yard and shooting rockets.

*** Happy New Year! ***

Winter Wonderland

Christmas season is a family holiday and so we thought it is essential to spend the Christmas holidays with our families and loved ones.

When we returned to Austria, a great amount of snow was waiting for us!

The marketplace of Dornbirn was nicely lit. There we spent some evenings sipping glühwein, which is hot, spicy wine.

A part of the town's Christmas look of course involves a real donkey.

I was playing Santa's Little Helper.

Our Finnish dining room in Christmas outfit.

Our wonderfully smelling Christmas tree was an intriguing nuisance to our pets.

I went out for a crispy walk with Susanna's dogs, Reetu and Elvis.

Justus eating a toothbrush which he stole from Elvis.

In Finland there's also snow, but the degrees have dropped much lower. Here we were driving on Christmas Day to visit our relatives in Kuhmo.

Even though the weather changed gradually from +27 degrees in Chile first to -4 degrees in Austria and eventually to -30 degrees in Finland, it didn't make the adjusting any easier.

One of Santa's elves?

I got to give a spin to my cousin's new snow mobile!

And of course in the evening it was party time... ;)

Belated Christmas wishes and Happy New Year to everyone!