April snowman

The childhood spirit was reignited in Annikki the day Joanna and her kids arrived for the Easter holidays. Daniel (5 in May) was Annikki’s constant companion. They were very busy in the garden.

Many of you will remember how Annikki produced this snowman to greet me on my birthday in 2006. The childlike spirit lives on, especially when the grandchildren arrive on the scene!!!

There was a little snow on the ground.



When I came home one evening, there were a couple of snowladies (identified by the sprigs of twigs on the head) in the garden, one being pulled on a sleigh by the reindeer.



Last night, as Joanna and the grandkids are due to leave for Newcastle on Sunday morning, Annikki decided she would put some colour into her snow scenery and had a plethora of candles burning with her snow friends.

The picture does no justice to the radiant colours that we could see from the kitchen window. The candles have been burning right through the night and will do so till the family depart at 06:45 am this Sunday morning. (Unfortunately, I could not capture the true beauty of the scenery with the digital camera.)

Pleased as punch?

Posted on my Jacob's Blog, the Oulu CHAFF Blog, the Mumbai Cathedralites Seventh Heaven Blog and the Delhi Stephanians Kooler Talk Blog.

Does the term "pleased as punch" refer to the condition after drinking an ample amount out of the Punch Bowl (remember Annikki and I are teetotallers) or is it some condition of Punch in the "Punch and Judy" Show?

However, Annikki and I were pleased as punch yesterday, whatever the origins of this phrase.

As was conveyed to most of you by "Manorama JM" yesterday, our younger daughter, Joanna and her husband, Tony, have produced their 3rd child, 3.49 kg in weight, 52 cm in length, at 15:35 on Sunday 20th January 2008.

Samuel and Daniel are very happy with their new baby sister, who is our second granddaughter, and just as beautiful as lovely Asha in England.

Our new granddaughter.

Daniel with his sister.

Samuel and Daniel with their sister.

Samuel with his sister.

Joanna watches her brood after the proceedings of the day.

I took these pictures (with my camera which is held together by sticky tape) at the hospital for Annikki, who cannot leave the house as she is looking after her mother. Grandmom was so pleased to be part of the event! And greatgrandmom was also quite thrilled to hear the news.

Annikki is the only one, who from the time she saw Joanna in mid-December, has been saying that the baby would be a girl!

Knowing Samuel and Daniel, this little girl is likely to grow up as a tomboy!

Sand castles at Kampitie

Over the years, Annikki has created a beautiful sea side scenario at Kampitie that the kids feel that they are actually at a beach. The sand has been carted over the years from the sea shore bvy Annikki and me with a lot of help from Samuel.

This summer they enjoyed many many hours of playing in the sand pit area.

Some cats in the neighbourhood thought the main sand pit area was ideal for their personal purposes.

To protect the area, Annikki created a kota (a Laplanders wigwam) out of chicken mesh. She covered the outside with a colourful cloth which made it look like a wigwam.

The two older kids, Samuel and Asha, had a better use for that wigwam.

As Daniel was jumping all over their lovely sand castles, they enticed him to play in the wigwam, while they had free reign over the rest of the sandy beach area.

Cats out, Daniel in!

A day before Daniel and Samuel left for England, Asha and Samuel created an entire sand castle area, each their own. It took hours to build and i watched them work so diligently building their own areas, trading land to extend their own kingdoms.

It is now over two weeks since Samuel and Daniel left, We have had a very stormy early autumn with plenty of rain. However, the sand castle village created by the two grandchildren has weathered the worst of this storm.



Now, as the autumn leaves are coming down, it is time to rake down the village.

I went out this sunny morning to record the state of things. I was surprised to see how strong the constructions, which are still standing, the kids had created are!

Annikki was especially insistent that this scene should be captured for posterity.