Annikki launches her new blog

I have been off blogging because of a problem with my ethernet connection, making me use my 56 kps internal modem rather than my 100 Mps ethernet.

No fault with my Mac.

The fault lies with my Internet Service Provider, and hopefully this will be resolved this week.

I have the proud privilege to announce a new blog by my better half, Annikki.

It is a world's first - The Mobile Snowman / Liikuva Lumiukko.

Her site is devoted to her winter passion, creating objects out of snow and ice. This has led her to a new art form - Snowmen that movee.

Her partner in this venture is our grandson, Samuel (11) who has had the passion to promote the idea and help Annikki develop it.

I had featured a few stills of her idea on this blog. Now it has bloomed into a site of its own, including a video clip which has been posted on YouTube.

The quality of the video taken by me is not ideal. I hope I can improve the quality and produce a movie of this concept.

My thanks to Vishwanath Mallabadi, a professional photographer here in Oulu, who has taken some better videos, which I am using to create a movie.

Congratulations Annikki and Samu. This is a truly unique development in art and play which children and adults all around the world (where they have access tto "snowman snow") will truly enjoy.

World's first "Action Snowman"

Annikki is famed for many things - but one of her specialities is designing snowmen.

Many will recall how, a few years ago, I was greeted at 4:30 am by this snowman.



Or the one she created in 2006 November:



Or her seated laplander of late last year:



But her creativity phase has reached a new high.

She wanted to make a snowman which moved.

Who would think she would ever achieve this goal?

But now she has succeeded, aided by the enthusiasm of her grandson, Samuel. First they created a snow-slide:



And Annikki created a snowman which is delicately balanced on a plastic plate which children use to slide down snow hills.



We are waiting for a good video camera before she lets the snowman slide down the snowslide!!

Annikki takes art to the limit.

I was really amazed and laughed my guts out when I saw her working in the garden late last night (after 11 pm) and saw that snowman just ready to slide down the snowhill!

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.

Please pray for Dr. Samuel

May I request all of you to say a special prayer for the father of Rana Jacob in Calgary.

Dr. J. Samuel, known to all of us as Sam, is 76, and is not keeping too well in Ernakulam.

Dr. Samuel is the second son of Maliyakal Kurian Jacob, the youngest brother of my grandfather Dewan Bahadur Kuriyan Matthan.

Rana is his eldest son and is married to Beena. They live in Calgary, Canada.

Their daughter Nidhi was recently married.

Dr. Samuel had his 3rd heart attack and was in a bad shape last week.

But, the Grace of God was on him and saved his life.

He was in the Amritamiya Hospital and has now been discharged.

Since Dr. Samuel suffers from high BP and is a diabetic, further invasive treatments have now been kept in suspense.

Please join Annikki and me in praying for our uncle to keep him safe, and also for his children, Rana and Reena, in this hour of their need for comfort.