Sunday, May 30, 2010

Congratulations Germany! Eurovision Winners 2010

Well, we all just sat down to the annual Eurovision fest.. and as expected that awful UK song was a total flop.... Oh well.. ' BoomBangaBang! '

There were ' All kinds of Everything ' for everyone to like though... ;P before it was ' Making your mind up ' time... everyone did ' Poosh da button ' and the contestants finally met their ' Waterloo! '

It must all seem a ' Fairytale ' for Germany's Winner Lena Mayer-Landrut - at the end, she looked well out of it... almost like she was up high in the sky on a ' Satellite!'

Ahh heck.. ' What's another year? ' till the next one.. in Germany! Hopefully then it will include some ' Hard Rock - HALLELUJAH! '

Totally hilarious slip up by the organisers... did you see the stage invasion during the Spanish entry.. a shame it didnt happen to another song entry, like Azerbaijan... I wouldnt have minded hearing that lovely song twice.. and I know the boys would have like to see Armenia more than once... not necessary for the song though! Yet, it was Spain that we had to listen to twice.. sheeeesh... (if you missed it.. you can see it at this youtube link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uWCTeIv-Tc )

So...who did YOU vote for - or who did you like? The Finnish commentators here, seemed rather shocked about some of the obvious block voting...especially the lady commentor, but that is how it goes, each region likes similar things...as well as using tactical voting of course.

I liked France.. and I also liked Greece.. but I supposed that their government didn't really want to have to win, what with finances as they are... probably just as well for the UK too... but I also really liked CYPRUS... and think it was the best natural song of the show.. but heck.. Eurovision is not about the best song winning is it???

CONGRATULATIONS TO GERMANY! Quirky lyrics, but very catchy!
Quite Lily Allen like in many respects...



Question... which song mentioned above.. sadly didn't ever win eurovision?

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Saturday, May 29, 2010

Off Topic - Wanted - English Arcus Arcanum Tarot Deck

Just on the off chance that one of the 'followers' on this blog can help, I thought I would mention here, that I am on the look out for this particular Tarot Deck. I missed out on it recently, only finding it after it was sold on a Finnish auction site for ten euros. Grrr.. bad timing... oh well.

The Arcus Arcanum Tarot is on the horrid old place E-Blah...BUT it is most often in the French or German versions and I want the English one. :D

So... IF you have it...and IF you are interesting in selling it... or you see it on sale somewhere.. please do let me know!

On the otherhand if any of you have the French or German versions and can convince me that they are still worth having (eg, if the booklet only is in the French/German but the cards have English headers)... then let me know about that too please!

ThankQQQQQQQQQQ.......



Copyright InformationAll content, unless otherwise noted, is © ArcticRainbow and may not be reproduced in any form without express permission from the author, except for credited links directly to articles or to the main site. (I don't bite...just ask!) :D

Monday, May 24, 2010

Spring is FINALLY here in Sodankylä!



Last week, Spring FINALLY arrived to us here in Sodankylä, Lapland.

Everything started to melt some while back, just a little, on and off.. but then last week, the temperatures rose dramatically and in a rather unseasonal early way.. zooming up to +25c ! It's a good month early!

The sky was a beautiful blue, the sun shone and of course, shone all day long...even when hidden behind clouds intermittently, it remained light and lighter into the nights...which are now reaching up to midnight. It was wonderful to have windows open, even if we do have to have mesh over them to keep insects out and our cats in!

The trees immediately by our house were just beginning to go green...so nice to see!


What snow was left, melted gradually away and remnants disappeared.... :D SPRING!

These photos were taken last week.. the first at:

8.30pm


The second a day later...at 11.30pm (YES, nearly midnight!)


The deciduous trees, all sprung into action, deep from their winter slumbers.. and all recognised the call within days of each other.. I find that action in unison quite amazing... As the image at the top of this blog shows, the leaves were opening and uncurling. Sodankylä is now GREEN and I have grass growing! :D





Its amazing to think that what was once like this..



is now this... :D


Of course Spring (and also Autumn infact) are generally very quick seasons up here.. and it will soon be what I describe as 'The Clapping Season'. Clapping season? = Summer!

That is when Lapland is FULL of a million new friends...and I don't mean tourists...I mean MOSQUITOES! I am hoping though, that as the opening start to Spring was so hot, that there will less this year, for when the bogs and marshlands are kept wet, long after the melts, the mosquitoes thrive, thrive, thrive! We shall see...I have seen a few around already!

The weather lasted a good week, but of course, nothing stays the same forever and this last couple of days have been rather over cast, damp and horrid... food to fuel the savage wee beasties... Hopefully the sun will be back soon!

Here is an interesting link to the YLE Finnish news website.. about our unseasonally early warm days! Although it does point out that as yet, you wouldn't want to be swimming in any Lappish lakes.. Brrrrr... :D
http://www.yle.fi/uutiset/news/2010/05/heat_wave_warms_inland_waters_1702015.html

GOODBYE SNOW... see you in late October/early November!!

Copyright InformationAll content, unless otherwise noted, is © ArcticRainbow and may not be reproduced in any form without express permission from the author, except for credited links directly to articles or to the main site. (I don't bite...just ask!) :D

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

May the 4th be with you... (off topic)

HAPPY STAR WARS DAY!



(( A perfect day for heavy breathing and getting away with it! :D ))

I LOVE STAR WARS! All hail, the Church of Jedi!


Copyright InformationAll content, unless otherwise noted, is © ArcticRainbow and may not be reproduced in any form without express permission from the author, except for credited links directly to articles or to the main site. (I don't bite...just ask!) :D

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Happy May Day - Beltane - Hyvää Vapunpäivää



Whatever you celebrate at this time of year, I hope you have had a great time!

My sons have gone off to Rovaniemi to be with the girlies for the weekends...as it's full on carnival spirit this weekend in Finland. Vappu is one of the two main holidays in Finland. It is a celebration of Finnish Workers’ Day plus the celebration of Spring. With my boys away.. this is our first weekend alone for.. oooohhhh... twenty years??? LOL.. YIPPEE.... we can carnival too!

Spring is my favourite season. Having said that, I miss the colourful nature of a British Spring. Currently, here, the snows are gradually melting, the outside of my home is clear of snow.. but the playarea and the forest next to my house is full still. However, the snow that is still here, is changing in its density and so its not good to be on!

Having said that.. the snowfall is still coming ..on and off..even last night it snowed for a while, then turned to rain. (Fortunately rain is not something I see much of, so I didn't mind it so much!)

This is how it was.. (Yuck!)




Now it is all gone... (Yay!)



Daylight is increasing and very, very soon it will be 24 hour daylight again! It's a wonderful, yet strange phenomenon and it's already playing havoc with my sleep routines. It's getting dark-ish but even at midnight the sky is only a mid blue, not navy black. It is light again by 3.30am. So, not much night going on at all. It will not be long until the Moon and stars will not be visible at all.

Its a shame that I have to give up the celestial bodies to gain some sunlight and warmth! Oh well, such is life. Meteorological conditions here being what they are.... I am blessed.

I am now turning my face to the Sun and I am smiling at the rays of the future.....

Happy May Day! :D

Read more about:

Beltane

May Day
Vappu





Copyright InformationAll content, unless otherwise noted, is © ArcticRainbow and may not be reproduced in any form without express permission from the author, except for credited links directly to articles or to the main site. (I don't bite...just ask!) :D