Monday, September 06, 2010

Tension, share and Karelia.

1. The masseuse keeps apologising when I gasp, but it's just the tension coming out.

2. To cut a chocolate bar in two and share it with Nick.

3. Nick spots Sibelius' Karelia Suite in the line-up for last night's Prom. I don't care that it's been heard so many times that it's worn itself into a cliché -- it's still one of my favourite pieces of music ever. And it was all the more forceful on this listen, because a couple of weeks ago, I sat with Nick and watched a documentary about the Winter War (1939-40). The treaty that followed this war -- in which the vastly outnumbered Finns fought bravely and skilfully -- resulted in most of the population being relocated into other parts of Finland. The documentary interviewed some of these displaced Karelians, who were still homesick years later; and the suite made me think of them.

Paperwhite, runners and remembering again.

1. ...and so I bring home a paperwhite, two feet bulb to bud, wrapped in an orange bag for life. 2. Thudding feet and red tops -- a teacher ...