Excellent, Moon. Sends my blood rushing too to think of those strong legs. And ending...perfect.

Even Opera Pumps, sometimes

Arami, I�m always happy to oblige, black pumps it is. Marcia, moon bathing has indeed kept me quite busy. BTW, on Jan 31, we are to have a blue moon ( two full moons in a month, something that does not occur often), so make sure you catch some of those rays in Hawaii. (no pun intended) From the keeper of Darcy�s Netherfield Ball�s white stockings and black pumps. The day had finally arrived! I could feel the excitement as my master slipped me carefully over his strong legs up over his knees. The grip on the garters had never been tighter, I could barely breathe! Trying to maintain my silky white continence was indeed quite a feat. I could feel the blood rush up and down his legs, up and down, up and down, and then he stopped, turned, and grabbed the black pumps, brought them to his lips and as I prepared to be kissed, whispered, �Don�t let me down, I plan to have he best dance of my life tonight�.

The tiny Moon Phase icon on my task bar is a glorious royal blue instead of the usual golden yellow. I shall bask in the blue moonlight if the blasted rain will just let up for afew moments. (I am also sitting out a rain-out double header baseball game7^| ) It is indeed a blue moon! How elegant your essay is now. How befitting the gentleman who inspired it!

Moon, excellent essay! It had my blood rushing! :) Heide -the pool table! Captial idea! LOL!! I'm currently attempting a little something for 34, we'll see how long it takes me. I keep embrassing myself when i read over what i've written, and end up deleting large portions of it. oh well...

SBRobinson, I agree with Heide. I read your DWG story and look forward to your post on 34. Ladies, you should have seen Darcy practicing his dance steps before he put on his black pumps, up & down, up & down, stop and turn...I'm quite dizzy from the whole affair.

And of course the kiss. *sigh*

I need your help, Please! I just hunted through DWG and Bits of Ivory and cannot find any stories written by SBR!!! I want to read them. Please someone help by giving me the Title, at least! Mahalo.

Marcia, here's the url fodr SBR's story about Lizzy getting her toes kissed.. Really cute! Enjoy. Ben, take notes. http://www.austen.com/derby/sbrob1.htm

Thanks much, Karen. I wandered all around the fan fic places and could not find her. I also tried to Email her, but the Email address here does not work. SBR, please Email me so I can ask you a simple question. My email address here has been corrected so I know it works (marci@aloha.net). BTW, if anyone is interested in having a correct Email address beside your name here, it is easy to correct: http://www.spring.net/yapp-bin/restricted/userinfo

Hi Marcia, i just sent you an email. :) SBR

Thank you, Dear. I replied, and it should be in you hot little mailbox right about now! Thanks =)

SBR must have children or be realted to someone (a sister perhaps) who has the I know the feeling when you are "great with child" and your back aches. She told it so well. That is such a cute story. I recommend it to everyone!!!

Ack! Such praise! I am excessively flattered! And Marcia, such intuition! (LOL!) Said sister has threatened me with bodily harm if I suggest even once more that the new addition be called Fitzwilliam. :) Honestly, thank you Every One for you kind reception to Lizzy gets her toes kissed. I'm glad it was enjoyed. :)

She is not a Firthian, I gather. Too bad. (Actually, I posted this before I read your Email) Does this new nephew have a conspicuous curl which might indicate your sister does not have a choice but to name him Fitzwilliam??? After all, his Auntie is the esteemed Keeper of the Curl of the original!! If your sister is into write-in campaigns or other sorts of pressure, we have the woman-power here to do it =P

LOL!! :) I can just see her flooded with mail from Darcy fans the world over. She'd kill me. :) I am currently promoting the advantages of twins named Jane and Austen. Alas, this is not going so well either. :(

Cannot imagine why she does not leap at the chance to name them Jane and Austen. Unless, that is, that they are both boys!!! Austen is a very sophisticated name and goes well with either sex. Jane, alas, is so mundane by comparison, that she'd need a drop-dead middle name. BTW, did JA have a middle name? I do not recall ever hearing of one. Perhaps your sister would like to have a naming contest like we did for the horses?! We are *very* clever ladies =)

We are *very* clever ladies :) Of this i have NO doubt! however i missed the horse nameing contest, it was before my time. what were the winning names?

You do not know me as the button snipper then?! Hmmmmm.... I shall repost the horses for you and those not remembering them. BTW, David was most kind about my bragging!!! He thinks it's what Mom's Do =) These horse names were determined more than a year ago and posted Nov 3, 1997: 1. Merryton Assembly- Passion, Desire, Admiration, Regard 2. Ramsgate- Serendipity 3. From Pemberley to London- Shocked, Grieved, Nono, Chestnut Season 4. From Netherfield to London- Utterly, Completely 5. Wedding- Shakespeare, Pope, Burns, Byron

Help! Has anyone seen the Feb 9th issue on the news stands yet? Over here (again!!!) the old ones are still there and a Spanish version. No issue with CF. Could it be they all sold out on the mainland and I shall not get a copy?

Hi Marcia! I havent been able to find the new People yet either, hopefully soon. :) And I'm glad David responded so well to your bragging! He's right, it seems to be a significant past time with mothers. :)

Since misery loves company, I am sort of happy I am not the only one without "People" Mag. And all those people going to London!!! How great! It is a 20-hour flight from here (done it 3 times) and costly. Tomorrow I head out to chase the elusive magazine and will buy 2 of them just in case someone does not have success. We must each have a copy!!! Is is blasphemy to note that in the pic with the dogs he looks like he is growing prosperous and a little jowly - but cute!!!!

For those who'd like to read an article about Fever Pitch from Time online: http://cgi.pathfinder.com/time/magazine/1997/int/970414/acine.man_woman_fot.html If you go here and put CF's name in the search window you will get over 300 places to read good things! http://www.pathfinder.com/people/web/toc.html

Ray just came back from the store looking like the cat who swallowed the canary and presented me with the current People Magazine. Unfortunately, it is Feb 1st issue. But he is going to be well rewarded for his thoughtfulness =))

Could someone please tell me when the Feb 9th issue of People is due to hit the newsstands? Perhaps I should go to Borders and reserve a copy. Or Waldenbooks.

Run...don't walk...the Feb. 7 issue is out now...and for some reason selling out. I just bought the last one at the supermarket to send to Lizza in UK. And they were delivered on Monday.

Evelyn, I am so glad you Emailed me today. I would surely have not gotten one unless they are going to dump the unsold ones here, but I think there will not be many!

Evelyn, I just went to JE's Board here at the Spring, and what a gorgeous picture of her graces the cover page! I am more and more a fan of hers thanks to the pictures you sent me. I have made a collage of them and am considering using it for wallpaper. That would be a change!!! Thanks for letting me know what a lovely lady she really is.

(Marcia)JE.... and what a gorgeous picture of her graces the cover page! I am more and more a fan of hers thanks to the pictures you sent me. Only woman I know who looks gorgeous in dreadlocks and nose stud... for "This Year's Love".. premieres on Feb 19th in UK. Hope to see it when I go for the "Firth-in-the-Flesh" weekend. "( I didn't coin that, Colin...Lisa did)"

Is a picture available of the dreadlocks and nose stud? I cannot imagine it! (Love that "Firth-in-the-Flesh". One could almost turn it inside out and make something totally carnal out of it =D)

It is time for me to write another little tale of Hawaii to keep this webpage alive. February is lovely here. Cool days and chilly nights (into the 50's F at night) in Hilo. There is a lot of snow on Mauna Kea this time from a storm which came through at the end of January. There have been snowboarding championships up there (won by someone from Maui). You can ski, and sled, too, but remember to bring your own oxygen with you. The air is Very Thin at 13,000 feet and it is a most nasty feeling to get the woozies up there. Meanwhile, on the north and west shores of the Islands, the big winter surf is up and surfboarding championships are being held. World wide competetion, too. Read : there are competitors from Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii as well as from California.

Thank-you Marcia! In return I�ll give you a weather report from the other side of the planet: In the Southern Finland it�s about minus 25 degrees centigrade daily, (sorry I do not know how to put that in Fahrenheit) and there�s snow up to your calf. Days are very clear and sunny and I�m trying to feed the hungry winter birds in our garden with sunflower seeds. When we got back from a trip the water pipes of our house were blocked by ice and we had to warm them up for hours to get some water. Husband goes in and out, carrying firewood and keeping fire in all the fireplaces because it seems that the normal heating system of our old house isn�t enough. My mother asked me today if I wanted a down coat for my birthday present but I thanked no, I�m hoping that the temperature will shortly rise back to the normal minus ten degrees!

Oh Fun! Global wheather reports! :) Well... in Calif (San Fran area) it's raining. temps around 50 and my cats are beginning to go crazy from having been cooped up in the house for so long. :) SBR

In Lisbon, now, the weather is absolutely irrational:one day it pours (yesterday, for instance) and the next brings in a lovely blue sky with the sun shining warm at lunchtime. The other day I had lunch on a beach restaurant, and had to take my sweater off and keep omly a tee-shirt. Then I caught a cold that's lasted me more than a week :-( And by late afternoon there rises a cold wind and we all walk around in our coats.

In Miami, we are having a wonderfully balmy winter, dry and sunny. The bromiliads are in bloom as well as the orchids. It's strawberries for the picking and the juiciest tomatoes too(I love tomatoes). LA has decended here also, on Sunday at a restaurant sitting next to us was James Woods with the youngest Baldwin brother. Last week next to us was Cameron Diaz and friends. Joe Fiennes is also in town filming.

This is wonderful! And non-controversial, too =) I have my trusty metric converter calculator right here beside my PC and I shall never again post just one form. Our 13,000 foot snowboarding = 3562.4 meters Elena, if I am doing the calculation correctly, your -25C = -13F

Hawaii is so close to the equator that tides seldom varies more than a foot or two between high and low. Our sunrise/sunset also varies very little from winter to summer - perhaps an hour or two between minsummer and midwinter. There is very little twilight here. An hour between sunset and completely dark night. But, because we are so close to the equator, the sun is closer and we are singed outdoors even in the shade. This has to be different in Finland!!!

Yep, you know, in the summer it�s funny to go to sleep in the evening when the sun is still up and darkness practically doesn�t fall at all. But like all Finns, I love this phenomenon, I mean the birds starting to sing in the morning at two or three o�clock when the sun gets up etc. In winter it gets dark at 4 pm at worst here in the south and in the north you have to bear the KAAMOS time when the sun doesn�t rise above the horizon. Finnish climate and seasons are very contrasting, winters are cold and dark but summers are full of light and quite warm. So, Finns also tend to behave very differently depending on the season. In the summer we turn almost talkative and even laugh once in a while! But summer comes oh so slowly, there�s often a lot of snow still in April.

Your summers sound lovely, and I miss snow!!! (I do not consider 70+F (21+C) outdoors and looking at a distant mountaintop with snow on it as I sit under my palm trees to be "snow".) It is more like looking at a photo. I recall being in Scotland at midsummer and wondering what people were doing coming out of the theater in elegant dress in the middle of the afternoon. Of course it was almost 11PM, but it most certainly looked like afternoon!

(Elena)In the summer we turn almost talkative and even laugh once in a while! Have there not been studies done on depression in those folks living through 24-hour-a-day darkness over winter? I seem to recall there a study using special artificial lighting to alleviate it. Guess it cut down on the alcohol consumption, too!

Yes, this is actually almost pop in Finland these days and these �bright light lamps� are sold a lot into homes also here in the south. They�re also used in hospitals etc. but I haven�t seen a reliable study on their positive effect. By the way Finns do not drink as much as everybody else seem to think!! I was a bit amazed when I recently happened to read a big pile of international newspapers, also the D. Telegraph etc. and found this idea about Finns having serious trouble with vodka. Don�t know where that assumption has come from. (And when we do get in trouble with alcohol it�s our �national drink� KOSKENKORVA that�s causing it) Moon, I see you move in quite fashionable circles!! I believe not one international celebrity has ever been to my home town or even in a ten kilometres range.

Could you give us the recipe for KOSKENKORVA ? It is doubtless very strong. At least, it sounds strong. I think the Finns are being mixed up with the Swedes in the heavy drinking category. At least over here. My town is only full of celebrities when they are using it for outdoor shots for movies. Most of those have been really bad ones, too. Your consumption of CF at 3DOR should banish the winter gloomies better than anything else I could think of. Enjoy!!!

Elena, are you not Spanish born? I at least thought so, but am I mistaken?

Could you give us the recipe for KOSKENKORVA ? Yes, pease do, I'm curious too.

All of you guys are lucky to have fairly consistent weather. I live in Kansas and it was sunny and 70F yesterday while today its 30F and snowing! Talk about a change in weather!

Gi, afraid not! I�m a full-blooded Finn. Sorry for having given you the wrong idea, with �Elena� I guess. My real name is not Elena, it�s Helena. Btw, I think your English is very good if it�s not your own language. Dare I ask you how come? Aha, got you interested, Marcia! But Koskenkorva is nothing too interesting, just plain strong unblended spirit that you traditionally drink straight from the bottle. It�s actually one part of the Finnish macho thing. Yes, 3DOR....I�ve read your comments about that expedition at 116, Marcia. I know I�d feel the same if I wasn�t going but now that I am, I�m almost scared! I just know that the experience will do something dramatic to my (and the other droolers�) feelings about CF but what, that�s to be seen.

Do you think Drool might collapse? So perhaps it's pointless to plan any further development of www.colinfirth.com? ;-)

Arami, what do you mean Drool might collapse, if anything since all this good news it seems stronger than ever, have I missed something and please continue the development of Colinfirth.com. we don't want to lose any more Firth sites.

Ah, I have just read Elena's comments, I believe our admdiration for CF will increase after seeing him live on stage not decrease so there will be no problem.

Do you think Drool might collapse Ha! Not exactly........I hope! A funny thought indeed. And what do YOU think that the Firth In The Flesh weekend will do to us Arami, being such an extraordinary realist & sceptic? Btw, are you coming to see the play on Sat. the 6th?

Sorry Ann, I was just toying with the thought of how the bunch of us will take the experience! I honestly do believe that most of us will fall for him harder than ever. Heaven forbid....I feel I�m already now pretty deep in this.

I rather think as long as we can keep our noses above high-Drool-tide we will continue. Collapse? Nevah!!! Elena, if Your CF experience is like my Olivier-in-the-flesh experience, it will take on a surreal quality. After you have returned to us and Drooled a while, it will almost seem dream-like. I could not imagine not falling for him all the more, just for having shared the same air he breathes! Think of it...! sigh !

(Stacey): I live in Kansas and it was sunny and 70F yesterday while today its 30F and snowing! (That is 21C and -1C) How do you know what to wear in the morning?! I would not be surprised to hear that you had colds or the flu with some frequency. Do you get tornados, too?

I always watch the weather at night so I'll know what to wear the next day, but I really haven't had many colds this year! We do have tornados, but they usually don't come till March or April and even then there aren't too many close to my home.

Please tell me you do not live in a tornado magnet (trailer park). Or are you into getting into the car and chasing them?! Did that last summer with my son.

(Marcia)... if Your CF experience is like my Olivier-in-the-flesh experience Marcia, what was that experience like?! I�d love to know. When and where was this and how did you (I mean: your illusions) survive it? I remember that you have referred to this before but without any details.

Ooooh, Elena! What memories! And you are such a dear for asking. The first great love of my life (I was 14 at the time) was Olivier. I recall sitting through Henry V two times in succession (after convincing my mother that a story about a war was ok for me to watch). Afterward, I recall crawling out of the theater in a daze of amazement that an actor who looked that good and sounded that good could act that well. I was hooked. I gleaned very periodical I could find, wrote my English friends and rela ives (none of whom responded!) asking for any pix or articles on him. Just prior to my going away to college, he and Vivien Leigh brought "Caesar and Cleopatra" (GBS) and "Anthony and Cleopatra" (WmS) to NYC and my Dad offered to take me to one of them. I thought long and hard. Loving Shakespeare, (while hating that he dies in the play), even though he was far handsomer in it, I chose the GBS comedy. It was a surrealistic experience. I was in the first row balcony and could see him very well, but under Caesar's homely makeup, he was not handsome. But, that Voice!!! I dragged out into the real world at the finish like I had been thought a waking dream, and to this day it seemed so very trancelike. I can recall all sorts of detail as I etched them on my heart and on my retina!! In the early 80's when I was in London I was walking through the subway (under-pavement walkway) at Westminster. I was the only one down there except for a chalk-striped-clad gentleman coming the other way. As he neared I lowered my eyes because I was passing Laurence Olivier by mere inches, and I dared not breathe till I got out the other end. Then I whooped quietly to my family what had just transpired. I would NEVER have intruded on his personal space. But, that thrill I have forever and now ave "Chicken Skin" just remembering it!

Nothing Olivier did in my experience ever did anything but increase my admirtation for him. It lasted until I watched a certain man play Darcy... I only watched CF's Darcy to ridicule his interpretation and compare it unfavorably with Olivier's. Well, I am here, and the rest is history!

....amazement that an actor who looked that good and sounded that good could act that well That�s it!! Reminds me of someone. CF of course does have something in him that reminds from Olivier, I only recently saw the old P&P and it finally dawned on me why Sue Birtwistle wanted Colin for The role, apart from his being such a good actor. ........Oh, Marcia! What happened in the subway was unbelievable. Are you sure you�re SURE it was him (but of course he was, you couldn�t be mistaken). It�s just such a strange coincidence, for a fan like you to see him just like that, and in a place like that. Like all of us I guess, I�ve tried to imagine what I would do if I happened to bump into CF somewhere (not too likely over here, I�m afraid!). I�d probably respect him too much to approach, like you did. Too bad I can�t make confessions here about people I have adored in my youth, you�d just LAUGH.

(Elena) And what do YOU think that the Firth In The Flesh weekend will do to us Arami, being such an extraordinary realist & sceptic? Hard to tell. Anything is possible. There is always the danger that one may be disappointed to realize he is merely a human being, albeit an actor with an extraordinary magnetism. Btw, are you coming to see the play on Sat. the 6th? No.

Oh yes, I am SURE it was Olivier. The moment I saw his walk, his face, an electric shock bolted up my spine. No one else has ever done that to me. I had not thought of him in quite a while and never thought to see him walking about on the street. Absolutely!! He had offices in the area, anyway, so it made sense. Trust me, we shall not laugh at your early crushes. We had quite a soul dumping on the subject last year (make that 1997), and everyone from Shawn Cassidy to well, all sorts of teeny-bopper guys. Go on, no one will think any the less for your past. Look where it has brought you!!! Olivier's P&P is officially P&P0. P&P1 was a very bad version put out by the BBC. Yup! CF has defined Darcy for me. Forever!!!

Remember, we still adore CF - even after watching him in Playmaker!!! I cannot imagine you will be anything but spellbound by being in the same space and time with him. Soak it all up then squeeze it all back out and let us wallow in it a bit vicariously!

Shall I tell you about my hero-in-the-flesh experience? When I was about 13-14 or so there was a tv-show in which a celebrated Portuguese poet/writer/professor of literature spoke about the classics and said poems. I was absolutely in love with his voice, his poise, his pipe... Many years later I was walking down some street and suddenly saw him coming in my direction. He gave me an all-over appraising look... I felt vindicated! :-)

Well, when I was about 16-18 I used to be just crazy about this British....erm...musician. That�s really the biggest crush I�ve had for a celebrity before CF. I used to write him several deeply confessional love letters too, with NO response ever. I belonged to his fan club and receiving a couple of very friendly hand-written answers from the club was enough to almost make we swoon! Anyway, I forgot about it when I started to date with my husband. Surprisingly, several years later one summer when we strolled in a park where a summer rock festival was held, I heard something familiar. And there He was, appearing on the stage, just a fifty meters from me at that moment! I had no idea about his appearance beforehand. Can�t describe the feeling. I felt like wanting to rush closer, to finally see him with my own eyes. But he did not play & sing very well!!! And from that distance I saw that he had put on quite a deal of weight. So, I stayed where I was, trying to explain the situation to my husband. I didn�t want to go any closer because I knew I would have lost my illusions COMPLETELY!

Elena, as soon as *he* opens his mouth and speaks, you will be his! Besides, how can you be disillusioned when we are so current on his looks, his demeanor, haircut, outfits, etc. Something happened on my first trip to London, which I wonder, is European or just the gentleman involved. I was waiting in the hotel lobby for the rest of my family to appear and nestled in the corner of a big leather arm chair. I was in my early 40's and "in my Prime" looking very good. A man about 10 years older than I walked by, looked at me, kept walking, then stopped. He turned around, walked back, and took a veGi, you have the best ending to the story I can imagine. It must have made your day? week? month!? ry comprehensive look at me (I was avoiding eye contact), then walked away again. Most curious. But I felt very good for the rest of the trip!

Gi, you have the best ending to the story I can imagine. It must have made your day? week? month!? Elena, as soon as *he* opens his mouth and speaks, you will be his! Besides, how can you be disillusioned when we are so current on his looks, his demeanor, haircut, outfits, etc. Something happened on my first trip to London, which I wonder, is European or just the gentleman involved. I was waiting in the hotel lobby for the rest of my family to appear and nestled in the corner of a big leather arm chair. I was in my early 40's and "in my Prime" looking very good. A man about 10 years older than I walked by, looked at me, kept walking, then stopped. He turned around, walked back, and took a very comprehensive look at me (I was avoiding eye contact), then walked away again. Mos curious. But I felt very good for the rest of the trip!

Please ignore posting 365. I do not know how it got so messed up. Sorry =(

Happy Valentine's Day to Livia Firth, Keeptress of Colin's heart.

Can not argue with that. And I'm sure she keeps it very well. Happy Valentine's Day to all.

I knew it. I just *Knew* it! We do get everything last in Hawaii. Tonight, after a lovely dinner out, we went shopping. There were Caroline-of-Monaco People issues all over the place. Loads of them. So, if anyone is still without, just let me know. My Email address here works. The one consolation of being the last place before the International Dateline is that hours after everyone's PC's and everything else has crashed on 1/1/00, ours will still be working!

(Marcia)Gi, you have the best ending to the story I can imagine. It must have made your day? week? month!? Indeed it did! :-) (Marcia)The one consolation of being the last place before the International Dateline is that hours after everyone's PC's and everything else has crashed on 1/1/00, ours will still be working! That's a perfect consolation! I swear I was ROTFLOL at this one!

When one is denied all things CF that everyone else has (SIL, People mag, live stage plays, etc.,)one seeks solace wherever she can find it.

(Marcia)When one is denied all things CF that everyone else has Oh, I�m your fellow in pain, Marcia......SIL still hasn�t reached Finland and by the time it will (March or April I think), nobody here wants to hear a word about that old thing anymore. I also have a weird feeling that I must be the only Colinist in this country! (......ja jos nyt joku suomalainen alan ihminen lukee taman, osallistukaa ihmeessa tahan keskusteluun ja todistakaa olemassaolonne.....). And I only recently received the People article from Kjart and the A&E video from Maria, the kindest droolers on earth. Finally, another weather report. Now there�s snow up to your knees or more and it�s so heavy on trees and everywhere that my eldest and biggest apple tree collapsed today because of the weight. Husband is upset, that tree was his favourite. On my way to work today I saw about six cars that had slipped out of the road because of the heavy snowfall plus a couple of collisions that caused a great traffic jam. And more snow is coming down. Snow is most natural here of course but this much isn�t.

Elena, I will be here, and I Want you to talk to me about SIL and everything you think about it. I seem to be the only Hawaiian Islands drooler that I am aware of. If there are lurkers out there from Hawaii, let me here from you!!! Drooling can be a very lonely business when you have to poke yourself in your ribs and mumble "isn't he Gorgeous?!" and say "Oof" when an especially exquisite look sweeps over his face and you are too overwhelmed to say anything else. Condolences on your apple tree. I adore apples. In the winter we get them from the USA, and in the summer we get them from New Zealand. Sorry to say I have never had a Finland apple. What is the variety? BTW, snow up to your knees is overkill, is it not! Over here we get in excess of 150 inches of it (3.81M) and particularly wet years we can get in excess of 200 inches (5.1M). That is far more than we could drink, flush, launder or irrigate with. Could you share your snow excess with some foreign ot place? They have seriously considered a pipeline to Honolulu where too many people live for the natural resources. We call it "dust control" =)

(Elena)......ja jos nyt joku suomalainen alan ihminen lukee taman, osallistukaa ihmeessa tahan keskusteluun ja todistakaa olemassaolonne..... Before we are inundated by the curious, please translate! As a parttime linguist I know finno-urgric is one living language (possibly the only one)with no progenitors. Fascinating. Pictish is also, but, alas, it is defunct.

Before the Hawaii Visitors' Bureau gets angry with me, let me hasten to add that all of the copious rain falls either at night or in 1 or 2 day storms. We do not get the lengthy rainy spells which the continental area get. Hilo is also on the windward side of the island. The leeward side is almost a desert. Today it is glorious, cool and breezy with a deep blue sky. Temp 77F (25C)

Elena, How much snow do you get in a year? and, when do you have to mow the lawn again? Over here we mow 365 days a year!!!

But, we hardly Ever shovel snow. They do bring it down from the mountains in pick-up trucks for the kiddies to play in. It does not last long as snow!!!

Marcia, do you know when SIL is coming to Hawaii? It can�t take longer than Finland, surely. Let�s have a debate after we both have managed to see it! (I haven�t read the Spoilers topic at all to protect my fresh attitude). The next time we shall mow the lawn (what a hilarious question. I�ve almost forgotten that there IS a lawn. Thanks for giving me hope!!) is by the end of May, I believe. About apples then, this region is famous for extensive apple growing. There are a lot of different types of Finnish apples, the type that stands the climate and brings fruit in quite a short season. Yes, there was a picture in the Finnish papers by Chistmas from an American town where kids were playing in melting, waterlike snow that was brought from somewhere. Caused some incredulous (but friendly) laughs! The Fenno-Ugric languages....Marcia, you�re too much! I can�t believe I�m reading that term here in the Drool! I guess this must fall into the category of Other Amusements. Translation: ....and if any of you Finnish droolers are reading this, do take part in the discussions here and prove your existence.....but I see they�ve decided to stay silent or then there are none. Finns generally like the Mel Gibson and even Sylvester Stallone type of masculinity in movies, I�m afraid.

Drooling can be a very lonely business when you have to poke yourself in your ribs and mumble "isn't he Gorgeous?!" LOL. Ah, Marcia, believe me, I know EVERYTHING about that!! Btw, calling yourself a parttime linquist must be just great modesty. A parttime linquist cannot possibly know anything about the progenitors of the Finno-Ugric languages. Most people in the world do not know that such languages exist. This makes me really wonder about your knowledge of things......!!

(Elena)do you know when SIL is coming to Hawaii? It can�t take longer than Finland, surely. Let�s have a debate after we both have managed to see it! (I haven�t read the Spoilers topic at all to protect my fresh attitude). When!!! In my lifetime, I hope. I have not been reading the spoilers discussions, either. I'd love to debate and drool with you! Thanks for the translation. We have not noted any Hawaii lurkers coming forth, either. Consider it their loss =P My textbook is from my University days and I see the Fenno rather than Finno is now used. The extra r in Ugric was my clumsiness. (You can tell I was married to an academic for 25 years. I can talk about almost anything - enough to get myself into deep trouble, sometimes;/) BTW, is Finnish musical like Swedish....you know, up and down inflections where English does not have them? Another hing, do all Finnish Surnames end in nen?

(Elena)Most people in the world do not know that such languages exist. This makes me really wonder about your knowledge of things......!! My claim to fame is as a researcher. I have done my own things in chasing the Kelts back as far as I could. And,as the most curious individual on the planet, I had to get into their belief systems, clothing, food, relics, languages, lineages, etc etc. Then take 3 trips to Britain to walk where they walked. I need another lifetime to come back as an archaeologist. The Picts really bother me. I WANT to know about them as they were the REAL highlanders of Scotland before the Gaelic tribes came over from Ireland. My favorite thing to do is chase down as far as I can, "what was before that"as in who inhabited Wales (a small-statured dark group) before the black Kelts got there. There are still many things out smart ancestors knew that we are trying to figure out. I (even as a Protestant) blame Christianity for blotting out a lot of that after the Fall of Rome. And, I'd love to get my hands on the (^&%$$%@#) idiots who burnt the Library at Alexandria. What, other than Snow-staring are your interests?

I am going to bore everyone to death who comes here, but I noted in your translation that suomalainen is your name for the Finns. What do you call your nation? I also note "nen" is a plural ending, yes? As in "people of", or "Belonging to".

Elena)The next time we shall mow the lawn (what a hilarious question. I�ve almost forgotten that there IS a lawn. Think I'll emigrate to Finland....hate anything to do with gardens...yards...!

Marcia and Elena, this discussion is fascinating to me, albeit not particularly connected to the title topic... I believe that basque (as on the Pyrinees)is another living language of no known descent. Am I wrong? Also, to my foreign ears, Finnish sounds a lot like Greek... When I hear it, I look at the person speaking, if she or he is tall and blond, it's Finnish, if short and dark, it's Greek :-) I'm also an apple-lover. And I, too, would mourn the loss of the Alexandria Library.

Marcia and Elena, this discussion is fascinating to me, albeit not particularly connected to the title topic... I believe that basque (as on the Pyrinees)is another living language of no known descent. Am I wrong? Also, to my foreign ears, Finnish sounds a lot like Greek... When I hear it, I look at the person speaking, if she or he is tall and blond, it's Finnish, if short and dark, it's Greek :-) I'm also an apple-lover. And I, too, mourn the loss of the Alexandria Library.

Sorry for the double post.

(Gi)I believe that basque (as on the Pyrinees)is another living language of no known descent. Am I wrong? IMHO I think you are right, but there are those in the field of etymology and linguistics who argue it is a dialect. I am enjoying these subjects as well. Other than CF, is there anything quite as satisfying as a crunchy, juicy cool apple?!

I believe Finland is the name not of Finnish, but of Norwegian origin for Suomi.

... mourn the loss of the Alexandria Library. Do you mean the library at Ephesus in Turkey? I have been there and it is quite thrilling.

The greatest collection of manuscripts in the ancient world was collected at Alexandria, Egypt's Library; founded C 300 BC. It housed, among other things) thousands of plays by Aristophanes. Only a few survive today. I envy your trip to Ephesus! Must have been exciting beyond belief. I am getting (as we say here) "chicken skin" just thinking about it. There have been some pretty good shows on TV (History Channel or The Learning Channel) concerning what still exists on the ground in Ephesus and what wa originally. Most interesting!!! Arami, Thank you for little lesson in Finnish history. Were the Suomi realted to the Sammi (sp?)? Seems I did some looking up when the Olympics were held there. (I am also a huge Olympics fan - or used to be =P )

Evelyn, some time when you have a few moments, tell me about what you experienced at Ephesus. I'd love to hear about it while others make up their minds about keepsakes.

I believe Finland is the name not of Finnish, but of Norwegian origin for Suomi Yes, the word Finland is of Scandinavian origin. The word Suomi that we use for our country came with us from the east and the South. Strangely, both the words have something to do with FISH you know, a fin in English, Finne auf Deutsch, fena in Swedish. The word Suomi on the other hand is very close to the Finnish, Estonian and Lappish words suomu/soome/cuobma meaning a scale of a fish. The language of the Lapps is Saame that is spoken in the Finnish, Swedish and Norwegian Lapland. Saame is the third official language of Finland and it�s one of the Fenno-Ugric languages!!! (And a VERY beautiful and original language that you can only hear in the reagions beyong the polar circle). Marcia, one more thing! Nen is not a plural ending, it�s more like an adjective ending. Glad=iloinen, sad=surullinen, red=punainen etc. Also, it�s a diminutive ending, like in my maiden name Salonen which means �small forest� a bit poetically. Enough of linquistics??! Truth is, I�m the real parttime linquist here, Marcia. Have no degree yet but I�m madly interested in languages and would like to learn them all.

.......reagions beyong = regions beyond!! Seems that I started to write English like Saame when I thought about it. (Gi) to my foreign ears, Finnish sounds a lot like Greek... Gi, I�ve never heard that one before, never occurred to me. Really?? And Gi, I asked you this before but I�m doing it again------your English is very good for a Portuguese, are you bilingual? Btw, I think Portuguese is a very beautiful language too, I�d like to learn it because of those very very soft consonants.

Elena, maybe we can teach each other a few words in our respective native languages... I learned English in secondary school, and my parents sent me to England a couple of summers to practice.I read a lot in English, and movies in Portugal are usually in the original languages, with subtitles, which helps one to become familiar with them. I consider English my second language, although I also speak French, Spanish and Italian. I studied German for three years but gave up, and am sorry, but can't learn everything in one lifetime! So many things interest me that I sometimes say I would like to be born a computer in my next incarnation...:-)

I hope this didn't sound like bragging. What I mean is, there's so much I'd like to know! I started learning a number of things (languages, sports...) but most of them I have just let go of without becoming really profficient in any of them ;-)

Another matter:Antonio and I are trying to plan our honeymoon trip (the wedding is to take place in July) and we think we might go to Sweden, Norway and Finland, and perhaps visit Saint Petersburg. Elena, do you think it would not be too much trouble to bring us some tourist information on your country when you come to London? Shall I e-mail you about this? Thanks!

(Gi) I hope this didn't sound like bragging Oh no, I read everything with interest. I think it�s just great that the discussion turned personal for a change! One tends to get so curious about people behind all these postings. Yes, I�ll try to find the sort of info you need, just tell me what is it that you�d like to know. Are you planning to come over to Finland from Sweden by boat and then go on through Finland to St.P.? By the way, don�t use the word PERHAPS about going to St. P., I think it�s worth seeing (depending on what it is that you want to see abroad in general!) Let me know.

Pardon me while I wipe up my intellectual drool. This is the best stuff I have read in a very long time. Best of all, friends are writing it =) It would take a very long time, indeed, to bore me with any of this discussion. Coming back as a computer is splendid. Just one problem (which may be irrelevant if I am a computer): I am a very huggy person. I have felt many things about my PC, but very few times has it been to hug it ;) And, Please do your language lessons here. There is nothing more interesting to me. Well...almost!!! Elena, thank you for the very-well-done discourse on your territory and ultima thule (We live in the area on old maps which designate:"beyond here be dragons.") Saami! Of course. Got the double letters, but the wrong ones. Gi, a large percentage of this Island's population is from Madeira. They were contracted to work in the sugar cane fields and stayed, marrying local ladies. I too find Portuguese a lovely language. No hard aspirates. Just as a matter of curiosity, you do not capitalize proper nouns in Finnish? Are you related to the conductor of the Los Angeles Symphony Orchestra? Same last name, I believe.

(Gi) I hope this didn't sound like bragging. Not at all. I'm finding this conversation fascinating and it's fun to learn little tidbits about each of you. Sorry I'm not joining in but the US presence is already so dominant here. No one needs to know more, I'm sure, except for Hawaii of course.