Everyone’s doing those End Of The Year posts, and I really, really want to be different. I completely avoided writing such a post last year, just because I didn’t want to follow the crowd. But that was then. And every time I look at how my life was at the start of this year compared [...]
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For Chrismas, I got a cold. A particularly bad head cold, if you must know, complete with buzzing ears and a cough that would convince anyone of a weak and pessimistic nature that they were dying. “I’m dying!”, I wailed miserably, gulping down the hot port that Riho had brought me. Hot port (with sugar [...]
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The townsfolk gathered in the square, wrapped up warmly against the icy breeze. They squeezed in between the tiny cabins and market stalls, shuffling from foot to foot on the old cobbles as they awaited the appearance of the mayor at the open window of the Town Hall. Christmas carols tinkled on the air, the [...]
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Üle laia lageda, lumivalge, uinund maa sõidab linna jõulumees kristalses täheöös. Kaugelt, kaugelt Põhjamaalt täna ruttab siia ta, põhjapõdrad, kaelas kuljused, on iidse saani ees. Aisakell, aisakell! Kella kauge hüüd. Härmast valge jõulusaan tuhatnelja tormab nüüd. Aisakell, aisakell, kingul, orus, mäel. Aisakella helinal meil on jõulud jälle käes. Täna jõulukuuse all laste pilgud säravad, õhtutund [...]
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This is the first Christmas I’ve ever spent away from Ballymena. I have to say, after an admittedly poorly-timed grocery shopping trip today, I don’t think things are all that different here. The usually super-efficient buses were all late, with an ominous HILINEB (“delayed”) flashing all over the place on the departure board thing; when [...]
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Riho and I have taken to going out for a walk in a previously unexplored area each Sunday afternoon. We just get on to a bus and see where we end up. Well, actually, I suspect that there’s a bit more planning than that involved, but I’m not one to pay much attention to the [...]
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I feel the need to point out that I said, on my last post, “it’s not that we actively dislike the components of the traditional Christmas dinner…”. It’s just that it isn’t a “treat” meal to me. The only part of the dinner that I really could do without is, erm, the turkey. Which is [...]
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My family doesn’t eat a traditional Christmas dinner. We never saw the point in cooking up a load of sprouts and spuds when none of us would list such delicacies amongst our favourite foods. It’s not that we actively dislike the components of the traditional Christmas dinner; it’s more that we don’t see it as [...]
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Well, well, well. If you’ve read the comments on my last post, you will now be aware that the “dangly bits” I’ve been seeing everywhere are reflectors. Intrigued, and armed with my fresh knowledge, I did a bit of research using “reflectors” and “Tallinn” as my search terms, and discovered a site telling me that [...]
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OK, question. What on earth is this? The answer I’m looking for here is not “Erm, it’s a middle-aged Estonian bloke drinking a cup of coffee”. I’m actually referring to the yellow diamond-shaped thing hanging from his coat. Could someone please tell me what this is all about? For the past few weeks, I’ve been [...]
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You Say Goodbye, I Say… Historical Snapshots It Just Makes Me Happy
