Ski, Skate and Schustermann

We finally managed to borrow some cross-country skis, from a friend who has been coming to our cell. She and her boyfriend are avid skiers, and their shoe sizes are similar to ours. We had a great time going round a little track near their house, with some instructions from her. Afterwards we ate some real Hong Kong(ian?) and Korean food that she had prepared for us. A very special afternoon and evening.

We went on Saturday to go ice-skating on the sea. Helsinki is full of inlets and islands around the city, and on one of these the municipality clears the snow off a track that is about 2km long. The ice is just frozen sea, and is quite bumpy in places, with cracks running along and across the track. There was a tractor clearing snow just as we arrived, so we felt quite sure that the cracks would not widen just because of our weight...

Milla and Markus have moved into a new house, about 30 minutes walk from our place, and had a housewarming and birthday party at their place on Saturday night. We had helped them to rip the wallpaper of some of their lounge wall, so it was good to see the finished product. So after our skating (about 5-6 km) and walking to their place and back about (8 km), I think we have had enough excercise for a while.

I have been playing lots at church, basically every Sunday, and mostly playing guitar, as there are some competent pianists around. This is nice because it gives me an opportunity to see the congregation, something you cannot always do from behind a piano. It has been very good to get involved. The philosophy of music is quite different here compared to PCF, but there is a lot of discussion about change, and we have a meeting at the end of the month to discuss where the music ministry is headed. I hope some fruit will come from the discussion, and that it will lead to more people worshipping more freely.

Tracy wrote her first Finnish test on Friday and was quite nervous, but refused to make bets with me about her marks. Guess she has lost those bets too many times before by overachieving. It was hard going for her this week, and she was quite tired by the end of it. So we are having a restful Sunday at home.

I have been preparing a paper comparing the Finnish and South African music education scene, and have been reading and thinking about it, but need to get something on paper this week. I have a vague idea, but these things change as soon as you see them in black and white. I also attended our regular Friday afternoon seminar, which was on Schustermann's pragmatist aesthetics (aarh...!). I am having to read quite a lot to keep up on those kinds of topics, which I have never had to deal with before. I started practicing again, plaing some old pieces and starting to learn Beethoven Op. 110. The plan is to play all three the last sonatas at some stage, if someone will give me a concert. Maybe in Slovenia, as I have a contact there, we'll see.