Empress Wu Designs with Wilma

Coffee and Pulla in Finland , a photo by empresswu designs on Flickr. It's been 11 years since I've been in Finland. Coffee and pulla ( something like a brioche, but better - either plain, with cardamom, fruit filling....) is still one of my favourite memories! This was at a little outdoor cafe set up for the summer months in a small market place in Helsinki. I was attracted by the decor - rough hewn tables, assorted chairs, candelabra ( in the daylight) and vintage props - typewriters, motor scooter helmets, Singer sewing machines.... I was just filling in time here waiting for my washing to be done at a nearby laundromat where the owner gave instructions "go and have coffee and pulla and come back for the laundry in an hour" .

Once you  turn the calendar to December it seems that it becomes one eventful week after another - all good things, but very busy. This week, we attended school  awards days, birthday parties  for our grandchildren and tried to do some preparations for Christmas like finish making presents, put up the tree and decorations and even do some shopping!     Awards Presentation at Rutherford Public School can be a serious event for six year olds. Birthday Parties with cousins are ...   lots of FUN. Do grandparents really need help with the Christmas decorations ?  And a special Happy Birthday to our second grandson - five years old !       .... And if you would really like to see some fantastic holiday images - the participants of the Doll Holiday Ball Swap have been revealed at Vagabond Creations ( please go and have a look at the 33 wonderful art dolls) ... Here is mine called " Dreaming of a White Chri...

Every day during a recent trip to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam provided fascinating sights - along the Mekong River.   Natural limestone monuments in Halong Bay, Vietnam Peaceful reflection by the river in Hoi An, Vietnam Sparkling waterfalls Kuang Si, Laos   Not all the amazing sights were natural - many many wondrous temples, statues, structures....   Mosaics.... Bridge built by Japanese in Vietnam Cave entry .... stone dragons .... homes and hotels.... and even tunnels ... Obviously not built for the western physique!  POST SCRIPT - HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY 

I often wonder what most people remember about a holiday. In an earlier post, I said it was the 'people", but there seems to be a bit of consensus amongst friends that "food " is definitely up there. Certainly exotic foods add another dimension to the experiences. Yes, these bottles of wine were for sale, and they did contain snakes, scorpions, and other creatures often considered nasty. I did try some, but it wasn't amongst my souvenir purchases. There were of course, other delicious and more familiar food found in markets and from street vendors. - bananas, mangoes, tamarind, dragon fruit, corn, fresh greens and noodles .... and lots more ... anything and everything....   Shopping is not easy  a) when you're not sure of the language ;    b) when you live in a floating village ( Here a woman and her child stop at the local shop for dinner supplies) ; c) when you have a weak stomach for raw meat ( apologies to all my vegetarian friends) We ate wond...