Comments

I'll show these pictures to my son because he always wants to stop the swimming classes during winter time. Leila, I'm trembling just to see the pictures.

Dear Leila, This time also I am trying my best to write comments on three blogs you put up in last three days. Your Nokia technology reminded me that our country get help from your country in the field of telecommunication and FINIDA is helping in many fields. Certainly NOKIA is well known brand in mobile phone and more that 60 percent people in Nepal are using NOKIA set. As far as I am concerned I am not using any mobile phone because most of my time I spend either in home or office and in both places I use landline for communication. As I already mentioned in my early post I am working in night schedule which caused me out of contact with my old friends and spend most of times with office colleagues. When I read your blogs I remembered one technician who was from your country, visited our office to fix some video games and amusement machines in the month of December five years back. Normally in the month of December room temperature is about 10-20 degree Celsius, after fixing some machines he came to my office and asked me to operate air-condition below 5 degree Celsius and I answered that our air-condition do not operate below 16 degree Celsius, he get amused and told me that it was difficult for him to work in such high temperature. In the mean time, I was felling cold. Then I remembered natural adaptation of person with surroundings. Your description about how house windows are triple glasses to cope with surroundings and need of winter tires for vehicles are able to give glimpse of coldness in your country. Photograph with your husband is very attractive and your couple looks like nut and bolt. Photographs of swimming polls are able to demonstrate when there is will there is way. Even in freezing temperature peoples are enjoying swimming.

Hey up Leila! Brrr! I felt the tips of my fingers frozen just to look at these great pictures Leila. Wow! I guess you know how to have a riot of time, even in a very cold weather. Every time people talk about Tango, what comes to my mind is that memorable scene of 'Scent of a Woman', in which Al Pacino dances Tango while in the background is playing 'Por una Cabeza'. Oh so beautiful. Have you ever watched this film Leila? Take care, see you tomorrow, Ana Paula. PS-Just a little note to Adriana: Adriana, thank you for answering my question and I missed you these days. I´m glad you´re back :-). Thank you Leila.

Hello Leila, how can we miss to reply to your interesting blogposts? I think there was some technical problem with the comment system. I haven't done tango myself but I had once watched in National Goegraphic channel, and as you said, it was about tango in Argentina. As always, I liked the photos and the snow covered background makes it like a place of dreams. Naheed

Hi Leila!I'm Erika from Hungary. This is the first time I am writing a comment to BBC Blog. I've been reading your blog since the beginning and its great!!! I really enjoy your writing style and your daughter's photos are superb. I loved the comparison between Finnish and Hungarian language.Have a nice day... All the best Erika

Hello again Leila, I would like to add a little note to Adriana. Hello Adri, I have saved all those beautiful photos to my computer. Give my love to Iago. And a note to Katri, your photo of the snow covered tree was gorgeous, I have saved all those photos taken by you. Naheed

Hello,Liela Blimey,swim in freezing water! I've never dreamt of it but it sounds to fanscinate.I think I need a glass of Reindeer Teardrops to fall asleep not to cry.I have had severe headache for tree days and I haven't slept very well last night so a glass of Reindeer teardrops would do for me to nod off now.Have a good day!

Hello Leila, thank you very much for your welcome. Your information about Finland are very useful for my Knowledge. Now the only fear that I have it is to get cold!!!!!!!!! I saw the photos…..and I am not accustomed to temperatures so cold……. I'll have to bring a bag of sweaters!!!!!! I like dancing and I think that Tango is a elegant dance.. Unfortunately I m not able to dance the tango……. Sigh sigh! See you soon Mariangela From Italy p.s Sorry for my English, maybe I made mistakes.

Dear Leila, now I closely associate you with polar bears. No, not because you are big, white and furry! ;) So why then? Because people doing cold water swimming are called in the English language «polar bears». The analogy is quite clear, isn't it? We in Russia call such people «walruses». I don't think I will ever do anything like this in my life, I hate cold water especially in winters. ESPECIALLY when some kind people at a public utility decide to cut off the hot water supply (it is centralized in our country, which means that people don't have to have their own water heater at home) for a week or two to mend something, and this «something» tends to be in need of repair at least twice during winter! So you get the picture. Luckily, we had our own immersion installed a few years ago. But the ratio of people with and without one is probably 1 : 30 (imagine, it is -20'c, or colder, outside and you can't even take a HOT SHOWER). Oh no, the last thing I meant to do here is to complain. I do apologies. I am not whinging, I am the lucky one with an immersion heater after all. ;) I think you do quite well for a Finnish person. Given all the speculations, one would expect you to be now in a state of complete and utter melancholy (and maybe even depression) now that the polar night is falling!! But you sound chirpy as ever. Talk to you soon. Ana

Hi, Incredible! You're crazy! I think you have to improve your fit before you go to swim. Am I right? I wonder if I might do that (I'm joking..). Probably most normal people without preparation couldn't be not survive. Respect.. In our country not many group of people live in this way. As a rule they belong to Morse Club. As far as I am concerned I can't dance a tango. Many years ago I attended to the dance course. Nowdays I don't remember anything. Simply, if you don't use you very quickly forget. I wait for next interesting news about life style in Finland. Regards and have a nice weekend for everyone especially for you. Majka

Terve Leila! I liked that melancholia explanation. But still I am not very keen to folow you, in spite of those useful advice, in winter swimming. Yesterday I was the last with car tyres changing, so I am tired at home today and looking out the window the lake, meadow and wood on its sides are covered with snow just like your pictures. Though, the town is not so far and can be seen across the fields, the amount of snow disappear there rather quickly. Waiting for new boost from you soon!

Hi, Leila. My best friend from school is a winter swimmer. I went to see the place where she swims last time I was in Finland winter time. When I saw the banister I wondered if the warm and wet hands of the swimmer wouldn't be stuck to the icy handrails. My friend said that they were kept warm. There was also a dressing room with sauna. My former school mate didn't use the sauna because one had to pay for that. She lives one km from the ice hole and uses to keep small bags with warm wheat grains in her pockets.

Hello Leila! I don´t think that Finnish people have a melancholic character. Maybe provided they have drunk too many Reindeer Teardrops – but after drinking of some drinks we all can be a bit melancholic sometimes. I like swimming but looking at the photos of winter swimming makes me feel cold.