Happy Valentine's Day!

Wishing you all a Happy Valentine's Day from a very snowy Somero!

I have just got home from helping out at the Svensson House in Somero this morning where there was a Friendship Day lunch for anyone who wanted to come. More than forty people turned up, so the event was a great success.  I will tell you more about what happens at Svensson later this week as it is a really special place and open to everyone in the community.

Here in Finland, February 14th is called Ystävänpäivä, and is all about friendship - all kinds of friendship. In our family though, with the strong British and French elements in it, Valentine's Day remains more of a romantic occasion. In both the UK and France, Valentine's Day is not celebrated between friends, but by those in a romantic relationship (and also those who wish they were in one!)

Couples celebrate the day by going out for a meal or staying in a hotel...this evening in both countries all the restaurants are guaranteed to be full. In the UK the tradition is also to send Valentine's cards to your secret love without signing them, so the recipient is left guessing as to who is admiring them from afar.



Minttu's Valentine's Day Message to Daddy

You can imagine that this can sometimes cause problems when someone is already married and they receive an unsigned card from someone other than their spouse. (Don't worry Frédéric...there were no unsigned cards in the letterbox this morning!)  You can also be sure in England at least that the women compare notes the day after, on February 15th, as to what their boyfriend or husband did (or didn't do!) the day before. Believe me, the men who forget to mark the day are in serious trouble! I am lucky to be married to a romantic French man who never forgets...so Valentine's Day is always a special day for us.   My own view is that any occasion which helps us to remember our friends and our loved ones is a good thing. Life is full of ups and downs, and the journey is so much easier when we have friends to hold our hand along the way.

To all our friends, old and new, I wish a happy Ystävänpäivä.  Thank you all for being there!