SUNDAY SWIMMINGS

In the pool, while swimming, the sun rays were glimmering. Outside snow was sparkling. The sun warmed through windows and the water was turquoise.

Surprise visitors from behind a sea, beautiful music and long breakfasts. Many smiles.

Happy February! Helmikuu, Pearl Month. Helmikuu helistää, February rattles. February is the coldest month in Finland. Pearls appear on tree branches as the sun starts to shine more, it warms and melts the snow to raindrops and the evening cold freezes them again. Ice pearls are hanging on all tree branches.

Have a sweet beginning for the new week!

BEAMS OF A SKY LION

Mr. Sun was shining on Friday in his well rested clothes of gold and glimmer. In the old neighborhood all were still asleep. Tiny steps on snow. Crows nodding their heads for a passerby. Secret meetings of theirs, secret language of theirs from another corner to another one. A pheasant and his tail. Only narrow paths to walk. Carefully not to wake up the neighborhood yet.

Today he is shining again. A sun day for another walk.

Warm thoughts, welcome February!

MEETING WITH BRANCHES

Branches and the sun are tickling my window. The balcony door is ajar all day, buds appear in a vase, arugula grows greener, bigger leaves every moment. It is a film festival in the town, a slice of broccoli-olive pie on a plate and mandarin green tea in my cup. In the evening some concerts and tomorrow a new painting.

How is your weekend?

Street lamps were just turned on behind the lake. Happy sunset, happy weekend!

UNPLANNED FOREST POND

Good morning dear you,

Last night I was painting till very late. When I woke up this morning again, a forest surrounded pond with a big rock in the middle had appeared on my table. I just needed to shovel some snow away to show also the tree trunks.

It surely looks like spring here now, the sun appeared too. Small birds sing a happy melody. A perfect timing, I am packing my small bag to have a walk in the sun, step in to a train for a weekend trip through even more snowy forests to my parents in the East. I think there might be many landscapes like this unplanned forest pond on the way. Eager to see what the weather paints on my way.

Have a lovely weekend dear all of you!

LAUANTAINA, Á LAUGARDAGINN, ON SATURDAY

Hello Saturday,

How are you?

It is sunny, but very windy here. I put all the blankets and pillows to the balcony to get a fresh scent, now the wind does not allow me to take them back. I cannot open the door as the wind pushes it back. Feels like strong wind storms of Iceland.

Saturday is laugardagur in Icelandic and it means a laundry day. The washing machine is humming. Iceland I will think a bit more as this girl walking towards the Vattarnes lighthouse comes for a visit to the town today.

Layers to hide from the coldness. The cherry branches are growing lime green leaves. Storms are signs of spring. Green tea with sage.

Have a warm weekend!

MORNING GREETINGS WITH A HINT OF LAVENDER

Straight from bed for a long morning walk in sunrise. Wind´s nests, magpies and crows, rabbit feet patterns on snow, narrow well pounded paths. Clouds of breathing in -17°C. Singing from nearby school, two men swearing on the roofs of allotment garden huts, shoveling snow away.

At home a long breakfast with strawberry-melon-goji-ginger smoothie with seeds and bread. On the table painting series to be continued.

Thank you thousands and twenty-seven times for all your dear and kind wishes for my birthday. It was such a lovely day and evening. Long dinner (I baked also these, but vegan version, very very delicious!) with friends and a surprise of boys playing guitar and singing heart-warming melodies. A few poems and many smiles. A wonderful year began.

Please add a hint of lavender in your green tea today!

Love,

Anna Emilia

FOLLOWING THE LIGHT

Nice to meet you new year. I hope it is pleasant and full of happiness for all of you.

It snows almost every day, today it was very sunny. Winter light is so delicate and pure, fragile. I move with it to the room where it appears for the few hours. Then when it is dark and electricity lights are on, the time stops. It feels almost like forbidden time, moments when eyes should be closed and do nothing at all. Still it is very comfortable, to be lost in darkness, to know the way home with lampposts and climb the stairs after pushing a round button which lights up a lamp in every floor. Following the patterns of the light. Being guided.

SHE MADE THEM BIG ENOUGH

I had forgotten how it is to fall asleep gazing stars. The last nights I watched them through my window under blankets. I remember last thoughts before falling asleep thinking about how flat the sky looks when it is very dark.

It turned cold, today -24°C. That made me to search for the socks my grandmother knitted me years ago. She had today her 60th anniversary though grandfather passed away some years ago. Her wedding day started in the back of a truck which happened to be on the way to the village where my grandfather was waiting. Her wedding dress was "of a natural white cloth what you just possibly found during that time, two parts" and sewn by a neighbor. From church they drove with an American car to the dancing place where they got more than 200 guests (which I counted from their guest book). She finally found the soya ice cream in her freezer, which she had bought for me already last time but lost under the huge amounts of berries. Ate it with a pleasure to celebrate her day with cloudberries and raspberry jam.

(That is how high Mr. Sun rises these days. Not even over the treetops. After that, it is just all the way down. Good night Mr. Sun, say greetings to the other side of the Earth!)

MR. SUN AND WHAT HE CAN REACH

Sun came out with frost covering everything. Quite lovely. There are four lynxes living nearby. I was walking in the forest, but seems that today they are all sleeping, also squirrels didn´t come for nut-breakfast today and also the fox is hiding. Only the sun is outside. But he can reach every tree top, frost glittering roofs, sand on the road, last summer´s hayfields and even walls inside. Everything he makes shiny. Hello Mr. Sun, nice to see you!