LIGHTNINGS OR THE LIGHT FROM A TOWER

Waves, hills, open skies. Driftwood, high tides, hay in the sea. Small stones swinging in the waves on the shore of white sand. Black summer nights. A bit of holiday memories of this Thursday when it starts to smell slightly like autumn. Evenings are more silent and I started to knit again one old pile of black thread.

It was very stormy yesterday. The night before the bedroom was lighten by lightnings. I stared to think that the house is by a lighthouse and the light comes from its tower.

"Isn´t it hard to pedal in this wind?" asked the lady with beautiful deep voice in her flower shop yesterday as I put the Lavender, Mums and Houseleek that I bought from her to my bicycle. It was downhill all the way home, a downhill with a lavender scent.

Happy weekend dear all of you with long walks, reading and baking!

P.S. Thank you dearly for mentioning my work on your blogs, for your written words and your purchases (I am packing them as soon as I have had a lunch on the balcony next to the lavender).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MISSING YOU

Happy birthday Iceland!

Gleðileg hátíð, gleðileg 17. júni!

Just sending my best greetings to the land of winds and surprises. These pictures were taken during the summer nights in 2005, when the sun never set. Yesterday I remembered how I worked with the elderly and silver-haired people there. One of the ladies was very known palm reader, people traveled to meet her. Once when we were in the kitchen all alone with her, her cup of coffee and milk already cold, she told me: "Hey you, come here!" (Heyrðu! Komdu!). I sat next to her glancing her newspaper, we used to read the news together, she teaching me Icelandic or we talking about her childhood in Denmark or of her known painter father. It was one of those days, when the sky and the sea are the same color and the horizon is difficult to recognize.

Suddenly she took my hand in hers and watched it for a second and started to read my palms. Telling the truth and forecasting the future. I was amazed and happy and even this lady maybe never remembered it afterwards, I knew that we shared a secret. Next year I was there working again. The same happened. "Hey you, come here! But your palm lines have changed from the last time!" she said and told me a few new things, but the deepest ones still remained the same. I am not sure if to believe them or not, but at least it is one of the nicest memories I have to feel a smile on my face.

Thank you once again for your orders in my shop, Apple Blossom Meadow -print is almost sold out, I am in awe!

See you very soon again, have a good Thursday and see all the blue and red and white things around!

BARE FEET TO THE SUMMER POND

Hello dear you,

A summer forest pond appeared on my desk while painting many other things this morning. Maybe this pond lies very near to the spring pond. Surely it is possible to walk bare feet and swim silently there listening the wind in the tree tops and birds on the branches. Surely it is possible to stay there only very few, but surely one can stay there all the day and all the night too: the sun does not set anymore almost at all. Shadows are short and pale. Maybe a small bonfire can be collected to have some company, brittle cracks of burning wood and scent of fire, scent of home.

How are you?

Have a pretty day!

NIGHTS TO WALK AND PEDAL

Three evenings in sunset. Four hedgehogs, two friends. Three bunnies, hundreds of birds. An old bus, tens of new freckles painting my nose. All of us under the same sky.

That sky is just different to us. Sunny and hot here and cold and rainy in there, cool under the shadows of lilac bushes for the rabbits. I think it will be changed next week. Change is good, grey days are needed. Me and the green things outside we need rain once in a while.

I hear wings, they come and go above the roof. Now someone visits me on the balcony. They never speak there, just on the branches. A pity as I quite don´t get if they want to join for the dinner of champions-, pecan nuts- and zucchini-risotto over apple pancakes (Emilia´s name day celebration of yesterday).

Thank you once again so very deeply for everyone writing to me. It feels so good to hear from you and I think of your words many times through the days.

All my love,

♡

Anna Emilia

GREY HORIZON, WAITING FOR THE SOUND OF RAIN

Happy dear Thursday,

It is very cloudy and the wind keeps on singing with a strong voice through the grayness. Maybe he is missing the sun too these days. But the first lunch was eaten on my balcony some days ago when it still was warm and yellow light all around. Freckles on their way on my nose.

A new allotment hut appeared next to the two older ones. I already wondered what it is all the banging and ruckus outdoors. It is probably a studio of mine, my company name was approved this week and it is simply Anna Emilia. Whenever there will be a break in the commission works I am doing, I promise to work more on the online store which you have been eagerly asked about lately. Thank you for all the comments, emails and letters dear all of you, they keep me going and I am happy to answer them!

Today I am very hungry. Luckily there is a big kettle of summer soup. What will you eat today?

Have a delightful evening!

UNDERWOOD AND BIRD GOSSIPS

Spring calls for long walks with provisions in pockets. (Nuts, dried berries and fruits, an apple, strawberry juice. Three small pieces of dark chocolate.) To see who is the most brave to show a hint of green first. Trees or flowers from the ground. Spring also calls to stay home, to paint eagerly while black lover birds whisper their greetings through an open balcony door. Spring calls to realize late in the night that a new day comes and painting and the bird songs can also continue tomorrow. Spring calls as a sound of rain and new wings flying to the roof, I guess it is a big blind date centrum there for birds. Spring also calls just to stay in the moment and watch the light changing.

These pictures are from the year 2007. The spring I stayed in Finland and the summer in Iceland. There were many streets to walk. Many rainy days to read comics under strange light blue NATO-blankets. And a friend tickling my soles.

Happy Thursday! Happy walks!

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

HIDING FROM THE DARKNESS INSIDE TENTS

Working and dreaming of tents. Photograph from the summer of 2005 in North Iceland just after a rain shower during midnight. Have a pleasant Thursday!

P.s. Here are nice covers, one also made by me.