Looks promising …&

For cowberries

While at the countryside I noticed that it looks positive for the berries in the autumn. We can look forward to lots of blueberries and lingonberries or cowberries. Wood strawberries are looking good too.. I did have my camera with me so I did take photos. Here are some of my weekend pics of blueberries

Looks promising …

Spent on long weekend with not laptop and I was too lazy to post anything with my phone. I am in for a life change for a while, I’m starting a full time job tomorrow, but it is a fixed term contract so this joy won’t last for long, but it is what it is. The only downside is I will be that I will be working all through summer, no holiday day to enjoy the best season ( my opinion, I’m a summer person) in Finland.

For Blueberries

While at the countryside I noticed that it looks positive for the berries in the autumn. We can look forward to lots of blueberries and lingonberries or cowberries. Wood strawberries are looking good too.. I did have my camera with me so I did take photos. Here are some of my weekend pics of blueberries

Sold

Yesterday we had vile weather, lots of rain and wind. I still went out, braced myself to the weather, for a good cause. I picked few of my art works from the printer and later took my artwork to the person who commissioned them, sound so formal and grand. I felt so good to see the finalized work to see it as an artwork instead an image on the screen. She was happy, I was happy 🙂

If you like my artwork, take some time to check out my Art By Ritva pages.

Apple tree blossoms

I love trying to find good angles to take a photo, and light that brings the topic to its best. Sometimes I succeed sometimes not.

 Stinging nettles

Looking closely at this plant that makes a memorable impression on you if you touch it in the foliage that is covered with stinging, mildly poisonous hairs, causing an instant rash.
The stinging nettles, looks pretty when looking at it closely, as most plants do.

European Bird Cherry blossom

I was walking taking photos of nature blooming – lost my spectacles luckily found them as I had to go through the same spots again. I was a bit frustrated, as I have lost two pair of sunglasses while taking photos. One in the rapids of Kumiankoski few years back, One in the Chapora River in India.

Well that had nothing to do with these photos.

Forget me not

this is the time to take photos of this small and delicate beauty the comes to life when you look close enough. These are taken after the rain with small droplets still to be found in some shots.

Forget me not

Bouquet of flowers

A new week ahead and we are supposed to get summer temperatures, so looking forward to that.

The weekend went by quickly. Saturday we had -Talkoot- it is a word that english, german or swedish has a equivalent to. We we enjoying sausages, beer, cider and for kids juice by the grill taking after hard work of cleaning the common areas for summer. Raking, cleaning the playground area, washing the flagpole. Sometimes cutting down trees.

Well anyways, I asked our neighbours, a brit, Peter, Harald from germany and a swede if they had a word for this event that we all are participating in at the moment. Talkoo. No. Voluntary work? Dictionary had this to offer: bee, voluntary work, work party . The activities of the association are entirely based on volunteer work. I did find a work for german – Gemeinwerk.

Sunday, Mother’s Day we spent tidying up our own backyard enjoying the rather nice sunny day by being outside. I got a flower bouquet and mudcake with ice cream that we enjoyed with our son and grandkids as they popped by for a quick visit. Nothing fancy, but a nice day.

I obviously took photos of the flowers. I am sharing them with you now.

Tiny forest finds

Weekend came and went so quickly, Saturday as cool so I spent most of the day in side by the fireplace with a magazine or watching tv. I was so brave that I left my laptop home 🙂

Saturday was warmer, the most significant change was that we had less wind. I walked on our plot, looking for something to take photos of as the green nature is still keeping us waiting. But it can be found in the details. Here are my small finds.

Evergreen

We are of to celebrate May 1st to our summer house. It is supposed to be sunny, but cold, well colder than usual at this time of the year. At least it won’t be raining. Wishing all a great weekend and the the beginning of May…

I love moss, it is so pretty, green and soft.

Moss in morning light

Good signs

Today I am getting my first covid shot, they are being done like clockwork, the times were 5 minutes apart and then you stay there for 15 minutes so it can be monitored if you get some compilations.

My husband had his a week ago, only thing he experienced was a slightly sore arm. All good.

Good news all around. I got an interview for a HR job for monday – it would last 6 months. My oldest son got a new job yesterday with a nice raise. Middle on got a new job today and starts on Monday. Now I hope that the restaurants will be able to open soon so my youngest boy would also be able to return to work. So lots of positives fibes going on at the moment.

It has been cold, it still is but I did spot some spring flowers. Here they are for your joy too.

Vintage Rose

If you had not already guessed this was a theme in my FB photography group in April. Topic was Vintage rose, here are some of my efforts to capture the theme.

Small joys

the weather has sent us backwards, the lovely spring days are gone and we are back to less nice temperatures and cloudy skies with rain, slush and winds. Still the early spring flowers pop up and bring color and joy to the brown tones of spring.

This was good in away, my husband painted my office and I arranged the furniture slightly differently. Looks nice and clean. Now I have to figure what to hang on the wall and where? I don’t’ have a clear vision as yet. One thing has come with growing older, I do not need to have everything ready right away as I did when younger.

Kuvan kuvausta ei ole saatavilla.
Kuvan kuvausta ei ole saatavilla.

Snowdrops

My first flowers in my garden / backyard have bloomed. These are the only photos I have taken in many days. I have tried to stay of the computer and camera… will just post these and continue to rest my arm. There was few days between the shots with snow around the flowers and when it had melted.

Taking it easy

I have tried my best to stay away from the computer these past days. I think I have done pretty well, but just to keep the momentum going here I am again.

I did not take any photos of the food I made. But this is a chicken dish from a previous meal 🙂

Easter came and went, mainly at home. We saw our sons and grandkids. I tried couple new recipes. I am getting rather good at picking them and always slightly altering them. As all the restaurants are only doing take-away food, me trying new things gives our menus some variation. Teriyaki salmon and chicken lasagne tasted so good. I am rather proud of myself as I am not into cooking all that much – I mainly make good tasty homemade food, I have not been a recipe reader, I’ve stuck what I know. That is not to say my food isn’t tasty. It is 😀 LOL. Desperate times has made me an explorer. Making it easy for myself I am posting an old photo of a chicken meal we had.

I also have been working on an art project. I have been asked to do a Triptych to be placed in a master bedroom – not a church as first comes to mind when you hear that term. A trio of contemporary art, that I do. So all three pieces are different but go well together. It is always harder to do something specific to someone’s taste and colors. Even if the origin is one of my original art.

Flower shop

Today feels like spring, we on the plus side in temperature, the sky is blue. You can hear the snow melting.

I went to a local flower shop to make a request for a flower bouquet for my uncles funeral.

I want to it to represent a him, I do not wish it to be so traditional more personal. So I requested that it would have materials from the forest on it pine tree branches, tree cones, different greens and season appropriate flowers as he was a outdoor kind of man.

I do not know what it will look like in when done, but something like this is what I have in mind.

Well I could not coe home without buying something to take home so I had this small bouquet made for me with blues and pinks. I rather like it, something different.

Looking at these photos on the monitor they don’t look so great, but I will let that pass. I am just sharing the everyday little joys of life.

The hydrangea in snow

Symbolism. The hydrangea represents gratitude, grace and beauty. It also radiates abundance because of the lavish number of flowers and the generous round shape. Its colours symbolise love, harmony and peace. Even in the winter when they are brown?

Sad; simplicity and elegance

..

So simplicity and elegance, was my aim as I once again took the task of taking photos of them.

The soft tilting of their heads and elegant lines inspires to try create a mood. Here are my attempt to capture sad, peaceful, or just resting mood. How do you see them, or are they just other pictures of tulips and my trying to capture some mood was in vain 🙂

But I took photos also of the ones that bowed their heads, looking lovely and a little sad.

simplicity and elegance

I love the simplicity and elegance of tulips. I usually not able to keep them looking good for many days. This time I am trying a new trick, I’ve been adding ice cubes into the water and other trick is to have them in snow…

So simplicity and elegance, was my aim as I once again took the task of taking photos of them.

Beauty

I love tulips better than any other spring flower; they are the embodiment of alert cheerfulness and tidy grace. Their faint, delicate scent is refinement itself; and is there anything in the world more charming than the sprightly way they hold up their little faces to the sun, wrote Elizabeth von Arnim and I could not say it any better.

But I took photos also of the ones that bowed their heads, looking lovely and a little sad. I will post them in my next post

Just because…

Today feels like spring when you look out of the window, blue skies, melting snow showing grass on shovelled paths. You can feel it. Spring in will be here moths to come. It is wonderful to wake up in the morning and it is bright outside, it makes is so much easier. All these changes are welcome as we are brasing to more tighter restrictions as the british variant is taking hold and spreading fast.

The Government proposes closing food and beverage service businesses during the emergency conditions from 8 to 28 March 2021, except for in areas where the epidemic is at a stable level. However, meals may be sold to customers for takeaway.

Comfort and take away food

In addition, with effect from 8 March 2021, the upper grades of comprehensive school will be instructed to switch to temporary distance learning in areas where the epidemic is in the community transmission or acceleration phase. Group hobbies for young people over 12 years of age may be suspended.

Apathy is slowly taking hold, as I am sure everyone is feeling the tiredness to this situation. I’m so bored. I have actively trying to do my art projects so I have something going on in my life other than watching TV. The ice will melt, flowers and nature will bloom… this too will pass.

Frozen flowers

Cold day finds

frozen flower

Frosty flowers shimmering beautifully in the February morning light

frosty

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Brown tones

Bokeh

Brown the color that has grown on me over the years, from boring to cosy and warm. Homey( is this a word? )

Autumn leftover
Brown leaves against the sun