Ritva Sillanmäki Photography

Rosa glauca

also known as Read-leaved rose, Redleaf rose ( punalehtiruusu)

Roses and briars (Rosa spp.) are large-flowered, prickly shrubs. Their leaves are imparipinnate. Fruits are achenes which, however, are not visible, but enclosed by the enlarged receptacle, the whole being called a hip.

The genus comprises between 100 and 250 species, depending on the defining criteria. They are distributed over the temperate regions of the Northern hemisphere. Roses have been cultivated in China and the eastern Mediterranean at least for 4,000–5,000 years.

Red-leaf rose is native to the mountains of Central Europe. It has been a fairly common ornamental in Finland since the 19th century. This species does not produce suckers. Its stems are erect and fairly tall. The slender, spreading young branches are covered in a waxy bloom. Prickles are fairly sparse, and they are slender and straight or slightly curved.

The little flowers are pink and made up of five petals. They are formed in small clusters and will have a light scent at best.

The orangish-red fruits are called hips. They can help add color during the winter since they can take a while to fall off. You can also cook with them and use them in alternative medicine.

Posted for Cee’s Flower of the Day

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #263: Faces in a Crowd

Your challenge this week is to share images featuring faces, in a crowd or standing alone, human or animal. Selfies are approved. I am looking forward to seeing your take on “Faces in the Crowd”. Don’t forget to link to this post and be sure to tag your post with Lens-Artists to reach the widest audience.

For John’s challenge this week, I have these shots to share. Hope you enjoy them.

I captured these face in Cape Verde.

Face from our trip to Hong Kong

A local market in Goa India…lovely colorful clothes and expressive faces

Sri Lanka…

framed all over… and all kinds of things

Remember to link to your post and use the Lens-Artists tag in the reader section. Thanks John, I love taking people shots, and happy to have the opportunity to share them

If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.

I needed to add something in monochrome – of course

Weather

I have been uninspired and slightly depressed ( I just had a birthday) about growing old, a small age crisis 🙂 plus for some reason I actually ache real physically. So much joy in getting old. So I have been absent from the blog world mostly. I will weather this, I am totally working on it. As a positive person I do not dwell on these for long.

I took these some days back when we had some rainy days. They someway reflect my mood…. I see a small light ahead, and it is getting brighter. A minimalistic take on the weather

Flower a day – Lions Ear

Lions Ear (Leijonankorva), Leonotis nepetifolia

also known as lion`s tail and wild dagga, Klip Dagga

Lions Ear, Leonotis leonurus, is a plant species in the Lamiaceae family. The plant is a broadleaf evergreen large shrub native to South Africa and southern Africa, where it is very common. It is known for its medicinal and mild psychoactive properties.

Medicinal Uses. It is said that… ( what I read about it)

Klip Dagga has long been used in African traditional medicine as a treatment for fevers, headaches, malaria, dysentery and snakebite.

It has an effect on the uterus – depending on the dose it will stimulate- or suppress menstruation.

In Trinidad it is a common cold, fever and asthma remedy.

Studies suggest that teas or tinctures made with the leaf possesses anti-nociceptive properties, is anti-inflammatory and hypoglycemic and therefore lend pharmacological credence to the folkloric uses of this herb in the management and/or control of painful, arthritic, and other inflammatory conditions, as well as for adult-onset type-2 diabetes mellitus.

Both Klip Dagga Leonotis nepetifolia and Wild Dagga Leonotis leonurus are excellent heart tonics.

They are used for heart conditions associated with anxiety and tension and will calm palpitations, tachycardia and irregular heartbeats.

The dried foliage of Leonotis – both Wild Dagga and Klip Dagga – can be used as a legal substitute for marijuana (ganja, cannabis, hemp).

Smoking this dried herb gives an euphoric-like effect and exuberance.

The flowers are the most potent part and can be smoked or used as a calming tea.

For Cee´s Flower of the Day.

Flower a day – Yellow Toadflax

Yellow Toadflax( Keltakannusruoho )

Name also: Butter and eggs, Common toadflax

Look at its glowing yellow flowers.

Toadflaxes are abundant in western Asia and around the Mediterranean. Many of them favour culturally-influenced areas, at least to at least a certain extent.

Yellow toadflax is a perennial, strong-rooted herb which has root buds. It flowers on roadsides right up until late September. In Finland it is native to coastal rocky outcrops. Inland plants may be established aliens that arrived later. Yellow toadflax has a beautiful flower and has thus been transplanted into gardens as an ornamental and found new habitats in this way.

For Cee´s Flower of the Day.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #262: Framing Your Photos

This week, Amy’s challenge of framing has me looking at my old and new photos.

Frames, so many of them including window’s, doorways and alleys the most obvious ones. Sorry for the overload of photos.. I am still keeping my style, more photo’s less words.

Windows the obvious frame

At the window…

In an mediaeval castle

framed all over… and all kinds of things

Remember to link to your post and use the Lens-Artists tag in the reader section. Thanks Amy 🙂 , this was fun.

If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.

I needed to add something in monochrome – of course

Apples and apple pie

Photography

August, the Time you see apples 🍎 in the trees and obviously take some photos. Try something new, Like baking a apple pie with a new recipe?

There is a recipe for a Finnish version of an apple pie

FINNISH APPLE PIE

MAKES 1 PIE
TAKES 50 MINUTES TO MAKE

INGREDIENTS

Dough:
125 g butter
½ cup (120 ml) sugar
1 egg
1 ½ cups (350 ml) wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla sugar

4-5 green granny smith apples (depending on the size of the apples)
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
3 tbsp butter

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix the butter and sugar in a bowl by hand. Add the egg and whisk. In a separate bowl, mix the flours, baking powder and vanilla sugar together. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture about ½ cup at a time. Work it together until you have a ball of pastry dough.
Preheat oven to 200°C. Wash the apples and slice them very thinly.
Use one tablespoon of butter to butter your pie dish. Take the dough out of the bowl. Spread the dough (about 5 mm thick layer) to the bottom and sides of the pie dish. Set the apple slices tightly starting from the edges. Sprinkle the sugar and ground cinnamon on top. Spread little pieces of butter (2 tbsp together) on the top of the pie.
Bake in the oven for 25-35 minutes. Remember to check it every 10 minutes to avoid burning the edges.
Enjoy with vanilla sauce or ice cream!

Flower a day – Meadow Vetchling

Meadow Vetchling (Niittynätkelmä)

Name also: Meadow pea, Meadow pea-vine

Look at its glowing yellow flowers.

Meadow vetchling has never been an important nutritional or medicinal plant, although it has probably been a useful fodder plant.

Meadow vetchling spreads widely through its runner-like rhizome to form large stands. Sexual propagation is however problematic: pods don’t develop on most of the flowers and the seeds are prone to being destroyed by insects. It makes an impressive sight however when it is in bloom, and it stands out easily among the surrounding grasses. It climbs up to become visible by using its tendrils to climb on other plants.

Meadow vetchling is the only yellow-flowered species out of the members of its genus that are established in Finland. At first glance its flowers might look like bird’s-foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), but the latter has a tendril instead of a terminal leaflet, and it doesn’t use other plants to climb on.

For Cee´s Flower of the Day.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #261: work in Progress

This week, Ann-Christine challenges us with a Work in Progress check her beautiful images and her wonderful theme.

Progress – back or forward. So many things in the world is going backwards not forward. Is it work in progress ? I find this to be a sad time, makes me really angry how many things that we have achieved are being tried to destroyed, that is also in progress, but…

But, I am going to try to keep in on the positive side and real.

working on jewelry

Work in progress can be seen in these photos below.. Images from India. Sometime the progress in slow compared to other parts of the world.

Live music, well it is a work in progress

Art performance of any kind is a please to witness – Dance performace captured in Amalfi Coast Italy

Remember to link to your post and use the Lens-Artists tag in the reader section. Thanks Ann-Christine 🙂 , this was fun.

If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.

I needed to add something in monochrome

Flower a day – Sneezewort

Sneezewort

Name also: Bastard pellitory, Fair-maid-of-France, Goose tongue, Sneezeweed yarrow, White tansy, Wild pellitory

Sneezewort has spread or been brought to Finland quite late, sometime in the 17th century, and for a long time after that it was rare. It only began to become more common at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, however, when hay started to be cultivated.

For Cee´s Flower of the Day.

It grows all over Finland now, apart from the wide expanse of wilderness in Lapland. It still grows mainly where humans have left their mark in drained swamps, the edges of hay-fields, beside roads and on waste ground. It can survive a long time on old fields that have been reclaimed by the forest but in that case it flowers rarely.

Flower a day 🌻

The sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is an annual plant with a sizeable daisy-like flower face. Its scientific name comes from the Greek words helios (“sun”) and anthos (“flower”). The flowers come in many colors (yellow, red, orange, maroon, brown), but they are commonly bright yellow with brown centers that ripen into heavy heads filled with seeds. Sunflowers make excellent cut flowers, and many attract bees, birds, and butterflies.

For Cee´s Flower of the Day.

Sunflowers are heliotropic, which means that they turn their flowers to follow the movement of the Sun across the sky from east to west and then return at night to face the east, ready again for the morning sun.

Saturday Classics – 05082023

Saturday Classics

Dream, dream. All I have to do is dream.

Lovely song, two beautiful voices – vocal harmony.

And also the version from Glen Campbell -What a Beautiful voice… So gifted in his vocal range and flexibility.

Lepis is hosting Saturday Classics, you can add your own link here Saturday Classics

On Her page she writes: This blog is back with hosting the Classics after few years break. This time we’ll be playing on Saturdays and you can link straight here on this own page. Rules: There are no rules, as long as the song you play is a classic in your mind. Linking open 8 am and closes 12 pm.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #260: overlooked

Janet of This, That, and the Other Thing who is hosting this week check her beautiful images and her wonderful theme which explores how we can easily overlook treasures if we don’t stop and truly see our surroundings.

I don’t know if these are overlooked, as I have noticed them, but would your have taken time to take photos of old mattress springs. I have plenty from different angles. I like how the colors came out in this one.

A detail from a mattress spiring

Moss well the details are often overlooked, but I often look to see if there is something popping up worth taking the camera out.

Reflections, well are popular with photographers I think, I am always on a lookout for them.

Here are some odd ones, or not, we all have our own niches what we like to photograph

Remember to link to your post and use the Lens-Artists tag in the reader section. Thanks Janet 🙂 for hosting, this was fun.

If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.

Cloud watching

We have had what we a typical Finnish summer lately, that’s to say, constantly changing weather, rain, clouds, sunshine and anything between.

Lahti harbour is where you will meet us Lahti residents, and summer residents especially in the summer. The harbour is full of restaurants and cafés. We had coffee at cafe Kariranta Located in the old Vesijärvi train station building, Kariranta is the true gem of the harbour. Pastries baked in the café will make your mouth water.

Coffee and strawberry and blueberry cheesecake

We went there after having chosen the paint to our kitchen floor. We have always thought that it was old traditional gray paint used in old houses, and apparently it is, but actually it was green with gray tones. So weird 😊

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #259: Unbound

this week’s Lens Artists Challenge with a theme is unbound. Hosted by Dans departing in 5 mins 🕝 challenges us to show unbound…

I am in a middle of a huge renovation- we had a water damage in our summerhouse kitchen and have to redo the whole kitchen floor, so it is a huge hassle, so still keeping it simple. Not sure this hits the mark in interpretation, but here it goes. These could be throwback photos also 🙂

My youngest sons first day of school

The most important day of a person’s education is the first day of school, not Graduation Day.”

First grade , first day . On the top selection my youngest son and below my middle son on their own first day of school

Learning to ride the bike

Remember to link to your post and use the Lens-Artists tag in the reader section. Thanks Dan 🙂 for hosting

If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.

Nature- Tree Bark

Photography

Keeping it short and sweet

I walked around my summer house yard looking for bark, as we have lots of trees on out blot, So all new quickly taken shots for Denzil’s Nature Photo Challenge #22 Tree Bark

We have lots of birch tree on our yard, new and old one, that are about 100 years old. That ‘ what The photos are.

The last two are from my archives, the first one is a from the redwoods and second one is from an old oak tree where the insects had done natures art work. To me it looks like and deer on a walk about.

Misty field

After rain I love the smell of the nature and the rising mist on the fields

Nature- water plant’s

Flowers, Photography

Keeping it short and sweet

I found these as I went through my archive for Denzil’s Nature Photo Challenge #21 water plants

Saturday Classics – 22072023

Saturday Classics

Rest in peace Tony Bennett.

Lovely song, two beautiful voices. Blue Velvet.

Lepis is hosting Saturday Classics, you can add your own link here Saturday Classics

Thank you!

I am writing to to apologize for not having responded to all your comments, I have read them and I appreciate your time that you have taken to write them and look through the photos I have posted. I thank you! Below is my excuse 🙂

Finnish summer is usually mild and warm with temperatures ranging from 15°C to 25°C. The days are long and the nights are short. In fact, during midsummer, the sun never sets in some parts of Finland.

That is a fact and due to that, I like many others, feel quilt if I spend a sunny summer day inside. Weather is topic well discussed here as it can change so quickly, from sunny to cloudy to rain and back again to sunny. As the days are long I spend most of my summer days outdoors.

On a warm sunny morning I start the day by having my breakfast on the patio, the sun is shining bright and the sky is blue. The birds are chirping and the flowers are in full bloom. I love soaking up the sun and enjoying the warm weather, enjoying the peace and quiet of nature. when the time comes to have lunch, we shall enjoy it outside. And well rest of the day is mostly spent outside. We enjoy going to the beach, swimming in lakes, hiking in the forest and having barbecues with friends and family or just sitting and reading, laying in the hammock. Summer, bliss. Basically I am outside from 9 am to 9 pm. Then I am too tired to do anything much.

I tell you all above, because I am outdoors all the time, weather has been OK, not hot, not cold. Comfortable- and I have been outside otherwise I feel like I am committing a crime. We have a long, and cold winter when we get to spend most of our time inside so you HAVE to be out in the summer.

Here are some of our summer joys to accompany this post. Nature is giving us some lovely berries from our own yard. Bilberries from the forest and we have few redcurrants shrubs , strawberries are from the marketplace.

Lens Artists Challenge#258: Fences