Last five months have been so stressful both in good and bad ways that I haven't been able to keep my promise to update this blog every two weeks. I wouldn't go as far as calling my life at the moment (dis)stress-free, but it is going there, and I am content with my efforts to Slow Down & bring back the Big Calm.
I was walking the other day in Lauttasaari and took some photos. Winter has arrived in Finland, but unlike most Januaries, the sea hasn't frozen yet. Instead there is a combination of snow and a pale blue wintery light. I wish I was a better photographer, but for now, this will have to do:
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| Grey-blue and a hint of pink. |
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| Growing towards the light, I suppose. |
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| In the midst of whiteness. |
During a winter like this one, snow can stick to trees and rocks in funny ways. This tree has had snow blowing on it from two sides, while two others have been left untouched or been cleaned up by the wind. This tree, by the way, is a dead tree still standing, called kelo in Finnish. Apparently in English it is just a 'dead tree.'
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| Luminen kelo / a snowy dead tree. |
Searching for the term I discovered that "dead tree edition" is a pejorative term for a paper publication that has been already published online. As a printed book lover I must protest. I find books to be much more alive than any pdf or web page. A book one can put in a shelf is not just an information container, it is a friend with thoughts. Yes, printing books means cutting down trees, but once a book has been printed it can be read for centuries without any extra cost to the environment. Bits are much more untrustworthy. They disappear the minute there is a power failure.
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| When you look at a recently keloed tree closely, you can see the bark peeling off. |
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| The Harry Potter stone. |
Sometimes snow can reveal something that might have gone unnoticed. I wonder if Voldy and his supporters had anything to do with this:
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| Trees in the water. |
Life is not always fair. Actually, I find it to be mostly unfair. These trees might feel the same... Or then they're just into winter swimming, something worth trying if you've never done it. Remember to take a sauna first!
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I've made very few items lately. The one below was inspired by, well, me receiving the materials and instructions to it as a Christmas present. From my dad! (Well, mum helped).
The bag is made by crocheting a weft (or a fill, kude in Finnish), something which can be made from old cotton clothes by cutting them into slices to make rugs. Menita shop sells packages which contain two rolls of weft, a big wooden crochet hook and the instructions to this bag.
The buttons are from my late grandma's collections and were added to make the bag more interesting. If you look closely, the seemingly randomly placed buttons are actually connected to each other with orange yarn... A very random path, but it looks good, at least to my eye.
