My May in Collage

The whole May has been absolutely wonderful for the summer came over night! Weeks and weeks of hot & sunny weather without rain. We call this a Finnish heat wave with nearly 30 C. The whole Finland has been excited! It has been a phenomenal month floralwise too: abundantly blooming cherries & apple trees and scent of lilacs ❤︎ You'll find posts about apple blossoms and lilacs in the May archive if you are interested.  My days have been spent outside from morning till night, doing this and that in the garden but also relaxing & reading on the terrace. This has been real happiness because last summer was chilly & rainy. I wish a good rain one of these days, preferably during night time  and then sun again! So I'll share with you Gardener's Prayer by Karel Capek - first in Finnish, followed in English.

PUUTARHURIN RUKOUS

Hyvä Jumala,
anna armostasi sadetta joka päivä
jos vain sopii, keskiyöstä kello kolmeen,
ja kuten tiedät, hyvin hienoa ja lämmintä,
jotta se hyvin imeytyy maahan.
Ja anna auringon paistaa koko päivän,
vaikka ei tietenkään liikaa, eikä
Astilben, Gentianan, Hostan
eikä Rhododendronin päälle.
Mutta varjele sateelta Silene, Alysseum,
Helianthemum, laventeli ja muut,
jotka kuten äärettömässä viisaudessasi tiedät,
pitävät kuivuudesta, ja joiden nimet
voin kirjoittaa paperille, jos niin tahdot.
Ja anna aina paljon kastetta ja vähän tuulta,
runsaasti kastematoja, mutta ei etanoita

eikä lehtitäitä eikä härmätauteja
Ja jos sopii, anna kerran viikossa
sataa lannoiteliuosta.
Amen.

❤︎
- Karel Capek -

GARDENER'S PRAYER

O Lord, grant that in some way 

it may rain every day, 

Say from about midnight until three o'clock 

in the morning, 

But, You see, it must be gentle and warm 

so that it can soak in; 

Grant that at the same time it would not rain on 

campion, alyssum, helianthus, lavendar, and others which 

You in Your infinite wisdom know 

are drought-loving plants - 

I will write their names on a bit of paper 

if you like - 

And grant that the sun may shine 

the whole day long, 

But not everywhere (not, for instance, on the 

gentian, plantain lily, and rhododendron) 

and not too much; 

That there may be plenty of dew and little wind, 

enough worms, no lice and snails, or mildew, 

and that once a week thin liquid manure and guano 

may fall from heaven. 

Amen.
❤︎
- Karel Capek -

I have to show you my pile of TBR = to be read books - takes a while, but no hurry...

THE BEST BOOKS OF MAY

Finnish - Pink Sea - a short story collection in magical realism

Marisha Rasi-Koskinen - Vaaleanpunainen meri ***** Wsoy 2014

Foreign - Secretary - A German Life

Brunhilde Pomsel, Thore D. Hansen - Sihteeri *** Gummerus 2018

Poetry - Might be, might - a poetry collection of death and sorrow

Tomi Kontio - Saattaa, olla ***** Teos 2017

#Makrotex Challenge / May - Toukokuu

Wishing you a lovely June! - Ihanaista kesäkuuta!