We have got some 2019 statistics of he first full year of operation of Central Library Oodi: A total of 3.1 million visits were made to Oodi and the total number of visits to all libraries in Helsinki reached a whopping 9 million. The number of audiobook downloads increased by 84 per cent.
Audiobooks are a growing trend and there are many companies who offer paid audiobook services. Recently I have listened to several audiobooks and one of the most interesting was The Little Book of Ikigai. The Essential Japanese Way to Finding Your Purpose in Life by Japanese Ken Mogi.The book was published in 2017, perhaps you have read it? I’ll leave you a LINK, in case you wish to read more and listen to a podcast.
Pink cherries & Japanese maples fit to the Japanese theme and the Ikebana arrangement
that I photographed last spring in The Winter Garden of Helsinki.
To finish, I’ll pamper you with a fresh fruit and berry salad that is not fattening.
No added sugar & plenty of vitamins. Hope you like it!
Wishing you all the best, sunny & bright days in March!
❤︎❤︎❤︎
#all seasons #der natur donnerstag #digitalart dienstag #foto-tunes #gartenglück #image-in-ing #makrotex #mosaic monday #my corner of the world #t in die neue woche
I visited a friend of mine the other day. She lives near the Longinoja trout stream that meanders through northeast Helsinki and its nature trail is 2 km long. On the trail you can learn about this unique urban brook, its endangered trout and how the nature is being protected. The trail was built based on the initiative of volunteers who helped restore the stream. The project was implemented by the City of Helsinki’s Urban Environment Division.
We walked on the river banks where the nature was still dormant, saw a few snowdrops in bloom and Corylus blooming. My friend told me that in the autumn trouts can be seen in the stream and many people admire that spectacle. Now there were no trouts of course, but the weather was sunny & clear for a change. February is normally a winter month in southern Finland, but as you can see, no trace of snow.
Her cute dog kept us company!
Signs of spring for Makrotex:
First of all that there is no snow and that the sky is of fabulous blue;
also that corylus and snowdrops are blooming and the grass is green.
A very odd February according to what we are used to in Finland!
❤︎❤︎❤︎
#all seasons #der natur donnerstag #digitalart dienstag #foto-tunes #gartenglück #image-in-ing #makrotex #mosaic monday #my corner of the world #t in die neue woche #the weekend roundup #tuesday’s treasures #uudet värikollaasit #willy-nilly #watw
#foto-tunes #gartenglück #image-in-ing #makrotex #mosaic monday #my corner of the world #saturday’s critters # t in die neue woche #the weekend roundup #tuesday’s treasures #uudet värikollaasit #wandering camera #willy-nilly #watw
The International Earth Day is not today, but on April 22. Recycling and climate change are on the news and topic among people. The shop window of departement STOCKMANN displayed this text & this heap of clothes.
It seems that there is a company called Pure Waste. This is what they say on their website:
“Pure Waste” is our promise to use only materials that would otherwise go to waste. We also wish to challenge the whole perception of waste. Pure Waste is recycling upgraded. Our vision is to recreate the fashion industry, and lead it into a future of sustainability. We want to industrialise textile upcycling globally as a common practice.
Every person on the planet throws 14 kilograms of textiles into waste every year. From 2025 onwards, an EU regulation bans throwing post-consumer textiles into waste. The clothes we wear can no longer be wasted. They must be worn out, collected and recycled. In six years, we must treat used clothes as raw material, not as garbage."
For Makrotex - Asetelma, Stilleben
My friend Susu wrote a dystopia of the future Finland. Here in Finnish.
"When Dad was a kid, there were still cars. Sometimes Dad shows videos of former life in the streets of the city. There are cars everywhere. They were called buses, trucks, taxis, that kind. There are no cars anymore. No streets. We go by boat everywhere. I have a little boat of my own and Dad has promised that I will get an outboard when I become ten. Now I still have to row if I want to visit Minna. Virtually always the waves are so big that I'm not allowed to take my own boat. When the storm hits, Dad takes me to school. I would like the winds and the rain to stop, so there wouldn't always be a storm. Dad says my wish is in vane. Tomorrow is my birthday."
Let's make every day an Earth Day Let's keep the skies blue. Every day, and Earth Day.
#foto-tunes #gartenglück #image-in-ing #makrotex #mosaic monday #my corner of the world #saturday’s critters # t in die neue woche #the weekend roundup #tuesday’s treasures #uudet värikollaasit #wandering camera #willy-nilly #watw
"Hotel Marski is full of urban buzz with a Finnish twist in the best location
in the centre of Helsinki. A fascinating atmosphere and inspiring service invite you to spend time in the city as you like.”- says their advertisement.
This week there were still thujas & Christmas lights outside.
Behind these thujas there was a typical wooden swing and the text said:
#foto-tunes #gartenglück #image-in-ing #makrotex #mosaic monday #my corner of the world #saturday’s critters #t in die neue woche #the weekend roundup #tuesday’s treasures #uudet värikollaasit #wandering camera #willy-nilly #watw
Albert Edelfelt and The Romanovs at The Sinebrychoff Art Museum's atmospheric brick cellar is a small exhibition, but definitely worth a look. The exhibition focuses on Albert Edelfelt’s (1854–1905) lesser-known works related to the Russian Imperial family and includes oil paintings, sketches and letters from the artist. This exhibition was on display in St. Petersburg in the autumn 2019. Finland was in Edelfelt’s time the Grand Duchy of Finland of the Russian Empire, and the Imperial court opened its doors to Edelfelt, already a renowned master. Albert Edelfelt is known for his naturalistic style and Realist approach to art. He traveled to Italy, France, England, Spain, Sweden, Denmark and Russia.
For me, the best experience was to see Bertha and Capi from 1881.
The size of the painting is pretty small, but the light glows and Bertha's pink ruffle dress
is masterfully depicted. The painting has a charming & light summer atmosphere.
In my photo above, the painting is not completely visible, so still another
of Sinebrychoff's media bank.
Good Friends, Berta and Capi, 1881
Berta was Edelfelt’s 10 years younger sister to whom he sent fancy dresses from Paris
The State Hermitage Museum, photo: Pavel Demidov
Edelfelt was handsome and loved by women. He was married but the marriage was not happy and he spent decades in Paris. His life has inspired many non-fiction and fiction writers. In my posts there are displayed some Edelfelt’s paintings: Venla Hiidensalo - Because of you / Anna Kortelainen - Virginie(Virginie was Edelfelt's model & mistress and it is rumoured that they had two children together) / Anna Kortelainen - Wild Garden, presents Edelfelt's Haikko, a villa on the sea where he spent his summers.
The Grand Dukes Boris and Kirill Vladimirovich as Children, 1881
This painting, long thought to be lost, is being shown for the first time in Finland.
The Rybinsk State History, Architecture and Art Museum
Michael and Xenia, Children of the Emperor Alexander III, 1882
Private collection
Under the Birches, 1882, private collection,
ONLINE:
I found a slightly different treatment of the same theme. Edelfelt painted here his sisters Annie and Berta. The third sister, Ellen, died earlier.
