Vanishing Beauty

My trees of Prunus domestica ’Sinikka’ bloomed this spring like never before. 

I got them at a plant exchange happening years ago. My trees are thin due to poor soil 

and they are very high, not an easy task to photograph... Morning sun gives a bit yellowish tone, 

but the blooms were pure white and they were a pretty sight against the clear blue sky.

❤︎ 

But all this beauty lasted only for a few days due to hot & sunny weather.

Theres a poem in every flower, 

a sonnet in every tree, 

a tale in every lifetime

its just for you to see...

//

just listen for the music

that your ears cannot hear, 

just strain yourself for the melody

thats so far and yet so near 

- Arti Chopra

Spare a still moment

Every once in a while.

Take in the beauty around.

Take it in with a smile.

- A. T. Alabi

Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold. 

Her early leaf's a flower; 

But only so an hour. 

Then leaf subsides to leaf. 

So Eden sank to grief, 

So dawn goes down to day. 

Nothing gold can stay. 

- Robert Frost

PARADISE
When I met you it was the most beautiful evening
The birds sang and the moon in the sky was glistening
You said let's go to the country, to our countryside
I was thinking, now this thing will work out

When we got there the flowers were blooming, smelling
The sea foamed like beer foams
Instantly went to the beach, took off our excess clothes
The atmosphere was so intoxicating

Oh if I could give you the most beautiful
This huge world of mine
But I won't do that
A brief moment should be enough
When I get to be by your side like this

We wrapped our bodies together, sand stuck to our toes
When we sunk into the intense rhythm of the sea
I guess you joked a bit, straight from mouth to mouth
This is what the grown-ups whisper about
❤︎ 

This is an iconing song from 1974 by the Finnish Rauli Badding Somerjoki (1947-1984)
He was not a handsome man, was very shy - but oh so talented!

And of course the whole Finland is excited about

our World Championship in Icehockey! Congratulations!

// WILLY-NILLY 

// FRÜHLINGSGLÜCK
// MOSAIC MONDAY
// IMAGE-IN-ING

Joys of the Garden Week

Finally the nature starts to awaken and there are so many things to be happy about, but this week it is definitely this miracle!

I bought a seedling of Pterocarya rhoifolia - Japanese wingnut - Japaninsiipipähkinä many years ago. It was about 30 cm tall and has grown up till 10 m now. This spring it has miraculously started to bloom for the first time ❤︎ The link says it likes moist soil that I cannot offer. It grows in dry sandy soil and maybe that is the reason it has not bloomed before. But I am so happy about this! It is interesting to see how the blooms develop. The new leaves are very sensitive to spring frosts, hope they stay away.

Flügelnüsse / Wikipedia

  

The leaves of Japanese wingnut grow very big & exotic... A summer view.

// FRÜHLINGSLÜCK

// WILLY-NILLY

// IMAGE-IN-ING

Frühlingsglück am Ostern

Eigentlich weiss ich nicht ob mein Titel korrekt geschrieben ist: an Ostern oder am Ostern...
Präpositionen sind so schwer auf deutsch. Besser auf englisch schreiben!

At the moment the garden and the nature look still very bare,
only Salix caprea is beautiful & filled with blooms!
I have one big Salix caprea in my garden and there are many in the neighbourhood.

In the garden Viola odoratus and scillas are starting to bloom...❤︎

I replanted & divided these violas last spring and am very happy

that they survived the heat and severe draught of last summer.

And I enjoy a lot the muscaris and tete a tete daffodils on the terrace!

 Frohe Ostern! - Happy Easter!

- riitta

// FRÜHLINGSGLÜCK

Thankful and Happy for...

I thought I’ll list a few things that I feel thankful for, the list is long but I’ll make it short.

BIRDS

At 7.00 this morning the blackbirds are singing loud in the garden. They are teasing Sissi near to craziness, let her (on a leash) and me quite close and when it would be time to attack they fly away! Wood pigeons have arrived, a big fat pheasant screams and I have once seen a finch this spring. That reminded me of this old Finnish proverb:

A month from lark to summer, half a month from finch, 

little bit from wagtail, not a day from swallow!

Kuu kiurusta kesään, puolikuuta peipposesta, 

västäräkistä vähäsen, pääskysestä ei päivääkään!

SPRING IN POTS

I am not good at photographing birds, so instead some plants. I put bravely some muscaris and tete a tete daffodils on the terrace table - they do tolerate frosty nights. The daffodils shall be planted in a big pot when the soil melts in the shed! And later into the garden...

AWAKENING GARDEN

Due to recurring winter not much to photograph. Helleborus is blooming, as well as crocus. Snowdrops are starting and scillas on their way...

HOME

Yesterday was a sunny day, a bit warmer. I took my daily walk and washed half of the downstairs windows - with the help of hubby. I am so happy, little things can bring so much joy!

COMING EASTER 

Virpominen is one of the Finnish Easter traditions. In short this means that kids dressed as Easter witches or trulls come on Palm Sunday with fancy decorated willow twigs to your door. Then they recite a spell in poetry form wishing you all the best for the coming year. When you get the fancy decorated twig you are supposed to give the kids some Easter candy. The collage is from last year.

// WILLY-NILLLY

// FRÜHLINGSGLÜCK

 Finnland liegt so nördlich, dass in Deutschland bereits voller Sommer ist. 
Aber Frühlingsglück sind die kleinen Freude auch! Ich wünsche Ihnen allen 
ein wunderschönes Wochenende. Herzliche Grüße, riitta

// MOSAIC MONDAY