About my Favourite Linkups

The first linkup I started to participate in the autumn 2015  is Pieni Lintu’s / Little Bird’s Makrotex Challenge. We are given every week a new topic and this week it is GREEN. Because at the moment there is not yet any green to be seen in the nature, I selected a few photos from last year / the Conservatory of Helsinki & Viherpaja Vantaa.

Also I have participated quite a long time in Mosaic Monday, now hosted by Angie at the blog Letting Go of the Bay Leaf. I have learned to know many nice ladies who tell about their life. In the blogpost there must be at least one collage. This week I present some great international books that I have read recently. The writers come from all over the world:

Domenico Starnone, Italy - Trick *****
Sergio Ramírez, Nicaragua - Perdón y olvido, short stories ****
Luis Sepúlveda, Chile - The Story of A Seagull and the Cat who Taught her to Fly ****
The nobelist J.M. Coetzee, South-Africa - Times and Life of Michael K ***
Gail Honeyman, Scotland - Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine ****

A year ago I found this green linkup that is hosted by Loretta and Wolfgang from Germany. It concentrates mainly on garden and gardening. The linkup is called Gartenglück - Garden Happiness. The rhythm of the seasons is quite different in Finland and Germany but I love to watch their early spring happiness!

My newest linkup host and blog friend is Tom who has several linkups - and a million of great photos! See his blog Backroads Traveller. I don’t always have an appropriate post but I join in Tom’s challenges every time I can.

Then I love to participate in two artistic linkups - Jutta’s Digital Art Tuesday and Ainos Color Collage Challenge.

To finish I’ll tell you my good and happy news. Today it’s 9 months and 11 days from my severe ankle and low leg fracture and today I was able to walk my 2,5 km walking route for the first time on my own feet without any aid! These have been really tough months but am confidently looking for spring and summer and the new gardening season!

// MAKROTEX CHALLENGE / GREEN

// MOSAIC MONDAY

// WILLY-NILLY
// VORFRÜHLINGSGLÜCK

Wishing you all great spring days!

- riitta

Memories of March

My mother used to say that years are not like brothers, meaning there are huge differences in weather and also otherwise... I think this March is quite normal Finnish March: around zero, grey and raining. Still a lot of snow but it is fortunately melting away. Nothing pretty to photograph outside - not in any March, for the spring comes to Finland in April! The only sign of spring is the melting snow... I wanted to compare previous years and went through my archives and selected a few photos of March 2016, 2017 and 2018. To me these four past March are like twin brothers!

In March 2016 we got a few showers of new snow, snow was melting though

and a bit of perennials could be seen ...

In March 2017 at Easter the snow was almost totally gone and I had some tete a tete

daffodils in a pot on the terrace. But they got a blanket of fresh snow!

In March 2018 I photographed outside only icicles

 - they were truly handsome hanging from the roof of our garage!

This March I have taken only once photos outside  - it was this handsome goshawk visiting.

Taken through glass and at a long distance.

This is the first time I succeeded to photograph this handsome raptor.

Wishing you a pleasant weekend & the new week to come!

- riitta

// VORFRÜHLINGSGLÜCK

// MOSAIC MONDAY

// MAKROTEX CHALLENGE / SIGNS OF SPRING

And the Sunshine Blogger Award Goes to....

My dear blog friend Luisella from the blog Tra Italia e Finlandia / Our Life Between Italy and Finland surprised me with this Sunshine Blogger Award ❤︎
I became very glad, but doubt that it is not deserved. The long Finnish winter has cast its shadows on my mind. I wish that I'll soon recover my energy and positive attitude. There is a questionnaire involved - my answers underneath.

1.What is your blog about and how is it articulated?

I started as a garden blog 3,5 years ago under the name Into & Vimma. The name was too difficult for my foreign blog friends, so I renamed my blog to Floral Passions.  This name reflects my passion for nature & florals.  Nowadays I write about mixed subjects that interest me, not only about gardening. Because my blog friends come mainly from abroad I started to write only in English. 

2. Passion means…?

Passion means everything: enthusiasm and meaning of life. I find my passion in the nature, in the new growth of spring, in the scent of roses... Also in the love of my family and friends and in good literature.

3. What do you do to relax?

In the summer I relax maintaining my garden, walking in the wild or reading a good book. In the winter there shall be more books and movies. 

4. Your latest pleasure trip?

My latest visit was to Barcelona, a Spanish city that I love. I usually travel to Spain because of the language but one day I would love to visit Florence and see all the fabulous Renessaince paintings I have always admired!

5. Do you usually travel alone or with a group?

I usually travel alone because my husband has other interests.

6. A dream destination you have ever wanted to visit?

That would be Japan and Kyoto where I have never been! Also I plan to visit Sevilla another time. I spent there only two days and would love to enjoy the atmosphere once again.

7. Let’s talk about books. The latest you read?

I am a book lover as you know. Monthly I read 10-15 books, both Finnish and foreign.

8. What is your favourite book genre?

I prefer novels but read also detective stories. My favourite detective stories writers are Fred Vargas and Pierre Lemaitre - both French and very different from each other.

9. What do you like to share on social media?

I am a reserved and introvert person; I don’t publish selfies or open up my private life on social media.

10. What is your relationship to the place you live?

I was born in Imatra, a small Carelian town near to the Russian border. I became to Helsinki to study very long ago and stayed.

11. What would you like to be promoted?

Equality between men and women - and the climate of course! It is threathening to see how the climate changes and has changed.

To finish I want to give this Sunshine Blogger Award to some blog friends of mine. Some I have known nearly the whole of my blogging career - 3,5 years -, some are newer acquaintances. I thank you all for your friendship and would be glad if you had time to write about yourself!

❤︎ Loretta and Wolfgang / Ein Fachwerkhaus im Grünem

Loretta & Wolfgang host a linkparty Gartenglück = Garden Happiness.

❤︎ Jutta K / Kreativ im Rentnerdasein

I have known Jutta for a long time. She hosts Digitalart Dienstag.

❤︎ Kirsti Kaija / Mummon päivitykset = Grandmom’s Updates

Kirsti loves to explore the world and it is always a real pleasure to read her travel reports!

❤︎ Susanna  / A Whisper from the Almond Valley

Susanna is a Finnish florist living now in in Costa Blanca, Spain. Her soft and romantic photos with gentle & optimistic verses bring always joy to my day.

❤︎ Miyako  / Orchid’s Daily Voice

Miyako is a Japanese lady who tells interesting facts about the Japanese culture. Also her bird photos are stunning.

❤︎ Lorrie / Fabric Paper Thread

Lorrie is a Canadian language teacher living on Vancouver Island.

❤︎ Angie / Letting Go of the Bay Leaf

Angie and I have something in common: she lives in Montana where the winters are as cold and snowy as in Finland. She hosts Mosaic Monday, a linkup I have participated on-off a long time.

All of my blog friends would deserve this award - maybe there shall be more nominees
in the future because it is interesting to learn to know the persons a bit better!

// VORFRÜHLINGSGLÜCK
// WILLY-NILLY

// MOSAIC MONDAY