08 maaliskuuta 2019

Friday Bliss #26 - About Gender Equality



Today we celebrate International Women's Day the theme being
#BalanceforBetter 
See more on social media - Facebook, Twitter & Instagram & stunning photos here.


I gathered here some facts about the state of gender equality in Finland.
And wish you all my dear lady friends a Happy and Gorgeous Day!
❤︎

Finland was the first country to grant full political rights to women in 1906. For more than 100 years women have had active roles in working life and decision making. Some facts from this site:
  • 42% of Members of Parliament in Finland are women.
  • 49% of all employed people are women.
  • Roughly one third of all entrepreneurs in Finland are women. This is a significant figure compared with other EU countries.
  • In the Finnish Foreign Service about 45% of ambassadors are women and over 50% of the 560 diplomats are women.
❤︎
Sexism and gender inequality do still exist in Finland, particularly in regards to the wage gap and employment discrimination, but are not felt on the same sweeping levels as many other European countries.

Finland has long been a highly secular country, but in 1988 when the Lutheran church permitted the inauguration of female priests, it was still considered a great step forward.

Finland elected its first female president, Tarja Halonen, in 2000, and she was re-elected for a second term in 2006 and remained in office until 2012.


The presidency was a great achievement for Ms Halonen.
She was raised in a poor family in a working class neighbourhood of Helsinki, in Kallio (The Rocks).
After her office years as the president of Finland, she moved back to Kallio.





The link is open
FROM FRIDAY 10 AM TILL THE NEXT TUESDAY 4 PM
Helsinki time

02 maaliskuuta 2019

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 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!

01 maaliskuuta 2019

Friday Bliss #25 - Longing for Spring


Tiiu from the blog Puutarhahetki - Garden Moment launched this welcome challenge and my blog friend Susanna / The Almond Valley invited me to join. While not yet nothing sprouts here, I’ll share a few photos from last spring. The best thing in the spring is to see new sprouts & new growth and that quite special spring scent in the air that mesmerises you and tempts you to be out in the garden hours and hours ❤︎






Please, feel welcome to share your longing for the spring!
Wishing a lovely weekend,
- riitta
❤︎



The link is open
FROM FRIDAY 10 AM TILL THE NEXT TUESDAY 4 PM
Helsinki time