Make Today a Good One

Looking at the sky can be inspirational

This is my challenge for you today. Over the last few days there have been some genuinely tricky moments and some really lovely ones. So I decided on Friday evening that the thing to do was to focus my memory on the lovely things that had happened (there were several this week) and to make a conscious decision to make the weekend as good as I possibly could.

Over the years I have discovered that the first step towards getting the most out of life is to take the time to understand the things you enjoy doing. You'd be surprised to know how many people never even give this any thought - but then still wonder why life appears so dull.

So far my Friday decision has brought rewards. Yesterday was one of the best days I have had in a long time. It involved nature, writing, taking photos, being outside, friendship, a film, candles and good food. The film was only mediocre but the day was still really good. And although it is not yet ten o'clock on Sunday as I write these words, this morning has also started off well.

I turned on the computer this morning to find several messages from friends old and new. That's always a good start to any day.  I also had a lovely note from Mihaela, a Romanian who has been living in Somero and is currently preparing for a trip to India. I have promised to post pictures of Somero so she doesn't forget what it looks like when she is away!

Having lived several months when I felt as though my inspiration and creativity were locked away in a box somewhere, it now feels as though they are gradually starting to come back...and I hear that the same is happening to several of my friends too. Which is good news all round.

When in the forest yesterday I found a clearing between several tall trees, lay on my back on the forest floor and took this picture of the sky. Somehow every time I have looked at it since it has reminded me of that moment. I hope it can serve to pass on a little of the creativity and inspiration that I am feeling at the moment. And to Päivi, my very good friend who is currently creating her own inspirational project in the UK... this forest path is for you. Who knows what magic the trees are hiding? If you do one thing today...take my Sunday challenge and make this the best day you possibly can. With love from Somero....

I Found Where the Fairies Live

Today was all the best things about the autumn. That last sentence wasn't great English, but you get what I mean. The weather was crisp and fresh and a perfect day for walking in the woods.

We visited a spring hidden amongst the trees - the source of a stream which continued right through the forest. Interestingly, its name translated into English was Sacrifice Spring.

Despite the name, it felt like the sort of place where fairies would choose to live. I can't be completely sure that they were there...but I made a wish anyway. I'll let you know when it comes true!

I am quite sure fairies live here...

Incidentally, talking of fairy magic, I had a dream last night that I was on a visit to Zimbabwe. I've never been there and apart from the Victoria Falls have little knowledge of the country. But I woke up and had the feeling that one day I should go.

About an hour later we were playing a game which involved flags from around the world. There were two hundred cards in the game representing different countries. We decided to pick three cards at random with the intention that one of them would be our destination next time we were planning a trip somewhere. You've probably already guessed that one of the three (along with Niger and Namibia) was Zimbabwe.

I don't know when such a trip will prove possible, but Zimbabwe is now high on my list of places to visit!



Then in the afternoon we visited the Salo Autumn market which was packed with people. There were stalls selling bags and clothes and sweets and seasonal produce such as brussel sprouts, cranberries, lingonberries and chanterelle mushrooms.  

After this we saw a film in the Bio Salo cinema which is a lovely little place dating back to the 1950s in the town centre, and right now I'm sitting at home in candlelight and the fire blazing in the background.

My idea of pretty much a perfect autumn day. I hope yours has been a hapy one too. And if you fancy joining me on a trip to Zimbabwe don't hesitate to get in touch!

Friday evening...

It's Friday evening and the house is totally quiet.... I'm the only person here, which is quite unusual. It feels very tranquil actually. I have candles everywhere and music playing in the background.

I thought I would post a pic of this fine camel for anyone out there who may have had a bad day. I met him on a recent trip to Cyprus and this picture has made me smile ever since. Believe me, he understands your anguish!

Wherever you are, whatever you are up to, I hope you have a good weekend - one which exceeds your expectations.

September Leaves

Theres no denying it anymore. It's getting cold. As I took the little ones to nursery this morning, it was 1.5 degrees in Somero. On the plus side...but only just.

The good news is that it no longer matters that our fridge is too small as the terrace is now cold enough to store food and drinks for the foreseeable future. The bad news is that it is only a matter of days before we are back to scraping ice off our windscreens in the mornings.

Still, it's pretty outside with all the warm autumn colours everywhere. I was looking through some photos this afternoon and I found this one which I thought pictured the shades of autumn quite nicely.

I am having one of those weeks when everything has decided to break at the same time. I dropped my phone last week which promptly smashed to pieces, the dishwasher is no longer washing dishes and to top it all the exhaust fell off the car as I was going over a speed bump. They say that things happen in threes, so let's hope nothing else breaks before the weekend.

Still, they are only things after all, which can all be replaced eventually. So for the time being I will try and take a few walks in the crisp autumn air in Somero and enjoy the colours before winter really hits us. Sending a warm September hug from Somero....

A Special Date - 25th September

Exactly a year ago today I was in England celebrating my Dad's 90th birthday.  I knew at the time that it may well be the last birthday I got to spend with him and of course that's the way it turned out in the end.

So today I felt I had two options. One was to sit and wish my Dad was still here to sing Happy Birthday to - and probably cry all evening. The other was to invite round some close friends of mine whom he would love to have met - and celebrate his life with them.

I admit there were still a few tears...but not in a bad way. They were tears remembering someone who was dear to me and whom I will always think of with love.

Every person who was here this evening is someone who has been travelled with me on my journey over the past year and without whom life would have been a much bleaker place. I couldn't help looking around this evening and thinking how lucky our family is to have met the people we now called friends.

So Happy Birthday Dad...wherever you are. Instead of being a sad evening, our meal tonight was one of laughter and friendship and enjoying that feeling of togetherness. In my view the best possible way to spend anyone's birthday, something with which I am sure my Dad would agree.

It's Been a While...

It's been a while since I've written a post, but today I felt as though I wanted to say hello again. It's just past eleven o'clock in the evening and when I went outside just now it was one of those times when it felt almost as if there was magic outside.

Everything felt very still out there. Calm and peaceful, but as though I wasn't quite alone. If angels exist then I am quite sure that a whole bunch of them are standing in the street outside our house this evening.

In any event, it's a lovely evening for a walk and I am going to enjoy the fresh air for a few minutes before going to bed a bit later. Wishing you all a peaceful evening and lots of good things for the weekend...

A Hundred Days...

Just now I had a text message from Lucie. "I'm bringing three friends home with me to choose pyjamas...."

Odd message, you may think, but there was a reason for this. Lukio (the Finnish equivalent of sixth form) lasts for three years over here. There are many traditions involved for lukio students, such as their Prom Night and many other special events.  Tomorrow the third year students will all be spending the day in their pyjamas.

Having not been to school in Finland myself, this was news to me. I asked Lucie what the day was celebrating. I have to be honest...her answer came as a total shock.

"It's to commemorate the fact that we have a hundred days left of school..." she said. WHAT? I could hardly believe what I was hearing. Not the pyjama bit...it's that I am simply amazed that Lucie is now so close to the end of her school life.

In the UK children have to start school by the time they are five, but most start earlier than this, commonly at three years of age. This means that Lucie has been going to school now for the last fourteen years. After all this time I am still coming to terms with the fact that now, in just a hundred more school days, all that will be over. Another phase of our family life will be moving on to the next one. I can guess that the parents of the other fifty students in the third year may well be feeling the same way as I am.

I am sure the students too will have a lot to think about tomorrow. It's only a few months until their final exams, and then a whole new chapter will be ahead. Some will know what they are doing next, others will still be looking at their options, but for all of them this is a time which is exciting...full of opportunity and a chance to walk into the unknown.

Tomorrow I look forward to bringing you some pyjama photos of the students from Somero Lukio and I know you will join me in wishing them every happiness in enjoying their last one hundred days of school!