MAGNOLIA

"Whatever it is you water

that is what will grow

so always water love,

not fear."

E.V. Rogina

x

SKY CIRCLES

Spring burst through the door

& painted everything blush, cotton and neon.

The warmer breeze

has released an air of ease.

The mind drifts to summer holidays

in a heat that soars to 

near-African temperatures.

I'm ready for the adventure. 

Until then,

the days continue to be filled

with words & photography & editing for others.

And then I reward myself

by rummaging through the  hard drive

for one or two just for me,

for you,

like these ones.

I add my thing to them slowly,

smiling,

feeling the love,

wanting nothing but tenderness

& dreaminess,

as music fills the room.
There's freedom right there,
in that small moment.

It's freedom that always beckons,
and makes the thought of a total break
shine like a beacon.

To feel it rushing through the body,

leading by the hand to play (= to create), 

while I leave all expectations behind
(mine & others')
in a heap in the hallway.

And then,

at summer's end,

begin again,

with a clearer mind,

and a heart that's aligned.

(And I sit here writing this, thinking,

"but you've mulled on these same things before". 

 I look calmly in the eye and say,

"but darling, even if it's two steps back sometimes,

that, too, constitutes a journey.")

Let's make some sweeping sky circles this summer,
shall we?




x

AFTERGLOW

Been waking up later.

Stretching in peace

after everyone else has disappeared. 

Sleeping sounder at night,

feeling more restful in the day. 

 I put the coffee on the stove,

quietly begin the day's work,

exercise in between,

then carry on. 

Today, a happy jumble in the kitchen

after last night's independence day get-together. 

A fridge full of leftovers,

and a heart warm with the afterglow

of friends who mean so much. 

Sometimes I don't quite know what to write here,

but I do want to share something,

glimpses even. 

Something of the thankfulness 

for this time of life. 

For learning to trust in the small steps. 

I've nudged a wish this autumn

for a workspace
shared with others,

and a chance conversation

a couple of weeks ago

got my hopes up
in the best possible way.

More of that later,

if it materialises...

All I can say is 

I've been blown away

by the generosity of people recently,

by a genuine desire to make others happy,

LOVE. 
Friendships that by now have become so solid.
A relationship with my husband
that can go through tricky patches,
but always returns to a clearing
bathed in light & peace.  
I think I've learned this recently
- sometimes giving space,
letting go even,
can bring a huge blessing in return
when the time is right.

x

(model: Minna Kosonen 

muah: Meghna Mukherjee)

PEONY LOVE

"The white peony is the most fragrant 

& least tolerant of the sun,"

said the smiling lady at the flower stall on the market.

The queen of the garden,

in my opinion.

And always a loving reminder

of my Finnish grandmother, Hellin,

(which means "gentlest" in English,

pretty adorable really).

Her bed of pink peonies

in front of the porch 

of her yellow wooden house

is forever engraved in my memory.

I always felt they were her tenth child.

(Yes, she had nine human ones,

and I now

a gazillion cousins

on my mother's side,
even the toughest guys in the family
with that special attachment to the peony
- to her.) 

x

SWEET VALENTINE'S

Also plenty of romance over here

Happy Valentine's Day!

 x

(Poppies on spread from Revs)

CONSTELLATIONS

These are the days of

softly tiptoeing around in woolly socks,

coffee upon cinnamon tea upon coffee,

evenings overdosing on cheese & figs

(I've more or less totally abandoned sugar,

but I could never give up cheese...),

wilting autumn roses,
a certain quietness of the soul
even with the music flowing in the background.

I've been thinking about time recently,

about an underlying pressure to, along with time,

always move forward.

But also about the grace to stand still.

Not always growing "chronologically",

as Anaïs Nin utters wisely.
  

Even rest from all those 

well-meaning carpe diems

that can sometimes just add pressure.

Believing that there is & will be enough time anyway

for the things that matter.

Cause there'll always be laundry to hang,

dishes to put away,

tax returns to fill in,

deadlines to meet.

Surprise elements,

things beyond control. 

But there's a moment each day

to take a photograph,

read a thought-provoking line,
smell my child's skin,

notice the frost on the leaves on the ground,

 the way the light flickers...

P.S. 

Big love goes to

those grey, older men & women

who are bursting with character
& filling their silver years

 doing what they love,

like this super lady from Japan.





(Second image,
leaf on spread from REVS #15)

Hiippailua villasukissa,

kahvia, kaneliteetä, lisää kahvia,

illan tullen juusto- ja viikunaövereitä

(sokerin olen lähes tyystin heivannut,

mutta juustosta en luopuisi vaikka mikä olisi…),

hiljakseen kuihtuvia syysruusuja,

sisimmässä tiettyä hiljentymistä,

vaikka taustalla tulvii musiikki.

Olen miettinyt aikaa, sen kulumista,

ja alitajuista painetta mennä eteenpäin, kasvaa vinhasti sen mukana.

Olen miettinyt myös armollisuutta pysähtyä, jäädä paikoilleen.

Emme kasva aina “kronologisesti”,

puhuu Anaïs Nin viisaasti.

Miettinyt myös lepoa “carpe diem” -lausahduksista,

jotka loppujen lopuksi joskus lisäävät vain paineita.

Uskoa siihen, että aikaa on & tulee olemaan riittämiin

sille, mikä on tärkeää.

Sillä päivät nyt vaan helposti täyttyvät siitä,

kun ripustaa pyykkejä kuivumaan,

laittaa astioita kaappiin,

täyttää veroilmoituksia,

tähtää dediksiin.

Yllätysmomenteista,

asioista, joita ei pysty hallitsemaan.

Silti joka päivä on aikaa

ottaa valokuva,

lukea ajatuksia herättävä lause,
tuoksutella lapsen ihoa,

huomata huurrekerros maahan tipahtaneen lehden reunuksella,

se korttelin rakennus,

jonka aamuaurinko kuvioi erityisen viehkosti.

P.S.  

Sydän syttyy niille harmaahapsisille herroille & rouville,

joilla on elämää suurempi persoona

& jotka täyttävät hopeiset vuotensa

sillä, mistä totisesti syttyvät

 - kuten tämä japanilainen supermummo.

LONDON ETERNAL

Then finally there was London,

and all that it entails.

Like walking for miles on end

& whiling away in a park -

& rekindling an old love affair.

(I'm sure I'm not the only one

who thinks you can love a city

like you can love a person.

We've had our ups & downs,
but this is strong.) 

Sokerina pohjalla oli Lontoo

ja kaikki se, 

mikä sen kanssa menee käsi kädessä

- kilometrikaupalla kävely,

hengähdyshetket puistossa

& vanhan romanssin lämmittely. 

En taida olla ainoa,

jonka mielestä kaupunkia 

voi rakastaa niinkuin ihmistä.

Meillä on ollut ylä- ja alamäkiä,

mutta tämä ei hellitä.