Ice pops

Warm

My new alpaca dress knit by Violet. It'll surely be one of my favourite clothes this winter and years to come.

Do your dreams have wings?

Such a good phrase, isn't it?

This Christmas we ate mostly sushi but tried some new delicacies as well. The lemon dessert above is called dreams have wings  (unelmilla on siivet) taken from Tofukeittokirja which has to be one of my favourite cook books. Mom treated us with slightly more traditional Finnish meal.

Let your heart be light...

Photo Thursday: Tiptoeing elves

Step lightly, silently...

See other images for Photo Thursday here.

Snail mail

One of my favourite christmas traditions (and I don't have that many) is writing and sending cards and greetings to family and friends. A bunch of cards is ready for posting.

Photo Thursday: Nessun Dorma

Nobody shall sleep

See other photos inspired by Puccini's aria Nessun Dorma here.

Makroviikot: Kynttilä | Weekly Macro: Candle

Iced snowberries (waiting to be lit)

Weekly Macro's topic is a candle.

Something for the new year

Testing of making photo collages. The images above were chosen for the print-out calendar 2012. Fun to do  - so hopefully the end result is good enough as well.

Nonpareil

Mustavalkomaanantai: Lamppu | B&W Monday: A Lamp

Due to lack of snow, B&W Monday is lighting up our life with artificial light. This one is a photo of Helmat -floor lamp in our living room, shot upwards.

See other challenge photos here.

Valokuvatorstai: Odotus | Photo Thursday: Waiting

Photo Thursday inspires with a sample of a short story by Mirkka Rekola.

Joku istui vieressä ja näytti minulle, mitä oli kaiverrettu hänen rannekellonsa taakse.

Hyvin pienin kirjaimin.

”Hän jota odotat tulee pian” siinä luki.

- Se on sitten ajan takana, minä sanoin.
- Siinä lukee ”pian”, hän vastasi.
- Mutta ne jotka odottavat eivät koskaan ehdi.
Sen minä sanoin ja ajattelin että kun he sanovat ”pian” puussa jo kasvaa puisia hedelmiä.
- Entä jos siinä lukisi, että hän on jo tullut, minä kysyin.
Silloin hän nousi kiireesti.

”Sinä sitten olet epäuskoinen ihminen”, hän sanoi ja lähti.

Mirkka Rekola: Maskuja

Mustavalkomaanantai: Lasi | B&W Monday: Glass

Releasing the spirit in the bottle. 

B&W Monday's topic is glass. These bottles originate from decades if not a century ago and have been used in pharmacy matters. I got them from my childhood home. They're somehow spirited, at least to me. See other images here.

Chocolate storm

Valokuvatorstai: Talven merkit | Photo Thursday: Signs of winter

Photo Thursday's topic is talven merkit, signs of winter. I took this picture of a tiny plant on a forest walk last Sunday. Covered with ice it resembles a Christmas tree, doesn't it?

See other wintery photos here.

Makroviikot: Kulma | Weekly Macro: Corner

Weekly Macro's theme is kulma - corner, angle. I chose one of the closest subjects: the corner of my eye/eyebrows. See other challenge pictures here.

No winter yet

Found these energetic colours last Sunday nearby home. Nature never seems to stop amazing me.

Mustavalkomaanantai: Ihminen | B&W Monday: Human being

Sinä olet ihminen, muistatko... ratiseva hiekka saappaissa.

B&W Monday inspires with Zen Cafe's Ihminen. Putting time and one's existence into perspective.

Gone with the Wind

Mustavalkomaanantai: Viesti | B&W Monday: Message

Communication with eyes and whiskers: Would you please stop photographing, or else...

B&W Monday's theme is a message. 

Still blooming

Makroviikot: Valkoinen | Weekly Macro: White

Why Q-tips?

Because Weekly Macro's theme is purely white. See other contributions here.

Mustavalkomaanantai: Pelottava | B&W Monday: Scary

Feeling of being stared at?

Black & White Monday's theme is entitled scary or dreadful. Butterflies are usually admired because of their beauty, but sometimes there's more than meets the eye...

Stanko

Happened to hear some mind-blowing music today at Tampere Jazz Happening.

Valokuvatorstai: Koti | Photo Thursday: Home

Photo Thursday's theme is simply home. This little fellow is determined to build a home of his own. See other cosy photos here.

Sandy

Mustavalkomaanantai: Kohtaaminen | B&W Monday: Meeting

A penny for a thought?

B&W Monday's challenge is entitled kohtaaminen, a meeting. This one lasted only a few moments but the memory of it stays much longer. I felt privileged.

Time

Amterdam X (for taste II)

 

Amsterdam IX

Valokuvatorstai: Kummitustalo | Photo Thursday: Haunted house

Although not exactly a haunted house (or how do I know...) I somehow get an eerie feeling. See other halloween-ish contributions here.

Makroviikot: Lämmin | Weekly Macro: Warm

Warm is the theme for this week's macro challenge. I snapped a photo of something that gets my body, heart and soul feel warm. Besides being a sweater made from 100 % lamb's wool and therefore nice to wear, it has a special history. My then-boyfriend now-husband gave it to me on our first christmas together. Those days I lived in quite a chilly flat in Manchester - he sure got it right, thoughtful as he is. Still wearing it after 14 years. It's almost like new, 'though sometimes covered with my hair and cat hair here and there.

Amsterdam VIII (de Hortus)