I know where I´m going

Thank you for all the birthday wishes and congratulations on my new home!
Something fell into place, I feel that I know where I am going, I have found a path that feels right.

Above is a detail from an old worldmap I have in my bedroom.

Enfin

F I N A L L Y !
The apartment in this house is now mine!!!! My new home is located in the other end of this fantastic yellow house. Second floor. Windows onto the garden. I can´t wait to start renovating. I need to wait another month but luckily february is the shortest of months.
I heard the good news today and I could not have hoped for a better birthday present!
I´m heading to an exhebition opening and then meeting my friends. I´m wearing my new glasses;)

I told you I was the luckiest girl on the planet!

Bisous!

Lentils

I enjoy cooking. Yesterday I made lentil-sauce with rice. If you want to try it, here is my recipe:

- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 3 cloves of garlic (sliced)
- 2 spoons of fresh ginger (chopped)
- 1 spoon dried coriander
- 2 spoons of tomatopuré
- 2 spoons of green curry paste
- 2 dl. water
- 3 dl. red lentils (I´m the type that soakes all lentils in water, even though it is not necessary to soak red lentils. I soaked mine for about 2hrs)
- 2-3 dried lime leaves
- 2 dl coconutmilk
- fresh coriander
- optional: vegetablestock
- rise

Fry chopped onion, sliced garliced, fresh ginger and dried coriander in vegetable oil until the onions are soft.
Add tomatopuré and currypaste, red lentils and water and let boil for at least 10 minutes, you can add vegetablestock if you wish.
Add coconutmilk and limeleaves, add a little salt if you feel it needs it, let it simmer for 5 minutes and once that is done, add chopped fresh coriander and serve with rise. Before serving it is good to remove the limeleaves.

Enjoy!

Above are two Marimekko glassbowls in my kitchen, I really enjoy the colour. BTW, I´m not sponsored by them even though I might easily give that impression, since it´s the second time this years that I add a link to their site;)

Andrei Makïne

I am very very charmed. I´ve read two of Andrei Makïne´s novels, Le Testament français and just finished reading Au temps du fleuve Amour. I´m craving for more. Library, here I come!
In the autumn I payed a visit to the annual Helsinki bookfair. Andrei Makïne was a guest at the fair. I saw him far away on a stage, I think he spoke in french. I didn´t stay.
Later when I was about to leave I bumped into my friends mother at the fair, she had come just to listen to him. I had not read any of his books.
Now I´m considering learning to use a samovar. Seriosly. But first I need to find one!

Fauns way

Yesterday I had dinner with my parents. They asked me if I wanted the little faun pictured above as a gift.
I remember it always beeing in our home. It´s not a fantastic piece of art, nor is it´s details very clear. But I remember beeing fascinated by it. It always sat playing it´s horn in a bookshelf, my parents used it as a bookend.
Apparently it is part of a lamp! This particular lamp used to hang in my grandmother´s livingroom. It had four fauns playing horns. But one day it fell down from the ceiling (no wonder, this little faun is very heavy!). The outcome was two fauns broken and one faun lost it´s horn. My little faun was the only one that survived the drop without damage.

1890

I find these pages where you can yearbook yourself, place yourself as a banner on a building or in a painting soooo much fun... I should get a life! Instead I 1890 myself!

Happy weekend!

Ten questions

I have been given a I love your blog prize! Thank you so much P.K. at Dill and Parsley!

10 questions

the prize rules are:
do an entry with the prize,
answer the questions,
give the prize to 10 blogs.

here it goes:

1. why did you create this blog?
I have many friends who live abroad and my friend Elizabeth suggested I start blogging so she and my other friends could follow my everyday life. At first I started the blog with one post. It took almost another year until I started writing more frequently. This is the reason I write in english. My mothertongue is swedish and finnish. I did not know then, that I could connect with other bloggers, some I now consider friends. Nor did I know how warm and generous the blogworld is. Thank you.

2. what kind of blogs do you follow?
I follow many different kinds of blogs. I am interested in many topics. Some blogs I follow because I get inspired or love the humour.

3. favourite makeup brand?
I seldom use make-up. In my profession I do, and then I try to choose ecological procucts that have not been tested on animals.

4. favourite clothing brand?
I couldn´t name one. I like to combine high quality basics, with second-hand treasures and high-street brands. I also like to wear things I or my friends have made. I´m also a huuuuuge fan of upcykled or remade procucts. I also like to wear finnish design; Marimekko and Globe Hope and Ivana Helsinki can be found in my wardrobe.

5. your indispensable makeup product?
Lipgloss?

6. your favourite colour?
I couldn´t name one. Maybe purple/ lilac/ plum. If you ask me again tomorrow, I would maybe reply different.

7. your perfume?
Kenzo Flower.

8. your favourite film?
Once again, I couldn´t name just one. Oh my, this was difficult. I loved this film: I´m a cyborg but that´s ok. In america. Paris, je t'aime. La vie en rose. Walz with Bashir. Brokeback mountain. Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind. In the mood for love. Monthy Python productions. All films with Chaplin, Audrey Hepburn...

9. what country would you like to visit and why?
Iran. I find the persian culture very interesting. And the language. I have met many iranians in exile, and really admired their courage. I recommend as a good read Marjane Satrapi´s Persepolis. I also enjoyed the film. I´d love to travel in the middle-east. I have been to Jordan and to Egypt. Maybe one day, it is possible to travel to Iran.

10. make the last question and answer to yourself.
What has recently inspired you?
This. I am fan of TED.

The ten blogs that I give the prize to are: Shari, Linda, Henrietta, Genie, Annie, Floss, Zoltan, Mrs M, Linnea, Renilde, Pia, Don.

PS. No stress. Answer if you feel like it and have the time.

Sunday it is

Yesterday I went to the theatre with my friend. We saw a wonderful finnish play called "Nainen joka halusi pyörtyä" (transl. a woman who wanted to faint).
We walked through the city and enjoyed a few glasses of wine and a proper chat in a very cosy little bar. Took the bus home. I wasn´t sleepy so I turned on my computer and found a very nice message from the appealing man *blushing*, oh lucky me;)

Above is a tiny (it looks huuuuge in the picture) lidded bowl, I keep sugar in it. It´s part of my growing (!) collection of Astier de Villatte.

Ps. the sun is shining over Utsjoki again - the spring is here! The sun has not shown itself since November. Utsjoki is a town in the very north of Finland.
The polar nights end today! Welcome spring!

Sunny

Ah, the sun is out and so am I;) Perfect weather to go skiing.

Yesterday I met up with the seller of the apartment and the apartment broker. We met to sign the official papers and now it´s another two week wait...

After the meeting I decided to enjoy a nice cup of coffee in a cafe and read (I´m reading Andreï Makine´s Le Testament français in finnish and I wonder why I had not picked up this book before!). In walked a man I find appealing. We exchanged a few words and then he sat down to work, he met his colleague there, apparently they are writing a book. We have spoken a few times when we´ve met accidentally in bars and exchanged a few messages on facebook, he apparently also seems to find me appealing;) Well, I found it so hard to consentrate on my book, well I read page after page, but I have no clue of what I read. So I decided to leave. I then walked to the Hakaniemi marketplace and bought greek olives. Later I found myself in an Optician and bought myself new glasses and signed up for a contactlense-school (that is a ½hrs private tutoring on how to use contact lenses).
I can be sooooo silly at times. So very very silly!

Above is a painting I bought some years ago in Croatia. It´s by artist Eugen Varzic. I like the fact it´s painted on a wooden floorboard.

Dreaming of spring

Due to heavy drop in temperature, the snow is now melting and has gone all dirty and grey. All seems to be grey in fact. I´m longing for spring. I have been dreaming of spring in Greece. Of turqoise salty water. Of the language. Of the light. Of tasty aubergines. Feta cheese. Large olives.
I bought this lace collar from Lilla Blanka. I´m going to wear it in the spring with a vintage dress I have. I can see see myself cykling on my red bike to meet a friend, typical of me to be running a little late so that I have to hurry, but I´m always on time;)
Decided to take a picture of the beautiful lacecollar together with an old brooch.

Here I go again...

I gave an offer for the apartment and it was accepted. Hooooray! Now I need to wait a month until the sale is final, again that annoying possibility that other shareholders can redeem the shares for this apartment. But let´s hope that none are interested.

This image is borrowed from the internet. This is what my (hopefully) future house looks like in the summer. My apartment is located in the other end and upper floor. This is the view taken from the garden. It´s located in an area in Helsinki where I´ve for a very long time have wanted to live.

Keep your fingers crossed.

Inspired by

I was very charmed by Jade Jaggers collection for Indiska in 2010. I regret I didn´t purchaise the hammock she designed:( Unfortuantely I couldn´t find any pictures of it, nor any other of her products on their website. But believe me, it was lovely. And if you´re very curious, you can google Jade Jagger Hammock and you´ll find it emmediately...
But I´m glad I did purchaise mugs. And now I got myself two more on sale;) I think they are perfect in my kitchen. And I like the golden details.

And, come to think of it...I think I could buy a nice looking hammock and decorate it with white tassels and things...and make an "inspired by Jade Jagger" -hammock for me, myself and I!

Oh, funny thing happened this morning. I was about to leave and view an apartment, when I came back in to look for a timetable. I then realized it is the 8th today and not the 9th when the showing is! So I would ahve been there one day early!

Luxury

I received these beautiful soaps from Nathalie. They are so beautiful, I really enjoy the scent. They are also beautiful to have on display - I have not yet dared to use them;)
I have tried an aromatherapy soap that I also recieved from Nathalie. It is soooo luxurious and lovely. I could get addicted to it, so I have decided to use it only once a week, so that it will last (hopefully) forever!

I had a good evening last night at the theatre. The adaptation of the book worked well on stage, though unfortunately at times it did feel more like a lecture than a play.
Today I did yoga and later had a bath (yes, with the addictive aromatherapy soap).
L U X U R Y ! I shall make myself some tea now.

So clever of me;)

I have been working on smaller pieces than usually. I found these psalmbook covers in dreadful condition and thought I must give them new life in some form. I really love the patina and the colour. So I printed my photograph and made two small pieces. I have been smiling to myself as I do believe it is such an accurate image to pair with the old psalmbook covers;)

Tonight I´m going to a theatre premier. I read the book before it was published as the (soon-to-be-ex) houseband was the editor and he wanted to hear my opinion on a few matters. I am looking forward to seeing the adaption to the stage.

New

So now we have all welcomed the new year.
I wish us all joy and happiness, lots of love and laughter, new and old friendships, curious and open minds. I hope that I will be brave and dare take those steps needed to continue towards my personal goals.

Prosperous New Year to us all!