simply everyday stuff
After a late arrival – plane landed in Helsinki around 11-ish pm followed by a roughly 2h drive plus some very basic grocery shopping for the first day and a midnight snack stopover – there were still a couple of things to get done at the cabin so bedtime was around 4am in the morning of the 22nd.
Nit surprisingly we felt a tad jet-lagged and lazed the day away. Perfect start of a winter vacation.
Monday, December 21st we made it true: We gathered a few things and escaped into the Finnish woods for a little getaway.
Away from the pre-Christmas frenzy, the corona craziness and the general hubbub during the Holiday season.
See ya next year, lovely Switzerland. Hope you’ll do well and welcome us back with lower infection rates. We do our part by self-quarantining in the woods.
It’s been a long while. But that’s the beauty of it to me – no pressure, just returning whenever I feel like it. No judgement.
Today was the first day of this winter we had snow coming down, not just in the mountains but also the hills where I live and the lowlands with their cities. I love it!
It’s been a long while. But that’s the beauty of it to me – no pressure, just returning whenever I feel like it. No judgement.
Today was the first day of this winter we had snow coming down, not just in the mountains but also the hills where I live and the lowlands with their cities. I love it!
When returning from my run yesterday afternoon I got a really bad scare as my neighbor called me with the news that another neighbor across the street called him with bad news: She had a dead kitty in the garden and she was afraid it might be Elvis, one of the kitties who have chosen me as their guardian. I took the news pretty stoically as I tend to but decided to walk up to Elvis favorite place, the chicken coop to gather my thoughts and brace myself for the possible blow. And who was there, happily chilling away in the sun with the chickens??!? Elvis!!! I was so happy and relieved I just broke down and cried and cuddled both Elvis and JB, his brother who had followed me up to the chickens from home. Then I sent my neighbor a photo and called him and we sniffled some sniffles of relieve together. We’re so happy to have our fosterlings safe and sound.
Still, my heart is aching for the family who actually lost their kitty today – so very sad. May the little tiger race the meadows of eternity with his furry friends.
This weekend we got a first taste of the approaching fall – it rained incessantly for two days straight. What better to do than spending some time on the sofa, drinking tea, reading or watching a good movie.
When I’m lounging on the sofa I’m seldom alone these days as Elvis’ favorite spot to cuddle up is on a throw on the couch.
But I didn’t spend all my weekend hours inside. I also got myself out into the rain for a run twice. On Sunday for a 90min run which Nike Running Global Head Coach Bennett made bearable by saying the right things at the right time.
While out on the long run I saw a field mouse crossing the road in the torrential rain and once on the other side it had troubles getting onto the sidewalk so I helped it up and into the wide field away from the gushing waters pouring down the sidewalk. It quickly snuck underneath some clovers and seemed content enough.
Though the weather was quite awful to be outside in without a good umbrella, I still enjoyed the run and the feeling of badassery I carried throughout it and into the rest of the day.
Saw these guys while out running the other day. No, it’s not a kangaroo and a wolf, that’s just my artistic talent failing me. They were two gorgeous young foxes racing across the field towards the forest.
About a week ago for whatever reason I suddenly remembered southern buttermilk biscuits. Not sure what brought this on. When I tasted these the first time down in Texas I remember thinking to myself “Wow, this is like sour cream – there should be no meal without it!” I’m pretty sure many of you out there share that sentiment (though not necessarily when it comes to sour cream, that’s just my very personal taste).
Anyways, today I finally managed to get some done for myself and oh golly, are they delicious… not sure how I survived without them cold turkey for almost four years… I missed you guys!!
Not one to usually talk to food but this one just speaks to me.
I love copying drawings and sketches as a kind of slowing down method. Copying pictures keeps me from having to think too much. It allows me to simply go ahead and let my hands do what I see. This was tonight’s doodle of a beachy landscape. The colors could be improved by using aquarelle colors but I opted for my trusty ol’ Copic markers instead.
When time and creative passion hit, things start happening.
I love to do 1 minute doodles – I start off doodling for 1 minute and then have to finish from there. It is quite remarkable how basic you can start off and still get a decent result with an little detail work like shadowing and extra inking.
The reason I like these explosive exercises is that it takes the pressure away to satisfy my perfectionism.
As a matter of fact I know that I will never be able to draw as perfectly as I would wish to so perfectionism only stifles my creativity and I absolutely need to overcome it in order to enjoy the process of creation.
The 1 minute method is how I learn to let go and improve by only focusing on the big picture for one minute. This also improves my ability to quickly sketch on the go instead of mindlessly snapping photos.
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