FROM JOENSUU, Finland

Best part of our winter is here.

2012-02-18T16:02:00.010+02:00

Now skiing holidays of schools started in the southern part of Finland and it means we will get visitors :)

We can not see many colours nowadays but sometimes evenings have this kind of gentle colours.

Schoolchildren are having one of their fifteen minutes break between lessons.

These children will have their holiday next week.

Kiki - our golden retriever - loves snow and being the king of hilltop.

I see this view from my window just before midday .

Happy Our World Tuesday

Happy Valentine`s day!

2012-02-13T22:44:00.000+02:00

My company of this week :)

2012-02-12T11:33:00.000+02:00

It was an energetic, lovely week with her and her little brother with plenty of joy.

Extra warming from a fireplace

2012-02-04T10:32:00.001+02:00

It was -32 degrees Celsius also this Saturday morning !

In Kuusamo, almost 400km to North from my place, a temperature was - 40,2 degrees Celsius.

Warmer Friday to you!

2012-02-03T09:30:00.003+02:00

Still this morning, -30 degrees Celsius

People are going to work and schools as usually.

The river is breathing heavily

Sun is rather powerless in this time of year.

Empty benches . . .

Waiting for summer

They have survived

2012-02-02T11:34:00.004+02:00

Great tits and Greenfinches tried to get some warming sunshine in -30 Celsius degrees. Rays of the sun did not have much power yet but somehow birds felt them pleasant anyway this morning after many really cold nights. And we will have still - 30 degrees next few nights.
It is almost a miracle, how those small birds can manage in that coldness outside.
People do not have any troubles in Finland because we have used to this kind of weather and we have had to prepare it but I know how difficult the coldness is in this moment in many countries of Europe, where strong frosts are uncommon.

Sunbather :)

I was happy to see these waxwings this morning - also they had survived !

Winter greetings from our white landscapes

2012-01-29T18:15:00.007+02:00

Click the badge and see other`s worlds this Tuesday.

We had this morning - 26 degrees Celsius and next week`s forecast promises even - 32 degrees.
We will manage very well but I am worried about those our small winter bird survivors hoping they will really survive during this cold week.

One of our windows got again ice flowers.
Don`t worry, houses are warm enough :)

Visitors of the wintertime

2012-01-24T11:50:00.008+02:00

Thanks to Springman for all those great birds of many countries!

Goldfinches are most common on our backyard during wintertime.

What is this one thinking :)

Great tits visit every day but the number of them is much less than goldfinches for some reason or other.

This female pheasant was really nice and very uncommon visitor

I hope, she will come again!

Bye, bye, see you soon !

Springman has today perfect hawk photos, I will publish mine - not so perfect - taken through triple glasses of our window :)

The Eurasian (or Northern) Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)
visited and got his catch from our bird feeder last autumn.

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Good Sunday to you!

2012-01-15T11:15:00.001+02:00

These photos are taken yesterday morning, it was a cloudy day but snow is white and smooth :)

Kiki loves snow

I can not believe!!

2012-01-14T09:58:00.001+02:00

No any breakfast this morning!

Thinking. . .

2012-01-09T21:35:00.000+02:00

Mikael - Dear

Finally

2012-01-07T23:59:00.001+02:00

Finally we got this kind of real winter landscapes

and I was able to come back.

So very late I wish you happy year 2012

thanking you for your visits and comments.

Aurora borealis

2011-12-12T21:49:00.002+02:00

I want to publish this video ,which is not mine but I have seen this kind of sights many times.
A strongest impression I have got as my childhood when I was walking in the evening darkness alone from my friend to home and the whole sky was full of running red lights. It was my first time to see it and red ones are not very common outside Lapland. They usually are green. I remember that moment for ever.

Best in the full screen !

Happy waiting of Christmas !

2011-12-12T14:30:00.002+02:00

Dear blog friends!

We have here a little snow, a little bit also frost and a lot of doing for Christmas.

Everything has been well with me but I have been doing calendars, photobooks, posters and of course traditional handworks for children - socks and mittens and baking too

I wish you good time and happy days !

With best wishes

Leena

You can see a real Santa in this link HERE
(Sorry, after one ad :)

World Bird Wednesday

2011-11-29T12:53:00.010+02:00

It`s again World Bird Wednesday coming - by clicking the badge you will find other`s bird posts.

Bullfinches with other birds on last Sunday and the snow free backyard are here

Looking for seeds, where they are now ?

I have to do more work now!!

Ouch, it`s cold !

Hm - some tissue, please!

Do you need any help ?

We all will manage after practicing - aren`t we.

Greenfinch, Carduelis chloris, one small survivor in our frosts and snow.

This Great Spotted Woodpecker, Dendrocopos major is now a regular visitor on bird feeders.

These Woodpecker photos are taken through triple window glasses.

This post is also linking to Nature notes meme.

Monday morning - 7am

2011-11-28T09:52:00.005+02:00

Linking to sites of Our World Tuesday photos.

It was snowing all - night - now we have Christmas landscapes - I love it :)

This was clean to walk after one hour :)

Evening view of Sunday

2011-11-27T23:16:00.002+02:00

It happens always so suddenly - the whole world is white. it makes landscapes more light and glad.

I took bird photos today in my earlier post on green grass and tomorrow I can take those Christmas card photos
with bullfinches on the snow :)

Mellow - isn`t it - my home street :)

Sunday morning visitors

2011-11-27T14:33:00.001+02:00

At first in the morning was this very, very careful inhabitant of our backyard.
I took these photos through three window glasses ( We have triple glasses in the windows)
I hope, I will some day catch in the act directly :)

We have very dusk, grey day even during those six daylight hours, but these animals cheer up.
The magpie has beautiful bluish colour, if I only could get catch it in the sunshine.

Our snow has gone now and I did not get a real Christmas images about these
Christmas birds, they should be on the whiter background :)
Anyway these two male Bullfinches ( Pyrrhula pyrrhula) will be as my pleasure the whole winter.

And then arrived a small squirrel of this summer, who has still a lot of brown colour in a fur.

I started to make squirrel`s voices and he/she answered to me, but

not until in more safe place. I think, we will be friends after a while :)

This fellow will never be in the Christmas card :)

But great survives they are these Hooded Crows (Corvus cornix )
Sunrise today at 8:49. Sunset today at 14:47. Length of day is 5 h 58 min.

Camera Critters post #190

2011-11-26T15:15:00.002+02:00

By clicking the badge you see other`s critters !

Would you like give it to me, please !

YES - I got it !!

Skywatch Friday, Episode 20

2011-11-24T12:40:00.011+02:00

By clicking the badge you see other`s sky photos.

Three first photo are taken from our backyard and other three from the summer cottage.

It was one dramatic autumn evening on the sky over the lake.

But colours became more gentle after a while as they always do :)

Acrobatics on the bird feeder

2011-11-23T14:18:00.005+02:00

By clicking the badge you can see other`s bird posts.

This Great Spotted Woodpecker did a hard work by his tail but finally he got some seeds.

I was happy when I got also his red cap to the photo :)

My world today / Our World Tuesday post

2011-11-22T10:57:00.005+02:00

See different views of our wonderful world by clicking the badge.

A view from our front door this morning. The smoke cloud is coming from a peat power plant of Joensuu.
Yes, the peat power is not good to the global warming, but we can not live here without warming houses - a difficult dilemma.

These fellows are back in the backyard and bird feeders.

Sunrise today at 8:36. Sunset today at 14:58. Length of day is 6 h 22 min.

Blue morning moment with ice flowers

2011-11-10T11:43:00.001+02:00

It was first frost morning telling that a winter is coming, surely it is not forgetting us :)
These ice patterns are from car`s window.

Today`s flower

2011-11-05T11:13:00.002+02:00

By clicking the badge you can see other`s flowers.

My husband came from his morning walk with Kiki dog this morning and gave to me these flowers of Chamomilla.

Our weather has been so unusual warm, that the nature is a little confused in this moment :)

Congratulations Mikael!

2011-11-03T10:54:00.000+02:00

I hope your life will be as joyful as it is in this photo my dear Mikael.

Today you are 2 years - happy birthday!

A gull / WDW post

2011-11-01T18:16:00.002+02:00

Click and see the birds of this Wednesday !

It was some of those last beautiful days in the end of the summer

I was sitting in boat and started to watch a young gull

who was flying on the lake

Young ones still have more different colours than an adult has.

But so short tail :)

Those colours of young gulls make nice photos, I could not recognize this species but I was that who took a photo :)

Landing has started

I think, this young one is decorative

Succesfull

But somehow I like most this photo :)

Macro Monday post

2011-10-31T08:53:00.000+02:00

It`s a day for macros, click the badge and see other`s macros thanks to Lisa

This my photo is from the archive and many of you have seen it before but it is so important to me that I publish it again.
When I took it I saw only by my one eye the other one was operated and nobody knew can I see with it ever.
I was laying on the grass near lake and saw thees dewdrops and lake reflections in them.

After a month of this photographing day I finally saw very clearly by my both eyes also these dewdrops of a photo - they are important to me.

Today`s flowers post

2011-10-30T12:35:00.000+02:00

By clicking the badge you can reach a beauty of other`s flowers.

I had a birthday - I got a rose :)

Last sunflower of this autumn

And also last two pansy flower of this summer

Pansies were looking at the boat, which is now waiting for snow and perhaps also next summer as we all. . .

Winter coat / Camera-Critters #186

2011-10-30T09:54:00.001+02:00

Click the badge and see other Camera critters of this Sunday.

Our squirrels have got their winter coat already !

Just before winter

2011-10-28T23:21:00.003+03:00

Some leaves still remain around lamps.

Foggy views of this evening

Swan and crane / WBW post

2011-10-25T19:43:00.003+03:00

Click the badge and see other`s bird posts from different parts of our world.

We were driving to the lake, when we saw a swan couple and a crane on the field.

The other swan realized me at first, but the crane took soon her caution..

Then she decided to leave both of us without any notice and continued eating.

OurWorld post / Week 8

2011-10-17T21:20:00.000+03:00

Click the badge and see other`s worlds thanks to Arija, , Gattina, Lady Fi, Sylvia, Sandy

Todays photos are taken by our 12 years old granddaughter Ida, who is now interested in photographing, which is a great thing in my opinion :)

I like especially lightning of her leaves photos. This squirrel seems to be her friend :)

Weekend reflection post

2011-10-15T23:40:00.007+03:00

This Saturday I saw the sunset in Lahti, where my daughter`s house is on the shore of this beautiful lake.
Sunrise today at 7:58. Sunset today at 18:08. Length of day is 10 h 10 min in Lahti .

Thank you James for hosting this great meme!

Brambling / Järripeippo / Fringilla montifringilla / WBW post

2011-10-11T19:21:00.000+03:00

I took this photo last spring on our backyard, when these beauties were going to the North for nesting.
Nowadays I am waiting their visits again in the opposite direction.

Barcelona, never without Gaudi / Our World Tuesday

2011-10-10T16:02:00.015+03:00

After Malaga and Alhambra we visited Barcelona and saw buildings of Gaudi.

Antoni Gaudí i Cornet (25 June 1852 – 10 June 1926) was a Spanish Catalan architect and the best-known representative of Catalan Modernism. Gaudí's works are marked by a highly individual style and the vast majority of them are situated in the Catalan capital of Barcelona, including his magnum opus, the Sagrada Família, tells Wikipedia in this link HERE

Gaudí devoted his last years to the project of Sagrada Familia and at the time of his death in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete. Sagrada Família's construction progressed slowly as it relied on private donations and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War—only to resume intermittent progress in the 1950s. Construction passed the mid-point in 2010 with some of the project's greatest challenges remaining and an anticipated completion date of 2026—the centennial of Gaudí's death, tells Wikipedia.

Link to the sites of Sagrada Familia HERE

Link to "Virtual visit" inside Sagrada Familia HERE

It`s really worth visiting

Another interesting place to visit in person or just in virtual is Park Guell by Antonio Gaudi
Click HERE
and HERE

I found out Our World Tuesday thanks to Arija! Thank you all great women, who are hosting this!

Weekend reflections post

2011-10-09T10:48:00.001+03:00

Click the badge and see other`s weekend reflections !

It was a beautiful summer day of August when I was at lake and enjoyed :)

Remembering summer. . Camera - critters post

2011-10-08T13:33:00.002+03:00

I made this post especially thinking Kate, who wanted to see Kiki, our 10 years old Golden Retriever :)

I think, this post could suit to "Camera - critters" and Scenic Sunday memes.

By clicking badgets you can see other`s photos.

Three sky views of an autumn day / Sky Watch post

2011-10-06T19:05:00.000+03:00

Blue sky of a glorious autumn day

A little sad looking fall evening

and finally this kind of sunset of same day.

Yesterday at a pond

2011-10-06T10:51:00.000+03:00

This small pond near our home is the place, where swans flock every autumn and eat for their long travel to warmer countries.

I took photos without a tripod, so, not so clear as they should be , sorry :)
Especially youngsters are not used to people, they are coming from forest lakes.

Hi, how are you today ? / World Bird Wednesday post

2011-10-04T17:47:00.000+03:00

You can either participate in this theme or just look at great bird photos by clicking a small photo above.

Real friendship :)

New month - new blog

2011-10-03T14:59:00.000+03:00

By clicking a badge you can see other`s fence photos, interesting :)

A path and a fence made from willow`s branches.

A view from the hill

Thank you for coming by :)

Through beautiful Andalusia to Alhambra

2011-09-16T13:04:00.001+03:00

Olive trees and wheat fields

Mountains in a horizon

This figure was at first only a sign of some brandy but then came a symbol of Andalusia.

The sun was a moment behind a cloud and gave a little wrong idea about the weather.

Getting Alhambra

Above the gate is a small statue of the Virgin Maria

Incredible decorations start and our necks and cameras were really working

Lisää kuvateksti

It is difficult to imagine all work what those patterns have needed.

Going to Petra, Jordan

2011-06-22T21:22:00.000+03:00

After we left Agaba landscapes were very rugged, desert like.

The government of Jordan has built and is building houses for Bedouins.

No greenish at all!

These buildings are for cattle

But how these animals can find something to eat ?

But goats are clever :)

Brown landscape. . . .

This view pleases my eyes

Then we saw a small nice town

And again a desert

Some villages

And the desert continues

and continues. . . .

This is very interesting view!

That white spot on the hill is built for Aaron, who was a brother of Moses And it is told that Aaron died here on the Mount Hor

Death

In fulfilment of the promise of peaceful life, symbolized by the pouring of oil upon his head (Leviticus Rabbah x., Midrash Teh. cxxxiii. 1), Aaron's death, as described in the Haggadah, was of a wonderful tranquility.^[16] Accompanied by Moses, his brother, and by Eleazar, his son, Aaron went to the summit of Mount Hor, where the rock suddenly opened before him and a beautiful cave lit by a lamp presented itself to his view.^[16] "Take off thy priestly raiment and place it upon thy son Eleazar!" said Moses; "and then follow me."^[16]Aaron did as commanded; and they entered the cave, where was prepared a bed around which angels stood.^[16] "Go lie down upon thy bed, my brother," Moses continued; and Aaron obeyed without a murmur.^[16] Then his soul departed as if by a kiss from God.^[16] The cave closed behind Moses as he left; and he went down the hill with Eleazar.

( Source Wikipedia )

I have been climbing to the Mount Hor and seen that building, which was on a cave.

Then we drove through a town. . . .

And so again the Mount Hor

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Landscapes around the Mount Hor

Arriving to Petra

Horses and camels were for tourists

A long road through rocks starts

We were not alone there . . .

No indeed

Views of Petra, Jordan

2011-06-22T20:29:00.000+03:00

Petra (Greek "πέτρα" (petra), meaning rock; Arabic: البتراء, Al-Batrāʾ) is a historical and archaeological city in the Jordanian governorate of Ma'an that is famous for its rock cut architecture and water conduits system. Established sometime around the 6th century BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans,[2] it is a symbol of Jordan as well as its most visited tourist attraction, tells Wikipedia

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Leaving Wadi Rum

2011-06-21T12:27:00.000+03:00

Some of us was really riding

They said that these are thousands of years old, may be or not :)

It`s a time of a sunset

They were waiting for riders . . .

A woman with her old national dress

these camels decided to leave the whole thing and go home by themselves :)

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Camels are very proud animals and they do not bear any bad treatment.

Sunset of a desert

I liked this view

A place, were Lawrence of Arabia is said to be

A face of Arabian Lawrence

Very impressive place

Indeed

The sun is gone

It`s time to get some tea

It was nice place

and nice young men

Very atmospheric

A waterpipe !

Back to Agaba through these rocky landscapes

Going to Wadi Rum, Jordan

2011-06-21T11:27:00.000+03:00

We are leaving Agaba for Wadi Rum

A walker in the street of Agaba

Something to eat . . .

Blue hills of a starting desert

Good highway

Rocky landscapes

A house here and there

The photos are taken through a window of a moving bus

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Tents of Bedouins

Nicely some green in this village

Coming to Wadi Rum, Mount Rum in Wadi Rum stands at 1734 m above sea level. The mountain was named the Seven Pillars of Wisdom(for its shape as seven pillars) by Lawrence of Arabia.^{[1] ( Wikipedia )}

Wadi Rum (Arabic: وادي رم‎) also known as The Valley of the Moon (Arabic:وادي القمر‎) is a valley cut into the sandstone and granite rock in south Jordan at 60 km to the east of Aqaba, tells Wikipedia

Buildings for tourists

We are going to start a jeep trip

Here we go

Some bushes on the sand

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A beautiful dune

Sandy views

and rocky

Created by a human being

Watching and photographing

Getting water from deep

Roads of the desert

Something is missing. . . .

We are waiting . . .

He found it, it was a nut of a tyre :)

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A tent just for tourists

Would you like ride ??

Karnak Tempel

2011-06-20T16:47:00.000+03:00

The Karnak Temple Complex—usually called Karnak—comprises a vast mix of ruined temples, chapels, pylons, and other buildings, notably the Great Temple of Amun and a massive structure begun by Pharaoh Ramses II (ca. 1391–1351 BC). ( Wikipedia)

At Nile, Grand Hotel and the palace of Luxor

2011-06-20T16:06:00.000+03:00

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Going to see the palace of Hatshepsut

2011-06-20T13:56:00.000+03:00

They have a plenty of work in Egypt to find out all those historical ruins, so many, so many everywhere!

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"Hatshepsut, meaning Foremost of Noble Ladies, (1508–1458 BC) was the fifth Pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty of Ancient Egypt. She is generally regarded by Egyptologists as one of the most successful Pharaohs, reigning longer than any other woman of an indigenous Egyptian dynasty", tells Wikipedia

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A view from the palace

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Some paintings are still to see on those walls

Ancient Egyptian scarabs were popular amulets in ancient Egypt. According to ancient Egyptian myths, the sun (Ra) rolls across the sky each day and transforms bodies and souls. Modeled upon the Scarabaeidae family dung beetle, which rolls dung into a ball for the purposes of eating and laying eggs that are later transformed into larva, the scarab was seen as an earthly symbol of this heavenly cycle. This came to be iconographic, and ideological symbols were incorporated into

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If only I could understand all those symbols and stories told by them.

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Anubis (Ancient Greek: Ἄνουβις) is the Greek name^[2] for a jackal-headed god associated withmummification and the afterlife in ancient Egyptian religion. In the ancient Egyptian language, Anubis is known as Inpu, (variously spelled Anup, Anpu, and Ienpw), a source fWikipedia

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Helping of a childbirth

To the river Nile

2011-06-20T11:35:00.000+03:00

Security tower

Another tower nearer

Shore of Nile

Great , great Nile

Over Nile

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And towards the Valley of the Kings

Ruins everywhere

2011-06-20T00:40:00.000+03:00

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A resident for Carter and Lord Carnarvon near the Valley of Kings

The resident nearer but still taken from a moving bus.

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Precious water and it`s wonder.

2011-06-19T23:19:00.000+03:00

Mass tourism, but can we blame, we bring much needed money there.

"The Colossi of Memnon", a statue of Pharaoh Amenhotep III

Eroded, but no wonder, those statues are about 3500 years old.

So green shores

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Green fields, so much needed

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A man and his boat

A town

and a minaret

Waiting perhaps for a bus

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It was just few days before when those protests started

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Cooler white colour

Some kind of camping life

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At the riverside

Going to Luxor

2011-06-19T15:01:00.000+03:00

We left Sharm el Sheikh for Luxor. Landscapes were just pure desert like in this photo, which is taken through a window of a moving bus as many other photos too.

Nothing green. . . .

Still only brown colour, these landscapes are between the Red Sea and Nile.

And still. . . . .

This and next 9 photos are taken from a resting place. Women and their children were waiting a little money and then we could take photos of them.

Beautiful plants were in this place.

and tourists. . . . .

This makes to think. . . .

It was really hot for northern people but they had to manage even much hotter, I know.

Those small children were very patient.

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Can you see that small goat in a bag?

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The trip continues through sandy landscapes. . .

Like on a surface of Moon. . . .

Until a small river at last came out and a little town too.

Going to use a snorkel

2011-06-19T09:00:00.000+03:00

To the boat

Which one will be ours?

Refreshments

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