White

Today, a lovely comment from my sweet blog-friend from JARDIN ANGLAIS reminded me how much I neglected this blog. So here I am ! I am fine, and so it is my whole family. Did I say we already celebrated two birthdays this year ? My youngest doughter turned 12 and I turned 40. She is growing, while I experienced some kind of regression, I probably mixed up forty with fourteen. So in the last month I spent so much time drawing, listening to music, writing and spending time outside. I am dreaming of a long series of teenage-like things I want to do. I wonder if this is just normal once you become middle-aged. I mean, I don't need to prove anything anymore, I don't need to compete, I don't need to behave. It's kinda fun, even if few of your children might think you've gone nuts ...
So what about the odd title of this post ? Wait and see, white is the perfect word in this moment ...

Have a wonderful week, and a great new month <3

Love, Flavia

Following the light

In the past five or six years I got more and more interested in the natural world. I started my journey thanks to Clare Walker Leslie and her beautiful guides to nature journaling and observation. Since then, I kept many nature journals and nature studies, and when we moved here in Finland my interest was especially drawn to how the light (or the lack of it ) impact the natural life, and which are the signs that the outdoors gives us to hint snow, or rain or especially low temperatures. So far I learnt a lot, but so much it is still out there to observe and understand. In the last couple of weeks Finland experienced very low temperatures, friday was the coldest day for us, with -29 here in the south. The amazing side of these freezing days is that usually they are bright and sunny with clear blue sky. So one day I had some fun litterally following the sun during the day, taking pictures every once in a while from the same window. If you wonder why all this excitement about the sun, here some facts: at the solstice, one month ago, the sun was rising at 9:23 and setting at 15:07 ( we had 5 hours and 44 minutes of daylight ), today the sun has risen at 8:49 and the sun will set at 16:10 so 7 hours and 22 minutes of daylight, almost two hours more in less than a month. This has a terrific impact on every living being's life. Birds wake up earlier, and humans wake up easier and feel less tired and in general the energy level increase so much. Life begins anew somehow. But here my four more significant pictures, showing the path of our star.

  Taken at 1:10 pm

 Taken at 1:30 pm

 Taken at 2:51pm

Taken at 3:42 pm

The Creation is amazing, the nature is such a great gift and teacher. If we could only live in armony with it, and with each other, our world would be such a beautiful place to be.

Have a great week !

Late ! Late ! Late !

I know, it's a long overdue post. But I really wanted to post those three pictures from New Year's night. Why ? Well first of all because I like the idea that my blog it's somehow my journal. Then because I really love those picture. But most of all because that night has been beautiful and fun. My older children are most of the time now truly great friends, with whom I can laugh and talk and share all aspects of life ( and yes, sometime they're an handful too ) while my little one is pure joy and curiosity and sweet love ( and yes sometime he's an handful too ). And I love all of them. And I'm very fond also of you my dear readers ;) 

So... Happy 2016 !!!!!!!