Lover of craft

 Hello everybody,

Hopefully this letter finds you all very well. I was pleased to see that my post yesterday was welcomed despite my very long silence here in blogland.

Today the world here in the North  has not been nearly as appealing as yesterday when the frost was covering in glitter everything. Today the temperature rised around +10C, and everything looked humid and muddy under the grey sky.

I was thinking, since my bold statement under my profile picture 'lover of craft',that you might like to see in which kind of the many crafts I like I am engaged at the moment.

You will notice my pictures are kinda dark, it depends on the fact that I am an extremily early bird, so most of the time I dedicate to my favourite activities, in this dark period of the year, is way before the sunrise. Other than that, it inspires me to be in dim light, with some candles and some Yule music playing softly. But here we go to some pictures ....

As I said, one of the first things I do when I wake up (after a few chores and walking the dog) is to lit a candle and put on some music

And then here we go, cup of coffee, more candles and wool !! Lot of it !

And in many different forms. So after a little knitting, It's needle felting time.

Have you ever tried it ? I thing it is one of the most relaxing activities you could think of.

And here it is ! A little newborn elf is peacefully sleeping in a nut shell.

shhhhh

When the rest of the family gets up

 ( everybody else here is a night owl, so I have a lot of time on my own in the morning )

the table usually looks quite crowded ...

 

Well, hopefully you enjoyed your time reading me ! I wish you a lovely evening dear readers <3

Peace to all

Long time

 My last post in this dwelling dates 3 years ago. It is amazing how time flyes away. How time heals. How life keeps changing in a neverending dance.

 

 

 I'm here and as fine as I could be, and very very thanksful for this. Something shifted in me and suddently my soul has found its peace. Not that everything is always beautiful or that nothing ever disappoints me. It is something deeper. It's an inner balance for which, again, I am immensly grateful for.

Here in the north we're in the deep of the dark season. Today the sunrise was at 8:41am and the sunset at 15:22pm; until the winter solstice we will loose a couple more hours of light. 

So far no snow, just a short dusted a few days ago and tonight an incredible frost which painted the whould world in white. But now it is raining again.

 

I'm already deep in the Yule/Christmas mood, already playing wintery music and tiressly work on Yule/Christmas project sipping endless teas (I'm rather a coffee person, but hot tea is my choice when it comes to warm up.

 

It's nice to be back <3

Beauty

I see lately I have only been pointing out how beautiful is the nature out there, and what a great amazement Mother Earth ways ignite in me; but I can't help that. Nature in this moment of my life is a balm, a companion, a meditation and a prayer alltogether and I can't help bowing in front of her as she is really keeping me sane in a moment of great confusion. Here a few pictures of some wild flowers in my yard, taken just a couple of days apart. At the moment the situation is again at 'square one' since after the snow the sun has been shining for three days now and the temperatures have risen to the 'warm' point.

 

... same flowers same place ...

Beltane, Vappu, Walpurgis Night : six weeks

Today is a rather special day as most part of europe are celebrating 'something'. It is kinda sad in my opinion, how much the ancient traditions have been litterally wiped away and most of us are totally unaware of what we're actually doing or celebrating, but hopefully this is the time of a paradigm shift and the ancient knowledge will be known again without fears or prejudices, giving us the chance to track a new path made of connection and not of distruction. Today is Beltane, an ancient Celtic festival which marked the beginning of the 'light half of the year', when the darkness of winter months is now just a memory, the Pleiades descend to the lowest point in the sky where they're no longer visible and the earth and animals are ready for re-birth, for a new cycle to start, half way between the Equinox and the Solstice. It has ever be so true here like this year, as on the 29th of april we have been hit by a snow storm, yesterday it has been cold and rainy all day just to have a sunset on fire ( a true bonfire set up in the sky by the Highiest Powers ) and today it's warm and the sun is shining. Metaphorical and metaphysical I'd say. Here in Finland today it is called Vappu, and the name brings  back to the Walpurgis Night of german tradition, where the night between the 30th of april and the first of may was considered the ''Witches Night''. So it is indeed a special day. And it's the day in which I keep track of Father Sun and the gift of light.

Sunrise has been at 5:14

Sunset will be at 21:16

Lenght of the day 16h 1min

( + 3h 45min of daylight in six weeks, + 31 min since last monday )

 

Here you can check on the Equinox and Here last week.

And now a couple of pictures from yesterday's evening sky's bonfire ...

April Snowstorm

I have been quite sick all the week long (hence the total silence here), now it seems I'm getting back to my normal self even if I'm still a bit under the weather. Also my feelings have been quite upset lately so it's no wonder that my body reacted with an illness. I'm trying to figure a way out from this, and of course I look solace, inspiration and peace of mind in our Mother Earth, watching the Highiest Spirit express their power through her. Yesterday it has been amazing, I really felt like bowing to the nature as we have been hit by a snow storm that lasted several hours. As usually I should have understood that something was coming from the odd behaviour of the wild birds dwelling in my yard and sharing their daily living with me, but as often happens to us humans, I was too blind to see the obvious. Looking outside it is hardly possible to think we're about to celebrate Beltane.

Five weeks, back to life

When observing the nature and trying to tune in with Mama Earth, every new week means extraordinary things happening and filling your days with beauty and awe. Even if this season is much more colder than any other in the last (at least) five years - I have been living here that long- many signs of the nature waking up and enjoying the warmer sun and the longer ( and longer and longer ! ) days keeps showing up. Trees are still bare, even if the buds are swollen and seems just on the verge of bursting in the greenest leaves you can think of, but the first brave flowers are blossoming in the fields and in the forest.
But let's track the light right now ...

Sunrise has been at 5:30

Sunset will be at 21:00

Lenght of the day 15h 30min

( + 3h 14 min of daylight in five weeks, + 39 min since last monday )

 

To see the situation of the past weeks you can check here, here, here, here, here. And now please, follow me in a walk in the forest ...

Smoking Mushroom

A few days ago in our daily walk in the forest we came across this mesmerizing mushroom. It looks like a rotten potato with a small mouth-like hole on top. Unfortunately beside a couple of kind of edible mushrooms, I don't know anything about these creatures ( I'll provide to start educating myself as soon as I find a good handbook ), so I have no clue if it's poisonous, edible or what, but non the less it is amazing. We spent quite some time with my two youngest poking gently the mushroom with a long stick (just in case it is not healthy ) just to see a cloud of smoke coming out from its mouth. My almost five years old have been laughing and giggling so much at the sight while me and my doughter were taking pictures over pictures.

The Morrigan

Yesterday morning three of my crows friends were lined on my porch. I think of them as The Three Morrigna from the Norse mythology. Even if they might have seen as signs of doom, I'm very fond of them and I'm sure they're here to lead me in a path of wisdom and rebirth. 

Of course I love Omnia song Morrigan ...

... Over hills and over meadows
see the crow fly, feel her shadow
Over woods and over mountains
searching for a war
Her wings embrace each strife and battle
where swords they clash and chariots rattle
seeking out the one whose time
has come to take the blade
Morrigan ancient crone of war
I see your face, I'll cry no more
Morrigan ancient crone of war
come lift me on your wings
Morrigan ancient crone of war
I hear your voice, I'll breathe no more
Morrigan ancient crone of war
come set my spirit free....