New Year, new flowers

My first ever amaryllis opened her first flower yesterday.

amaryllis

So lovely…

amaryllis

amaryllis

So pretty… A gorgeous plant – I wonder why I haven’t had this before! Yeah well, it’s good to try something new every now and then… 😉

amaryllis

And hopefully I get to take even more pics of this plant… this was just only like ‘into the New Year’ – with amaryllis flower pics, today. 🙂

hyacinth

And more hyacinths… I have actually four hyacinths now! Oh, the scent here now! Some of the tiny flowers haven’t even opened yet.

hyacinth

winter lights

And our new Christmas or winter lights in the living room, they came about two weeks ago. Ice crystals. 🙂

So, all relaxed (but all prepared?)… and taking it easy – into the New Year like:

Into the New Year like...

🙂

-Leena

Nice days

There was no snow at Christmas – it was raining! – Water! Christmas Eve really was the only day that’s been a rainy day lately, but… yeah, well, there’s nothing unusual about that – we are actually accustomed to exactly that kind of a situation in southern Finland and on the west coast… In the central parts of the country, and naturally, in Lapland, they usually have snow at Christmas, and this year was no exception. Okay, in northern Finland and in Lapland they always have snow at Christmas and in winter. 🙂 Yeah, but, the weather here didn’t affect the Christmas spirit! I must admit that I actually stayed inside the whole Christmas Eve… because it’s what’s inside that counts… 😉

December

Okay, this was today, this is actually already the second day that we have snow here now – it started to snow right after the Boxing Day – how convenient! (Yes, that’s happened before as well…) But okay, we’ve had some sunshine lately, before today, too. It’s warming nicely, a bit. And the days are getting longer all the time now!

December

Aaand now some flower power! – There’s no Christmas without it!

poinsettia

We, too, have a poinsettia – the traditional and well-loved Christmas flower or plant.

poinsettia

poinsettia

My favourite colour of poinsettias is red – the traditional and Christmassy red… cosy – the favourite colour of these flowers has always been red in my family. 🙂

poinsettia

And even more Christmas flowers…

amaryllis

…my first ever Amaryllis is opening her bud! Hopefully I get to take more pics of this plant…

“I don’t think I’m able to, and I don’t believe I’m, like, ready, to do it now, right now… But… if you just bear with me for a moment…” :

Any minute...

“…it will happen… soon… any minute now… wait for it, juuust wait for it…!”

...now

“Okay, the ball’s in your court now. Noticed?”

🙂

-Leena

Snow light

It started to snow on Tuesday, rather late in the evening. We went for a drive – that’s what we often do when it really starts to snow. 🙂 And we’ve noticed many times that some wild animals become very active when it’s snowing. – We usually see at least hares and deers – yeah, one has to be careful driving out there! On Tuesday evening we saw a hare and a fox.

These pics I took yesterday and today.

December

Yesterday’s light…

December

lake Pyhäjärvi

By the frozen lake Pyhäjärvi yesterday, the sun was already almost gone for the day. The days are at their shortest now. Here where I’m living, the sun rose today at 9:41 AM and it sets at 15:12 PM – the length of the day is 5 hours 31 minutes.

The rest of the pics I took today.

lilac in December

Lilac bush in December, on our front yard, Christmas or winter lights around her.

December

They say that this snow might still be on the ground on Christmas – I surely hope so, but let’s see what happens… Not heaps of snow, but enough for the spirit. 🙂

December

peony in December

Our backyard peony in December. 🙂

-Leena

A blast from the past III (the last one, for now:)) – a nature-related love poem

A wolf wandering in the wilderness that is dressed up in snow white
The night is falling to caress the silence with the moonlight
The mid-winter frost is biting the paws of the beautiful beast,
For the breeze that the chilly morning sent, has never ceased.

The animal is walking up the slope of the shadowy fell,
Looking backwards where the den of the paleness can be seen well
Beneath the starry cover the frozen lake of the wild is slumbering
The falling flakes reflect the glow, and the wolf’s grey fur is glittering.

On the fell-top the lone wolf many times has cried,
But the howling only is for the moon to hear, there is no one by his side
Yet the beast keeps on yearning for his beloved and the never promised moon,
He knows his endless calling might reach someone any time soon.

And that night the echo brings a message cried out by another loner,
But will they ever have a true encounter, or is everything merely over?

-Leena

(Written by me in winter 2002. :))

Frost & fire

It’s been chilly lately. Frost but no snow. Every once in a while the sun’s been shining through some broken patches of the cloud cover during the daytime, and the moon’s been so bright at nighttime. It’s been rather beautiful and magical, it all. 🙂

The first seven pics I took today.

December frost

Decorated in style, naturally…

oil lamp

December

My land. 🙂

December

frosty clover flower

A frosty clover flower.

December

My land, my power trees… my dreams… It’s good to have your own power trees! Everyone can have those; they are free! – You don’t have to like own the trees… but they are yours – on a much deeper level! 🙂

December

The last two pics I took on Sunday, late in the evening. I actually think that I have better pics of these things on my Instagram (owlnatureleena) – you win some, you lose some, when you try to take many pics of living fire with your phone and your camera, both… 🙂

campfire

A garden campfire… with some stars and the moonlight…

campfire pot

And I was heating my glögi, nicely warm to drink out in the cold.

-Leena