Old – Owlnature

A blast from the past IV – Writing about nature

Finland is 100 years old today. And I have another blog post for this Independence Day.

It’s December again, so it’s time to do something crazy… 🙂 A year ago I published here in my blog some of my old writings, three of them. They were all creative writing and poems. Now I publish one more text, the name of the text is just simply “Writing about nature“. – About nature, Finnish nature and my home.

The two pictures in this blog post I took in our garden today. The sun was shining so low and bright, warming my face nicely.

So, this was written by me in spring 2002:

Writing about nature

I am highly grateful that I was born near the countryside even though I must admit that I’m occasionally cursing the fact. In the end, I believe it may be some kind of advantage all the same. Living between wheat and rye fields is a peaceful place for being lost in one’s thoughts, which is an essential thing for me. Nonetheless, too much of anything always is too much, no matter how much I love the sense of mud beside the roads around here.

My words probably are not adequate for describing how much I value the four seasons and Finnish nature. Variation between the weather conditions and the colours of nature are something a human being couldn’t live without, in my point of view. When it comes to religious devotion within nature, in a way, nature truly is divine. I find nature a sacred and splendid thing that is the basis of everything.

I go in for walking out-of-doors every day. Walking in the drizzling darkness of autumn or on a starry, wintry evening in January or on a slightly warm late-summer evening are all equally stimulating and relaxing, by natural turns. Nature is the most ideal place to be when trying to listen to oneself and heal one’s peace of mind. Nature loves a human being if one loves her in return.

-Leena

Growing tomatoes this year & some bird related things

The story about growing tomatoes this year… It is a short story, very short… so short, that I already wrote it on my Instagram (owlnatureleena) a while ago.

My precious… The summer this year was not very good for growing tomatoes outside in the garden here in Finland. But some tomatoes did grow! We can still, in November, eat tomatoes that have grown in our garden. So… it’s not that bad after all. 🙂

We had only few bigger tomatoes, but many smaller ones. And again, they had to be taken inside the house for ripening. They were ripening on a plate in the kitchen, for weeks. Home-grown tomatoes always taste so incredibly sweet! They are just perfect.

And some bird related things… I found something that is over 20 years old, something that I missed – something that I thought I had lost forever…

My pendant, my bird! 🙂 I did not believe that this still was somewhere, somewhere safe… but yes, I found this at my childhood home, (where else!). A bronze pendant necklace called Tintti, made in Finland by Kalevala Jewelry. The stone is hand-painted ceramic.

Okay, I found these; my Tintti with its original box and another bronze pendant necklace by Kalevala Jewelry as well. Another bird! A bird called Tampereen seudun lintu, as old as my Tintti, but I didn’t remember that I even had it.

So, I had these in my childhood. I am so happy to have found them! My treasures… I think that these, too, will be in my pictures every once in a while. 🙂 I love jewelry and it can be seen in my blog…

And something I made over the weekend… I was knitting a bit, testing this rainbow yarn that I have. 🙂 At this point in time, another owl. My design – my problems – more fun in the end. I think he needs some fur around his beak…

-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. :))

A blast from the past II – writing a nature poem

Late-Night Life in the Wild

A courageous vagabond in the silent wilderness of the fabled north,
For what is his smothered cry worth?
Twinkling stars a comfort for the lonely hermit’s soul
Silence suddenly break by the voice of a cheerfully greeting owl.

He accepted the captivating call of the distant wild,
The whispering condemnation not for the fragile
The glimmering full-moon lightens the path never-ending,
An autumnal message the honest glow is sending.

Strong northern-breeze chants kindly in his ear,
Accompanied by the howling of a whining wolf so near
The brave animal dwells in the shelter of an echoing fell
Lone wolf’s tears for the sacred full-moon are not due to farewell.

If a shiny star should shoot in the black sky,
Would the melancholic man wish or tell a white lie?
Is the blaze of the northern lights an omen of the end of his sorrow,
Or awaits there just another hailing tomorrow?

Bare dwarf birches beside a glittering, dark blue, flowing river
A longingly screaming eagle is giving him the shiver
A campfire sparkling nostalgic warmth which will the nighttime last,
Is the softly singing hermit missing something from the past?

-Leena

(Written by me in autumn 2001. :))

A blast from the past – writing a nature poem

The depth of winter where the moon is rising,
The weak daylight dwindles without compromising
Pale glow takes over, the shadows grow dark
Behind the wood a vigorous dog begins to bark.

The winding road between the fields that are gleaming white,
For evening’s walker the frozen landscape is a peaceful sight
Snow flurry covers the footprints on the ground
Cool breeze sighs, the flakes dash gently all around.

Silence captures the falling night, standing bold and wise
The stars stay awake observing with their bright eyes
A door creaks casting light when thrown open wide,
The shivering dog hears a whistle, and rushes swiftly inside.

-Leena

(Written by me in autumn 2001. :))