Whihiiiii!!! My herbs are very much growing.

It has been so sunny that little propagator on our window is heated from sun and it has been real rain forest climat over there! Lovely. Can not wait to see them growing more.
We are planning a little trip, and I sow rest of the herbs and flowers just when we are back that they wont die if we are a way.

First Herbs of the Spring is already growing in my propagator!

My seed from Thompson & Morgan Finally arrived. as well as pink pair of garden gloves, propagators, bird food ( for our little Robin) and mouse traps ( those ones that we use to catch them and release on nature rather than kill) but my sweet pea was missing. hopefully thay will send it to me soon.
We are due to make a little trip, did not know when started to sow them, so I started with only one Propagator lucky me. I will ask help from our great neighbors if they can take care of my herbs while I am gone. Can not wait to see them growing!

I am so in love with our little backyard that you can not imagine. After living years in Helsinki in this great old Jugend building with no balcony or garden, I really love this!
Time for lemon cupcakes and cardamom tea with milk and honey!

Spring style

I have been such a home spirited sweetie this winter that I wanted to write from something else.
I have lost 10kg of my weight, and feel like having little something new to my wardrobe. Not just yeat, I´ll give my self 2 more weeks to get rid of some fat, and then hopefully get to go little shopping.
I don´t know how others, but I tend to dress up to black whole winter, it is my security color against cold. Why.. have no idea, but this is how it goes.
It has been couple of warmer days lately, and by Spring spirit wakes up, trying to find something new to put on ( not weight this time) difference this time is: I don´t really have too much of a choises. When we moved to UK I sold so much of my clothes in fleemarket, thinking that I will NEVER fit in to them anymore, that I must buy at least new coat for spring and couple of other items, to be up dated. NO MORE BLACK , or I at least try something little lighter. I try to avoid these very bright colours, they are not good when I am so pale that I almost shine in a dark.. ha ha. It is true. So I try to keep my color palette neutral, and finally try to buy something that would look grown up, and timeless. What do you think of these!

I really like this Jacket. it is from M&S not a top quality, but will do fine. I like the shade, since anything too "warm" brown and I look like I have liver failure. I might want to change buttons, I am not sure what they are like in real. They might be little too shiny and too "golden".

Something like this could do fine if I find Vintage pearl buttons, they would be perfec!

Still shopping at M&S.
I really like this dress, it has very calm feeling and it looks like it is very comfy to wear.

It has a row of tiny buttons on the other side, very cute detail.  I most defenetly would need this one.

This would be other option, it is from Next.

I have also try to look if I would see pair of shoes to go with everything else, and came up for these.
I think they are contemporary enough but has some vintage vibe. I wanted to have something that would go together with skirt, dresses, as well as trousers.  ( and are good to walk, since London is mad place to go anywhere.. you and up walking miles even if just stopping by for tea with a friend) These may stay out of my reach, and I will just buy my boring pair of black ballet pumps like I have done years already. They go with everything, and are comfy enough to go around.

What do you think of my color palette? I will safe crazy bright colors for summer, when I have little bit of tan. I think these will do fine. And.. No black really. It is spring.

I seem to have endless talent to find things I MUST have, here are some that I think would go so well together with everything else I have.

Patent belt with bow, little silly but oh so Feminine..

I really like these, shirt and skinny trousers, they are very Classic and would go already early spring with gardigan, and ballerinas, as well as in the summer just like this.
Jacket with skinny trousers is must!! I am after 1960´s feminine and elegant style.
I might go for this. I think it would look nice with crispy white shirt, or black turtleneck polo if weather is chilly. Yeap, black turtle neck polo.. but hey, it was bought for winter after all.

Sun, Spring, Sun, Summer, and My Garden.

It has been so lovely sunny day, that I am all very inspired about Gardening.
We have tiny back yard, and reasonably sized patio, view to River Thames, and room enough for table and chairs. Problem is: 
We do not have grass lawn. It is just boring ugly concrete yard... it is far away from my dream rose garden with sweet peas, and fountains.. and not enough space. 
 I know already that it will be our favorite place to stay during the summer, and I need to roll up my sleeves and do something about it. 
First I need to plan what kind of flowers do I want to have in my garden. 
Again, my Grandmother and her Garden.. I know I need to have certain flowers just as a reminder of her, since there is no way I have chance to visit her Grave.. it is too long way to Finland and to Joutseno, so I will have some Flowers that remind me of her. I miss her. 
I thought I´d by something that would grow, and hide our little patio so that we can sit, have a breakfast without being too exposed to anything. I think I will have sweet pea up on a patio, it is also lovely, colorful and one of my favorite flowers.  
Water.. well surely we have Thames just next to us, but I need my fountain. I just can not have back yard and not a fountain. It has been my dream since little girl. I don´t need anything big, but I want to keep my style.. I think I have found just what I need.  Little pond with Frog.. I love frogs, I actually collect them 
(but don´t tell any one..). I really want to have little "sofa" to sit on, and read a book etc.  as well as couple of trees.  I have gone through internet searching little pretty things here, so that I have some kind of plan to go ahead. It will be surprise even for me, what I and up having done. 

If anyone have any good suggestions to me, what plants survive well enough in pot, since that is only way to get garden to our little yard, I am open for suggestions.. 

This is what I feel I NEED from Thompson & Morgan ( all is from there) 

Sweet Pea : Astronaut 

Morgan Poppy - Iceland

Aster chinensis

Calendula officinalis Fiest Gitana

Cosmos bipinnatus Sensation

Cornflower Dwarf Blue Midget

Smart Solar Green Glazed Frog Ceramic Water Feature

Ascalon Lut Bench

 

Mouse on the table

You hear little tap tap tap...
And you don´t really think what it is.. you know , old houses, there is all kind of noises that you can hear.

Then little by little you start hearing them more.. they are fighting, since I can hear them. Very close actually, under our refrigerator. Then one evening, sitting in the kitchen, and wrote a blog, when I saw some flashes rapidly over the cabinet and back to the cabinet. I stopped writing and waited.
There is finally Came. Little gray mouse. it was really a pretty little creature, he stole food from a dog bowl and ran back under the cabinet.

Kuuntele

Lue foneettisesti

I decided to test if the mouse Would come back. I cook eggs in the evening, and placed small pieces near the place where I have seen the mouse. Just a few minutes after, the small gray mice came to dinner. Pretty brave when he does not fear even our dog.

A few days quietly stealing food, until I came home yesterday...

 I sat on your computer, and talked on the phone at the same time with a friend. All of a sudden find out that someone staring at me. Little mouse was sitting on the sink, wondering where to go. I tried to take the photo, but it disappeared, and after a while it fell directly in front of the dog on the floor, where a poor thing  ran frightened under the cabinet.

 I must get rid of it.. but how?? I really can not kill it. 

I must find something to catch the mouse alive, so I can free it from a nearby park.

Any good ideas?? I have never had this problem before.. 

I remember my grandparents house had mouses in the basement sometimes, when autumn came. But never in my house. 

Luckily I am not scared of them, I had mouses as a pet when I was a child, but I still don´t want to share my home with them.

These mouses are from fabulous artist Natasha Fadeeva

http://www.fadeeva.com/animals.html

Winter food, traditional Home made baked cheese, the way my Grandmother made it.

This is a dessert you can spice up many different ways. 
Also ideal for ground cardamom,  cinnamon and sugar.  
This is a great winter dessert, because it is warm, easy to prepare, and personable. 
Personally, I think this dessert is best when eaten fresh, cinnamon and sugar, as a snack, or just cold home made rasberries! It reminds me of Grandma's kitchen, and his old white-brown casserole.. 
I wonder where it is now.


Traditional Home made Baked Cheese
 
5 dl of whole milk (almost cream)
3 eggs
1-2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons sugar

tin:
1 tablespoon butter

Stir in milk and eggs and spices, stirring gently. Pour mixture into a shallow buttered casserole dish. Cook at 175 degrees for 30-40 minutes.  
Bake in oven at the lowest level.
Check after 20 minutes, if the surface threaten to darken too much, cover with foil.
When the cheese is ready, the surface should be a nice golden brown hue on the surface.Turn off the stove and let stand for about 10 min. if the cheese is too brown on the surface, do not leave in the oven for a longer period of time.


Serve with cocktail piece itself, or as a dessert with jam or cinnamon and sugar. Grandmother often poured on top of cold milk, when the cheese was still hot and fresh straight from the oven.

I love this Golden soft, soothing food.

Cristmas feeling in our house.. even that it is soon starting to be all over..

I LOVE CHRISTMAS.
I think it is starting to be clear already at this point.
I must admit that it is more of a love of atmosphere than really Christian Christmas.
I like cooking Christmas dinner.. but... I am, like my closest people know: Big lover of celebration, since life it self is something we should celebrate everyday.

Here is couple of photos to show you our Christmas elegance.

I love our fireplace..

View to my favorite place

Finally got my kitchen sorted!

Library got a reading chair..

Even coldest winter days are fine here!

Traditional Finnish Christmas elf.

What do you really need to feel Christmas?

Siiri is waiting to see Santa!

I hope you enjoyed even a little.
I loved putting house all wintery and Christmassy!

I must write one receipe for you all to try.
It is again, my grandmothers one, and I tried it first time of my life, and it was perfect!
It is very traditional Finnish Fish: Gravlax!

I have also started to get my self organized with my other hand crafts. So must show you what I have done.. but, now my pillow is calling me. I am too tiered to write more.
My deepest apologies that I have not wrote much lately.
Our little house has been like bommed.. we got tons of boxes full of everything you can , and can not imagine from Finland.. same weekend I got sick, I bought Piano, and we had quests. It was crazy.. But no one, I will be good girl and give you something to read.

Be good!