Is your favourite season spring — the time of rebirth, daffodils and new beginnings?
Or do you prefer summer fields laden with golden flowers, humming bees darting through warm air?

Perhaps you are like me and love the shorter, cooler days of autumn, when the trees put on their final, breathtaking display of colour.
And yet… isn’t there something special about those crisp winter mornings, when the air stings our cheeks and we pull our scarves just a little tighter?

Apple blossoms whisper of spring.
Full branches speak of summer.
Golden apples gathered in baskets mark the autumn harvest.
And winter brings its necessary chill — the quiet hours that prepare us for what comes next.

No matter the season — in nature or in life — there is something worth embracing.

You’ve heard it said, “Life is short,” and “Enjoy the little things.”
I agree with both. But I would also add:
When you feel like giving up, keep going.

Life is as unpredictable as Melbourne’s weather. Some days are glorious and sun-drenched. Other days the storms roll in, threatening to shake our very foundations. Yet seasons shift. They always do.

Hi, I’m Jaana. Welcome to the pages of my life.

I am an empty nester, mother of four adult children, and nanna to four beautiful grandchildren. After being single for three years in my forties, I married for the second time in June 2013. My husband Peter and I make our home in Melbourne, Australia.

We were both born in Finland — Peter in Turku and I in Helsinki. The friendly rivalry between Turku and Helsinki is not unlike Melbourne and Sydney. And although my loyalties lie with Helsinki and Melbourne, I must admit I have a soft spot for Turku and Sydney too.

The deepest part of me stirs with every written word. Writing is how I let my creative self breathe. Some people paint landscapes with brushes and colour — I paint mine with words.

I love homemaking — organising, cooking, baking, arranging flowers.
I enjoy reading blogs and historical romance novels.
I am drawn to autumn, candles, fireplaces, knitting, and warm mugs of chai.

I research genealogy and am fascinated by proverbs, sayings and traditions. I believe in preserving history through customs and storytelling. I treasure items passed down from one generation to the next — the quiet carriers of memory.

I am most definitely a Christmas person. Glöggi, wreaths, reindeer, Christmas movies — I love it all.

I’m slightly (or perhaps not so slightly) obsessed with anything Nordic — linen, rye bread, saunas, salted licorice, Marimekko and Moomins. The older I get, the more I long to visit my birth country of Finland.

My favourite days are spent with family gathered around our table. I delight in table settings and creating atmosphere — because home should feel like a warm embrace.

I am a highly social person, yet life has slowed me down through serious health challenges. Restrictions have reshaped my days, but they have also deepened my faith. God has been my anchor and lifeline through it all — writing, my quiet sigh of relief.

Like apples of gold in settings of silver are words skillfully chosen.
— Proverbs 25:11

I invite you to journey with me through life’s ups and downs as I try to make sense of these precious days we are given.

After rain comes sunshine.
After a long night, dawn rises.
Sorrow and joy take turns.
Longing and fulfilment form a quiet rhythm.

It is a gift to find the extraordinary in the ordinary —
to live on Mondays as though they were Sundays.

So come. Look a little harder. Dig a little deeper.
Together, let’s discover something worthwhile in every season — just beneath the surface of our lives.

As of 25 February 2026, this little space has received 8,769 views from 3,787 visitors.

Each number represents a person who paused here for a moment — and that means more to me than I can say.

If you’d like to read more of my writing, you’re warmly invited to visit
www.downunderroadtrip.blog