Is your favourite season spring, the time of rebirth, daffodils and new beginnings? Or do you prefer the summer fields laden with golden yellow flowers and humming bees darting through the air? Maybe you are like me and prefer the shorter, cooler days of autumn with an incredible display of vibrant colours. Yet isn’t there something special about those chilly and crisp winter’s days when the fresh air stings our cheeks and we have to pull that scarf up a little tighter.

Apple blossoms remind us of springtime, full bloom of summer, golden apples in baskets of autum harvest, and chill hours of the winter season. But no matter what the current circumstances, it’s worth embracing every season of life. You have heard it said: “Life is short” and: “Enjoy the little things in life”. I agree with both statements, 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 full of sunshine, yet other times it gets so stormy, it threatens to blow our very foundations away.

After being single for 3 years in my 40s, I married for the second time in June 2013. My husband Peter and I live in Melbourne, Australia.

We were both born in Finland; Peter in Turku, and I was born in Helsinki. The competition between Turku & Helsinki is like that of Melbourne & Sydney, but even though I am from Helsinki & Melbourne, I must admit I like Turku & Sydney too!

The deepest part of me stirs and emerges with every written word. It’s a way to let my creative self free and to share my world with others. Whereas some have a talent of painting landscapes, I paint pictures with words.

I love homemaking, organising, cooking, baking and floral art.

I enjoy spending time reading blogs and historical romance novels.

I’m a lover of autumn, candles, fireplaces, knitting and warm mugs of chai.

I research genealogy. I am fascinated by proverbs, sayings, and traditions. I believe in preserving history, through customs and storytelling. I also value items passed from one generation to the next.

I’m a Christmas person. I love glöggi, reindeer, wreaths, and Christmas movies.

I’m nuts about anything Nordic. I love linen, rye bread, saunas, salted licorice, Marimekko and Moomins. I long to visit my birth country of Finland.

My favourite way to spend an evening is to have my family over for dinner. I love table settings and creating an atmosphere.

I’m a highly social being, yet I have been challenged with a whole lot of serious health issues, which has been restrictive and slowed my life down. God has been my lifeline through it all and writing my “sigh of relief”.

Like apples of gold in settings of silver, are words skillfully chosen. Prov 25:11

I invite you to join me through life’s ups and downs, as I attempt to make sense of the precious days I am given on this earth. After rain, comes sunshine. After a long night, dawn arises. Sorrow and joy take turns, longing and fulfilment create a cycle. It’s a gift to be able to find the extraordinary in the ordinary, to live on Mondays as though it was a Sunday.

Accept my invitation to look a little harder, to dig a little deeper, so together we can find something worthwhile in every season, just below the surface of our lives.