You made me a nanna —from the very first moment your dad placed you gently in my arms,just a minute old, soft and new,you stole my heart completely.And you’ve held it ever since. You, my little ray of sunshine,with that huge smile that stretches all the way to your shining blue eyes.Eyes that sparkle with…
Author: Apples of Gold
I'm a mother of four adult children and also nanna to four grandchildren. I love baking, cooking and hosting dinner parties. My hobbies include reading, walking, and genealogy but I am especially passionate about nature and Inspirational Creative Writing! I was born in Helsinki Finland, but migrated to Melbourne Australia as a child.
My four blogs include creative writing blog at www.applesofgold.blog
an Australian travel blog at www.downunderroadtrip.blog
a Christmas blog at www.insidejaanaschristmashome.blog
and a food blog at www.finnishfoodiefromdownunder.blog
I would love you to visit all four!
Storyteller
My phone just gave me another warning: Storage almost full. Again. I take a lot of photos. Not always for an audience, not to curate a perfect life, but to gather crumbs — breadcrumbs in the forest of my life. Each image a small, shining proof that I saw, felt, touched, loved. That moment mattered….
Miss You Most
When the lilacs begin to bloom and the forest floor turns into a sea of white lily of the valley, that’s when I miss you most of all. The air grows heavy with a perfume that drifts through my memories like mist through the birch trees, soft and persistent, calling me back. When your nights…
Life is Precious
Every single day we wake up is a gift —wrapped not in paper, but in possibility. We often move through our days as if they are endless,as if time owes us more,as if we can press pause on what truly matters. But deep down, we know the truth:each sunrise is a miracle,each moment a fleeting…
My Finnish Identity
Today is suomalaisuudenpäivä — The Day of Finnish Identity. In Finland, flags rise in honour of J.V. Snellman, the statesman and philosopher who championed the Finnish language and helped shape the soul of a nation. He believed in a Finland that could speak — in its own language, with its own voice. For those of…
All I Wanted
When I was a little girl and someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I never hesitated. I didn’t dream of empires or careers. I simply said, “a mum”. That was all I ever wanted — to be a mother. Not just in name, but in the deepest, most wholehearted…
This is Your Time
Autumn is my spring. While others come alive with the first blossoms and the lengthening days of spring, I stir awake with the falling leaves, with the crisp bite in the air and the golden hush that settles gently across the world. It’s as though something deep within me has been lying dormant through the…
The Sacred Pause
To grow, we must rest. It’s a truth buried deep in the rhythm of life — so obvious in nature, yet so easily forgotten in the noise of our busy lives. But the earth remembers. Even the richest soil needs to take a break. Rest isn’t the end of life — it’s part of the…
Hold on. Hope wins.
Yesterday was Easter Sunday, and there’s something about the dawn of that morning that always moves me. It’s quiet and golden, and the whole world feels like it’s experiencing a sunrise together. The shadows are long, the birds are loud, and it’s Christianity’s greatest day on the calendar — the day that says, “Hold on….
Stillness
Why don’t we take more time to stop and reflect? It’s a question that stirs the soul. In a world that celebrates hustle, speed, and productivity, stillness feels rebellious. To stop and reflect is to say: This moment matters. I matter. But instead, we race on—chasing deadlines, drowning in to-do lists, scrolling endlessly as if…
Apples of Gold 