Apples of Gold

My Dad, My Hero

When I was born, I’ve been told, my father was so glad, that a little girl had been born to him, he held me in his loving hands. My father took care of me, always so tenderly. He was there to teach, to comfort and to always watch over me. My father’s love for me…

Karelian Weddings

My son is getting married the day after tomorrow. Our family is in the midst of excitement, of joy and of butterflies in the stomach. How delighted I am to see two people who deserve happiness to find it with each other. I am fascinated by different traditions and customs from across the world. Maybe…

Baking with Grandma

When you take a tray of freshly baked cinnamon rolls out of the oven, the beautiful smell of cardamom is enough to take any Finnish person back to happy memories of their childhood, of grandma’s kitchen or of having a coffee with a friend. It is for me!⁠ I think some of my fondest memories…

One Day in September

The morning after arriving in Australia from Finland, my family left for a walk from our new home in the migrant Midway hostel in Maribyrnong. I guess we wanted to discover this strange new country we had landed in. We walked along the side of the road, like ducklings flowing their mother. We must have…

The Magic Word

To an English speaking person, Finnish language can sound a little blunt at times. Finns don’t beat around the bush. They don’t pretty things up. Finns appreciate honesty and straightforwardness. Finns are known for their dislike of small-talk. It’s totally debatable whether Finnish small talk even exists. On the other hand, there is a lot…

Hope

Have you ever wondered why in the worst moments of human history; you often find the greatest amount of hope? We hear stories of great suffering of all kinds, be it amidst war, natural disasters or other kinds of personal despair and agony. The situations seem totally hopeless, the future seems unpredictable. Australia has appropriately…

I Found It!

When my brother and I were children, we loved playing “hot and cold”. One of us would hide a small object and the other would be the hunter who would try to find it. The closer the hunter got to the object, the more the other person would call “hotter, hotter!”… and finally: “now it’s…

Bedtime Story

When I was a little girl — around six years old — living in Helsinki, Finland, one of my mum’s dearest friends came over for supper. Eila lived in the same neighbourhood and had known our family even before I was born. She was one of those rare, lifelong friends who remain close, no matter…

Timeless Treasures

When I was a little girl and lived in Finland, I had a special friend. Her name was Tiina. My friend and I lived a few hundred metres from each other and were in the same class at school. A lot of the time, she almost lived at my place, only going home to sleep….

Wait a Minute

My earnest desire is to find joy in every single day, but I understand some days are harder than others. Recently, I came across a quote that made me chuckle: “By replacing your morning coffee, by green tea, you can lose 87% of what little joy you still have left in your life.” The more…