PONIES AND BABY GOATS

This summer we have ponies!

And goats!

BABY GOATS. (+ one mom)

And two mini-lambs that kind of look like goats as well.

Lulu, who always follows me around when we leave the yard, was also keen - albeit a little careful - to check out the ponies.

They are not really ours though, but from some farms away, spending summer on our meadows.
It is good for the natural fields to be munched up by animals every once in a while.  Our farm's last lambs left last autumn, so it's also fun for the kids to eye this out instead.

The goats are also rather skilled at eating up this invasive bush that was planted along the road some decades earlier. Munch on, little fella, munch on!

PONIES AND BABY GOATS

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VACATION TIPS : DAYTRIP TO FISKARS

We are still vacationing in Denmark and Sweden. Meanwhile, here's a little tip for a nice summery day trip - head over to Fiskars in Western Uusima/Nyland!

These photos are from our visit there one warm day last year:

Fiskars is an old steel mill town from the 1600's that nowadays is home to many artesans, artists and Finnish design - as you can see from the name, it is also the home of the famous Fiskars scissors. 

The surroundings and buildings are such that they will, at least for a little while, make you envious of the fact that you don't get to live and work there yourself.

What's under the bridge?

(The answer: statues!)

You can mainly just stroll around the lush green areas and pitoresque old buildings and enjoy the atmosphere but of course also shop the local arts, see exhibitions, take guided tours and catch a glimpse of some work in action as well.

There are also workshops for children, and there is a big playground in the area.

(For the slightly bigger kids as well.)

Lunch above the rapid stream!

(This year Dag has been wearing his glasses over his mouth instead; it is his ninja-facemask-sheild-thing...)

We ended the day with ice cream.

Fiskars is about one hour 15min from Helsinki by car. The re are summer busses to Fiskars from the city centre in the weekends.

VACATION TIPS : DAYTRIP TO FISKARS

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SUMMER WORKOUT

Today I set up a little outdoor "gym" in the garden. Working out outdoors is such a summer bonus, plus when you set up a few different equipments together it becomes more of a thing and you are more likely to do it properly instead of one exercise here and there with some iphone scrolling in between (=how it usually goes when I try do work out at home). That, or making a lists of exercises and reps you are going to do helps me keep focused and not start cheating (too much). I don't have the time to work out as much as I would want to; I almost never make it to the gym anymore, and even though you can do a full body workout at home I don't seem to take the time to do so too often either.

Basically you can get your complete work out by doing pilates only, and combining that with dance, for example, you're pretty well off. But I like it with some variation and am rather fond of basic functional gym training as well. And you actually don't need that much equipment for a proper workout as you are able to use your own body as resistance; you can do so much with just your own weight and nothing else. But do I have a set of trx-like straps, some elastics, a couple of dumbells and a hoop. So the routine can be varied a lot. I also took use of Dag's swing for some plank- and push up challenge.

After my workout I had some chocolate and red wine to even it out a little.

SUMMER WORKOUT

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FOUR THINGS TODAY

Today-

-it was raining.
I do enjoy the summer rain, and how fresh everything looks and how sweet it smells after it, but only if it comes every once in a while. On a day when you have things you need to do the rain is welcome, as one does not get a bad consciousness from sitting inside when the sun is shining outside.  Since summers here are short we are all taught since childhood "not stay inside when it's sunny outside". So all the time during summer, when you're not on your holiday but working indoors that rings in your ears and you feel a bit guilty to the sun on the other side of the window. Sort of.

So it was also a bit too rainy in order to wear the prettiest shoes in the world, shoes that are MINE. But I took a little moment to admire them instead. These velvet bowed beauties are by Frollein von Sofa.

Some time ago I organised my sewing area and found a bag of forgotten fabrics that have been waiting to transform into (mainly) dresses. Got started, a little bit, on one of them! (Although, that was not really one of the things that I was supposed to be doing).

Then I made a set of quinoa cookies. Or, perhaps they should be called 'quinoa balls' when in this shape. Not really first on my to-do list either but oh-so worth it anyway; they really are very delicious! Getting back to those some day here soon.

I also fought with my computer(s) for a few hours (that was what I was suppose to be doing. In short, my old mac is dying and my new one does not recognise my external hard drive I had all stuff stored on and the old maccadelic is not really into migrating itself over or to upload anything to icloud, just the spinning rainbow wheel of death, and all this right here is definitely one of those things testing how long it will take before you lose your shit for good, you know, as in both the shit on the computer and the shit in your MIND). But then I left the computers to suffer alone and had a long late night production meeting. New work and projects coming up on the showbiz front. That's a lot more to do (once more) but it will also be fun!

FOUR THINGS TODAY

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BALANCE BY THE SEA / SUMMER AT THE STUDIO

I'm back from our usual three days of archipelago midsummer celebrations! It wasn't all wine-sipping and constant eating for me 24/7, I took some time to do some pilates and balance practices as well. The setting kind of calls for that; I've always liked to work out by to the sound of the sea.

In summer my pilates classes over at our studio are Monday evenings, and what better way to continue summer after the celebrations by celebrating your own strength, hmmm..? Tomorrow at 18:30! With the Elvis themed dance workout before that. (Which we also did with my mom and sisters too at the beach today. It's fun!)

I also have a morning pilates class every second Thursday, and every second Thursday Ruska has her Seasonal Yoga Body Clock Yang class. We have a summer discount for the whole season where our anytime card is only 90�, and you can buy our 10-times card for the summer season for just 100� (normally 140�), until July 15. We're open all trough the summer except for week 29 in July!

And -woop woop!- next week we're having a burlesque beginners-intensive camp! Two days of fun and learning including stage-make up practices as well as a free entry to the Vegas-themed summer edition of our RubiesKlubit in the evening - a complete starter kit that is! The camp is in Finnish but if you speak English eller svenska we will mix! Do join in on the fun!

Plus, one last thing of self promotion (which I often forget to do, ehrm) ; do remember that we organise bachelorette/hen party burlesque classes (burleskipolttarit) too!  At our studio, or alternatively we show up to where you are celebrating (with some limitations, of course). It's is rather popular these days, having burlesque classes for the bachelorette parties, and were actually the first in the country organising them, together with Bettie, Kiki and Olivia. So we know how to keep you entertained!

But yeah, pilates, tomorrow evening -or, today by now I guess, as we are just about to tick-tock over to Monday's side here.
"Be in control of your body, not at the mercy of it." (Joseph Pilates). YES to that. So see you!

BALANCE BY THE SEA / SUMMER AT THE STUDIO

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IN LONDON & VIENNA

I am out in the archipelago celebrating Midsummer for a few days, but meanwhile here are some snapshots from my workations in May -

We were a mere week in London for the London Burlesque Festival!

I rented a fab air b'n'b in a old bank-building-turned-aparements in Holloway.

We hooked up with our old pal from Norway Miss Knockout Noire and hit the town as The Scandinavian Leather Jackets. That included a lot of laughter.

And then I paid a bunch of money to see Daniel Craig (drool) and Johnny Depp (drool) in wax.

The most interesting were the really old dolls though.

But we did indeed work there too - here in the middle of getting into drag for our boyband act.

And later the usual glittery burlesque setting as well!

A week later, very early in the morning, it was time to gather the boyband again and fly over to Vienna and the Vienna Boylesque Festival!

A too-early wake up can be balanced up with a prosecco breakfast upon arrival, meeting up the rest of the Finns who had been there for the first nights of the festival already.

Streelights of love in Vienna!

The world's best boyband, next to the world's without-a-doubt-best-female-boylesque performer Lou Henry Hoover, before the show.

Backstage post-show photo by Neil Kendall (@neilnezkendall). So many men and so much glitter!

IN LONDON & VIENNA

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OUT IN THE GREEN

The other night when I couldn't sleep I did something I haven't done in almost a year I think: I browsed a couple of the blogs I used to read. I've missed reading blogs.  And both of them were just the same as they've always been, with similar photos and happenings and themes. Which made me laugh a bit at the fact that it's just the same over here as well. So now I'll do yet another post about me having a day off and thus finally get to attend things in my garden. But you know what they say, few things are as important...

We had lunch with Dag on the porch. Fresh tomato-filled pasta with herbs from my garden.
In the background you can see my tomato plants, which I planted from slices earlier this year. They've grown so well!

Here are the herbs "in action". As I suppose their action is growing.
This year I didn't grown them myself though as I was too late, so I bought them ready and planted.
Dag loves to water plants. He also loves to go on excursions and "secret discovery expeditions", which I once used to get him along on a walk and that he now wants to go out on all the time. But it can be turned into making plain things interesting: watering the plants turned into one task we had to do on our secret mission. Well, the kid actually loves to water plants. But it works well with other tasks.

 Dag equipped me with weapons, in case we ran into any bad guys.
(Also note my haute floppy pink home-wear shorts. Or un-note them. Not very picture worthy in any more vivid angles.)

 The cats serve as panthers.

The first thing we saw on our investigating excursion was that the wild strawberries are ready! THey are THE absolute taste of summer.

Noticed it will be a good cherry-year! Wohoo!
Last year we did not get any berries; I am not even sure the trees bloomed then.

And then we ended our mission by harvesting the rhubarb. Pie and jam coming up!


And I'll be bringing some (= a lot) of that pie out with me to the archipelago; heading out there for those classic three days of summer, family, food and wine (in moderate doses only folks!) tomorrow. Happy midsummer!

OUT IN THE GREEN

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