Have you heard of the famous Finnish Baby Box yet? If you haven't, it's a tradition that dates back to 1937 when the Maternity Grant Act was passed as a result of concern over infant mortality. In the beginning it was intended for low-income mothers, but later it was settled that all Finnish children are entitled to an equal start in life and so the government awards this grant to all pregnant mothers regardless of social status or income. The maternity grant was presented in

Today I want to share with you the story of a project which I wasn't sure I wanted to, or even would be be able to share, but I've decided it's OK. At the end of last year, in November 2016 to be exact, I started knitting a blanket which I named 270 Days. This was going to be a very special blanket; on a dark winter morning I had just gotten my first, and very wished for, positive result in a pregnancy test. Straight away I wanted to start knitting something for the baby. I d

This Christmas Janne and decided to go solo and spend Chritmas Eve, and Day, just by our lonesome, the two of us. I am so happy we did this, it's been quite a few years since last time, but I think was the perfect mellow holiday we needed, in our own rhythm; sleep when tired, eat when hungry. (And bingewatch The OA without relatives calling us a-social!) A brand new futon mattress (our Christmas present to ourselves) also helped us along with the sleeping, I cannot tell you h

Ooohh these dusky mornings. Sitting here, savouring a lingonberry smoothie which I spent sunny days picking last September; having exactly these mornings in mind. Need these vitamin and flavour bombs to make it through the winter. It's also the link between the seasons, and while I may sit here and wonder whether those warm green days in the woods ever really happened, the berries in my hand reassure me; yes they did. It was real. And summer will come again. Snow came late, a

Winter is about to set in here any moment now, already first snow reported this week (which is late I think!) in Pello and some other communities in Lapland. In previous years, this time of year I did not look forward to the long polar night ahead. Quite the opposite, I feared it and quite frankly resented the darkness which I could do nothing about. I have found some ways to cope with it now though. I have discovered that part of getting through our long dark winters is form