my birthday

I had my birthday on Monday. I was happy to get this weekday journal from my friend J from the Netherlands. J birthday letter was brilliant and it made me laugh. We have been sending each other birthday letter now for almost 15 years.  

 I got flowers  and some lovely cardsfrom our neighbours.

This year I started a new tradition and bought myself a present. The peony is my favorite flower and it blooms around my birthday. I also bought Charlaine Harrises lates book. I really like reading it in the evening.

I had a cake picnic with friends from Finland in Hyde Park.

We are still building a lego castle with my son in the honor of my birthday. I have heard that people stop celebrating their birthdays when they grow up. I just think birthdays are too much fun to stop at 30.

mother´s day

I had my Mother´s day card today and some yummy breakfast last Sunday. 

My best gift today was my own mother staying over for the week.

I promised my friend P to take part in the everyday challenge at Facebook. I never came around to it. Here are my pictures, suitable for Mother´s day, 

because  being a mother is making those little things everyday.

In the morning I spend time wiping of the condensation from our windows. 

I do my shopping with this granny-van. How handy can something so ugly be.

On a sunny Saturday

I hang the mats outside and vacuum clean our apartment.

My son uses the time to do some parkour. 

After cleaning we celebrate with ice cream. 

everyday

Lilacs from my friend garden make me happy. 

My grandparents had lilac bushes and the smell reminds me of them.

My son got his first homework at the age of four. 

I broke my hob with a sweet potato.

These things make me sad. Or I was sad and these things came on top.

Here is a picture of my friend Cs wonderful coffee cake.

She made it for  our Women´s Lunch a while a go.

I got my usual coffee shakes after eating too much of this cake.

I would still do it again, it is that good. This week I had the Sainsburys substitute.

Reading Kylie Kwong´s cookbook My China makes me peaceful.
What is it about cookbooks that is so reassuring?!

holiday and work

 I had a holiday in London with my son in Finland.
My good friend M came to visit and made it real.

 We enjoyed the spring and the warm. 

We went really deep in to the culture of shopping.

Like here at the Liberty, 

one of the oldest and most peculiar department stores in London.

 M´s visit would have not been complete without us going to our favorite wine bar.

After this great break I was of to work again. 

Busy with three kids and my own, 

I have for the last two week only slept in my spare time.

As it is the last day of April I decided to make up for my blog silence. 

Following Art

A man asked me in Cambridge, where I was from. I answered London. He then asked, where I was originally from. Oh, yes I am from Finland. Sometimes I get weary to answer these questions. About this and lots more is our exhibition Follow the Fellow at Murray Edwards College in Cambridge.

Genevieve Guetemme took pictures of Fellows and Followers homes,

places with contemporary stamped on them.

 Elke Papp in her costume for the performance for the opening.

I am very happy to have my work shown in Cambridge. I am also holding private video screenings for people at my home in London. With my video pieces I am finally able to make sense of couple of last years madness. My videos are a proof of what I did I. Could I just show them next time somebody asks what do I do for living? 

busy with the Follow the fellow exhibition

Here at Murray Edwards College in Cambridge I will have an exhibition showing my photos starting next Saturday. With two other artist, Genevieve Guetemme and Elke Papp, we have been planning this over two years. It is great to see that the day is  almost finally here. The exhibition is called Follow the Fellow and in it we tell the story of what it is like to move for love. Moving is not always easy, but a roller coaster ride of feelings, as you can see in  my blog. Genevieve and Elke have a brilliant website Follow the Fellow about the whole experience of following.

beauty

At Kenwood House the trees where in bloom.

The beauty made me hold my breath.

It was so sunny.

We took our shoes out 

and had an ice cream.  

There was this gentleman in his hiking gear.

Kenwood house was out of a Jane Austen novel.

 We had a picnic looking at the view over Hamstead Heat to the City.