Hello again friends!

What a weird summer it has been, so far! Hope you are well.

I think when I last posted, there was some generalized lamentation about how dry it was here and how longingly we were hoping for rainfall. Raindrops finally did make their way to us, thankfully! And so did the heatwave that swept through most of Europe. Our time in the heat was brief, and for those Finns who love a hot summer, their wishes came true, at least for a week or so. Temperatures eventually slid back down to near normal…crazy normal… conditions.

Presently, we are sitting quite near ideal weather and temperatures, at least for me! Daytime, we are getting a range from 20-26c – which translates to 68-78F. Occasionally, there is a brief isolated light rain event which passes by pretty quickly. Due to the scattered rain and the more measurable amounts received earlier, everything is very green and quite lush.

This time of year, we’re usually still reminiscing about our wonderful experience with the Avoimet Puutarha day event (Open Garden Day.) Typically, the national Finnish event has occurred closer to mid-summer. This year, the event is scheduled for 07 August 2022. We had planned to participate again this year, but have since pulled the plug on that and will NOT be participating. Pekka has a track and field competition that same weekend, which will take us out of town. There are quite a few people who I invited to visit the garden. Sadly, while we will NOT be here for the Avoimet Puutarha – we do still welcome those people who want to see the garden this year. Please contact us for a private viewing. You can either comment on this post, or you can contact Pekka through Facebook. We will then get in touch with you to schedule a viewing time! 🙂 Sorry! and Thank You!

While the early to mid-summer blooms are long since gone, there is still much to enjoy at the moment. Lots of fragrant rose blooms and the delights of the new gem garden are proving to be wonderful. There are also quite a few lilies in bloom too.

I’m thrilled with how quickly the gem garden has transformed our backyard area. It just sparkles with spots of color and charm as different daylilies open among the steadfast towering purple flowers of Verbena Bonariensis and the columnar form of the Delphiniums. I couldn’t be happier. I look forward to the change in appearance over the coming summers as the plants mature and eventually fill the entire space.

There is much to do in the garden! Lots of cherries to pick (yum) and there are millions of currant berries too. I (think) I see many loads of mulch in my future!!?? Pekka is off this month on holiday, which means that during the week we can possibly knock off a few of these ‘to-do’ items. Building projects too?? I don’t know, Pekka operates most days without a set plan. Things just happen when he is ready to do them, which keeps me guessing most of the time.

As I don’t have much else to tell you, and there are millions of things I should be doing…I will leave off now.

Once again, very sorry to disappoint those who had planned to visit us during Avoimet Puutarha next Sunday. Please contact us to arrange a private visit on another day instead!

Happy August Everyone!

❤ Vanha Talo Suomi