thursday thoughts pt. 47

This quotation felt apt for the season. It's been full of present wrapping and giving and receiving (I assume for you as well as it has for me), and I know it'll still continue when seeing more family and friends going into the new year. And I know I am not the best at showing gratitude any time of the year. Especially now that I've been such a Grinch for weeks. There's one New Year's resolution idea, though, if that's something you do: showing gratitude. Would be easy to start with sending thank-you notes or messages to everyone! Although, as my use of the words 'thank you' are mostly in a sour manner of saying "thanks, but no", it'd be even easier for me to actually be more genuinely grateful and thankful for everything and everyone in my life. Because I do feel both grateful and thankful, but - as someone who struggles with showing feelings in general - have a hard time or plain forget showing it. That's where I'm at with gratitude and, clearly, really could use this quote as a reminder. How about you, is gratitude and showing it quite natural to you or was this a reminder that you could do more in that department, too?

winter wonderland

Merry Christmas from this here Grinch in snowy Lapland!

I hope you're all having the loveliest time alone or with loved ones! Or that you're even managing - that's good, too. I've had absolutely no Christmas spirit this year, but have still enjoyed my Christmas ham, sweets and the snowy, wintery weather! Only from the inside, though - it's been quite cold (-23°C so far)! Looking forward to having more relaxing days of doing nothing - and hope you're too, if that is something you can and want to have!

the beginning, vol. two

Hullo friends!

It was seven years ago today that I started blogging, if you can believe it. So I figured I would finally make a wee comeback after my short unintended break from blogging that turned into a rather long, half-intended and half-procrastination-fuelled one. Honestly, I feel like beginning with the same phrases as in 2010: "I've been wanting to start a blog for years but somehow I never did it. I always thought I wouldn't have anything to say and that my life wouldn't be interesting enough. Now I've decided to give it a go.." Because, frankly, isn't that still very much the truth!

Here's some spoopy yet atmospheric photos that I thought best represented me and (maybe) my blog to start off. I've been thinking a lot about the direction I want this lil' blog of mine to take and am probably still just figuring it all out. So excited to be back, though! These are from a cemetery in Pori where the only mausoleum in Finland and the other Nordic countries resides. It was my favourite; the perfect combination of beauty, melancholy, morbid. (The mausoleum was built for an 11-year-old girl and was completed in 1903. It is so gorgeous and definitely worth a visit.) And the weather was perfectly foggy and spooky - unlike now as there's lots of snow and everything's pretty in a different way. Cemeteries are my favourite but perhaps I'll get into something resembling a more Christmassy mood soon (and maybe even blog about it, ya know!).

phryne

These pictures are old. Really old. Possibly almost from two years ago (see the change in hair length!), but I still wanted to post them. I've had this jumpsuit and vest forever and it used to be my mum's in around the 70s. I've worn it a lot (I've not really grown since I was 13, so there's definitely some items I've been able to wear since then - and some items not so much, ha!), but in recent years I feel like it's even become fashionable. Something I'm not too bothered about but it's still nice to see other people appreciating the kind of style I've been into for quite some time. Did anyone ever watch Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries? Although it's a different era and different everything, this outfit kind of made me feel like a bit of a Phryne. It's not really what her outfits are like on the show, but somehow still reminded me of her. And I'm looking forward to wearing this again in the summer and feeling like a 20s Phryne, a 70s mum or just current day myself!

//UPDATE My laptop broke down (how convenient, just at the end of the semester before I finished all my uni projects!). I am going to be in Finland in a couple of weeks and can send it to be fixed there which will in turn take about 3 weeks. So I will be taking a wee break from the blog - possibly until July. I'll see you then and stay in touch via social media (where I'll possibly be able to be more present)! xx

lagos: day two + three

On my second Lagos day I saw more of the city walls, more of the Forte da Ponta da Bandeira, and also visited the Mercado dos Escravos. The Mercado dos Escravos - or Slave Market Museum - used to be the first slave market in Europe. It was quite cool, fascinating and fairly informative, I did like the style of exhibition and incorporation of new technology, and would recommend going if you're in Lagos. Yet, to me it felt as if it was less condemning of the past and instead a bit exploitative. Then again, I don't know what would be the best way of exhibitioning slavery, I've only barely scratched the surface of the subject of slavery in my studies of history, and platitudes of saying slavery was awful aren't really that helpful.

Just like I merely touched upon the subject now, after my visit to the museum I obviously went to the beaches again. Most of the beach photos here are from Praia do Camilo that I only visited on my second day. It's a bit further away, but it's my favourite. I think it's become clear that I'm a fan of a good beach. (I mean, aren't most people?) On my third day, I woke up early to go for a swim and sadly had to head back to Faro quite soon afterwards, from where I even more sadly headed back up north.

That's the last of my Algarve posts - and I already miss it. Doesn't it sound and look pretty decent, though? And if you've not seen it yet, you can find my firt post on Lagos here.

lagos: day one

From Faro I headed to Lagos for a few days and these are photos from my first day. After the initial walk around the city, I made it to the beach. One of the many beaches in Lagos. I walked by Meia Praia, Praia da Batata and Praia do Pinhão before settling in Praia d'Ana. It was just so pleasant. I wouldn't describe myself as a beach holiday type of a person (Hadn't been on one for over a decade before Easter, haha!), but I did thoroughly enjoy it. Getting up early (-ish), packing my camera, book and food, and just going to the beach for most of the day was very much my experience in Lagos. I did see some other sites than the beaches, but the beaches were definitely my main focus. (Which is also why I'm now tanner than I've been in over a decade - usually I try to stay out of the sun!) The water is so blue and the cliffs are so gorgeous. I spent a good time exploring the little "caves" and other nooks on the beaches, as well as looking for the perfect seashell. Although I found some nice ones, I didn't find the perfect one - Moomins have lied to me as I can never find seashells as pretty as they do! I would say I preferred Faro to Lagos; it's just a bit less touristy and maybe has more things to see. But, I still really loved Lagos and it is the place to be if you're looking for a beah holiday. And it is stunning.