Green in Black

We are living the season of Colors, I know. I am still waiting for the most colourful days to come. But the fall is also the season of black tones and dark evenings. This is fascinating and interesting, the dark comes fast and wipes away the bright tones.

 

We are doing some painting work at home this week and the black has been present also there in a form of dirt. I have been trying to get away the dark cover of street dust and other fetty oils from the ceiling, trying to get the surface ready for the new layer or bright white. Working on this, I have been thinking how much of this dirt and small particles are landing on top of the green nature outside. We do not necessarily see it, but the plants are also living with this black. The rain will give a cleaning shower every now and then, but how clean is the rain then in the end. The circle of our industrial world is giving also hard time to the nature. Sometimes we seem to forget we are part of this with our actions and short time planning, without seeing the long term effects. We are also victims : we and our children are breathing this air, playing in the water, drinking it and eating too much processed food. 

I went to check the Air Quality Index(AQI) of Amsterdam from the website, which shows always the actual situation in real time all over the world. At the moment it is good here, but this is not the total truth.I found an article, which tells that in many bigger Dutch cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Maastricht, the level of nitrogen dioxide (NO2)is often too high in some areas, going above the EU regulations and making the air unhealthy. This makes me worried and I start to think why on earth did we end into a bigger town and in this small crowded country. We feel the big difference on the air quality every time we visit Finlad, especially in North where I come from the air is very fresh. It is the most dominant thing that we notice after landing and stepping out from the aeroplane in my hometown. I love to live in Amsterdam, but it makes me scared to see all the information of this sometimes unhealthy situation: the quality of the air is the third biggest cause of Death in Holland after smoking and obesity. I did not know that! 

It is good to be aware all of this and when writing the blog, I am talking with my son over this issue. He started to look over how the air quality is in China and other parts of world. I think it is important to talk about these things with the young generation. I want them to grow to respect the nature and live healthy.

I like to see the nature in all tones, but I also love how the black and white pictures are showing more the mystery of our living world, plants and landscapes. The structures of natural art highlighted with the sun and the shadows. If I would be walking inside these pictures, in the black world, I would miss the green and the whole palette of colours. We want to keep the green up and let it live long for the future generations. 

Happy weekend from Amsterdam !!

Painted by Autumn

The same park can look so different depending on the day or the Season. I was walking yesterday with my Camera and wanted to capture the colours and the soft light from a cloudy, windy day. The green life was calm under the trees and by the water. I was very much surprised how wonderful tones I found. Only a few yellow autumn leaves here and there. The most impressed I was of the blue and grey tones combined with some "still green" leaves. How beautifully all the living forms were mirroring from the surface of the water, admiring themselves. The branches of the trees were reaching under the water, like bathing and greetings some life, that I could not see through the water. The autumn seems to decorate every spot now. The asphalt is getting slippery and the treasures of Nature are  there to be seen and collected...before it will be cleaned or slowly loosing the colours and getting invisible brown.

This morning I went jogging and made an extra round at the park after that. I wanted to collect something with me, have something to take home...autumn on my table. I found some nice leaves and thought we have to come back with the children to do some more investigation on the ground level. We can do some decoration at home and the best materials are often free - like the pretty Autumn collection outside. 

Here is some of the treasures I was taking home! Leaves for me and leaves for you for this weekend !! The FEEL GOOD world is there for us, ready to help us to see things in a more healthy scale and what is important in life. 

I have to tell in the end something. The life is sometimes surprising in a nice way. Like yesterday, when I was having my walk. A mother that I know from the school of my children came across at the park. We stopped and had a very nice talk over the Nature and how it helps us to see the beauty in life and how we are part of it. You do not have necessarily this sort of talks at the school yard when picking up the kids. This showed me again how the nature can help us to open up and be more present in a moment and show more the soft side in us. It seem sometimes that the nature is taking the facades down and we do not have to pretend anything or try to be something. It is sad, that for some people because of the poorness or conditions they are living, this connection and healing side of the Nature can be unreachable or even impossible to have. But for many people it is also a choice, which they might have forgotten in the middle of the busy life or something that they never learned. I am happy that I was taken to the walks in the woods as a child. That's how I learned a fundamental way to relax and how to let go off the stress and let your mind be free even for a moment. It is a good choice to add more walks and Nature moments in our life. 

-Erja

Up and down

I was invited to join a group of wonderful ladies and travel with them to a very nice town called den Bosch ('S Hertogenbosch) for a weekend. This charming, old town is a capital of the Brabandt, which is only a one hour train trip to direction south from Amsterdam. I was happy to get to know a new part of Holland, have a good time as a group and see some nice views and sights. The main theme was of course having fun and enjoying the life, but this gave at the same time the opportunity to learn some more from the history of Holland and see the weekend life from the smaller, typical dutch perspective and enjoy the views - not only at the wine bar, but also measuring the streets and visiting places. As refreshing it is for me to go to the nature and enjoy the peace, as inspiring it is also to see the architecture, the street life, culture, food, traditions and new trends in some other places than home.  

A very impressive sight is greeting the visitor in the east side of the city centre, where the famous Roman catholic church St.John's Cathedral (Sint Janskathedraal) is standing. This gothic style masterpiece of architecture is the largest catholic church in Holland. Our guide told that the catholic churches are build direction east- west and the altar inside is on the east side. So the length of the church is planned to meet the sun in the mornings on the east side and the west side says good night for the sun in the evenings. 

going up

We were lucky with the timing of our visit. This year the "Miraculous walk" has been organised. This means you can walk the 147 steps up via outside build steps all the way to the roof of this church and see the sculptured art work from the middle ages from very close, admire the views over the town and see the green countryside fields at the horizon. This is only possible until the end of the October 2016, so it was a nice surprise. I really enjoyed seeing the decorations and the supporting structures of the church from so close. Even touching the sun warmed roof tiles was nice. How many hands must have been building this place and all the details outside and inside.

There are very many nice shops, restaurants and cafes...museums too. Den Bosch is a easy destination for even a day trip: the centre is quite small and everything is relatively close. Very nice food and friendly people !

going down

Our second very interesting tour was taking place in the old canal network. Most parts of these canals are hidden under the street level of the old town. Many houses were also build over the time on top of these canals in the lack of a space inside the town walls, which were and still are protecting the centre from the water.

The whole weekend was mostly sunny. On our boat trip it was nice to see the warm autumn reflections from the water decorating the curvy  stone bridges. There were also long parts of the canals totally in the darkness, without any daylight. Perfect spots for the bats to rest.

The local river "Binnendieze" is directly connected to the town canals. In the middle ages and before other sort of mains, the canals brought some needed water to the centre and the households. One part of the tour is going outside the central canals until the river, where you can see a bit more green and have a feeling of a countryside.

This time I had more stones to share than the any green. From some photos you can see the process of the season and the changing colours. I will be back to the nature themes on my next story. I just wanted to share this small trip and give it as a tip if you come and visit Holland one day. Trains are travelling more often that every hour from Amsterdam and back, very easy for spontaneous trips too. 

Wishing you a wonderful week!!

Deeper to the fall

Reflections from the water, vibrating light on the plants. The pulse of the movement, the sounds and the living light - the Autumn show with those long, extended shadows. The filter of the light changing day by day. First with happy, bright colors of leaves and later the winter clouds are the main filters in the more open landscapes.

The daily walks under the big trees at the park have been my best companion and the source of calmness during the last two weeks. By this I do not want to make the importance of the family and the good friends any less. Sometimes and often it is anyway so, that you have to find the peace from yourself to be able the enjoy the company of others. And when I write about these important moments, I am sharing the experience again with myself and the people who are reading this. With this process I am getting once more this good feeling from that day when I took the pictures and had those countless steps. 

Sitting on my power bench by the water with the coffee and watching the autumn flies having fun like little aeroplanes just above the green grass. I see myself as a child watching down, thinking that the spiky grass is a forest and the sandy spots between are part of that landscape - where I made my roads for my toy cars and build houses for my fantasy characters. These thoughts are coming, making me smile, giving the peace and reloading my power. Reminding how I could enjoy those visions and still can. "You can, you have never lost that skill and never in the end lost who you are." Wonderful!

Coffee in the sun @ power bench

In the end there will be the more moist, grey, foggy days when the silence is packing the landscape for the resting period of Winter.

The fallen leaves, now very individual and visible on the green grass. The first lucky ones, not covered by the masses of other leaves. Enjoying the sun, like me on my power bench on one morning !