Welcome to Villa Emilia (My Woodland Garden), a photography blog with a slant towards gardening and nature. An amateur gardener and photographer, I hope to share beautiful moments with you through pictures. Let me know if you like them! ❤

Thank you for your visit.

22.2.2015

Slopes



In general, my aim is to post photos that depict our landscapes and plants as they are at present, during the current season, but there are moments in winter when the craving for green takes over. The past week was cloudy and grey, the temperature 2 °C (ca. 36 °F); some fresh snow has now fallen overnight. There are two sunlit photos at the bottom of this post, but they were taken last week...

Browsing through my pictures, I noticed this one (already posted in the past).  I like it. Our landscapes are so flat that I find even tiny little hills and slopes very attractive. :)




"Much of the geography of Finland is explained by the Ice Age. The glaciers were thicker and lasted longer in Fennoscandia compared with the rest of Europe. Their eroding effects have left the Finnish landscape mostly flat with few hills and fewer mountains. Its highest point, the Halti at 1,324 metres (4,344 ft), is found in the extreme north of Lapland at the border between Finland and Norway." (Wikipedia)

In this old post, I have written a little bit about the last glacial period and my favourite landscape park, Harju.  Some photos of Jyväskylä (my previous hometown) can be found in this post or clicking the label "towns".

I loved my walks on Harju, especially in spring:




The young leaves of the larch were not green yet:




Later its foliage changed to brilliant lime green. ♥!




The two photos below are perhaps less interesting, but there are three things I love: trees, green grass, and gentle slopes.




Scots pines and silver birches, two typical species.





Joining  Judith 








Joining Karen








Happy Sunday!






52 kommenttia:

  1. What a beautiful country you live in. Hailing from Norway but living and being brought up in the UK. Finland is on my most go to countries. Thank you for sharing

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you so much, Selma!
      Well... both Norway and the UK have beauty that we can only dream of! :)
      Looking forward to seeing your sunlit post!

      Poista
  2. NIIIIN kotoista ja suloista. Tuli ikävä kesää! Tuo ylin kuva varsinkin miellyttää silmää. Se on kuin meidän pihalta napattu. -- Täällä tulee hiljalleen lunta ja on tosi pilvistä. Täytyy käyttää nykyajan sanoja -- jaksaa, jaksaa...

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Kiitos, Kyllimarjaana!
      Mukavaa että pidit kuvista. Meilä taitaa olla samanlainen maku. Sinun kuvasi teidän pihapiiristä ovat aivan ihania!
      Täälläkin alkoi nyt sataa lunta. Se on puhdasta ja valkoista vanhaan lumeen verrattuna, mutta hiukan takatalvisen tunnelman se tekee. No, "uusi lumi on vanhan surma"!
      Kyllä jaksetaan! Vielä vähän!

      Poista
  3. Hi Sarah,

    Beautiful photos of your pretty landscape. I especially am drawn to the second image; the density of the tall, skinny trees is a dramatic background to the bright, grassy slope. Such serenity, to be still, surrounded by the miraculous magic of nature - quite bewitching!

    Visiting via Sunlit Sunday, hope you have a wonderful day!

    Poppy

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you, Poppy! The second photo is one of my favourites too.
      Coming over now to enjoy your gorgeous photos!
      Happy Sunday!

      Poista
  4. Amazing photos! The first is my absolute favoriet.
    Yeah, in wintertime we need such sweet and green memories!
    (our winter in Germany was canceled in this year)
    Have a nice sunday

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you so much, Mascha!
      All the seasons have their beauty, but summer offers so much more to see,
      to listen and to smell than winter does.
      Have a great week ahead!

      Poista
  5. Ihania vihreän eri sävyjä ja loistavan keltaista.
    Täällä Salpausselän harjujen luona on myös
    yöllä satanut uutta lunta.
    Hyvää sunnuntaipäivää :)

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Kiitos, Tiina! :)
      Vihreä on tosiaan kaunis ja tärkeä väri.
      Oi, Salpausselät onkin komeaa seutua!
      Mukavaa uutta viikkoa!

      Poista
  6. Lovely green landscapes and yes, the first picture is most beautiful. It´s end of February and we are longing more and more to green.....

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you so much, Janneke!
      Yay, the first photo was taken near our home! (The other summer pics are of that landscape park in Central Finland.)
      It's still winter, but March is already a spring month! :)

      Poista
  7. It is such a beautiful place!! I can see that you must love it a great deal!! xx

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you so much, Amy! :)
      Daily access to green spaces is a luxury.
      Have a great week ahead!

      Poista
  8. I can see that Finland is very beautiful when it's lush and green! I also like the snow on the evergreen branch. ;)

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you, CameraGirl!
      Finland is always very beautiful! :)
      Seriously, it's the fresh green of spring that has an intoxicating effect on me...
      Have a lovely new week!

      Poista
  9. How lovely! Everything here is very flat and I love seeing hills and lots of trees.

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you, Snap!
      Indeed there are two things that would greatly improve one's quality of life: high mountains and a proper seaside view! ;)
      Have a nice new week!

      Poista
  10. Beautiful photos Sara. You have certainly captured the essence of summer in those photos. I too am craving some green, as our snow keeps coming...

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you so much, Linda!
      Yes, we would need some Vitamin G now! :)
      (Those unfamiliar with the term can read Linda's post at
      http://linda-hubbard.blogspot.ca/2013/03/missing-my-vitamin-g.html!)
      Snowing also here, but next month is a spring month!
      Have a great week ahead!

      Poista
  11. kyllä kaipaakin jo kevään ja kesän vihreyttä, eilen illalla tuli "yllättäen" hyvin vetistä lunta, suurin osa on sulanut pois mutta lisää on varmasti tulossa kun vanhan luita kolottaa. hyvää uutta viikkoa. Jaana

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Kiitos, Jaana! :)
      Talven jälkeen kevään tulo on aina yhtä ihanaa. Täällä helmikuun kuuluu ollakin talvikuukausi; lunta on ollut aika paljon, mutta kunnon pakkasia ei oikeastaan.
      Tulenkin nyt katsomaan millainen on sinun aurinkoinen sunnuntaisi!
      Kaunista uutta viikkoa ja hyvää vointia!

      Poista
  12. They are all very beautiful. Look so fresh, clean and relaxing.

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you, Mari!
      I know exactly what you mean!
      Have a lovely week ahead!

      Poista
  13. Hello, Sara! Finland looks like a lovely lush place to visit.. I love the slopes and hills, beautiful images.. Have a happy day and week ahead!

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you so much, Eileen!
      If you ever decide to visit Finland, let me know! There are also some birding sites... :)
      Have a great week!

      Poista
  14. Green, I love the colour of green and all that comes with it and I am missing it, so thank you for this beautiful series of green images~

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you, Mary!
      I know so well what you mean and feel the same way about it!

      Bon voyage! :)

      Poista
  15. Interesting history of the flat terrain of your country Sara. One of the things we like about driving to Florida is the passage through the mountains for a day or so, it's exhilarating. Where I live has some small hills and our backyard has a small slope to it but this is likely manmade for drainage.
    Although I look forward to flowers in spring, it's the greening that brings great pleasure for me too. I think it's because of the peacefulness this colour has. I should send you a link to an article I wrote on forest bathing, you'll probably recognize the benefit.
    Thank you for linking to Mosaic Monday.

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you so much, Judith!
      Geology is very interesting. It's a pity they didn't tell it to me back in my school days... :D

      Guess what I just found on the Internet: "The Healing Power of Gardens and Forests" by Judith Rogers! It looks very interesting!

      https://sites.google.com/site/thenatureplace/august-2013-cover-contents/the-healing-power-of-gardens-and-forests-by-judith-rogers

      Have a lovely week!

      Poista
  16. These pictures are like a breath of fresh air!

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you so much, Mama Zen!
      I'm really happy if someone feels like that about them. :)
      Have a lovely week!

      Poista
  17. Such beautiful freshness in your photos. I long to walk in woods green with new growth where the sun filters through the trees. Soon, I hope. You live in a beautiful land.

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you very much, Lorrie!
      You created such a lovely image... I too am so much looking forward to it! :)
      Take care!

      Poista
  18. I understand the need for green as we are buried and it is snowing yet again today....but your landscape pictures of these gorgeous slopes took my breath away.

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you so much, Donna!
      Yes, seeing green landscapes, even if only in pictures, is soothing and invigorating!
      Have a lovely week ahead!

      Poista
  19. I would truly enjoy visiting the lush green spaces you show in your photographs. I also enjoy wooded areas and scenic views. Your final photo of the fir tree with snowy boughs shows how lovely green can be in the winter too. The scent of walking through a grove of evergreens is one I love.

    Karen

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you very much, Karen!
      Your comment brought to my mind a trip years ago to Parco Burcina, a landscape garden on a hill, in Piedmont region, Italy. It had been raining before we arrived, and the air was fresh and fragrant with scents from the grand conifers. The experience was heavenly, also because the quality of the air in the Po Valley is not the best...
      Have a lovely week ahead!

      Poista
  20. Oh Sara, your pictures are not only beautiful, but also quite inspiring! I feel like I am right there enjoying the gentle beauty of your slopes. Seeing the wild flowers brought a smile to my face. I thoroughly enjoyed this post, my friend.

    Hugs to you!

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you so much for your kind words, Stephanie!
      I'm really happy if my photos bring a little bit joy to others as well! :)
      Have a lovely week ahead!

      Poista
  21. Without the blanket of snow, Finland is really pretty. We, too, here are rather flat, but it is prairie, having its own beauty, who can quibble with a lush green forest for a backyard?

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. ... or with a view to the Rocky Mountains? :D
      Prairie does sound fascinating. I'm really looking forward to seeing your spring photos, Ann!
      Stay warm!

      Poista
  22. Wonderful photos of your beautiful homeland. All are lovely, but your last one with sunlit snow and shadows on the fir tree... Perfect! Smiles...Susan

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you so much, Susan!
      Sunlit moments have recently been so rare that when the sun is shining one needs to run out immediately to try to take some photos...
      Have a good week! Hugs!

      Poista
  23. هჱ⊱
    Passei para admirar suas fotografias.
    Belas paisagens, árvores e plantas maravilhosas, belíssimas fotos.

    Ótima quarta-feira!
    Beijinhos do Brasil.

    ه°·✿✿

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Muito obrigada, Inês!
      Agora que visitou seu blog. É realmente encantador!
      Beijos da Finlândia!
      Sara - com a ajuda do Google Translate... :)

      Poista
  24. Voi minkä ihanan blogin nyt löysinkään, kiitos kun kävit kommentoimassa! Täytyy lueskella täällä oikein ajan kanssa.

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Kiitos, Minna! :)
      Ilo on kyllä minun puolellani!
      Tervetuloa lukijaksi & Nähdään pian!

      Poista
  25. Your photos are wonderful. You've captured great beauty from the simplicity of nature which is the best! I love seeing the countryside in other countries. It has also been too cold for me to run about snapping pictures outdoors- perhaps if I was 20 years younger! Thank you for sharing the beauty of your homeland!

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you so much, Liz!
      Spring is on its way. One notices new fragrances and cheerful bird songs... I read recently something nice written by Simon Barnes: "...though winter takes a long time in dying, its fate is sealed from the moment the great tit sings". :)
      Have a lovely weekend!

      Poista
  26. Wow.... absolutely stunning pics....

    VastaaPoista
    Vastaukset
    1. Thank you so much!
      Wishing you a happy Sunday and a lovely March!

      Poista


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