Rose quartz & diamond ring and earrings. My favorites. Ok, amongst others.

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Coffee and a chat with friends, that’s what a cloudy afternoon needs…

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The beautiful Peppi of Rubens.

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Sometimes good retail therapy doesn’t need any purchases.

Ladyfriends, beautiful nothings and a cup of coffee is more than enough ♥.

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I’m having a sweet one myself. Behind is a weekend spent with a darling friend in Central Finland, sauna, a walk on the wild side following fresh bear tracks ( not my citygirl idea as you may have guessed…), swimming in a lake , deep & interesting conversations with two soul sisters, some treasure hunting… A good night’s sleep that was so badly needed.

Did Mama Bear have a Baby Bear with it???

And a Monday that began with a long hot yoga session.

Sunlight.

I’m ready to face anything now.

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I couldn’t find my hat but the hair rose served as such…

My darling goddaughter Helmi with Papa Eric.

A certain somebody had Papa wrapped around her little finger..

Hanski’s wedding basket, converted into a bona fide picnic basket ♥.

My Baby in active pursuit. Sometimes a balloon – or a football – is all that’s needed.

Or a slippery rock you can slide down.. Uh we should really learn from our children.

My darling Tytti, my darling Serge. So nice to see the smiles of loved ones all around.

Friends are the new family, we concluded with Tytti. I believe so.

Beautiful Tytti with her son N-N. He’s such a wise soul, he never ceases to amaze me. We’ve had the most extraordinary conversations on topics ranging from Nelson Mandela, human kindness, racism, the good and the evil. Once, my sons told him about how we’d seen a man loot the local Siwa store for beer. N-N said Hmmmmm… Maybe the man really needed the beer and had no money to buy it. Just like somebody who has no money might need to steal milk for his baby.

That left my boys seriously thinking.

French Baron Gabriel, who has lived in Finland since World War 2, graced our little group with his presence yet another time. A very, very interesting personality with a very, very interesting life.

My Hanski!!! I’m so lucky to have her in my world. And selfishly, I’m sooooo glad she doesn’t live abroad anymore.

AND she wants to take me on a girls’ road trip next weekend. Sauna (haven’t been in more than a year), swimming in a lake (haven’t done in more than two years – I wonder if I’m still Finnish), good food, good conversation, long sleep, best of company. I’m so ready.

And last but not the least… Nobody makes hair rosies like my friend Mariannlinn Le Fay. This is a piece of her artwork, made of finest wools and  laces, all hand dyed

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Till next time my friends, now I’m off for my weekend escape. Sauna anda a swim, here I come!!!

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The cool dudes – melting hearts with their very energetic rendition of  “Jos mä olisin sun mies”.

Oh I hope Ike will get a record deal… I really love his soft voice and soulful sound. And would you believe it, after the show I actually gathered my courage and went to introduce myself to him. I have an event coming up later in the autumn and I was hoping he could possibly sing a few songs there… Let’s talk about it, later, he said and gave me his email address.

Wow. I’m still amazed I dared to ask. Very unlike me.

There was a very tall and angrylooking security guy who was not happy if anyone sat on the stage or even touched it (even after the show). So secretly I brushed against it anyway… Rebel me.

A winning performance. There’s something about Antti Railio that the crowds really respond to. I hadn’t sensed it from tv but in a live show it was so clear you could touch it.

And some wouldn’t stay on their seats..

Some got tangled up in each other…

Some had their make up and microphone fixed at the same time.

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The most soulful, the most touching performance of the evening was by and far Mysteriet by Emilia Ekström and Lauri Tähkä.

Remember all the trash some papers have written about the bad blood and disputes between some of the VoF cast? Well, just looking at these pictures puts all that into perspective. Such warm support they offered each other; this is the stuff that has created the success of this show. Real people, real feelings.

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This photo brings me back to my school days when Michael’s picture was hidden inside my school desk… Just taking a peek at it every now and then brightened even the most miserable of days.

Cinderella shoes…

Last moment fix..

And it’s a wrap!

Right here, at the last bow my camera battery went blank. You’d think it was good timing but no no no…. So much fun still followed, the afterparty and all.

But that must be left to imagination now

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All the songs were performed to the empty Logomo, with just the judges and tv crew watching.

Last minute interviews, last minute tips.

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Mysteriet ♥.

Last look at the notes, then ready, steady, go!

I love experiencing the behind the scenes action of events I cover for LadyBohemia; it gives a totally different angle to the actual show. There’s so much liveliness, blunders, laughter, mishaps that never make it to television. But I love knowing what goes into the making of a perfect show .

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He was so proud. The  first time, he’d managed it all by himself ♥. And he knows how much I luuuuuv having my coffee in bed..

This is what I call Everyday Poesie.

And Monday just became my favorite day ♥♥♥.

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In this event funds are collected for a housing project for handicapped youth. Plenty, plenty of fun program and yummy delicacies to eat are arranged for you:

14.00 Vallattomat 4 (Puntti Valtonen, Jussi Lampi & friends)

16.00 Tapio Liinoja performs with Pedro Hietanen

17.00 Helena Lindgren sings her seiren songs

AND from 12-14.00 chef Sami Hiltunen shows us the secrets of his mouth-watering soups, with the help my dear friend Samppa.

Sam the Man

Please come! I promise you a warmhearted, genuine feelgood day in the best possible company.

Address: Kahvila Kapusiini, Intiankatu 25, Kumpula, Helsinki

Opening hours: sun 28.4. 07-19.00

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And furthermore, Justin Bieber with his Bieber fever has arrived in Helsinki, traffic is at a standstill and hysterical teenage girls are chanting “Justin come out” in the center so loud we can almost hear it at home…

It’s time to leave town.

~*♥*~