Midsummer Paradise. "Songs of ancient wit and wisdom".

This is our place in Western Finland, Northern Satakunta. Or Mr HP's. We spent our Midsummer there, and this has already become a tradition.

Later we will go to other parts of Finland. My family has datchas in Southern part, the main one in Asikkala. We are quite busy in Summer trying to find some leasure time for all our summer places (4).

But we love to spend summer in Finland. Need to guess why?

I have just washed the dishes. And the fire is burning the food trash.


The backyard. Full of mushrooms, lingonberries and blackberries in autumn (late August – early October). Behind the forest (of Mr HP's) there are strawberry fields. Industrial ones. But nonetheless, they are beautiful, too.




And the front side. The grass has been cut... but not here.


My favourite place. A smallest hall. But cutest.



...and the same at night.


*****

Want some good reading for summer? Try Kalevala, the most important book of ours. If you ever read it from the begining to the end, I shall reward you somehow.

(not from the beginning:)

WAINAMOINEN, ancient minstrel,
Passed his years in full contentment,
On the meadows of Wainola,
On the plains of Kalevala,
Singing ever wondrous legends,
Songs of ancient wit and wisdom,
Chanting one day, then a second,
Singing in the dusk of evening,
Singing till the dawn of morning,
Now the tales of old-time heroes,
Tales of ages long forgotten,
Now the legends of creation,
Once familiar to the children,
By our children sung no longer,
Sung in part by many heroes,
In these mournful days of evil,
Evil days our race befallen.
Far and wide the story travelled,
Far away men spread the knowledge
Of the chanting of the hero,
Of the song of Wainamoinen;
To the South were heard the echoes,
All of Northland heard the story.

Far away in dismal Northland,
Lived the singer, Youkahainen,
Lapland's young and reckless minstrel,
Once upon a time when feasting,
Dining with his friends and fellows,
Came upon his ears the story
That there lived a sweeter singer,
On the meadows of Wainola,
On the plains of Kalevala,
Better skilled in chanting legends,
Better skilled than Youkahainen,
Better than the one that taught him.

Straightway then the bard grew angry,
Envy rose within his bosom,
Envy of this Wainamoinen,
Famed to be a sweeter singer;
Hastes he angry to his mother,
To his mother, full of wisdom,
Vows that he will southward hasten,
Hie him southward and betake him
To the dwellings of Wainola,
To the cabins of the Northland,
There as bard to vie in battle,
With the famous Wainamoinen.

"Nay," replies the anxious father,
"Do not go to Kalevala."

...and then Youkahainen starts to mess things up!

Miss Funnybunny has her childrens' Kalevala literature. She even listens to it on CD.