Maximizing the coziness with orange peel candle

If you ever visit Denmark you will most likely come across a Danish word “hygge”. Hygge is among the most used word in Denmark, yet it can be difficult to explain to other languages. I’ll give it a try as how I as a foreigner understand the word "hygge". Danes in general are very informal people. They’re not the kind of people who like to show off with their fancy homes, serious sounding jobs or by throwing luxurious parties. The most important thing in everything is that this thing called “hygge” is present”. Hygge means cosiness, relaxed and chilled atmosphere where everybody’s having a good time. Even though hygge is most of all a state of mind, danes often try to create hygge for example with dim, cosy lighting. And because of this danes love to light candles especially during the dark winter months.

The last three or four days I’ve been trapped indoors with the kids because of the other famous Danish thing called crappy weather and the only thing you can really do is to try to get comfy and well... hygge! Because of that I wanted to experiment with this thing called orange peel candle/lamp.

Despite the fact that orange peel is compostable I still find it interesting to find new ways to use it after its main purpose as protecting the fruit. This candle option could also be very useful in an emergency situation when you don’t have candle lights at hand. I also wonder if orange peel candle could be healthier solution to the traditional candles which according to the recent studies pollute heavily the indoors air. I'm just guessing here, I have no idea really!

I did almost everything as shown in the video below with few exceptions. Instead of olive oil, I used a cheaper canola oil. I’m sure any oil will do but just keep in mind that the candle smells the oils you use.Opposite to what you might think, it does not smell a hint of oranges! But if you want a nicer smell I'm sure you can use a few drops of sentenced oils. Another thing to keep in mind is that these candles tip easily. Instead of trying to balance them on the table I used them as a floating candles in a glass bowl filled with water. It’s more fire secure and it looked really pretty. Definitely lots of hygge potential here! 

Poopiebags and crappy playgrounds

My family lives in this tiny village of eight houses in the countryside about 20 kilometers from the city of Roskilde, yes, that one where the famous Roskilde festival is held every summer. Our house lies in the middle of large fields which is pretty usual sight in Denmark. We’re though lucky enough to also have a forest nearby which reminds me of Finland, the only thing I’m missing is a lake. Then there is our “city”, a bigger village with two grocery stores, a library and a second hand store (my very favourite) and a bunch of other things about 3 km away from our house. I have taken it into my morning routine to make a powerwalk in the “city” with my children sitting in a 2-seated bike trailer that I use as a stroller (which by the way has become one of my best friends after I gave birth and I just call it friendly the Croozer).

When doing my powerwalks in our “city” I’ve come to notice two things that are so depressing sights that they’re almost funny. First;  the shitbags. There are some genious local dogowners who take the effort of buying plastic bags dedicated for dog feces, remembering to take them with them when they’re walking their dogs, even doing the nasty job of filling the bags when the dogs do their thing and then… throwing the plastic bag of shit on the street!!! Like what the hell, do you want to store that thing to the future generations or what’s the point of not taking them to a dumpster? I would much rather see those feces without the plastic bag knowing than in couple of weeks it will be decomposed, than seeing the same shitbags rolling around the street and getting stuck in my Croozer wheels.

Fresh poopiebag

Another one that I estimated to be couple of months old but still looking almost as good as new!

Then other depressing thing are the so called  playgrounds in the “city”. This one is actually more sad thing than funny at least for me as a parent. Since my 2-year-old daughter is not in the daycare or vuggestue as the danes call it, like some 95% of the Danish children in her age are, she would really have use for a place to play and maybe even meet some other kids. With a serious search I have been able to find two playgrounds that are located in walking distance from our house (about 4 km radius) where I would dare to take my children. In the rest of them there either isn’t much to play with or they are old, rusty and hazardous and only a suicidal person would get the idea of actually using them. 

Wuhuu!

That face drawn in the piss smelling playhouse describes it all

I figured this was a slide too - for those kiddos who can first climb up a wall of 60 degree angle

Weee!

Yet people’s private yards are filled with new, fancy playhouses, swings, trampolines, even skateboarding ramps! I’m often thinking that we could build at least ten most exciting playgrounds out of the playthings people gather in their gardens that now stand there dedicated only for their own children’s use. And wouldn’t it also be nice that kids had other kids to play with instead of sitting alone in their playhouses? And that their parents could actually use the spared area for gardening or other activities. Not to mention how much more ecological it would be if each family wouldn't have their own private playground on their backyard?

Maybe this means that I have to start doing my powerwalks in the forest :) Luckily my daughter's still in that age where a stone and a stick are enough of entertainment.

The After-holidays-hangover

So I made a few new years resolutions:

First: Get started with this blog again. I keep on coming with excuses for not writing here. If I'm not doing it now then when?

Second: Start to live more healthy. I got my second child in last October and now it’s time to get rid of my wobbly belly by starting to run and basing my diet on something else than chocolate. Both own these resolution have also bigger meaning because they are there to keep me sane especially during these hard winter months when I'm trapped alone in the danish countryside with two small children while the man of the house is mostly at work. So writing will make me feel like I have someone to explain my thoughts. And running and living healthy just make me happy.

Actually I have a third resolution too. Fight against the throwawayism. By this I mean the shopping oriented culture where more and more shortlived products pass through my family’s life and home. It comes with the mentality where we no longer value the materials that go into products or the labor that built them. Neither do we really care where the products end up after we have finished using them as long as it’s out of sight, out of mind. The culture that is constantly trying to lure it’s way to my home “because it’s so easy, fun and convenient and especially desiged and targeted for families with children”.

Let me tell you first why I'm interested in this right now. Because of my every year worsening after-holidays-hangover. And this hangover has nothing to do with drinking or eating too much, it’s the stuff, the garbage bags filling with wrapping papers, packages and Christmas decoration, and kids crying for more and better gifts. Every year Christmas leaves me with the same empty feeling after all that proving your love with stuff and consumption. And as if Christmas wasn’t enough, then comes the new year which we welcome with another consumption peak of disposables. “Here’s a garbage and trash thrown in the sky for five seconds joy, HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY!”.

I’ve been battling with my anxiety every year but now that I have children it’s worse since I can’t pretend like there is no Christmas. Could I celebrate Christmas on my own way without so much emphasize on the material? Sure, but how to do it when everything around them says “the more material, the more fun”.  Even disturbingly many Christmas programs has the same message where the children’s holidays were ruined and souls left with everlasting scars if they wouldn’t get Christmas presents! And I know it will get even harder as the kids grow up and they’ll learn to compare the amounts and sizes of their gifts and money spent on them. Even though I’m talking about Christmas here I’m also talking about the mentality children learn for the rest of their life. Children learn that you can show your love with stuff. They learn that they can show worthiness with stuff. They learn to patch emptiness with stuff. They build their identity on stuff. They learn that you are the stuff you have.

So hereby with this new year’s resolution I declare to try to get my children to appreciate immaterial in their everyday life before it’s too late and I will try my best to avoid selling my soul to consumerism. I will also try to come up with new ways to reuse things and to avoid disposables. And yes, I’m doing this despite the obvious risk of becoming the embarrassing party pooper who lectures about the environmental effects of a plastic drinking cup and the evil monster who steals children’s gifts and party decoration :)

Happy new year and patience to all those in my near family circles! Here's an inspiring video to start year 2014 :)

What to do with all those apples?

Last autumn I was behaving like some apple picking nazi. I was cursing why other garden owners wouldn’t collect their apples but instead just let them rotten in the trees or on their lawn. You see, I come from a family where basically entire warm season is dedicated to collecting and preserving goods from the garden and forests. First it was the strawberry season, then raspberry, quickly followed by black, red and white currants, then lingonberry and cloudberry and last apple and mushroom season. It's my parents who did and still do all the hard work but I’ve been telling to myself that there is still a tiny bit of this ancient survival instinct left in my genes too. Until this apple season when I felt overwhelmed by other things and simply didn’t have energy and motivation for all that apple preserving. We still had apples and jams from the last year in the freezer and believe me, there is a limit to amount of sweet apple cakes one can eat. This must be what you call a first world problem!

Please, let this be the last one!

But wait, before we drag the starving kids of Africa to the equation and start guilt tripping for real, there are couple of option for lazy moderntime homesteaders like me!

Fresh yummy juice with
apple and carrots

• JUICING. I really try my best to not let all kinds of different appliances enter my kitchendoor but my juicer has earned it’s place. Apple juice is superhealthy (raw and no added sugars obviously) and juicing is relatively easy and fast. And besides apples you can throw into the juicer some pears, carrots and ginger to not to get bored with the taste. Juice is healthiest right after juicing but it can also be frozen. You can also make apple cider with more sophisticated methods than I did it – by forgetting a juicejar in a room temperature for a couple of days. I don’t know if I should have drank it, but I obviously did. There are many things you can make from the leftover pulp. If by now you’re also fed up with sweet cakes and muffins with apples on them, try apple pulp energybars. Pulp can also be frozen. Sure you can also throw it away but there are some good fibers and vitamins left in that stuff!

• SHARING. Lets face it; there is an unequal distribution of apples in this world, a few of us have too many and the rest of us have none. To make ease this unequality, leave your extra-apples in a basket where people can see it with a sign “please take some”. You’ll make your neighbours’ day. Next Sunday in Copenhagen there’s this brilliant happening by the local council to distribute apples from those with too many to those with not enough. If you are a garden owner from Copenhagen with too many fruit or a gardenless local with desire for fresh, local apples, you can sign up for the happening. Participants will be going through the gardens picking up the fruits and later the fruit will be shared with the locals. I think this is brilliant! If fair distribution of wealth would be just as easy...

The dream of a tiny home

I wonder if this house has a guest bathroom

There is this rather entertaining american program that is always aired when normal active people are definitely not in front of tv. It's called Property virgins and apparently I'm the only one watching it. Property virgins is s a reality series where in each episode they help to find a house or a flat to some North-American first-time homebyers. And this is what I have learned from Property virgins:

• There excists a word called “masterbedroom” and no matter how small your house is the masterbedroom has to be massive and include a bathroom.
• You cannot take seriously a flat/ a house with only one toilet.
• Something called “My stuff” needs at least the same space as two extra persons living in the house would.
• There is always preassumption that as soon as it’s economically possible people will buy something bigger and more spectacular. 

    The housing demands in Scandinavia are a little bit more modest. For example it’s usual that there’s just one room dedicated for the entire household’s bowel movements and personal hygiene and the houses in general are smaller. Here the high heating costs set the biggest limitation for building mansions and especially living in them. But I guess the mainstream trend is the same, we need more space and more room for more stuff. It’s  normal that in some point of our life the purpose of living is just to pay back the house, the car, the boat, maintain them and buy some more stuff. Instead of you owning them, your house and things start to own you.

Surprisingly below the mainstream dream there is a strong opposite movement of radically downsizing your living space. Apparently the idea of being able to fit yourself and all your belongings in a small treehut is something that seems attractive and liberating for more and more westerners. Many people have realized that less space and possession equals to more time and money spend on better things than maintaining, cleaning and worrying. Smaller houses are more ecological, enhance familybonds and are way easier for stuff management. Some of them with the passion to shrink their life have more philosophical approach and say that that less space and possession provides them with mental clarity and peace of mind.

If you are looking for more simplicity and minimalism, I urge you to watch the inspiring documentary below and for further small house-dreaming check out this link.

City rednecks make a difference Malmö

Does this look like a ghetto to you? 

One of the last summerdays in September I traveled to Sweden to visit Malmö's inglorious Seved citypart. I knew in advance that Seved was a highly problematic multicultural area, with lots of brutal criminality, gangviolence and other social problems. In last January even the postmen had refused to deliver mail in Seved in a fear of violence. Yikes!

So what was I doing in Seved? The reason was to visit the association called Odla I Stan. Odla I stan has taken aim at the Seveds problems with rather unusual method – urban agriculture.

Göran Larsson and Linnea wettermark
 are the masterminds behind Odla i stan

Every strip of land gets used in Seved

                                                  Food from the backyard

Odla I Stan started in 2010 to encourage locals to use the excess grassplains, street verges and other vacant lands in the neighbourhood for growing food. Today there are several common gardens in the Seved area besides small individual gardens plots or gardening boxes that are spread around the neighbourhood. Gardening boxes and soil is donated by the property management so the citizens only need to have their own seeds and invest some of their time to get fresh, organic vegetables straight from their backyard. Everybody in the area is welcome to participate. 

One of the common gardens in Seved made
with the permaculture technique called sheet mulching

Gardening boxes full of food

Social life in the gardens

As I walk through the Seved, I have very hard time locating the criminal stories that I’ve heard from Seved to this green and actually very attractive neighborhood. It’s definitely a far cry from the ghetto I have pictured in my mind! People are very friendly in Seved and you can sense a good social togetherness. “It hasn’t always been like that”, says one of the active gardeners and tells that before the gardening started she hardly knew anybody in the area. Now she is a part of a strong network of citizens and together they keep on eye on each others gardenplots and the neighbourhood. Eventhough vandalism in Seved area is very common, the gardens have remained in peace - if you don't count a couple of dissappeared tomatoes and pumpkins.

Today, like every Wednesday, she and a bunch of other locals are working together, this time to build a compost system. Besides compost building, these weekly meetings can include for example working in the garden, cooking or honeymaking. Cooking evenings have especially proven to be useful for everybody. Immigrants learn to use the Nordic vegetables and berries and the native swedish citizens learn about the new exotic dishes and new uses of herbs. Many people have found new skills along with the project. One of the active growers called Fatma tells how she has always been interested in honey making but never had the chance to learn it until now. Now she is in charge of the Seved honey production. Another volunteer worker called Anna, has worked in the gardens so intensively during the last years that she would go for a professional organic citygardener. Also those with other talents and interests than digging soil have found their ways to contribute. Different local artists have participated making the neighborhood more inviting with garden furniture and funky vegetable graffitis.

The locals together building compost system 

Lifting the life for the entire community

Odla I stan shows a good example how citygardening can work as a good tool in developing cityparts with social problems. Odla I stan is stlll far from solving all the social problems in Seved, but it has created a tight community and as a response Seved is slowly gaining popularity as a place to live. Instead of having to shame living in inglorious Seved, people have now now not only gained back the desire to remain living in the area but also started hold pride of their green neighborhood. Gardens work as new meeting places in the common space where the desire for good healthy food unites everybody and works as a great excuse for communication and teamwork. Along with gardening citizens have gained a feeling of ownership and a sense of belonging to the green areas of Malmö. Most importantly they have realized that together, despite cultural or age differences, they have the power to make their own neighborhood a better place to live.

Interested to find out more about urban agriculture in Malmö? Go to www.odlaistan.nu

Viisi ohjetta onnellisuuteen

En ole kirjoittanut pitkään aikaan ja harkitsin jossain vaiheessa jo lopettaa jälleen koko blogin. Mutta rakkaan ystävän kannustava tekstiviesti piristi niin paljon, että päätin taas jatkaa sepustuksiani. Paljon on tapahtunut tässä välissä, mutta nyt päällimäisenä on jälleen Tanskan märän, tuulisen ja harmaan talven aiheuttama energiavaje. Tuntuu että päivät vain toistavat itseään ja ajatukset rupeaa helposti kiertämään negatiivista kehää. Luin muutama päivä sitten inspiroivan tekstin ”Hidasta elämää”-sivustolta. Sen otsikko oli "5 askelta hitaaseen elämään", mutta jotenkin se kiteytti mun mielestä hyvin onnellisen elämän viisi perusohjetta. Tässä ne ovat, hieman minun muokkaamina. 

1. Luovu ja päästä irti

Pyrimme haalimaan mahdollisimman paljon kaikkea, ja usein mitättömiltäkin tuntuvista asioista luopuminen tekee suurta tuskaa. Elämän voi kuitenkin nähdä flow’na, jossa asioita alkaa ja asioita loppuu, ja taas alkaa ja taas loppuu. Kun omaksuu tällaisen uudenlaisen ajattelumallin, on helpompi luopua

• tavaroista,  jotka hallitsevat tilaamme ja joiden siivous vie aikaamme,
• sellaisista harrastuksista, joista on tullut ajan puutteessa suorituksia,
• statuksesta tai tittelistä, jonka luulemme määrittelevän ihmisyyttä,
• liian suuresta tai kalliista asunnosta, joka pitää taloudellisessa talutusnuorassa,
• pakollisista kalenterimerkinnöistä, joiden tekemättä jättäminen ei muutakaan mitään,
• ihmissuhteista, joista on tullut ahdistava velvollisuus,
• menneisyyden painolastista.

Sen sijaan, että miettii, mitä kaikkea voisi seuraavaksi hankkia, kannattaa miettiä, mistä kaikesta voisi seuraavaksi luopua, jotta elämä kevenisi.

Itse olen seurannut tätä ohjetta tyhjentämällä kotia kaikista turhista vaatteista ja jopa ruokapöydästä (tajusin että se valtasi lähes käyttämättömänä olohuonettamme vain koska näyttävä ruokapöytä “kuuluu” kodin sisustukseen). Samoin lopetin jo jonkin aikaa sitten äitikerhon-tapaamiset, jonne menin silkasta velvollisuudesta ja kärsin joka ikinen kerta valtavasta ulkopuolisuuden tunteesta. Tuntuu heti, että pystyy keskittymään paremmin oleelliseen kun karsii hallitsematonta tavaroiden ja velvollisuuksien kaaosta.

2. Ole kiitollinen

Sen sijaan että elää ikuisessa vajeessa eli ”sitku”-elämää, ja murehtii asioista, joita omassa elämässä ei ole, kannattaa kiinnittää huomionsa kaikkeen siihen, mitä jo on. Kun oppii olemaan kiitollinen nykyisestä tilanteesta, on leppoisampi, positiivisempi ja iloisempi. Ja kun alkaa nauttia elämästä, ympärille alkaa kerääntyä ihmisiä, jotka tuovat lisää elämäniloa. Tällaiset ihmiset tuovat yleensä toivomatta, pyytämättä ja yllättäen myös uusia positiivisia asioita tai tapahtumia elämään. Lisäksi kiitollisuus kääntää automaattisesti katseen tulevasta nykyhetkeen, todelliseen elämään.

On myönnettävä, että tämä on minun heikko kohtani, etenkin tähän vuoden aikaan. Tuntuu että liian usein myrkytän mieltäni katkeruudella ja negatiivisella ajattelulla, yleensä vielä jostakin lopulta kovin mitättömästä asiasta. Ja mietin miten asiat ovat paremmin sitten kun on kesä, Vilja on vähän isompi, talo on remontoitu jne. Minulla on kaikkea mitä ikinä olen uskaltanut pyytää juuri tässä ja nyt. Kiitos siitä, ihan oikeasti.

3. Kuuntele, mitä muille ja itselle kuuluu

Todellinen kuulumisten kuuntelu vaatii aikaa, pysähtymistä ja keskittymistä; monet kokevat sen liian aikaa vieväksi ja vaivaannuttavaksi – varsinkin, jos kyseessä on tuntematon tai puolituttu. ”Mitä minulle oikeasti kuuluu” on pelottava kysymys, koska vastaus ei välttämättä ole haluttu. Ja jos vastaus ei ole haluttu, pitää alkaa muuttaa elämäänsä, ja se jos jokin on pelottava prosessi, sillä se tarkoittaa muutosta. Mutta jos ei uskalla kysyä itseltä omia kuulumisia ja seurata vastausta, ei voi elää omaa elämäänsä. Muiden ja itsensä kuuntelun hetkistä löytyy moni kadoksissa ollut vastaus.

Tässä minäkin olen hyvä. Eritysesti tehdessäni jotain yksitoikkoista ja puuduttavaa, huomaan oivaltavani jotain oleellista. Rauhalliset kävelylenkit ovat myös hyvää aikaa rupatella itsensä kanssa.

4. Harrasta elämää

Harrastukseksi valikoituu yleensä asia, josta nauttii ja josta kokee onnistumista. Harrastukseen ei suhtauduta turhan vakavasti: sitä tehdään omalla painollaan, hyvällä fiiliksellä ja omien mieltymysten mukaan. Mitäpä siis jos alkaisit suhtautua elämään harrastuksena: keksisit keinon tehdä asiaa tai asioita, joista koet nautintoa ja suhtautuisit siihen löysin rantein jännittämättä. Koskaan ei voi tarpeeksi itseään muistuttaa, että meillä on vain yksi elämä ja senkään pituudesta emme voi tietää.

Tässä Tanskaan muutto on auttanut mua paljon. Ei jaksa enää ottaa kaikkea niin haudanvakavasti ja repiä pelihousuja jokaisesta pienestä kömmähdyksestä. Mutta vielä minun pitää kehitellä suunnitelma siitä,  miten tehdä tulevasta työstäni harrastus.

5. Ryhdy auton kuljettajaksi

Vertauskuvallisesti: ryhdy auton kuljettajaksi. Lakkaa olemasta auton matkustaja, joka on muiden armoilla ja katselee ikkunasta muiden valitsemaa maisemaa. Ota siis elämäsi valinnat omiin käsiisi: lakkaa uskottelemasta itsellesi, että elämäsi on kiinni muista ihmisistä, paikkakunnasta, asunnosta, työstä (josta et ehkä edes pidä), yhteiskunnasta, rahasta tai muista ulkoisista vankiloista. Päätä tehdä muutos, valitse suunta, kartoita tarkkaan kaikki vaihtoehdot, tee hyvä suunnitelma ja toimi! Kun muut alkavat epäillä suunnitelmasi pitävyyttä, muista, että he suhtautuvat siihen vastustelevasti, koska prosessoivat samalla omaa tilannettaan: miksi minä en uskalla, kun tuokin uskaltaa.

Minusta tuntuu, että olen jo jollain tasolla ottanut auton haltuuni muuttamalla tänne maalle ja tehden asioita yhteiskunnan normeista poiketen. Mutta huomaan, että ajajan ratista saa käydä jatkuvaa tietoista taistelua! Ympäristöstäsi ujuttautuu alitajuntaan jatkuvaa viestiä siitä millainen sinun tulisi olla jonkun muun mielestä. Ja koko ajan saa selittää ihmisille ja itselle uudestaan ja uudestaan omia valintojaan. Kysyn itseltäni pienienkin päätösten edessä teenkö jonkun valinnan nyt oman unelmani vai jonkun muun odotusten mukaan. Mutta oikeastaan nautin siitä jatkuvasta itsensä haastamisesta. Se tekee elämästä jannittävää ja noh, elävää!