Through the looking glass …

Photo: Riihele. All rights reserved

We are not quite there weather-wise,yet,
but every day it is getting closer
that the leaves will burst out
and the blossoms bloom!

How are things with you?

Take good care. Rii :))

2 0 0 9!

© Photo: By Riihele. All rights reserved.

Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson, 1850

Have a super new year 2009 in every way!

LILIES …

Remember
that the most beautiful things
in the world are
the most useless;
peacocks and lilies
for instance.

John Ruskin (1819-1900)

The genus Lilium are herbaceous flowering plants normally growing from bulbs, comprising a genus of about 110 species in the lily family, Liliaceae. They are important as large showy flowering garden plants, and in literature. Some of the bulbs have been consumed by people. The species in this genus are the true lilies, while other plants with lily in the common name are related to other groups of plants.

Some facts about Lilies:

• Lilies are one of the most beautiful, and graceful of all summer-blooming flowers.
• Lilies belong to the Lilium genus consisting of less than 100 known species, occurring in all parts of the Northern Hemisphere.
• Lilies are believed to have been under cultivation longer than any other ornamental flower, having existed in gardens 3,000 years ago.
• Floral designs, particularly of Lilies, made their appearance and became very popular in the 18th dynasty of Egypt.

All Photos: Riihele. © All rights reserved.

The oil extracted from lilies has healing and softening properties. Especially, when the lily fragrance oil is mixed with that of Calendula aka Pot Marigold works wonderful for very sensitive skin. One can use this oil for massage, in a bath, after a bath, for babies, dry cuticles, and elbows, as a facial moisturizer, under-eye oil and hot-oil treatment.

Some of the lilies are edible even such as Lilium bulbiferous ’Orange lily’ — its bulbs are edible tasting sweet and mealy; these lilies make very fair eating and can be used as a substitute to potato!! Other lilies have medicinal properties such as Lilium candidum ’Madonna lily’ — its bulb is employed for medicinal purposes, having highly demulcent and also astringent properties.

Lilium henryi ’Henry’s lily’ or as it is also known Tiger lily relieve congestion, and the nausea and vomiting of pregnancy and also, Lilium japonicum ’Krameri’ is nourishing and useful in diseases of the chest. Lilium martagon ’Martagon lily’ or as it is also called, ’Turk’s cap lily’ their bulb has diuretic, emmenagogue, emollient and expectorant properties. They are used to relieve heart diseases, pain in the cardiac region and angina pectoris.

Kingdom Plantae
Division Magnoliophyta
Class Liliopsida
Order Liliales
Family Liliaceae
Genus Lilium

Fun Flower Quizz in ere for ye.

Lilies on the menu today, for the weather is only miserable over here in Finland these past few days, being more autumn-like than spring,
I so need to think of the time when these bright yellow lilies were in full bloom in July last summer.
Although, the rain came down in buckets, it did not stop their cheerful and vibrant colours showing off at their best!

Do take good care and good cheer. Rii :))
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lily
http://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/mostpopularflowers/lilies
http://www.thelilygarden.com/pages_lilies/asiatic_yellow_2.html
http://www.thelilygarden.com/
The Lily Garden is a most marvellous site for all things Lilies.

Coming or Going …

Our weather does not know whether it is coming or going presently; that is to say if the winter is finally at its end as in the photo underneath

or if the spring has finally sprung on us and staying?!! Every other day it is winter and then the next day it is spring; and so it goes round and round week after week this year!

© Photos Riihele. All rights reserved

PICTURE PERFECT: CONTRAST

This week’s theme on

PICTURE PERFECT
is

CONTRAST

I call this picture:

FIRE & ICE!

The FLAMING HOT FIRE of the orange rising sun in the photo looks like a fireball had burst on the scene, and the contrasting extreme cold and frost on the branches and on the ground look so chill-into-your-bones ICY C-O-L-D. Brrr….

It was an extremely cold day, as it was minus 36*C or thereabouts, when I took this shot of FIRE & ICE and a selection of other similar photos in Finland in February 2007. Some of the photos were taken in the morning of that day when the sun was rising, and the others slightly later in the afternoon as the sun was setting. There is a collection of these photos in this link.

Tis for now, Rii

© All photos Riihele. All rights reserved

GALLERIA: On a cold & frosty…

Here we go round the mulberry bush,
The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush,
Here we go round the mulberry bush,
On a cold and frosty morning— AHEM — Afternoon…

Tis for now. Rii

© Photos: Riihele. All rights reserved

PICTURE PERFECT: O N E

O SOLE MIO

— Birch Leaf on Snow

– single leaf lying on snow.

This is my late entry on PICTURE PERFECT theme O N E.

It was just there on the ground, not arranged or anything.This is a photo taken by me last year in early November, when we had buckets and buckets of snow.This year we do not have that much snow – yet.

Tis for now, Riihele xx

© All photos Riihele. All rights reserved

Take care, Dear Friends and have a great weekend.

One Afternoon by a Lake…

October is the month of moody clouds,
low sunlight, and
the last colourful autumnal leaves,
barely visible on the trees.

Tis for now, Rii xx

© Photos: By Riihele. All rights reserved.

My Frame of Mind – Autumn 2007

© Photos: By Riihele. All rights reserved.

Last year around this time this was my entry with the Autumn 2006 Photos- collage of mine. I am on the recovery after the gallbladder operation so have not – yet – got this year’s autumnal pictures. Wait Finnish Nature, this Paparazzi Blonde is about to strike!!

This was the second ever autumn in me life that I have liked and actually looked forward to after a relatively good summer and toasty August BUT THE WINTER, the winter, is so l-o-o-o-n-g here and COLD! Says the Frozen Finn turning the oh-so-in fashion this year- again purple which is me favourite colour, of course – thinking positively ere now like, you know…

Michelin-man look is Go!!

In Ireland there is the rainy season and the not so rainy season and in Israel the weather is only roasting, toasting still. I have survived -44*C in Lapland so suppose I will survive the days of -30*C to come!!!

Keep warm – if You are living in temperate climes;

Keep cool – if You are living in hot climes!

Rii xx

Last of the Summer Flowers

It is the final showtime, showdown
for the flowers and plants
before the onset of autumn…

Hydrangea with a tinge of Yellow & Pink

All Pinky!

LACE & GREEN

STILL PINK

VIBRANT GREEN with WHITE LACE

Nostalgic? Yes, very much so. I am looking forward to autumn but tis the winter, the winter, that chills me right down to me blonde bones and even blonder marrow!!

Tis for now. Rii xx

© Photos: By Riihele. All rights reserved.

More of My Photos on Flickr are in this link.