I keep forgetting what actually determines a person’s worth. Is it what we achieve? How much money we make? How useful we are to others? How good we are at our jobs, how much we know, or how well we manage to keep everything together? I know the answer, of course. At least, I think … More I Always Forget What Determines a Person’s Worth
This post will be a bit longer. I have a greenhouse that I absolutely hate… A little while ago, I stopped watering it and removed almost all the tomato plants. Usually, I do this in spring (yes, I know!), but this year I was smart enough to collect the last tomatoes before cleaning everything out. … More I Think I’m Falling in Love with My Greenhouse!
Today is my mom’s birthday! Happy birthday, Mom! ❤️ Let me share a few pictures from Mom’s birthday party! 📸 We celebrated at my place this time, and it was actually my suggestion. Everyone travelled 200 km one way to be here, which makes the day feel even more special. It’s not every day that … More Happy Birthday, Mom! 🎂
The first frost is here! The temperature dropped below 0°C last night, and this morning the Mother Nature looked absolutely lovely. Everything was covered in a delicate layer of frost, turning even the most ordinary things into something worth stopping to look at. I couldn’t just leave it all there without taking a few photos, … More The First Frost of the Season
I’m not quite sure how to put this into words, but this week I’ve been feeling that AI is (not slowly!!!) taking over my job. Clients are asking fewer questions because our AI assistants are already answering them. And that’s a good thing, isn’t it? That’s what these tools are supposed to do. They help … More Finding My Place in a Changing IT World
I bought apple trees. Eight of them plus two pear trees. I hope they will arrive this year… I think I need to plant them this week. But then I read that container-grown apple trees can be planted until the ground freezes. Apparently, they don’t mind autumn planting, as long as the soil is still … More Bought some Apple Trees…
Finally, this weekend we planted the hydrangeas and roses that had been waiting in their pots for far too long. 😅 I think I originally bought three roses and one hydrangea for the girls’ name day on 22 May. And there they were, waiting patiently in their pots while I kept postponing planting them. I … More Finally, the hydrangeas and roses are in the ground!
So, I’m back! After 80 days away from work, today was my first day back. And honestly, it felt a little like starting a new job. 😉 We had a Zoom meeting that lasted more than an hour, and I realised I can’t concentrate for that long anymore. Sitting still is also surprisingly difficult! Everyone … More First Day Back… and My Brain Is Still Loading
Tomorrow, I’m going back to work after 80 days away. Eighty days! Doesn’t that sound familiar? Phileas Fogg travelled around the world in 80 days. I haven’t travelled around the world, but I’ve certainly had my own little roller coaster ride. And now, here I am, back where I started — or at least, ready … More Around the World in 80 Days… and Back to Work!
The house is looking rather hideous from the outside right now. 🙈 It all started with insulating the block sections of the house. We insulated the brick and stone walls from the inside because we wanted to preserve their original look on the outside. After all, this house was built around 1880, and those old … More Our 1880 House: One Renovation Leads to Another
There are many reasons, but mainly, it’s nature. ❤️ I was out with my phone and just couldn’t resist capturing this little moment. Sometimes you see something beautiful and want to keep it, even if only as a photo. 🙂 This week was a busy one! We had an Erasmus exchange student from the Netherlands … More Reason I live where I live
The weather is getting colder, but honestly… it is still way too warm for October. We even had 17°C at one point. Seventeen! In October. And I somehow managed to collect zucchini twice after I had already decided that the normal growing season was over. The garden clearly didn’t get the memo. The air is … More The Garden Is Waiting for Frost
Last goodies from the garden — the last corn, a few carrots and beets, a few last zucchinis, and apples. Also, was lucky to pick the last aromatic wild strawberries I seeded from the seed and autumn raspberries. Have you ever heard of Schisandra berries? Schisandra is such an interesting berry 🙂 I still don’t … More The Garden’s Last Harvest
There is something about this time of the year that makes me slow down. The mornings are darker, the evenings arrive earlier, and nature seems to be withdrawing into itself. In Latvian tradition, the period from Miķeļi (September 29) to Mārtiņi (November 10) is known as Veļu laiks – the Time of the Souls. Traditionally, … More Veļu laiks – the Quiet Time of the Year
When I went on sick leave at the end of July, I didn’t really know what was wrong. I just knew that I didn’t feel well. I was tired, struggling to concentrate, anxiety, having panic attacks, not feeling like myself, and generally felt like something was not right. So I decided to take some time … More Taking Time Off to Recover
On Cinnamon Bun Day, I embarked on my first baking adventure with an innovative recipe that uses a flour-and-liquid starter, resulting in soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls. The buttery, cinnamon-sweet filling and cream cheese frosting were delightful. Celebrating this lovely tradition inspires me to explore more variations in the future. Happy Baking! … More My First Cinnabon-Style Cinnamon Rolls for Cinnamon Bun Day
While I’m waiting for an important email, I went for a walk. Such a lovely morning walk today. Everything was covered in a thin white mist. The trees, fields, bushes — the whole landscape looked a little dreamy, as if someone had put a soft veil over everything. Autumn mornings really have something special about … More An Autumn Morning Walk
A few days ago, I experienced a rainbow. Not an ordinary rainbow, though. It was only a short piece of one, but it was wide, bright and incredibly colorful, almost like a delicate veil hanging across the sky. It didn’t last long, but for a moment, the sky looked completely different. Never seen such rainbow … More Rainbow vail
September is over. Already. I honestly don’t know how that happened. I feel like I blinked somewhere around the beginning of September and now it’s October 1. We don’t have any huge plans for October. Life here is mostly made up of the usual things — garden, house, cooking, work, trying to keep up with … More How Is It October Already?
A simple late-summer (read autumn) vegetable stew made with minced pork, zucchini, carrots, bell pepper and leek. It is an easy way to use up a generous harvest of zucchini, carrots and leeks I have. And it comes together in one pot after browning the meat. I hope you will like it!Ilze
I am waiting for an important email. And suddenly, my email inbox is stressing me out. I have around 9,000 unread emails. Yes, 9,000. Mostly spam, newsletters and subscriptions I no longer care about. I’ve lived with this mess for years and somehow it never bothered me much. Until now. When you’re waiting for one … More The 9,000 Unread Emails
Every autumn, on September 29 (today!), Latvia celebrates Miķeļi — an old harvest festival marking the transition from summer into the darker part of the year. Sometimes I think of it as our version of Thanksgiving. Not because the two holidays are actually the same. They aren’t. But there is something familiar about the idea … More Is Miķeļi the Latvian Thanksgiving?
I decided to make a garland from all my straw flowers. I’ve been collecting them from around the pool and bringing them inside to dry, and now I have a whole bunch of them sitting around waiting for a purpose. So — a garland. I want to hang it in the room and bring a … More A Straw Flower Garland to Brighten the Room
I took my raincoat and went for a walk. On the ground, I found acorns everywhere, and I thought — there must be something happening in the forest. So, naturally, I went to look. It didn’t take much convincing. A rainy autumn day, a raincoat, and a forest full of possibilities. Sometimes that’s all you … More The Forest Was Calling
There is no autumn without apples, indeed! I had to pick a few from our garden because the branches were simply too full to handle. I was afraid they would break under the weight of all those apples. So, of course, the apples came into the kitchen. And makes mess… I’ve already made quite a … More There Is No Autumn Without Apples
Back in June, I planted straw flowers around the pool. At the time, they were still small and easy to overlook. I just wanted something cheerful around the edge — flowers that could handle the sun and, hopefully, give that slightly wild, summery feeling I like so much. And now, at the end of September, … More Update: Straw Flowers
In beginning of September, I took my morning pills — don’t ask — and went to the doctor for a consultation. Since it was “after school” the kids came with us. We drove to Smiltene — about a 45-minute drive, around 60 km. While I was at the doctor’s office, the kids went to Hesburger. … More So… I Have Sleep Apnea
Today is the Autumn Equinox – the point in the year when day and night are almost equal in length. From now on, the days will gradually become shorter and the nights longer. I always find it interesting how the seasons change without us really having to decide anything. Around this time of year, I … More Autumn Equinox: A Time to Pause and Look Around
So… I finally baked it. The little Mondamin baking tin has been waiting patiently. I found the old cookbook, found the exact recipe printed on page 15, and finally had everything I needed to make the Wiener Nuss-Kuchen. Well. Almost everything. The recipe calls for hazelnuts. I used walnuts. I know. 😂 After all that … More I Finally Baked the Mondamin Cake!
Some recipes simply stay. This one has been in my kitchen since 2010. I don’t even remember exactly where I first found it, but somehow it has stayed with me all these years — one of those simple recipes that is worth keeping. These are simple oatmeal and peanut butter cookies, made without eggs. Ground … More Oatmeal – Peanut Butter Cookies
In my last post, I told you about my old Mondamin baking tin and my mission to find the cake it was actually made for. And I found it! After lots of searching, I finally came across an old Mondamin cookbook on eBay Germany. And there it was — on page 15: Wiener Nuss-Kuchen. The … More I Found the Original Mondamin Cake Recipe!
I recently found an old tin baking dish, and instead of simply putting it back in the box, I started wondering: What cake was this actually made for? The answer was hiding right on the tin. It says “Mondamin” and “Wiener Nuß-Kuchen.” I don’t understand German, but I could work out one important word — … More Old Mondamin Cake Tin
There’s something so satisfying about collecting seeds from my garden to save for next year. A little piece of this year’s garden, carefully saved for the next season. I love the thought of planting these again and watching the cycle begin all over. Ilze
This post comes with some pretty pictures of my straw flower and a little fly. Enjoy! Yesterday, I did a sleep apnea test at home. I’ve suspected for a while that my sleep isn’t really restful. I wake up tired, foggy and exhausted, even after sleeping for hours. Then I started looking more closely at … More Oxygen Drops to 76%
I think I spent years slowly breaking myself apart. Not intentionally. Just little by little. Putting everyone else first. Ignoring what I needed. Pushing through exhaustion. Forgetting the things that made me feel like me. Until eventually, I realised I had become very good at functioning — but not necessarily at living. I broke apart. … More I Broke Myself Apart
I couldn’t sleep because of the storm. It was loud. Around 2 a.m., the power went out. A lot of homesteads around us were left without electricity, and when I woke up in the morning, we still had none. And suddenly, the most important question of the morning was: What do we eat for breakfast? … More No Electricity, No Breakfast Plan
Tonight we were supposed to go to a jazz concert – 150 kilometers away from home. We had everything planned, tickets bought but then the weather changed. Not just a little summer storm with some rain and thunder. This was the kind of storm that makes your phone ring with emergency notifications — the kind … More When the Storm Says Stay Home
This is not a beautiful blog post. I’m a real person, and sometimes my reality is a struggle. Right now, I can’t sleep. I can’t concentrate. Some days, I feel like I can barely live normally. I’m trying medication. I’m trying stretching, relaxing, resting, taking things slowly. I’m trying all the things I’m supposed to … More Struggle
I love when I can make a soup using vegetables straight from my garden. There is something especially satisfying about picking what I need and turning it into a simple, comforting meal. This garden vegetable soup is somewhere between a soup and a stew — full of vegetables, easy to make, and finished with crumbled … More Garden Vegetable Soup with Feta
Sleep apnoea is a term I’m hearing for the first time, because my doctor is starting to think that this might be the reason why I’m not sleeping properly. So now I need to find out if I actually have sleep apnoea. I’ll be taking a little machine home with me (beginning of Spetember) and … More Sleep Apnoea — Apparently, We Need to Check That Too
I think I’ve finally realised I’m never going to find my recipe box. For the past year and a half, I’ve kept hoping it would somehow turn up. I’ve looked everywhere — more than once — but it’s not coming back. And that makes me really sad. It wasn’t just a box of recipes. It … More My Lost Recipe Box
Sunday was a family day — we went to visit my brother because it was his birthday! We decided to make a little adventure out of it and headed to the Purezers Nature Trail. It sounded like the perfect place for a forest walk after birthday cake and shashlik! Except… there had been a bear … More A Birthday Visit… with a Bear Warning
Love these cute and relaxed cows 🙂 Ilze
Sixteen years of marriage. ❤️ We had a plan for our anniversary: dress up a little, go out, sit in a restaurant, have a nice dinner, and properly celebrate 16 years together. But it doesn’t feel like me… or Jānis. So why do it? Instead, we ended up in the forest, hunting for chanterelles. There … More 16 Years of Marriage… and a Forest Full of Chanterelles
After all the canning was done, we packed the picnic basket and headed to the highest spot around us — a place with a tower rising way above the treetops. We had checked it out a few days earlier, and it looked like nobody ever came there. Perfect for watching the solar eclipse. Well… apparently … More Picnic Under the Eclipse
Yesterday (and today) was one of those very August days — we made dill pickles and beetroot soup for winter. And Helmī discovered the ultimate trick for peeling a mountain of onions without crying: swimming goggles! 😂 Honestly, I’m impressed. She looked ridiculous, but she was the only one with dry eyes. The winter pantry … More August Days: Pickles, Onions & an Eclipse
Today is officially the last day of my sick leave. And honestly? I’m not sure anymore what the point of it was. The idea was supposed to be simple: take some time for myself. Rest. Slow down. Let my body and mind recover. Wait for the “pills to start working.” Try to find some kind … More What Is the Point of Sick Leave?
There’s going to be a partial solar eclipse on August 12, and I’ve started hunting for the perfect place to watch it. Technically, I could just stay in my garden. Here in Gulbene, the eclipse will begin at around 8:05 pm, reaching its maximum at about 8:56 pm — and spot in my garden might … More Hunting for the Perfect Spot
Third week on sick leave. Of course, this is not exactly ideal… but I’ll survive. I hope. For now, I’m spending time relaxing and loving. And doing things I would normally never do — like making colour swatches for all my coloured pencils. Or… sorting seed packets. 🌱 Anyway, I hope you’re all having a … More Going Back to My Roots
I wandered around the garden, enjoyed the flowers, checked on everything growing… and had a little visitor — a stork stopping by for a moment. There is something magical about these quiet encounters with nature. And then I noticed something funny — my dress looks almost exactly like my zinnias! 🌸 Apparently, even my clothes … More A Slow Day
Yesterday ended with the most peceful sunset after an incredibly hot and humid day. We were hoping for rain, but it never came, so there wasn’t much relief from the heat. At 8 p.m. I made myself an iced coffee with caramel syrup. It was delicious… until I realized my personal barista (me! 😄) had … More Sunset, Coffee, and Another Step Forward
Today was supposed to be garbage collection day. I even gave the bin a little pep talk before wheeling it out. “Today’s your day, buddy.” It wasn’t. Nobody came. Then I remembered the phone call I got at the end of June from the new waste collection company. “Hello! We’ll be taking over from July.” … More My Garbage Has Been Ghosted
About a year ago, I took a fermentation course. I was so inspired, learned a lot, and came home full of plans… and then life happened. Somehow, an entire year slipped by without me fermenting a single thing at home. Renovation, work, family, gardening—you know how it goes. There was always something more urgent waiting … More Finally Putting My Fermentation Course to Good Use
I had one of those little garden moments that made me laugh. This year, my carrots are looking really nice. They grew straight, healthy, and have a beautiful bright orange color. Every time I pull one from the soil, it feels like uncovering a tiny treasure. But then I found something I definitely wasn’t expecting. … More When Carrots Decide to Hug
One of the things I love most about this time of year is bringing home little gifts from the garden. Last night, I came inside with an armful of fresh harvest – cucumbers, string beans, and everything needed for fermented food: horseradish leaves, blackcurrant leaves, and plenty of fresh dill heads. The zucchini plants have … More Little Gifts from the Garden
After my doctor’s appointment, I stopped by a little shop on the way home. I wasn’t planning to buy anything, but somehow I walked out with… another houseplant. Only after getting home did I realize what it actually was — an asparagus fern! I had no idea when I picked it up. It’s tiny, light, … More Not the Kind of Asparagus I Was Expecting
Last night, I didn’t fall asleep until 3 AM. The full moon was shining brightly outside the window. Usually, I enjoy those peaceful nights and somehow seem to sync with that quiet energy. This time, though, it was different. My mind just wouldn’t settle, and sleep refused to come. Perhaps that also set the tone … More Evening Watering in the Garden Heat
For quite some time now, I’ve been struggling with brain fog. I can’t find the right words. I forget where I put my phone. Sometimes I walk into a room and have no idea why I went there. It’s affecting my work too. I’ll read a client’s email two or three times and still struggle … More Living in a Fog: Could It Really Be That Simple?
There is something special about picking the very first cucumber from the greenhouse. They are not the perfectly straight, glossy cucumbers you see in supermarkets. One is a little crooked, another has a funny shape, and they certainly wouldn’t win any beauty contests. But to me, they are perfect. They were grown without chemicals, watered … More The First Cucumbers of the Year
A few years ago, I started a little tradition. Every Christmas, I buy myself one gift. Not something practical. Not something our house desperately needs. Not another tool for renovation. Just something that makes me smile. The first years were the hardest. I still remember how uncomfortable it felt to spend money on things that … More The Pencils I Never Thought I’d Buy
Some of the most beautiful things in a garden are the ones you never planned. My hollyhocks are a perfect example. I love them because they are completely free. I never bought them, never carefully planted them, and never designed this flower bed. They simply appeared, dropped their seeds, and decided to grow here. Every … More My Self-Seeding Hollyhocks
There is something incredibly satisfying about picking the very first zucchini from the garden. After weeks of watching the plants grow, waiting for the flowers to appear, and checking every day to see if a tiny zucchini had started to form, today was finally the day! I harvested my first zucchini of the season. It … More The First Zucchini of the Season
Yesterday, I shared one of the most magical wildlife moments I’ve ever experienced—a hoopoe unexpectedly visiting our home. I truly thought that would be a once-in-a-lifetime encounter. For more than two hours, I couldn’t stop thinking about that beautiful bird. I felt so inspired that, around 8 PM, I grabbed my camera and headed outside. … More An Evening Gift from Nature
Some moments in nature feel almost magical — the ones you dream about for years, but never really expect to happen. Today I had one of those moments. This beautiful bird is a hoopoe (Upupa epops) — or pupuķis in Latvian. Seeing one is quite rare here. There are only a few hundred hoopoes in … More A Rare Visitor: My Unexpected Encounter with a Hoopoe
There is something incredibly satisfying about making a meal where almost everything comes straight from your own garden. Today’s dinner is a simple vegetable roast with chicken. The only thing I had to buy was the chicken. Everything else was grown here at home. The tray is filled with freshly dug potatoes, sweet carrots, beetroot, … More A Roast Almost Entirely From the Garden
Some evenings are simply magical, and this was definitely one of them. The Latvian band YŪT performed in the beautiful surroundings of Jaungulbene Manor, and I can’t think of a better setting for their music. There is something special about listening to live music surrounded by history. Jaungulbene Manor, located in the Vidzeme region of … More An Evening with YŪT at Jaungulbene Manor
The original plan was simple: go out for a slice of cake and a good cup of coffee – since it was Home Cafe weekend. I had cake and coffee in the arts studio, so… .. somehow, I came home with something even sweeter—two beautiful handmade bowls that I absolutely fell in love with. They … More I Went Out for Cake… and Came Home with Pottery
After thoroughly stuffing ourselves with delicious homemade Italian pizzas, we decided that a little walk was exactly what we needed. Right next to the pizzeria is a wonderful park—although “park” doesn’t quite feel like the right word. It is more like a peaceful patch of forest, where nature and creativity blend together beautifully. As we … More A Walk Through Art and Nature
This weekend we joined the Home Café Days here in the Gulbene region, and what a lovely tradition it is. For one weekend only, farms, family homes, gardens, and small businesses open their gates and transform into cosy little cafés. Instead of visiting restaurants, you travel from place to place, meeting local people who have … More A Weekend of Home Cafés
I almost forgot to share this little garden update! More then a month ago, I decided to plant strawflowers next to our pool. I had no other pace. At the time, I wasn’t completely sure if it was the right spot, but now I’m convinced it was a great idea. The plants have settled in … More Strawflowers by the Pool
Nelle and her friend both recently earned their cycling licences, opening up even more possibilities for summer adventures. They have already discovered how much fun it is to explore by bike, and this week they set off on another little road trip together. They cycled about 14 km (9 miles) each way, making it a … More A Little Summer Adventure on Two Wheels
There it is — the rain we desperately needed! It poured heavily for about 10 minutes, then continued at a gentler pace for another 30. It wasn’t a long storm, but it was enough to give everything in the garden a lovely, much-needed drink. The timing couldn’t have been better for the girls. They were … More Nature Took Care of the Watering
Sometimes a blog post doesn’t need a big story. Today, it’s simply me in my new dress, wandering around the garden. The dress made me feel happy the moment I put it on. It’s comfortable, feminine, and perfect for a warm summer day. The kind of dress that makes you want to slow down, stroll … More Just Me and My Garden
Technology has changed incredibly fast. I grew up with dial-up internet, simple mobile phones, and film cameras. Today, AI can write, draw, and help solve complex problems. So what will technology look like in 20 years? I don’t dream about flying cars. I think we’ll simply make today’s technology even smarter. Artificial intelligence will probably … More AI Is Making Us Dumber
We had terrible winds, so we decided to escape to Salacgrīva this weekend. We had problem, the road was blocked, but we know other way around. In Salacgriva I think I almost melted. The weather was absolutely beautiful… if you’re a lizard. The sun was so strong that even standing still felt like an activity … More A Summer Weekend in Salacgrīva
Yesterday I wandered around the garden with a basket in one hand and a cup of tea in the other, just checking on how everything is doing. I was happy to discover that my mint hasn’t started blooming yet. That means it’s still the perfect time to harvest it for tea. I always try to … More A Little Tour Around the Garden
Yesterday evening we had dinner with a beautiful view. The weather was calm, the kind of evening that makes you want to stay outside just a little longer. After dinner, I wandered over to the vegetable garden with a handful of seed packets. It might be July, but there’s still time to sow a few … More A Little Bit of Hope for Autumn
It’s been a while since I last opened my watercolor paints. I wouldn’t call myself a watercolor artist. Most of the time I have no idea what I’m doing, and if I’m completely honest… I’m not very good at it. But every now and then I stumble across a subject that somehow works, and that … More Back to Watercolors
Yesterday evening, Jānis and I declared it a sushi night. No special occasion. Just one of those evenings when neither of us felt like cooking, and sushi sounded like exactly the right idea. Sometimes the simplest plans turn into the nicest memories. After dinner, we went for a walk. The weather couldn’t quite decide what … More Sushi, Storm Clouds, and a Stork
Summer is officially half way through, and with it comes the fleeting magic of the last peony blooms. A few days ago, I visited Jānis’ mother’s garden to gather the very last of her magnificent peonies. There is something heartbreakingly beautiful about the final flowers of the season—they feel like a quiet farewell to summer’s … More Summer in a Gravy Boat: Peonies & Foraged Bilberries
There has always been one wildflower that has felt a little more special to me than all the others. In Latvian, it’s called ilzītes. My name is Ilze, and ilzīte is the affectionate, diminutive form of it—the kind of name someone uses with warmth and kindness. Ever since I was little, I’ve loved the fact … More The Little Flower That Shares My Name
Lately, I’ve been eating peas every time I walk outside. It’s become my little summer ritual. I’ll step away from my computer for a few minutes, wander into the garden, and pick a handful of fresh peas straight from the vines. They’re sweet, crisp, and somehow taste even better because they come with a short … More Stealing a Few Minutes
In the age of AI, my favorite bloggers are the people who write about their own lives. I love reading about ordinary days, gardens, family traditions, travels, and little moments that no AI could ever truly experience or tell. It’s raining. And I love it. Everything looks greener after just a few hours of steady … More Rainy Sunday
Today felt like one of those summer days spent almost entirely in the car. We got up early to pick up our youngest daughter from CampIT, where she had spent the past week. She had such a wonderful time! It’s an IT camp with exactly the kind of attitude I love—encouraging curiosity, creativity, and hands-on … More A Day on the Road
June is one of my favourite months in the vegetable garden. Everything suddenly seems to wake up and start growing faster every single day. The leeks are getting bigger and stronger now. They still have a long way to go before harvest, but it’s always satisfying to see them thriving after such a slow start. … More Garden in July
This year, I decided to try something a little different. We tipped the hay rolls onto their flat sides, covered them with a layer of compost, and planted cucumbers and pumpkins right on top. The hay underneath should slowly break down, helping to retain moisture while feeding the plants over time. So far, I have … More A Little Gardening Experiment with Hay Rolls
It’s so hot here in Latvia today — +29°C (84°F for my USA friends). I don’t think I’m built for this kind of heat! 🥵 On the bright side, it’s the perfect weather for everyone who needs to cut the grass and make hay. ☀️ This evening, the temperature finally dropped to +20°C (68°F), and … More Heat, Hay, Sweet Peas & a Friendly Stork
This morning, before I even picked up the watering can, something caught my eye on the greenhouse floor. A snake skin. For a second, I just stood there looking at it. It was much bigger than the one I found last year. Last summer, I only noticed the old skin after I had already watered … More A Snake Has Been Visiting My Greenhouse Again
I’m sorry for being a little quiet here lately. I actually have plenty of stories waiting to be shared. Photos to sort through, little adventures to write about, recipes, nature walks, and moments from everyday life. The only thing I’m missing is time. Life has been moving quickly, and by the end of the day, … More A Quiet Sunday Beneath the Apple Tree
Can’t wait to eat first peas Ilze
It’s peony season again. My mother-in-law has so many different peonies growing in her garden. Every year they put on a beautiful display, but this year one flower completely surprised me. My daughter brought me a single yellow peony. I had never seen a yellow peony before. Pink ones in every shade? Yes. White and … More A Yellow Peony
Four years ago, I made dozens of beeswax candles. Most of the beeswax I used was bought from my friend Aija, but until this Līgo, I had never actually seen where it came from. I absolutely loved visiting this place. Surrounded by nature, this is where Aija brings the honey frames after the harvest. Here … More Where My Beeswax Once Came From
I’m still not quite ready to leave our Līgo memories behind. ❤️ There were so many little moments that made the celebration special. Nelle had her own little photoshoot around the abandoned houses, where she looked right at home exploring every corner. She made two new furry friends, had plenty of fun, and even decided … More Still Sharing Our Līgo Celebration
This year’s Līgo was wonderfully simple. We celebrated right next to the Baltic Sea, listening to the waves, watching the sunset, and enjoying time together as a family. No big plans, no rush—just fresh sea air, good food, laughter, and the feeling that sometimes the simplest celebrations are the ones we remember the longest. I … More A Simple Līgo by the Baltic Sea
Today is Līgo, one of the most special days of the year here in Latvia. This year we decided to celebrate it a little differently. We packed the car, gathered the kids, and set off on a journey across almost the entire country to visit our godson (krustdēls, as we say in Latvia). The drive … More A Līgo Journey to the Baltic Sea
Around the summer solstice, when the days are at their longest, it’s time for one of my favorite little traditions – collecting wildflowers for tea. The exact timing depends on the weather. Some years the flowers bloom a little earlier, and some years a little later. This year, after a few days of hot sunshine … More A Solstice Tradition: Gathering Tea
I was inspired by my blogging friend Maria from Sweden and her beautiful post about lake to share what my brother is up to right now. As I’m writing this, he’s somewhere deep in the Swedish wilderness, completely off-grid. Tents, campfires, no electricity… no extras … just nature. This isn’t a one-time adventure either. He … More Off-Grid in Sweden: Chasing Wild Salmon
This is a wild animal. No one feeds it. No one pets it. No one tucks it into a cozy bed at night. And yet… I have to admit, I would absolutely love to give this adorable European hare a cuddle. 😊 Of course, I won’t. Wild animals should stay wild, and that’s exactly how … More A Wild Visitor I Always Love to See
From Monday until Thursday, I felt completely overwhelmed. I won’t go into details about work or what exactly was happening because that’s not really the point. Some weeks are simply heavier than others. The funny thing is that I refuse to work late. Once my workday is over, I close my laptop and I don’t … More Romanticising the Crazy Workweek
On This Day 2020. Ilze
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