Welcome to Villa Emilia (My Woodland Garden), a photography blog with a slant towards gardening and nature. An amateur gardener and photographer, I hope to share beautiful moments with you through pictures. Let me know if you like them! ❤

Thank you for your visit.

28.4.2018

Compact camera shots: Travelling







Hello all! I have been away from the blog world because of a brief trip to Italy. To travel light, I took only my point-and-shoot camera with me. Italy was green, lush and warm and, despite the busy schedule, I managed to take about 250 photos... Don't worry, I'm not going to post them all!

Lämmin sää saapui tänä keväänä Pohjois-Italiaan etuajassa. Pikaisen käyntini aikaan päivälämpötilat olivat 25 - 27 celsiusasteen paikkeilla. Vihreys oli ihanimmillaan ja sinisateet ja koristekirsikat kukassa. Lisää kuvia seuraavissa postauksissa.



Roadside flowers



Driving in Italy can look like this...



... or like this.



Early in the morning at the airport in Milan.



Flag carrier...



Malpensa Airport is the second busiest Italian airport (after Rome Fiumicino Airport) for international passenger traffic.



The ATC tower



Vapour trails


Bye for now, Italy!



Preparing to shop...



:-D



:-P



Hello again, Finland!





16.4.2018

Favourite birds and other handsome fellows - Huhtikuuta



Turdus merula


Hello all! Above is my best (ever) photo of a (Eurasian) blackbird. In this post, there are several photos that are best-ever, first-ever or first-this-year. Some photos aren't very good, like the one of the (European) Robin below, but since it's a bird I never saw when I was a child, I'm thrilled every time I see one.



Erithacus rubecula


Jippii! Aurinko paistaa ja lumet sulavat melkein silmissä. Etelä-Suomessa taitavat ensimmäiset sipulikasvit jo kukkia. Meidän pihassa ei vielä piippoja näy... koska parhaat paikat on varattu lupiineille. Uskolliset ystävämme ovat heti valmiina kasvamaan, kun maa paljastuu lumen alta. Tämän lupiinipenkin lunta onkin sulatettu ripottelemalla hiekkaa lumen pinnalle.






Viime kesänä maahan pudonneet siemenet itävät urheasti. :)







Lupinus x regalis :)



Cygnus cygnus







Pyrrhula pyrrhula♂ and 







♥♥♥



The (Eurasian) jay is not my favourite bird (it for example raids the bird feeders, if possible)... but it is fascinating too.  "Its usual call is the alarm call which is a harsh, rasping screech and is used upon sighting various predatory animals, but the jay is well known for its mimicry, often sounding so like a different species that it is virtually impossible to distinguish its true identity unless the jay is seen." (Wikipedia)



Garrulus glandarius



Emberiza citrinella


Kerrankin sattui olemaan kamera kädessä oikealla hetkellä. Aivan ensimmäiset kärppäkuvani:



Mustela erminea in winter fur



All the animals and birds (except the swans) have been photographed through a window. By sheer fluke, I happened to have a camera in my hands when I saw this stoat moving rapidly (checking for food perhaps). Behind our house, the snow (fallen from the roof) hasn't been moved away. So below you see the animal on a snowbank just outside a window. You can also see some ash and sand we use to help the snow melt quicker.






Jouluruusut paljastuvat lumen alta.



Helleborus orientalis






An aircraft flying over us. I think there's written "Pakistan" on the belly. Trying to study the routes, I now believe it was the flight from Toronto to Karachi, which operates on Sundays. Hello, Canada! Hello, Pakistan! :) How small is the world...






A thuja has overwintered indoors. Its green leaves make me happy throughout the year.






One of the sour cherries also winters indoors...



Prunus 'Amarena Florina'


Ainakin osa viileässä talvehtineista kasveista voi hyvin. Tässä on kultasade. Aika pieni vielä. :)



Laburnum alpinum






Whooper swans are amongst the heaviest flying birds.










Coming from the supermarket, I noticed the car parked next to mine... and I just had to take a photo with my phone.



Komea savolainen autoilija



Mukavaa alkanutta viikkoa!

Have a great week ahead!



12.4.2018

Olet tärkeä - Reposted: Green and white


Suomen Mielenterveysseuran Mielinauha-keräyksellä tuetaan mielenterveyden edistämistä ja vaikeassa elämäntilanteessa olevien kriisiauttamista. Nauhoja myydään apteekeissa, R-kioskeilla ja Tokmanneilla.

Lue lisää: mielinauha.fi.






Sää on ollut aurinkoinen ja melko lämmin, ja lumet ovat alkaneet sulaa. Vihdoinkin! :) Peippoja ja mustarastaita vierailee pihan ruokintapaikalla ja autoillessa on bongattu töyhtöhyyppä. Maisema on kuitenkin vielä hyvin valkoinen ja vihreyttä odotellessa päätin postata uudelleen nämä keväiset Italia-kuvat kahden vuoden takaa.

💚 Kiitos taas ihanista kommenteistanne aikaisempiin postauksiini! Jätin kommentointimahdollisuuden auki tähän postaukseen, mutta valitettavasti en ehdi aivan pian vastavierailulle. Aurinkoista viikonloppua! 💚






The weather has been sunny and warm in the last days, but we still have much snow. That's why I wanted to post again these photos taken two years ago in Italy. April... fields and trees greening up in the Bassa Padana (Lower Po Valley). Such a blissful time!


























In April 2016, I shared these photos and collages at
"Mosaic Monday" and "Seasons" (unfortunately the links don't work anymore).


















Wishing you a lucky weekend! :)






💚 Thank you all for your lovely comments!
Lately I have much less time for fun (=blogging) than before,
but I'll try to visit you as soon as I can. 💚