X Is For Xylem.

Xylem.

Xylem is a scientific term for vascular plant tissue that transports water and nutritients from the roots to other parts of the plant. Wood is xylem and the term comes from the Greek word for wood, xylon. The pictures are close-ups of the wood, pine, birch and oak glulam boards, used in the pieces of crude furniture I’ve made for myself. I’ve applied a mixture of linseed oil and polyurethane lacquer on them as finish.

The pine board with the Phillips head screw is the top of of my windowsill extender. With the extender I can get a second level on my window sill, so that I can grow more herbs. The extender stands on the windowsill and consists of an oak bottom board, legs and support structure of the top made of pine slats and the top itself.

The oak board with the holes is the top of a short-legged table for my laptop computer. The holes are there to help supply air for the cooling of the computer. The table is usually on top of my table/desk and I keep my music keyboard, WiFi router and miscellaneous other stuff under it.

The birch board is the top of a cabinet used for housing my plant watering equipment, Raspberry Pi stuff and paper to be recycled.

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W Is For White.

White.

Birch bark is white. The contrast with the landscape not yet green and no longer white is stark. This was taken in early April 2017 in Helsinki, from the park behind the congress and event venue Finlandia Hall towards the Linnunlaulu cliffs.

As a bonus picture (taken mid-November 2017), another birch, in a less bright shade of white and one corner of Finlandia Hall (completed 1971), designed by the architect Alvar Aalto (1898–1976), who is still, over 40 years after his death held in a very high regard about the aesthetics of his work.

However his acoustics design and construction technical choices have been criticised. The façade of Finlandia Hall is made of white Carrara marble from Italy. The marble plates will bend with time because of the climate and they have to be replaced every 20–30 years. They’ve been replaced once so far, in 1998–1999.

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Jack’s Walk

We had a lot of freezing rain over the weekend and it caused some minor damage to the trees in my neighbourhood. A few small branches down here and there, but nothing serious. I wish I could say the same about our favorite trail in the woods. Today we found major storm damage there, including three large trees, each about 25 – 30 meters high, pulled up by the roots and laying across the path. There are also several smaller trees and lots of large branches down across the forest and over the path. We went around a lot of obstacles today and in places we had to scramble up and over. This will likely cause damage to the flowers as well because people are treading off the walking path and onto the beds where the trilliums and jack-in-the-pulpit grow. We also heard a few branches cracking overhead which gave the whole place quite an eerie feel. All in all not our usual walk today.

fallen trees

Fallen tree

Uprooted tree

Uprooted tree

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V Is For Vår.

Vår.

Vår is Swedish for the season spring. In the South Coast of Finland, spring can start in March or in April and end in late May. The first two pictures are taken from Ursininkallio in late March 2018. The sea ice had started to melt. Bays and areas shielded by islands were still frozen apart from places with strong currents. However, spring progresses haltingly and some areas already thawed would refreeze and then melt again.

The third photo was taken on the eastern shore of Laajalahti in Munkkiniemi, Helsinki about one year earlier than the first pictures. The bay Laajalahti was frozen, but the ice was porous, rotten ice. There was little snow left on the ground.

The fourth photo was taken in mid-May 2017 in the park Kaivopuisto in Helsinki. Many deciduous trees were still bare but there was already green grass for barnacle geese to eat.

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Jack’s Walk

Today Jack and I drove out to the country so we could take our walk beside a pretty little river called the Thames.  It’s named after England’s Thames river, but it’s much smaller, much slower, very shallow and not fit for boat travel of any kind. Even a canoe can only go a few feet before getting stuck on a sandbar. I know about that from experience. Today, though, the water was very high with a strong current and large areas of flooding. There’s also still a lot of ice.

Thames River

Thames River

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U Is For Urban.

Urban.

This crow is an urban dinosaur. It looks for snacks at a gastropub terrace and in the bonus pictures tries to figure out what the flightless mop-heads are up to and checks the door between the shoe shop and tech store.

The pictures were taken in Keskuskatu (translation Center Street) pedestrian zone in Helsinki Downtown in Midsummer Day 2017. Very few shops or restaurants were open as most people would be somewhere in the countryside eating, drinking or attending music festivals.

Keskuskatu is in other times a much more busy place. Keskuskatu and much of Aleksanterinkatu, which is the street crossing Keskuskatu in the pictures, are heated in the winter with the district heating water returning from the buildings to the power stations. This way, no snow ploughs or salting is needed most of the time.

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Russia – The Novodevichy Nunnery

Gate Church of the Transfiguration, Novodevichy Nunnery

 

Novodevichy, corner turret

Our tour of the Novodevichy Nunnery was like stepping into a fairy tale from long ago. The complex is beautifully built with white stone set against pink and red brick in what later came to be came known as the Moscow Baroque style.  Its four corners are marked by richly decorated round turrets that tower above you. The convent has also been kept intact and unchanged since the 17th century. In 2004 Novodevichy became a Unesco world heritage site.

Main gate, Novodevichy Nunnery

Novodevichy was founded in 1524 by Grand Prince Vasily III, son of Ivan the Great. It was built to commemorate the victory of Russia over Polish and Lithuanian forces in 1514 for the town of Smolensk. The oldest building in the convent complex is the Smolensky Cathedral built in 1524 – 1525, and later renovated by Prince Vasily’s son Ivan the Terrible in the 1550’s. Smolensky cathedral was modeled after The Assumption Cathedral located at the Kremlin and because of this its architecture is different from that of any other building in the complex. Unfortunately, while we were there the building was undergoing restoration and was blanketed by scaffolding. Built at the same time as the cathedral is Prokhorov’s Chapel, which still receives prayers today.

Prokhorov's Chapel

Prokhorov’s Chapel, front view

 

Prokhorov’s Chapel, trim detail

 

Prokhorov’s Chapel, ceiling detail

 

Prokhorov’s Chapel, rear view

The remainder of the convent complex was built around the cathedral and was designed to also fully function as a military fort. The entire complex is surrounded by towering walls, in places up to 11 meters high and 3 meters thick, and it has a total of 12 watch towers surrounding the perimeter. The convent was strategically placed along the banks of the Moscow River and on the only southern access road into Moscow. Part of its mandate at the outset was to serve as a first defense post protecting Moscow, but because of its well situated location it also became a convenient military barracks and outpost. The nunnery has also seen battle. During Napoleon’s Russian campaign, French forces attempted to blow up the convent, but quick thinking nuns extinguished the fuses as soon as the soldiers left.

Novodevichy’s Protection of the Holy Virgin Temple

 

Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God and refectory, Novodevichy Nunnery

 

Chapel, Novodevichy Nunnery

Over the course of its history the convent had close ties to the Kremlin and was well favoured by the elites of Russia. Many of the nuns came from high ranking families, including the royals. This was often not the choice of the women themselves. In historic Russia, as with many other parts of the world, if a woman became troublesome it was often her fate to be sent to a nunnery. Looking around the complex I had occasional feelings that the walls were meant as much to keep some people in as they were to keep invaders out.

Residence, Novodevichy Nunnery

It has been suggested that Prince Vasily actually founded the convent in part as a way to exile his ex-wife Solomonia because she did not bear him an heir. Perhaps the most famous of Novodevichy’s unwilling residents is the half sister of Peter the Great, the Regent Sophia, who ruled Russia from 1682 – 1689. When Peter turned 17 he seized power and Sophia was arrested and forced into the nunnery. It is the Regent Sophia who ordered the construction of many of the buildings in the complex including the Church of the Transfiguration and the famous bell tower.

Novodevichy Bell Tower, undergoing restoration

 

Administration building, Novodevichy Nunnery

Novodevichy is still an operating convent, but the order is now small. The church maintains the convent mostly out of desire to preserve the site and the large number of important religious relics and icons which are housed here.

Present day nuns at Novodevichy

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Link to previous post – Russia – The Kremlin

Jack’s Walk

It’s winter around here again, complete with snow and ice. The temperature is well below zero and there is a bitter northeast wind. It’s so cold that I wore my long johns and two pairs of socks on our walk today and was still half-frozen by the time we got home. This photo is at one of Jack’s favorite stops. I call the tree Zelda the Messenger because this is where all the dogs in the neighbourhood choose to leave their pee-mail.

tree in winter

Zelda the Messenger

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