Echoing a Writer's Creed

"Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity or registering wrongs." –Charlotte Bronte, from the book Jane Eyre 

When I read this book for the first time, over twenty years ago, it became one of my all-time best-loved books. The line quoted above instantly struck a chord in my heart, and I also adopted it as my personal credo. The message is clear: life in this world is so short that we should not waste a moment of it dwelling on negative things and feelings. Such thoughts cannot do us good at all, but can only pull us down.

I’m not blind so as not to see the negative things around me. I’m not a robot so that I can’t feel the arrows of hurt and pain. But I’m trying to keep myself out of this unpleasant side of life, and I’d rather stay on the sunny side. I don’t  ”keep account of the injury” nor do I intentionally injure anyone. I don’t allow any bad feelings to remain in my heart, for doing so will only weaken my spirits and make me sick. I’m doing my best to focus on things that are pleasant and keep myself busy with activities that nourish my spiritual being, and other worthwhile endeavors so as not to give room for any negative thoughts and feelings. I’m always looking for beauty and the good side of everything, even in little things, in unpleasant places and in every person I meet. There are so many beautiful things to do and think of, so why should I waste my time on things that don’t benefit me at all?

Having such outlook makes me at peace with everybody and helps  keep my joy in serving my Creator and my fellowmen amidst adversities.

Charlotte Gainsbourg as Jane Eyre (1996 film version)

My First Blueberry Pie

In a country where blueberries don't grow, one may have never heard of blueberry or baked a blueberry pie, let alone tasted it. There are a few expensive bakeshops that sell blueberry pies or blueberry cheesecakes, but they use imported bottled blueberry jams, which only the affluent consumers can afford to buy. The majority of the population is not aware of the existence of blueberries.

I have read so much about blueberries and even tasted a blueberry cheesecake. I have seen bottled jams in big supermarkets. But they meant so little for me then. Now that I'm living in another country where blueberries grow abundantly, I have come to appreciate these little berries and have experienced the pleasure of picking them myself.

And of course, with  much fruits that we have gathered from the open field, I have had the chance to bake my own blueberry pie. I used the fresh blueberries that we have picked that same day. My hubby helped me up with the recipe, but I actually did the baking.

blueberry pie, ready for baking

It went well, and I felt exultant over my first blueberry pie. It tasted good, the best that I have ever tasted (hehehe...). We had it for dessert along with vanilla ice cream. A blend of warm and cold....mmm.....

blueberry pie, ready for eating

The taste of it was novel to me and it appealed to my palate.  And so the following day, I gave in to my urge to bake another pie. And with all those berries that we have picked and frozen, I can make more pies, and probably muffins, in the future.

Far From the Madding Crowd

This is not about Thomas Hardy's book, though I like that novel. I'm just using the title because I have always found this phrase so appealing. It gives me the feeling of remote solitariness and tranquility, away from the cacophony of urban environment. 

This phrase always comes to mind every time we are headed to the countryside and I see all those farm houses and lake houses scattered throughout the boundless green fields of grass, grain crops and trees. They stand there at the far end of the fields, or in the middle, and alongside the lakes. 

As I look at them, I try to imagine what kind of people live there, and how they spend their days. Are they aware of their delightful natural surroundings, and do they enjoy their beauty? Are they happy with their lives there? Don't they mind the distance that separates them from the glittery attractions of the city? Are they the ones referred to by Thomas Gray in these lines from Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard?

"Far from the madding crowd's ignoble strife,
Their sober wishes never learn'd to stray;
Along the cool sequester'd vale of life

They kept the noiseless tenour of their way."

As I see it, they may be far from the madding crowd, but they are not without advance technology. They have nice houses, cars, internet and other latest electronic gadgets, beautifully designed gardens and outdoor dining sets. It seems like those people living there are sophisticated, and yet they just love to be away from the noisy confusion of the city. They live in their own serene paradise, their kind of retreat that is far from the madding crowd.

Still, I wonder how they truly feel about living there. And I wonder how I personally feel if I live there. The stillness and the remoteness evoke in me a sense of enchantment.

Deer Sightings Along the Way

One summer day as we traveled around the countryside, a distant brown object made us turn our heads. We looked at it carefully. Was it a deer or what? We could not determine since only the upper part of the body was visible, the rest being hidden by the tall grass. I took out my camera and tried to zoom in but I couldn't really get a clear shot of it. As soon as my camera clicked, it whisked away into the forest where it apparently came from. The way it moved, it could be a deer.

And here's another sighting while on our way back from our trek to the "fjällen" - a couple of reindeers, apparently a mother and her calf. They were about to cross the road as we drove along, and we slowed down to let them pass. But they seemed scared and just stood there motionless and stared at us warily. Then the mother started to move slowly toward the other side of the road while the calf lagged behind in fear. This slow motion afforded me the chance to take this shot.

These are my first deer sightings so far. I'm still looking forward to seeing more of them, especially a whole herd of reindeers crossing the road, and to take real good pictures of them.

Unusual Flower

I was touring around one of Umeå's agricultural schools and looking at all the kinds of plants and flowers that are cultivated there when this flower instantly caught my eyes.

There was an endless array of multi-colored flowers, most of which I've never seen in my life, but this strikingly unique flower fascinated me so much. I was so excited to photograph it that I even forgot to read the label bearing its name.

To others, this may be just one of those ordinary flowers, but for me, it looks out-of-this-world.