NordenBladet – Summer has been diverse, a lot of anguish has visited me, yet also piles of great events have come my way (the exhibition in ERM, buyout of the house, garden design, renovation, road trips, etc). The separation that stretched over several years, advocates, court-going, evaluations of real estate and dividing the property are finally done and it can be said that communication between me and my ex-partner and father of my children is currently rather normal.

Divorce is never “a pleasant event” and once you’ve lived with someone half of your lifetime it is only natural that the soul will ache for a long time, that tears will force their way out now and then and the heart feels heavy. Even when you already turned a new page in your life. Even when you found your kin spirit and feel deep honour and love toward someone else. However, in today’s blog let’s pause to talk about birthdays, lately there have been several of them! More specifically rightaway!

#1 End of July – Allan’s birthday in Taagepera castle
After our congratulations at home, I sent the children to Mõigu to their grandma-grandpa and we started off to South-Estonia with Allan for two days, so that we could celebrate Allan’s 36th birthday there. A beautiful present from Allan’s parents! We had planned a day in Taagepera Wagenküll SPA, an evening in Wagenküll restaurant, and a night in a magnificent historic palace. Gosh how I like the interior as well as the facade of Taagepera castle! This is so me! The SPA, founded on the spot lately, is also very nice, I recommend it!

(blog continues after the gallery)

Next day we drove on to Tartu. First we went to Lange motocenter to race (well, to be more precice, men were racing and we cheered them) and then we went to Estonian National Museum where I gave an interview about my art exhibition for the news program Aktuaalne Kaamera (see HERE) and for Kuku Radio (listen HERE) and then had another very proud look at our exhibition and admired the Elisheva & Shoshana products that are also available at ERM store! In the evening we headed to Kiidjärve to watch a theatrical performance named Vana klaver – Old piano.

#2 Beginning of August – Allan’s mother’s birthday in Tallinn at Elamusgolf centre
Allan’s mother celebrated her current birthday in Elamusgolf centre located underneath Vabaduse square. It’s a clever place for holding a birthday party when you also look for good entertainment for children. There are really nice minigolf tracks, discgolf, and on the spot you can also order pizza, main courses and snacks. Several hours of exciting leisure time guaranteed!

#3 Estonian Independence Day and my birthday on 20 August
My sign is also Leo like the signs of previous two birthday-people! Yay! 🙂 Still, I like to throw a party any other day than my own birthday, thus I haven’t celebrated my birthday in years… however, the joy still fills my heart when someone remembers me on a special day! In the morning Estella played the violin, Allan downright showered me with flowers – he had bought cut flowers, flowerpots, for the garden an entire flowerbed, and also cultivated blueberries! So lovely! When I looked out the window, on the table there were waiting some more flowers, shampagne and a cake from Allan’s brother’s family! At dinner time my parents came to see me, they always come even when the party hasn’t been announced… hahaa. Since I was born on 20 August, all of Estonia is celebrating with me!

#4 End of August – surprise-party for dad
We planned to celebrate father’s 78th birthday in Murimäe, in our garden, yet the summer that had lasted quite long had just ended a week earlier, thus ruining our plans. Therefore we made a last minute decision and invited the guests to my elder sister Marie’s place in Tartu. The birthday was held among the nearest and dearest, it was cozy – we went to sauna, outdoor hot tub, the pool, played cards and had a feast of good food prepared by ourselves.

Do read also my previous blog posts (all posts are available in four languages – Estonian, Finnish, Swedish and English!)

Recent blog posts:
Helena-Reet: Third tick-vaccine and plans for today
Helena-Reet: A visit to ERM in Tartu, men shaved their heads + confession: Yes, I have a new man!
Helena-Reet: Village’s Midsummer Night bonfire, second corona vaccine, and an enjoyable Saturday evening in Keila at Legends Diner restaurant + PHOTOS!
Helena-Reet: Helena-Reet: About whey protein and the peaceful beginning of the day, about the new lawn tractor, the tableware set “Ivanka”, and some more about this day…
Helena-Reet: Summertime!!! Our weekend + BIG GALLERY!
Helena-Reet: Hygge morning, a bit of advertising for our E&S hit product, badminton and today as seen through a BIG GALLERY!
Helena-Reet: The garden-inspired painting “Childhood”, yet another consumer game, a present that has to be bought out, enjoyable RMK recreational areas and top event of the week! + BIG GALLERY OF EVERYTHING!
Helena-Reet: Elisheva & Shoshana business negotiations with Kaup24, periodicals orders and consumer games
Helena-Reet: Ivanka Shoshana’s birthday VOL2, my concerns, new Arborvitae hedge + exciting guests
Helena-Reet: Children’s birthday – menu, outfit and gallery!
Helena-Reet: Liberty to plan my own time is a luxury that I love above all!
Helena-Reet: Golden keychain that will open the gates of Heaven; yesterday’s activities in the garden + mega tasty WILD GARLIC SALAD RECIPE!
Helena-Reet: Mother’s Day + Month of May activities in the garden

NordenBladet – Almost a month now since the last blog post… apologies! It is difficult to reach the standard on posting daily or every other day, as I would wish. End of June was invested into the final phase of divorcing from Margus, and early July was invested in setting up the exhibition at the Estonian National Museum. Now I am back home again and almost able to catch my breath after a while.

Today we woke at eight (indeed, I am sleeping longer lately and I believe it has something to do with my weight gain. Good appetite=good sleep, the greater is the body mass, the heavier is the sleep). Ivanka Shoshana went to the dentist yesterday and until Thursday she will be staying with her grandma and grandpa in Mõigu. Estella Elisheva just completed her football camp where she simultaneously injured her hip as well as her thumb and she is resting and recovering now.. Great timing certainly, I hope that she will still be able to play the violin at the opening event at the exhibition in ERM. The heat, which I do not object directly, is slightly cumbersome… I feel like doing nothing else except sipping icy beer, but alas, the BODY MASS! + WORK DUTIES!! keep reminding themselves at every step. Nevertheless the icy beer won this time 😀

Having finished breakfast, I made plans in the garden for today as well as this week. Next week we have the opening event for the exhibition and there are still several preparations to be done. Also the garden needs attention and I cannot but mention that the news stream on ten NordenBladet pages + OHMYGOSSIP sites is my field of responsibility… Briefly – lots of work.

Today I received my third tick-vaccine in the new Family Medicine Centre in Saku (Tiigi 19) and I even took a picture of the building! Such a nice building is our new medical centre! The next shot of tick-vaccine will now be administered in three years time.

The following activities still ahead today:

-One or two more blogs about the journey to Tartu, preparations for the exhibition “Our home witch kitchen” and the journey back to Tallinn (as always, I enjoy digressing from the main route – this time we visited also Jõgeva and Põltsamaa)
-Gardening works (mowing the lawn.. this one I will smuggle to Allan’s to-do list when he gets a minute’s break from programming)
-Finalizing the list of guests to appear at the opening event of the exhibition
-The final preparations for the exhibition (compiling the self-presentation texts for us, creating the QR codes and this and that in relation to the exhibition)
-Dinner (I plan to make fresh salad and Armenian shashlik in the oven)
-In case I have time, I should also be working on the ElishevaShoshana.com web store (upload paintings for sale) + add a brand new category where one can purchase copies of the original paintings (repros)

NordenBladet – On Wednesday I sent my youngest daughter Ivanka Shoshana (in the first two pictures) to Mõigu to her grandma and grandpa and made preparations for Thursday’s journey to Tartu. My art exhibition that is about to be held in the Estonian National Museum (ERM) will be open to the public in July and this is keeping me really busy. While this is the first individual exhibition in my life, and straight in such an honourable premise, then I am extremely anxious. I do wish everything to be perfect and I need the public to like it 🙂 And fortunately, on ERM’s side everyone is really experienced, with a history of long-term proficiency in organization of exhibitions, and they are giving valuable recommendations on their behalf and offering intellectual, physical as well as material support. Top level team! Really, I feel that I am infinitely blessed! Thank you!

We started off from Saku to Tartu on Thursday morning. As usual, we drove through Rapla and Türi, where we messed around in antiquity and vintage stores. We arrived at ERM at 14.00. We loaded off the stuff (this time I had brought most of the ceramics) and we discussed with the head of the exhibition Kristjan Raba and the exhibition’s craftsman Arvi the exhibition’s division-of-space plan. Where will we need a wall, where will we need a shelf, what goes to which wall, etc. Luckily on ERM’s side multiple craftsmen (Arvi Tragel and Tiit Sibul) will be involved, building the supportive constructions based on my draft. In the beginning of July we will set everything up and I believe that from the second week of July the exhibition will already be open!!! OMG!!!! Pinch me, when this finally becomes the reality! We have been industriously preparing for this with Ivanka Shoshana for two years (painting, and making the pottery together), and since we will also be introducing the brand Elisheva & Shoshana (see more about the brand here –> ElishevaShoshana.com), then the exhibition will be a joint exhibition for the three of us (me and my two daughters). How cool is that?! So excited!!!

I photographed the ceramics before transporting them to the exhibition, but regrettably the light was unfavourable and I was in such a hurry that 99% of the photos failed completely. I regret that I didn’t seek help from a professional photographer. But let us hope that all of the pottery will remain intact during the exhibition and that some time later I will be able to calmly take pictures of them and make them available for sale.

(blog continues after the gallery)

After the visit to ERM I first of all went to see my younger sister Hanna-Liisa at her place and then we continued on to the other sister’s place. Being in Tartu is always extra cool because there I can also see both my sisters! And indeed, I have the world’s coolest, most gifted and greatest sisters!! Allan (my new man) also had a work-related meeting in Tartu and on his way there he got into a minor accident (he tried squeezing the big Jeep through a narrow passage in the old town to get straight to the courtyard of the office and accidentally almost cut off half of the side of the car… hahaaa.. well it can happen. Luckily there is comprehensive insurance.)

That’s true, I haven’t actually told you about it yet. :// I separated from my husband and father of two children with whom we lived together over 17 years, this process was finalized about one year and a half ago. We tried saving our relationship for several years but at some point it turned out impossible. We just grew apart. Any separation is difficult and ugly and I am honest with you, this topic still is way too complicated and painful for me so that even today I do not feel ready and willing to openly discuss it at length. Briefly I can say that yes, I no longer live together with my long-term partner and father of two lovely daughters, Margus (51), and yes, now already over a year I have a very nice, loving and kind new life partner – Allan (35), with whom I am very happy together. Sometimes it seems to me that nowadays men are aging at great speed and don’t contribute a lot of effort, become lazy or just passive, and women need by their side the younger, more vital and active men! The pattern of an elderly man and youthful wife does not function in a world that we now have. It is absolutely normal that a busy and successful woman looks out for  a male partner 5-15 years younger than herself.

But back to the blog. Having visited ERM and having survived the car accident :D, we went to the store and then headed to Vorbuse by the banks of the River Emajõgi where my sister Marie lives with her new wedded husband Raido. In the evening we enjoyed the pleasures of good snacks, played poker, delighted ourselves with dining, and had a lot of fun when the men decided to shave their heads. Hahaaa. They just suddenly had that idea. And do look at this sky! Mystical!

XOXO

Do read also my previous blog posts (all posts are available in four languages – Estonian, Finnish, Swedish and English!)

Recent blog posts:
Helena-Reet: Village’s Midsummer Night bonfire, second corona vaccine, and an enjoyable Saturday evening in Keila at Legends Diner restaurant + PHOTOS!
Helena-Reet: Helena-Reet: About whey protein and the peaceful beginning of the day, about the new lawn tractor, the tableware set “Ivanka”, and some more about this day…
Helena-Reet: Summertime!!! Our weekend + BIG GALLERY!
Helena-Reet: Hygge morning, a bit of advertising for our E&S hit product, badminton and today as seen through a BIG GALLERY!
Helena-Reet: The garden-inspired painting “Childhood”, yet another consumer game, a present that has to be bought out, enjoyable RMK recreational areas and top event of the week! + BIG GALLERY OF EVERYTHING!
Helena-Reet: Elisheva & Shoshana business negotiations with Kaup24, periodicals orders and consumer games
Helena-Reet: Ivanka Shoshana’s birthday VOL2, my concerns, new Arborvitae hedge + exciting guests
Helena-Reet: Children’s birthday – menu, outfit and gallery!
Helena-Reet: Liberty to plan my own time is a luxury that I love above all!
Helena-Reet: Golden keychain that will open the gates of Heaven; yesterday’s activities in the garden + mega tasty WILD GARLIC SALAD RECIPE!
Helena-Reet: Mother’s Day + Month of May activities in the garden

NordenBladet –  Children began their summer holiday (Friday was the end-of-school year ceremony) and thus the endless chauffeuring around between Saku and the city centre ceased. We still wake up early and the days are pleasantly long. The weather has been extraordinarily sunny and beautiful and so we have spent a lot of time outside. Twice we have made it to the SPA, during the corona restrictions these were all closed.

Thursday morning I worked on several bookkeeping reports for my businesses together with my accountant and in the evening we had a little Murimäe village Midsummer bonfire. I prepared myself + grabbed from the store champignons stuffed with blue cheese, fresh tomato-sprout salad with sour cream, coleslaw salad, several packs of meat in blueberry marinade, ketchup, and for dessert some juicy marzipan plaited bun and grapes + A. Le Coq beer. For children we set up a large trampoline and seated ourselves nicely in the large open tent close to the bonfire. We chatted endlessly and there was also a lot of slandering, for that, looking back to it I am quite embarrassed. ?? I usually do not defame much, now as a grown-up almost not at all. I believe that people’s souls are sent to this world with a mission to grow, and this includes making mistakes, and when I talk about someone behind their back or say something bad about someone, then afterwards I ALWAYS feel super bad about it. Who am I to judge, comment or argue? Who am I to say bad things behind someone’s back.. as if I had too few flaws myself?! Unfortunately you cannot take back your words, so just the regrets remain, and a proper lesson is learnt. However, what concerns our little village, then we have a super nice community here and it is so nice to have a neighbour’s lady drop by every week for a coffee and for a chat.

On Friday I had my second vaccine shot (with AstraZeneca vaccine). You can read about my first vaccine shot and its side effects HERE. The second shot came without any side effects – no drowsiness, no temperature, no aches in the arm – not to say anything about the major side effects. So it is good that the shots are now done and I’ll be able to travel again some time soon. Regarding NordenBladet it is already time I visited Finland and Sweden, and I wouldn’t say no to a nice weekend at the French Riviera neither.

(read about today’s activities after the photo gallery)

Today we woke up at about seven o’clock. Since I knew that it would rain in the afternoon, we set our steps outdoors at once. The garden is so large that indeed it is not even correct to call it a garden – it is rather a plot. It has everything here – a tiny grove, a patch of meadow, and endless pockets of the yard. Wonderful! It is a real luxury to live in the countryside and to own a large plot. Then again of course this all requires work and the garden can actually consume all the time you have. I regard gardening as a hobby and as a workout, I like to “communicate” with nature, and be around nature, admire the plants, and pamper them. In warm weather I always sprinkle the plants with water, at the same time smiling to myself that now they feel so good… hahahaaa. Ok, enough of this. Today we trimmed, mowed, and weeded the garden, and we fertilized the soil in one corner, and we stirred through the compost pile with the garden fork. We added to the compost some Biolan nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium based compost awakening aid for the first time – this should speed up the decomposition process and advance the fertility of the compost soil. Now let us hope so, because our compost pile is ca 3x5m large! I’d love to create a nice huge lavender bed on the spot!

Gardening works completed, we washed ourselves, and then reserved a table in Keila at an American-style family restaurant “Legends Diner” (Paldiski Road 32a, Keila, 76606 Harju county) and went there to enjoy a two-in-one meal (late dinner and early supper). The waiter happened to be very nice and the food was excellent as always! I ordered as an appetizer the “Handmade cheese balls with house sauce” and for the main course the “Blue cheese chicken steak” (chicken fillet, grilled pineapple and vegetables, sweet potato french fries, blue cheese sauce) and for dessert the hot Caife Gaelach (Irish coffee) with sugar, Irish whiskey and cream. I also dare recommend their ribs, the “Grilled ribs” (grilled ribs, coleslaw salad, arugula, steakhouse french fries, smoky mayonnaise) and ice cream shakes! My children’s favourite is their strawberry-raspberry ice cream shake.

Hugs!

Do read also my previous blog posts (all posts are available in four languages – Estonian, Finnish, Swedish and English!)

Recent blog posts:
Helena-Reet: Helena-Reet: About whey protein and the peaceful beginning of the day, about the new lawn tractor, the tableware set “Ivanka”, and some more about this day…
Helena-Reet: Summertime!!! Our weekend + BIG GALLERY!
Helena-Reet: Hygge morning, a bit of advertising for our E&S hit product, badminton and today as seen through a BIG GALLERY!
Helena-Reet: The garden-inspired painting “Childhood”, yet another consumer game, a present that has to be bought out, enjoyable RMK recreational areas and top event of the week! + BIG GALLERY OF EVERYTHING!
Helena-Reet: Elisheva & Shoshana business negotiations with Kaup24, periodicals orders and consumer games
Helena-Reet: Ivanka Shoshana’s birthday VOL2, my concerns, new Arborvitae hedge + exciting guests
Helena-Reet: Children’s birthday – menu, outfit and gallery!
Helena-Reet: Liberty to plan my own time is a luxury that I love above all!
Helena-Reet: Golden keychain that will open the gates of Heaven; yesterday’s activities in the garden + mega tasty WILD GARLIC SALAD RECIPE!
Helena-Reet: Mother’s Day + Month of May activities in the garden

NordenBladet – Wonderful weather latery across all of Scandinavia! The weekend in Estonia was fully tropical! We enjoyed the sun and the beautiful garden! For breakfast there were strawberries and sandwiches garnered with thyme and lilac blossoms. I cut from the hedge to the vase the fresh lilacs and bought from the front of the store from a flowers-selling-grandma two bundles of lily-of-the-valley.

Then outside we went. As can be seen from some of the pictures, parts of the garden have been mowed and parts of it not. Since I have a huge plot of land, then firstly I do not always have the time to mow, and secondly I like to leave patches to the bees where they can collect honey. Ivanka Shoshana brought a blanket outside and was sunbathing, partly in the cool, and reading a book, and swinging. Estella was working out and watching some anime cartoons. We played badminton and bought a new fascinating open air game “Mölkky” made by Finnish carpenters. For two days we have been eating Karni Piri-Piri spicy shashlik. One day I was frying it on the pan and the other day we were grilling outside. Also the fresh salad to accompany the meat and the meat itself I garnered with lilac blossoms! I so much like to garner the meals (with edible plants) and serve the food beautifully on handmade ceramic tableware – it creates a special snug and homely feeling.

Yesterday I received two extra lovely compliments. First, one friend said: “You are as caring as Moominmamma, would you like to adopt me?” and secondly it was said that “Just all over, your entire home is a work of art”. It is great to hear positive feedback. The weekend was really chill! Life in the countryside is wonderful – luxury squared!

Today I am going to Laulasmaa LaSpa, and then back again on the working frequencies. Hugs!

Here you can read my other recent blog posts:
Helena-Reet: Hygge morning, a bit of advertising for our E&S hit product, badminton and today as seen through a BIG GALLERY!
Helena-Reet: The garden-inspired painting “Childhood”, yet another consumer game, a present that has to be bought out, enjoyable RMK recreational areas and top event of the week! + BIG GALLERY OF EVERYTHING!
Helena-Reet: Elisheva & Shoshana business negotiations with Kaup24, periodicals orders and consumer games
Helena-Reet: Ivanka Shoshana’s birthday VOL2, my concerns, new Arborvitae hedge + exciting guests
Helena-Reet: Children’s birthday – menu, outfit and gallery!
Helena-Reet: Liberty to plan my own time is a luxury that I love above all!
Helena-Reet: Golden keychain that will open the gates of Heaven; yesterday’s activities in the garden + mega tasty WILD GARLIC SALAD RECIPE!
Helena-Reet: Mother’s Day + Month of May activities in the garden

NordenBladet – Friday began with a nice, peaceful and long hygge breakfast. Since there are many family members waking up at various times, I laid the table repeatedly – using, as usual, the one of a kind original ceramics. What a luxury!

The menu, by and large, was the following: fresh strawberries, fresh cucumber and tomato, fresh salad, thyme and basil on top the sandwiches, boiled eggs (always the eggs from the freely kept farm chickens!), for the toast Eesti Pagar’s oat toast, Selver’s oat porridge, Piimameister Otto cottage cheese with sour cream, boiled and grated beet, for the sandwiches the choice was Rakvere Italian salami and baked liver pate with cream, Maks and Moorits’s chicken fillet ham and Valio Atleet cheese and to top it all, the coffee of course (in my case it is always the Löfbergs Lila coffee, which in this case I married with Farmi full milk). Isn’t this just the luxury and abundance manifold?! I am so grateful to be able to enjoy such a quality life, such luxury and wellbeing! My life is wonderful!

I have received the first issue of the magazine Kroonika that I ordered. I have ordered the once a hit entertainment magazine after a hundred year break for the period of three months, just to try it out. I posted HERE, that I have grown tired of reading articles online, and I wish to thumb through the actual hard copy magazines and newspapers during my morning coffee time. As the manager of one of the most read Nordic media group, in my work it is vital to be adequately informed about the work of other publications and their media channels and media outcomes – thus I permanently have in the list of either the ordered periodicals or in the shopping cart the daily dose of various Scandinavian newspapers and journals.

What else? Another shop/webstore has been added to those that sell our products! Kaup24.ee accommodates the Nordic quality brand founded by myself, Elisheva & Shoshana‘s one of the best hit products – Deep clean detox scalp care shampoo with Aloe Vera – on sale there for the second day already. Super cool, feeling so good about it!!! I avoid complaining that the process of adding the products in their system is relatively confusing and complex – more precisely a complete pain in the ass… but as you can see, the first product is up, and many thanks to the patient assistant who survived my million inquiries a la “what do I have to do next”. I will soon try to add some other products to their system. Until then, all of you that may encounter scalp issues or have to worry about fine, breaking and easily greasing hair — go ahead and buy our shampoo and you will never again need to suffer any of the hair-related problems. Really, this shampoo works miracles! This is a product that is good and that will really be of help! All these years of quality control, research, testing in several labs, and trials – it finally bears fruit! I am very satisfied!

Read additional info about the scalp and hair enhancing shampoo from our official website: ElishevaShoshana.com

The rest of the day has been spent in an athletic manner mowing the lawn, weeding the garden, and just enjoying the lovely weather. Already by 5 p.m. in an effortless manner I had gathered 15 000 steps! I love having gardening work as my workout! Super lux!

I also noticed that the thyme and oregano that I planted a month ago have stuck their noses out of the pot. I moved them to a place with more sunlight. The garden is so beautiful. Life in the countryside is so perfect, peaceful and good! Over a period of ca 15 years, today I felt a ray of hope – today this is still rather dim, but nevertheless it is the emerging, real happiness and contentment. I do believe that it is exactly the country life (life in the countryside) that will maintain the Nordic traditions and ingrained values. People who love to create something with their own hands, who – as I see it – are doing the “actual real things”, who love the country life, handicraft, gardening, animals – these are my people, these are the people that will save the world.

The day also fit playing badminton. Gosh how cool! I haven’t played badminton for so long. We bought badminton rackets and this game is really totally cool! As a child, anytime we played badminton, we used to say — nice view! Life is truly colourful, versatile, interesting and beautiful – all of this beauty and magnificence needs to be noticed! The beautiful view needs to be enjoyed at any moment in time!

Hugs! It is a wonderful view, isn’t it!

Here you can read my other recent blog posts:
Helena-Reet: The garden-inspired painting “Childhood”, yet another consumer game, a present that has to be bought out, enjoyable RMK recreational areas and top event of the week! + BIG GALLERY OF EVERYTHING!
Helena-Reet: Elisheva & Shoshana business negotiations with Kaup24, periodicals orders and consumer games
Helena-Reet: Ivanka Shoshana’s birthday VOL2, my concerns, new Arborvitae hedge + exciting guests
Helena-Reet: Children’s birthday – menu, outfit and gallery!
Helena-Reet: Liberty to plan my own time is a luxury that I love above all!
Helena-Reet: Golden keychain that will open the gates of Heaven; yesterday’s activities in the garden + mega tasty WILD GARLIC SALAD RECIPE!
Helena-Reet: Mother’s Day + Month of May activities in the garden

NordenBladet – Everyone that owns a farm yard or a larger gardening space in the countryside, knows that just now is the most beautiful time in the garden – apple trees, pear trees and cherries are blooming, lilacs are in blossoms and shortly also the peonies are opening their buds. Every garden owner can feel like the gentry, busily operating among this wealth of nature, this luxury and joy for the eye every day. The garden really is like a fairy-tale, and the lilac blossoms that are cut for the vase fill the rooms with pleasant springtime aroma.

My beautiful, semi-wild garden has already inspired me for years!!! Based on one of the apple trees, in May 2019 I also completed the acrylic painting “Childhood” (60x40cm). The painting is available for sale also at our art blog / web store ElishevaShoshana.com HERE and apparently this painting is also among the paintings that will be displayed at my exhibition in the Estonian National Museum (ERM). An image of the painting has nicely been displayed here in the gallery among other images. Every year I hang up a different ampel flower to this apple tree.

(blog continues in many parts also in between the gallery)

Acrylic painting “Childhood“
(artist: Helena-Reet Ennet, painted in May 2019)
Price tag of painting: 1800.- EUR (opportunity to also order reproductions of the original painting in different size)

Yet another consumer game! In the recent blog (read HERE) I wrote that I am partaking several consumer games (Coop’s Toyota car lottery, Eesti Pagar’s Fiat car lottery and Fentiman’s motor scooter lottery). This time I went to Selver and found one more cool consumer game, the main prize here again being a car – again Fiat 500). This winning window opens to everybody that buys Raffaello pralines during the campaign period. Well.. once again I fell victim to the advertisement and added the candies to my cart. The opportunity to win a car is indeed a wonderful alibi for buying candies. Hahaaa.

In the last blog post I also mentioned ordering periodicals. Buduaar sent in return for the order such “Pea Peenar” handmade earrings which were to be bought out (for 2.59EUR) from Saku Selver parcel machine. Really, I think the worst ad ever for any brand is to offer their products for a marketing campaign, along the process of which the recipient of the gift must buy this gift from the parcel machine. Come on?! 😀

Nevertheless, receiving presents is nice and mostly I don’t complain at all when I receive one. Any of you that has decided to send me something, do so without hesitation! I will take it all! 😀

As always, about food also… I have recently been a part-time food blogger here, inventor of recipes, and a food critic.

I will add to today’s blog post, to the food talk, also my recipe that has been tried out, the delicious oven dish recipe.

Namely, a while ago I found from Coop cold store one of Coop’s own products “Melanzane zucchine peperoni grigliati surgelati 450 g” and made up my mind to try this together with Tallegg’s chicken fillet. Preparation is easy. Put chicken into oven pot or oven dish, along with refrigerated vegetables, optionally add spices (I always add at least five or six different spices), sour cream and blue cheese, and cover the dish with water or milk halfway. It will be done in the oven at 250 degrees Celsius in ca 1h 30 min.

What else has happened meanwhile? On Sunday we went to a little picnic trip to Laulasmaa landscape protection area (at Lohusalu bay). Namely we had been invited to a birthday event that took place on RMK Meremõisa recreational area. We grilled meat and potatoes on the fire and enjoyed the beautiful sandy beaches and seaside pine grove for many hours. I used the recreational area built up by the State Forest Management Centre (RMK), for the first time in my life, and afterwards I was positively impressed! Those of you who wish to rest for free somewhere in the beautiful nature in Estonia, then it would be useful to visit their website –> loodusegakoos.ee/kuhuminna, where you can find a suitable way for active leisure (for example: study trail, hiking trail, cycling trail, off-road trail, campsite, campfire site, outdoor fireplace, forest hut, rental hut, nature house, visitor centre, information point, observation tower, rest stop, hiking option, camping facilities, wheelchair accessibility, etc).

Now, and finally the top moment of the week! Estella Elisheva’s (today 15 years old) Bar mitzvah ceremony and exam in the synagogue of Tallinn Jewish School! Well, she turned 12 already three years ago (you can read the blog about it HERE), yet this year she completed the official Bar mitzvah ritual, following the Jewish customs for that, and earned a relevant certificate. Congratulations!

That’s everything for now! Hugs!

Here you can read my other recent blog posts:
Helena-Reet: Elisheva & Shoshana business negotiations with Kaup24, periodicals orders and consumer games
Helena-Reet: Ivanka Shoshana’s birthday VOL2, my concerns, new Arborvitae hedge + exciting guests
Helena-Reet: Children’s birthday – menu, outfit and gallery!
Helena-Reet: Liberty to plan my own time is a luxury that I love above all!
Helena-Reet: Golden keychain that will open the gates of Heaven; yesterday’s activities in the garden + mega tasty WILD GARLIC SALAD RECIPE!
Helena-Reet: Mother’s Day + Month of May activities in the garden

NordenBladet – Yesterday I held negotiations with Kaup24 web store (DLB Trading Ltd) and concluded a seven-month Marketer/Seller contract, Agent contract and Data Processing contract. Heavenly grace, all in all I went through about sixty pages of a special offer package, digitally signed the material and am now waiting for the other side to sign, in order to commence the sale. And we will see in seven months time if it is worth the try to sell on this platform or not, to extend the contract or not.

I have heard controversial feedback about them, good as well as troublesome. But I have decided to experience it myself. It felt a bit spooky since the well known companies were to be rarely found there (at least in the same niche). Yet someone will always be the first.. Thus in a short while you will be able to purchase Elisheva & Shoshana items also on Kaup24 platform (from their web store)!

(blog continues after Elisheva & Shoshana product images)

Photography: ElishevaShoshana.com

Yesterday I also completed some orders for newspapers and magazines, I have grown tired of reading all of it online. It is nice to sit back, drink coffee and read an actual newspaper. I already am a reader of Äripäev and sometimes I order Maaleht but I decided to make a few more orders for a change. I thus took Õhtuleht for a month (17.90), Kroonika (18.75) and Eesti Ekspress (24.15) both for three months, and Buduaar (26.- EUR) for a year. I would like to order some foreign newspapers (Scandinavian editions) as well, but my last experience was very bad and now I don’t even know if I wish to try once more. It was years ago when I ordered journals from abroad, but since they used to arrive quite randomly and sometimes were even tied together with thread once they arrived a month later, then this wasn’t my interest any more. I had everything already read through online.

Ah yes… I thought, for a change, I could play consumer games. I went ahead with quite a few. Thus I am prepared to soon be winning two cars and a roller as a prize… hahaaa. Eesti Pagar is giving out the car Fiat500 as a prize, yet buying with Coop card there is a chance on a monthly basis to participate in the car lottery and win Toyota RAV4, and Coop also has built a Fentimans stand where the consumer is offered to win a vintage Keeway Zahara motor scooter. So I took many of everything. From Eesti Pagar we tried out Strawberry-Rhubarb lemonade, Pealinna cake and Carrot cake, and from Fentimans I bought Premium Indian tonic and Sparkling Raspberry lemonade. I like to experiment with new products and yet I recommend that at least 90% of what is on the table will be your homemade food. My motto is, the less ready-to-eat products / grocery store drinks, the better! I guess if I lived alone, I would very seldom buy anything from the groceries (I mean semi finished food products).

Now I will start compiling an exciting travel project: “Road trip from Estonia to Southern Spain through Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czechia, Austria, Italy, Monaco and France” and after that I will go to the ceramics hobby class with Ivanka Shoshana.

Have a great Thursday! Hugs!

Here you can read my other recent blog posts:
Helena-Reet: Ivanka Shoshana’s birthday VOL2, my concerns, new Arborvitae hedge + exciting guests
Helena-Reet: Children’s birthday – menu, outfit and gallery!
Helena-Reet: Liberty to plan my own time is a luxury that I love above all!
Helena-Reet: Golden keychain that will open the gates of Heaven; yesterday’s activities in the garden + mega tasty WILD GARLIC SALAD RECIPE!
Helena-Reet: Mother’s Day + Month of May activities in the garden

NordenBladet – Ivanka Shoshana had two different birthday parties this year – one on May 16, when we celebrated a joint birthday party with guests for Ivanka and Estella, and another one on May 23, the actual birthday of Ivanka. My darling is already 13 years old! And once more I made her cake, homemade banana-strawberry cookie-cake with whipped cream, the favourite dessert of the entire family. Auntie Katrin from America (daughter of my elder sister) sent her for her birthday the long desired “The Loud House” toys – Lana and Luna, which arrived in Estonia this week. Lisa, whom she also desired, was unfortunately out of sale at the Nickelodeon store. She is fond of Nickelodeon and says that when she turns eighteen she will visit the store for sure. It is great when people have desires, goals, be these then of any kind! I believe that the dreams you precisely visualize are those that lead us forward in our lives!

Most of the presents were already gifted earlier, back in May 16, so that on the accurate day May 23 she received a homemade cake prepared by me with love (I garnered it with Oreo cookies – her great favourites!) and I added a bit to the sum her dad gave her for birthday, and bought her this moment’s favourite book of hers, Andrus Kivirähk’s “Lotte from Gadgetville” part two: “Lotte and the Moonstone Secret“. Back at home when I took a closer look at the book myself, I discovered that, uh oh, the second book was actually written not by Kivirähk but instead by Janno Põldma. The illustrations are still by Heiki Ernits this time as well. A great book! The trio, Andrus Kivirähk, Janno Põldma and Heiki Ernits have written themselves in history books with their Lotte saga just as much as has the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren along with the wonderful illustrator Ilon Wikland. They have accomplished one of my personal dreams – to write a children’s book, make it into a movie, and on top of it all – create a theme park. It is an amazing achievement, I think! We went to Lotte-land with children when they were still small, actually I guess we might visit once more some time. 🙂

(blog continues after birthday pictures)

Now just look at my cat! Pandu the Cat does know how to enjoy life anytime. For the cat life is always full of luxury and joy, the cat just knows what is good and will sweep by all that which is not good. I wish I had these enjoyer-skills myself. What a luxury that would be! There are definitely some things to learn here! I often feel that I lack the skill to enjoy life. I wish to advance these skills.

Now back to daily life! Recently I have been battling with stress and depression and I feel I’m reaching a point where I perhaps cannot cope just by myself any further. I am nervous, easily irritable, and I am having panic attacks, I am saying things which I later regret, I am scared of the future, I feel responsible for things which are beyond my sphere of responsibilities, etc. NATURE and GARDEN have been the antidotes slightly alleviating my stress levels. Do a lot of physical work, heavy work, and it keeps your mind at a distance from stress – something like that… Usually I enjoy gardening, but lately I downright escape there – I tensely look for things to do to distract myself from my concerns.

Most certainly, this has had a positive impact on the garden 😀 Everything is so beautiful – simple but beautiful! I have pampered my garden lately, invested a lot of my time and energy into the garden. I see beauty in the blossoming apple tree, in the ladybird on a cornflower, in the little bee on top of plum blossoms. I am being honest with you, for me it is among the most enjoyable things when I have spent a lot of time in the garden and have completed a line of work there.. then I look at it and admire it. I do so several times, look and admire (although deep down I know that a week from now all of it will again be full of weed, and wild). This is country life. Wild, hard, simple, creative, unique.

Garden is the place where I tend to invest endless sums. The last major financial investment was arborvitae hedge. 200 new plants! Double is better! Now besides the spruce hedge there is also the arborvitae hedge around the garden! Setting the plants in place was huge work, but all worth it! The result is very beautiful and sweet!

The weekend also saw a moment with the guests… Years ago I used to work for a television magazine Nädal and did an interview with a married couple who had lived in the States, in San Francisco for many years. After the interview we stayed in contact on social media and we met once about ten years ago. Now they have again built a life in Estonia and it was good to meet them! We barbecued until the evening weather got colder and talked about everything that has been going on meanwhile! The last two pictures are from our evening (the dining table). 100% quality time!

This is all for now! Hugs!

Here you can read my other recent blog posts:
Helena-Reet: Children’s birthday – menu, outfit and gallery!
Helena-Reet: Liberty to plan my own time is a luxury that I love above all!
Helena-Reet: Golden keychain that will open the gates of Heaven; yesterday’s activities in the garden + mega tasty WILD GARLIC SALAD RECIPE!
Helena-Reet: Mother’s Day + Month of May activities in the garden