Monday, April 30, 2018

It has a navel eye for seeing

The photographs were taken on April 14th at Tremanskärr swamp.

This morning I walked for 1 1/2 hours in Luukki, around lake Kaitalampi. There was dense fog, and quiet, at least until a drone started to fly on the lake, disturbing the peace.

(Posting title is from the poem Through the “I” of the Needle by Daniela Gioseffi.)

Sunday, April 29, 2018

How seemingly accidental

The photograph was taken on April 8th at Timmermalmi nature protection area.

I have got 11 1/2 hours of exercise this week, 7 1/2 hours riding the bicycle and 4 hours walking. So far this year I have got 1,711 km riding the bicycle.

(Posting title is from the poem The Needle with Both Hands by Terese Svoboda.)

Saturday, April 28, 2018

We manage to make sense to anyone at all

The photographs were taken on April 8th at Timmermalmi nature protection area.

This morning I walked for 2 1/4 hours in the north parts of Sipoonkorpi national park. There were some spring flowers, but because of cool weather the changes in the landscape are rather slow.

(Posting title is from the poem Crash Course in Semiotics by Lucia Perillo.)

Friday, April 27, 2018

Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose

The photographs were taken on April 8th.

(Posting title is from the song Me And Bobby McGee by Kris Kristofferson.)

Thursday, April 26, 2018

We know next day the scene will stand alone

The photographs were taken on April 7th in Petikko.

I have been commuting by bicycle every day this week. The commute is 15 minutes shorter than in winter, which means there is up to 30 minutes more time to do other things.

(Posting title is from the poem On the Crash of an Airliner at Takeoff by Calvin Thomas, Jr..)

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

And everything is blue for him

The photographs were taken on April 7th in Petikko. In the first I accidentally switched on the "intelligent auto" mode of the LX100, and the second was taken with my usual settings.

This morning was foggy. When I rode the bicycle through the central park, a white horse appeared from the forest, and calmly walked across the part ahead of me. At that point I was a bit unsure whether I'm awake.

(Posting title is from the song Blue (Da Ba Dee) by Eiffel 65.)

Tuesday, April 24, 2018

All the white passengers bailed out

The photograph was taken at Soidinsuo swamp in Nuuksio on April 1st.

This week I have commuted through the central park in Helsinki. I had forgotten how good it feels. And today I met horses both in the morning and afternoon while riding the bicycle. During the winter one needs to go through crowded streets and stop at traffic lights in Pasila.

Also, I realized today that this winter I didn't crash while riding the bicycle in slippery conditions. I installed studded winter tires quite early, and switched to summer tires when the spring was quite advanced already. Studded winter tires have many problems, but they are necessary when there is ice and snow on the road.

(Posting title is from the poem Crash by Elizabeth Alexander.)

Monday, April 23, 2018

From where I stand, the hub of me

The photographs were taken at Soidinsuo swamp in Nuuksio on April 1st.

I commuted by bicycle today, using the new back wheel with a Nexus 8 gear hub (SG-C6001) and the new twist shifter which came with the wheel. It was great. It still feels surprising that the gear hub is silent. With the old hub there was noise coming from the gears all the time, especially when switching.

(Posting title is from the poem Written in Stone by Oscar Williams.)

Sunday, April 22, 2018

Battered and scarred, am I seeing

The photographs were taken on lake Meiko on March 31st.

This morning I went for a walk thinking that there might be hepatica flowers to be seen. It turned out that wood anemone is also in flower, which was a surprise. The warm weather speeded up the progress of spring quite a lot. However, next week will be cool, so spring won't proceed quite as fast.

(Posting title is from the poem Flow by Jonathan Galassi.)

Saturday, April 21, 2018

Didn't know I was lost

The photographs were taken at Meiko on March 31st.

This morning I walked for over two hours at lake Myllyjärvi south of Luukki. Two white-tailed deer started running away and startled me, but otherwise it was quiet, if birds are not taken into account.

(Posting title is from the song Wake Me Up! by Avicii.)

Friday, April 20, 2018

And the world begins to fade

The photograph was taken at Slätmossen swamp in Meiko on March 31st.

I commuted by bicycle today, using the new back wheel with a Nexus 8 gear hub (SG-C6001). It turned out that the old twist shifter is not compatible with the new version of Nexus 8 gear hub: gears 1 and 8 did not engage properly. When I got home, I installed the new twist shifter which came with the wheel, and now everything seems to work properly. I'm very pleased with Taylor Wheels for packaging all necessary components together with the wheel.

So far this year I have got 1,546 km riding the bicycle.

(Posting title is from the poem The Nassau Loop Is No Longer Running by Gerard Malanga.)

Thursday, April 19, 2018

With his hand on a lever, because otherwise

The photographs were taken at Slätmossen swamp in Meiko on March 31st.

I got the new Nexus 8 wheel today, and installed it to the bicycle. The cabling is a bit different, and I may have to do part of the installation a different way, but this is good enough for now. For tomorrow the weather forecast promises sunshine, 3 °C in the morning and 18 °C in the afternoon.

(Posting title is from the poem In the Loop by Bob Hicok.)

Wednesday, April 18, 2018

Deciphered

The photographs were taken at Vaipo lake in Meiko on March 31st.

The new bicycle wheels which I ordered are still in transit. Today I had a look at the tires, and took apart the outer parts of the Nexus 8 gear hub. Maybe I should have a look inside as well, to see how a worn out gear hub looks. There is quite a lot of resistance when trying to turn the gears, so I guess the new wheel will make riding the bicycle somewhat easier than it was with the old hub.

(Posting title is from the poem Loop by Rae Armantrout.)

Tuesday, April 17, 2018

Watch, even and alert

The photograph was taken in Nuuksio south of lake Suolikas on March 30th.

Last Sunday I was planning to install summer tires to the bicycle. Then I realized that the rim of the back wheel is so worn out that it will not last long. And it didn't last long. Today I got a puncture in the rear tire, and had to pump up the tire four times on the way home. The worn-out rim is starting to come apart, and caused the puncture in the inner tire.

(Posting title is from the poem Snow in the Loop by Mary Grier.)

Monday, April 16, 2018

Faster when you turn to face it

The photograph was taken in Nuuksio southwest of lake Suolikas on March 30th.

(Posting title is from the poem And Still It Comes by Thomas Lux.)

Sunday, April 15, 2018

Forever, at the unbearable solo moment

The photographs were taken in Nuuksio west of lake Suolikas on March 30th.

I was planning to install summer tires to the bicycle today, but when I started cleaning it, I realized that the rim of the back wheel is so worn out that it will not last long. Thus, I ordered new wheels (from Taylor Wheels) for the bicycle, and if everything goes well they should arrive within a few days.

This reminds me of what happened five years ago with the back wheel I had made in a local bicycle shop. These days it is no longer humans who build the wheels, but robots, and I hope the quality is better.

(Posting title is from the poem The Eve of St. Agnes by John Keats.)

Saturday, April 14, 2018

Northward by cracked compass

The photographs were taken at Vaakkoi on March 24th.

This morning I walked for two hours, exploring the swamps and forests at Tremanskärr. It has been over five months since I last walked there, and I had forgotten some things about the landscape. During the night the temperature dropped below freezing, and snow carried a person walking in most places. One had to be careful, though, because there were deep pockets of water in some places below the snow.

(Posting title is from the poem At last, to be identified! by Rebecca Hazelton.)

Friday, April 13, 2018

The heart to its moments of sorrow and swoon

The photographs were taken at Petikko on March 178th.

Today was a fine day for commuting by bicycle, -4 °C in the morning and +10 °C in the afternoon. So far this year I have got 1,446 km riding the bicycle.

(Posting title is from the poem Bronzed by Dean Young.)

Thursday, April 12, 2018

You arrived through a forest of needles

The photographs were taken at Sipoonkorpi National Park on March 17. I discovered a new route, and got a bit lost, which was great.

(Posting title is from the poem Black Mare by Lynda Hull.)

Wednesday, April 11, 2018

I hope he saw me wave

The photograph was taken on March 11th.

I commuted by bicycle today. In the afternoon the air quality wasn't good because of dust, but otherwise it was fine riding the bicycle.

(Posting title is from the poem Art by Sydney Lea.)

Tuesday, April 10, 2018

And disappear

The photographs were taken on March 11th.

(Posting title is from the poem Towns in Colour by Amy Lowell.)

Monday, April 9, 2018

I come to stay with you

The photographs were taken on March 11th.

Today I commuted by bicycle. The road was dry, and it would have been fine to use summer tires. But later this week there will be cold nights, and perhaps some ice on the road.

(Posting title is from the poem Homage to Mistress Bradstreet by John Berryman.)