A proper goodbye

Once again I just left and didn’t say a proper goodbye. Sneeking away like a coward or leaving as if it did’t mean anything. All likes, comments, conversations and blog fellows left behind. Too late I realized I didn’t give you the final post – the goodbye you so well deserved.

One year… One year since I wrote. One year since I read your blogs. One year is a long time… Our girl is walking now and eating the same food as us. She is amazing and I love her beyond words. My year can be summerized in three words family, recovery and adjustments. Which words would you choose?

This post is written as a goodbye. Finally I have made up my mind. I feel like I am finished with My Green Nook. My life has taken a new path and things have changed. Maybe I return writing another blog some day. I will try to visit you once in a while. The funny thing is I have missed blogging and everything about it. At a time it was an addiction and I had so much fun. I learned alot by reading your blogs and writing my posts. And you deserve a proper goodbye. Thank you yadadarcyyada for showing me how it is done.

Goodbye my friends – make sure you take time to listen, feel, breath and see. Stay open minded and let your heart sing. Life has so much to offer.

 

What’s up?!

I am still alive so no need for worries. I guess my last post may have made you wonder. Motherhood has kept me busy lately. I suppose you never can realize how much a baby changes your life. Blogging is one of the things that have to step aside. Enough said about that. What’s up in my nook nowadays? I’ll give you a brief update.

Slow summer days

Daddy and Baby Girl looking at cows on pasture

We try to enjoy the summer here in Sweden and make the most of our days. We have decided to take the days as they come not planning too much. This in a mindful way so we can manage everyday life. We make small trips around in the area where we live. Sometimes having coffee by a lake or field. Other times having ice cream in the shadow of a tree in the park. We take it easy and try to save energy.

Baby girl is growing fast – soon turning four months old(!) We have begun a course in baby swimming. It is a great way to connect and communicate with your baby. And it is lots of fun for the whole family. It is a pleasure to see how she loves the water and the trust she has in us. Her big blue eyes looking curiously at all the other babies and parents. Smiling and ‘talking’ with her sweet little voice. It warms my heart and I feel like the luckiest person. Proud of being her mother and the bond we have between us. Have you tried baby swimming or some other activity with your baby?

For some mystical reason I have gained weight and have to upgrade my wardrobe a size (or two). When going through my drawers and hangers I gathered a lot of old t-shirts. People tend to give me their used once. These are great to wear at work or home. But I have too many and need to make room for baby girls clothes (which ended up on the kitchen table). I am planning a play and relax corner for baby girl in our living room. A canopy tent made of used curtains would be a neat reading nook. I thought I could use my old t-shirts to make soft pillows, a blanket or a cushion to sit on. This dream is just in its cradle there is no time making this project right now. Meanwhile I browse on Pinterest and blogs looking for inspiration and ideas. Do you got any up-cycling tips for used t-shirts?

Time is precious I need to wrap this short post up and I will do it with a picture. Not the highest quality in any way but at least a tiny glimpse. I think baby girl is about two months in the picture. Since then her back and neck have become more stable. Today it is okay to let her head be above the upper part. So she is able to look around if she wants. Mostly she sleeps onto my chest.

Me with Baby Girl in a carrier.

The Awful Truth

Most of us carry a well hidden secret we only share with a selected few. If we share it at all. What we keep inside may differ in magnitude. Some have secrets that other look upon as daily gossip others cast darker shadows. Why we feel a need to leave some things about ourself un-revealed may depend. But sometimes it is better to open Pandora’s box and let the awful truth out. It can give us relief and freedom. Like a heavy burden has been lifted off our shoulders. To show ourself completely may strengthen the bonds to friends and loved ones. So why are we so afraid?

Are we afraid we will not do in others eyes? Why is that so important? Should we not surround ourself with people who like us as we are? Or is the case that we do not accept and like ourself with the flaw our secret may be? Does it make us feel so uncomfortable we do not want to look at it even ourself?

This is a mind game I have been playing for some time. You see I carry a well hidden secret – the awful truth about myself. I keep telling myself it is not that bad and really nothing to be ashamed of. But still I cannot open up and tell, not even to all of my relatives and friends. Of course it can be wise to keep some secrets and all truths does not have to be shouted out. But my secret is not-self inflicted and does not harm anyone else but me. If someone told me my secret I would not react with anything else but respect and think the person was brave being open about it. So why is it so hard for me to just let my secret go? Some probably already have figured it out anyway. I guess it would be easy to just write it here, publish it and see what happens.

No, this it not the place or at least not the time to tell you my awful truth… I guess it is true that everyone wants to hear the truth but no one wants to be honest.

To give you a happy ending I can tell you that I have inspected my awful truth from every angle and come to the conclusion that I can live with it. And pretty much handle it with the support of the good people around me.

….including yourself

A Gardener’s Design Tips

As a gardener I believe in creativity and a personal style. I am not a fan of any boundaries. Garden design is an art form and should express the talent of the gardener or creator. But there are always the natural restrains and plants have different requirements. So knowledge and experience are valuable and necessary to succeed at least in a long-term. To arrange a garden bed is much like being a composer writing a symphony. There are some things to take into account when arranging a garden bed. In this post I share my design tips.

Basic research

First of all we got to get some perspective. Do some basic research to find out what you are dealing with. The choice of plants will be the next step after you sorted out the following questions below:

• The surroundings – look around what kind of houses or buildings and other gardens is present in the area, does the garden have a history, characteristic of the period the house and garden was built, nature which native plants grow here

• The location – what preconditions do you have taken garden zone, microclimate, soil, sun/shade into account

• The purpose – for what are you going to use the area, what is next to the garden bed, is it a place for the kids to play, a relax or a social area (like a dinner place), edible (food production), entrance/passing by

• The flow – are there other constructions, natural lines or a beautiful view to take into consideration. From where will you see the garden bed

• Maintenance level – how much work/how much time do you want to spend

• Seasonal value – when will you use the garden, which time of the year will you see the garden bed most. For example a home garden, a summer-house and a school have different seasonal needs regarding bloom, fruit and winter decoration.

Choice of plants

As you may have noticed there are some descriptions of the plants that repeat in my gardening posts. Like solitaire, ground-cover and so on. This is one way to divide plants in which is very useful when you are about to arrange a flower bed. These characteristics tell use something about how the plants grow and is vital to the composition. You may use all or pick a few depending on the purpose and look you strive for. I will describe the most common characters and list some examples to give you a picture.

Weaver, Group builder, Ground-Covering, Pop-up. Photo Credits in the end of the post.

Solitaires: Are plants with a striking feature often tall and architectural. They draw the attention and speak with capitals. These are standing by themself or in smaller groups, often of three plants.
Yucca filamentosa – Adam´s needle
Some species of Miscanthus sinensis – ornamental grass
Topairy shaped plants or bonsai

Weavers: Are airy, delicate, cloud-like plants which gently weaves themself in among other plants. Holding together and softening the structure of the arrangement.
Thalictrum delavayi – Chinese meadow rue
Knautia macedonica – Macedonian scabious
Gaura lindheimeri – Indian feather

Group builders/colonizers: Are often growing in rosettes or bouquet-like shapes creating a group of flowers. Some may slowly spread by creating new groups and become colonizers. These often make the base/mass of the arrangement.
Echinacea purpurea – purple coneflower
Hemerocallis – day-lilies
Lavandula angustifolia – lavender

Ground-covering: Rugs or matt-like spreading plants preferably quite dense. Most are low, some are evergreen with no showy flowers which can have its advantages. These makes the boarders smoother and hold the arrangement together like a rug creating an island under the furniture.
Vinca minor – dwarf periwinkle
Asarum europaeum – European wild ginger
Galium odoratum – sweet-scented bedstraw
Some species of Geranium – cranesbill
Most species of Thymus (for example Thymus serpyllum) – thyme

Pop-up plants: Often biennial or plants moderately spread by seed. These are popping up here and there making the arrangement dynamic and shifting over time.
Verbascum thapsus – great mullein
Angelica gigas – purple parsnip

This is one way to start working on a plan for a garden bed. Next time you look for plants in literature, at a nursery or garden center keep this in mind. See if you can find plants from each group.

Which tools and guidelines do you use when designing your garden or arranging a flower bed?

This post was previously published in two parts during the A-Z Challenge read the originals in K as in Kolkwitzia and Y as in Yucca. Curious about more plants? Check out the challenge by clicking the link above.

Happy Gardening!

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© The photos are licensed by Creative Commons and some rights are reserved. License Attribution 2.0. Photo credits as follows:

Knautia macedonica – Stefano
Echinacea purpurea – free
Thymus serpyllum – Kingsbrae Garden
Angelica gigas – Chris Kreussling

Shared at:

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Summer Rain and Dreams

We are fortunate to be able to stay at a relative’s house while they are on vacation. This way we get away from our apartment and get some fresh air. In return we watch the house and garden for them. For two days heavy rain has kept us indoors time which we spent together as a family. Our activities have mainly been playing and snuggling with baby girl. Finally yesterday evening it stopped raining. I opened the door to the patio. The moist air and the scent of wet soil were refreshing. The skies were still grey and the last clouds lingered. But in all it was a moment of hope and I felt content.

We wish for sunny days ahead so we can enjoy the garden and patio. Letting baby girl feel the tickling of soft grass on her tiny feet for the first time. There are some chores to take on too, like dead-heading and mowing the lawn.

It is our dream to one day live in our own house with a garden for me to grow and for our girl to play in. My hun wants a garden shed or garage for his hobbies. We use to fantasize how our little family socialize in a large hammock in the shade. Drinking homemade lemonade and eating cinnamon buns.

Today is a good day…

How has your summer been so far?

Blogger Awards

Better late than never I want to thank for the award nominations I have received. I got the honor to be a recipient of: The Versatile Blogger Award, The Neat Blog Award, One Lovely Blog Award and The Sisterhood of the World Award. I am beyond words how honored and happy this makes me. I feel flattered by the recognition and appreciate to be considered by those who nominated me. I will accept the awards and share this post with childish pride.

The Versatile Blogger Award

I had actually no idea what the word versatile meant until now. I had to look it up. I cannot put a finger exactly on why but the meaning made me glad. I guess I sometimes feel like I am all over and have to stick more to one thing. But being versatile is not so bad after all. I guess I should be grateful to be able to embrace many different things. Thank you Veronica for teaching me a new word and for the awesome award. Visit her at Wondrous Tales of a Night Owl.

• Thank the person who gave you this award.
• Include a link to their blog.
• Next, select 15 blogs/bloggers that you’ve recently discovered or follow regularly.
• Nominate those 15 bloggers for the Versatile Blogger Award with links to their blogs.
• Finally, post 7 things about yourself.

One Lovely Blog Award

This award nomination touched my heart when I read the presentation of me and my blog. I was nominated by a good-hearted woman and mom. She has continued to follow my blog even during my breaks. Supportive and always there with a sweet comment. My gratitude and thanks to Life Breath Present.

The rules for accepting One Lovely Blog Award are as follows:

• Link back to the person who nominated you and give an appropriate thank you
• Share 7 things about yourself
• Nominate 15 other bloggers and comment on their blogs to let them know

The Sisterhood of the World Award

This award I got from an old companion in a new cloak. We have followed each other from my very beginning as a blogger. We write about different topics but I think we are much alike under the surface. Thank you my fellow blogger and sister I am Sorrow the author of Journey of Compassion.

If you accept this nomination, thank the blogger that nominated you. Name 7 more sister bloggers. Usually you have to answer questions. But I want you to just tell me and your followers this:

~What have you done to improve the life of a woman in your life~

My answer:

As I always claim it all begins inside ourself. To be able to truly help someone else you have to help yourself first. One day I came to a point when I realized I got to act to help myself. And that fast if I was going to survive. I had to start living a life instead of trying to win a war I would lose every battle in. After years of hard work and a long time of change I have found my own path. This turbulent journey improved my life which made it possible for me to commit in a lasting relationship and become a mother.

🐸 7 things about me… 🐸

1. I have a weakness for pastries – I love cupcakes and everything with chocolate. Served with a cup of coffee or even better a huge latte then I am in heaven
2. I cannot walk properly in high heels and want to stand steady on the ground therefore I mostly wear sneakers
3. I am a bit quirky being weak for fun and games
4. I like clothes and get thrilled when I find the perfect outfit
5. I love colors but often end up wearing black and of course my favorite jeans
6. I often forget where I put my keys, glasses, wallet, bus ticket and so on which often is a reason to why I am late
7. I have a tendency to notice people who look lost or lonely at a party, for example. And often try to make them join the fun and relax

It will take some time to notify all nominees so have patience with me… My nominees are as follows (in no particular order):

Sisterhood of the World Award

🌍 Life Breath Present

🌍 Free Spirit Mystic of The Quirky Zen Lady

🌍 Marcia of Blogitudes

🌍 Linda of At the createaerie

🌍 Marla of Organic4GreenLiving

🌍 The Frugal Brown Witch

🌍 Darlene of Darlene Beck-Jacobson

I think the initiative of I am Sorrow to ask you to tell us one thing was very liberating. So I choose to send the question forward since I think it is in line with the award.

What have you done to improve the life of a woman in your life?

One Lovely Blog Award

💚 Tammy of My Life Abundant

💚 Lata Sunil of Hot Cup of Kaapi

💚 Danielle of Creatively Homespun

💚 Daphne of Bean & Bantam

💚 Free Spirit Mystic of If I Could Talk I’d Tell You

💚 Linda of At the createaerie

💚 Martha of Martha Magenta

💚 Megan of HEN Family

💚 Deborah of Urban Naturale

💚 The Cats and people of Katzenworld

💚 I am Sorrow of Journey of Compassion

💚 Veronica of Wondrous Tales of a Night Owl

💚 Aquileana of La Audacia de Aquiles

💚 Rhonda of Albom Adventures

💚 Archana of Spice of Life!

You were supposed to share seven things about yourself. But if you prefer you may share a quote of your choice instead.

Versatile Blogger

✏️ Gingi of Domestic Geek Girl

✏️ S.D. Gates

✏️ Randi of Beautifully Bohemian Blog

✏️ Life Breath Present

✏️ Wendy of Wendy of the rock

✏️ Donna of yadadarcyyada

✏️ Colin of A Farm, A Forest and Fizz

✏️ Yvonne of Yvonne Ventressca – Blog

✏️ Rebecca of The Ninja Librarian

You were supposed to share seven things about yourself. But if you prefer share a poem, quote or short story with us instead. As you may have noticed I did not manage to come up with 15 bloggers to nominate for this award. If you feel like I forgot you or someone else please notify me.

The quote of my choice:

The Magic 100th

This is my 100th post since I started blogging and I would love to make it special. I wish I could come up with something smashing like a giveaway or blog hop to invite you to. But for the moment I would be a terrible host and you deserve all the best. And since it would be my first party planning is essential. So let us save these kind of celebrations for later and try to make it a hit then instead of a disaster now. Any way I want to make it the magic 100th so I came up with the idea doing a summary of my time as a blogger. From my first post to what I wish for when I blow out the candles on the cake today.

When I started my blog I wrote in swedish and the name was Min Gröna Vrå (translated My Green Nook). The platform was Blogger and I did most of my marketing on Google+. My first post was Dare to Choose Life where I describe my current goals and views of life. It was published 7th July 2014 which means I actually missed my one year blogiversary(!). My first blogger friends were Aging Hippie and Martha Magenta. Via Google+ I connected with many other bloggers of which some I still see around. The Ultimate Party hosted by Tammy at Creative K. Kids where my first link up experience through which I met several nice bloggers. Tammy at My Life Abundant is one of them.

The first header image. Photo: Charlotte ©

After a while I realized blogging was my thing but Sweden is a small country and not quite there yet for bloggers (or at least not for me nor my blog). Writing in swedish made my blog limited even though a translation widget was available. I did not reach out to possible readers, followers and like-minded bloggers. I got few or no comments on the posts but great response on Goggle+. In September I got the fantastic news I was pregnant. Due to nausea and tiredness blogging was put on hold for a few months. When I felt better I had to decide – quit blogging or make a change. I gave it a shot – switched platform to WordPress and started writing in english. This I will never regret. The frog logo was next step. It would let people recognize My Green Nook in cyberspace. I kept the categories and the green thread. Some would argue my blog is too broad and I should have taken the opportunity to specialize. But my blog reflects me – I have an interest in many different areas and is more of the general type –  doing a little bit of everything.

Getting a logo

This was the start of becoming an International blogger (IBA). I met new bloggers and attended more link ups, parties and blog hops. I connected with Gingi at Domestic Geek Girl, the sweet mom at Life Breathe Present and the poet Free Spirit Mystic among others. I took part in a 1000 Speak for Compassion writing the post Compassion in Everyday Life. A topic well suited for me and my new path in life.

Fate brought me to Deborah at Urban Naturale and the weekly blog hop she hosts. There I met Small Footprints at Reduce Footprints, who sadly have taken a break from blogging. I was featured at Meet and Greet. Soon I also belonged to the CTWW-gang taking on the weekly challenges. A world of green bloggers opened up and my writing about green living really took off. Marla at organic4greenlivings is one of my fellow green bloggers.

Being green.

In April I participated in the A to Z Challenge posting one plant a day during the month. It was really hard work but fun. I connected with new bloggers many of them authors. Wendy at Wendy of the Rock, Lata at Hot cup of Kaapi and Archana at Spice of Life were three I came to follow. I made it just on the hair – 2nd May our Baby Girl was born. I came to witness the kindness among bloggers. You gave me a hand during my first stumbling months as a mom. Now I am back blogging again.

Recently I created a new category called thoughts/reflections where I will share my inner dialog. Parenthood is also a new category which obviously include my life as a mom and days with a baby. I hope you will enjoy those and continue to follow my adventures. Gardening and a sustainable lifestyle will still be important parts of my life as well as my blog. So no worries – I will stay green!

In the nearest future I will be happy to manage to publish one post a week and will focus on connecting with you instead of writing. But my goal is to publish more frequent. I would love to be a part-time blogger and really engage to it. To get my own domain is a dream I have. But it costs money and I do not earn a dime on blogging today. To take that step I would at least want to make enough money to cover the cost of the domain. We will see what the future brings…

Thank you everyone who ever set a foot in my green nook. It is because of you I keep on blogging. New visitor? Welcome, feel free to leave a comment or check my other posts. See you around!

Where would you go?

Have you ever felt that you just want to leave? To take a break to get your things together? To just be alone in peace and quiet? Or if you are more of an active person maybe rumble and jump around like it was your last day.

I guess we all feel that way sometimes. When we are winded up and have lost control or at least feel like we have. This does not mean we actually want to take a hike forever rather just get a moment to breathe and feel. To get time to ask ourself the important questions – how do I feel and what do I need? To lower our shoulders and ease the burden of everyday life. Living is not always easy and we may feel ashamed to admit it. The pressure on us to be smiling and perfect can go to our heads. The good advice of positive thinking can really cause frustration. Are we not allowed to spit and breathe fire just for one day. Not even if we do it in a closet where no one sees or hears us?

Let us pretend that we get the opportunity to just hop aboard the next train or boat to anywhere. Where would you go? Where is the place you find peace? Where can you be just you? Where can you be alone with your thoughts and recharge?

Dream for a while and create your perfect place to escape to. The place where you find comfort and calm. What would it look like – your own dreamscape?

During my various hours of meditation and relaxation I have created my own mental escape resort. This comes to hand almost daily. When I need a break and get myself together I close my eyes, take a couple of deep breathes and go there. This is my place of comfort and calm where I can recharge enough to cope a bit more. But sometimes my own mind is not giving the relief I need. This made me

think of the place I would go to (where I actually would place my body). I asked myself the question – where would you go? The terrifying answer was – I do not know. Or is it a good answer? Maybe I am exactly where I am supposed to be. Of course I am but some days I just feel that I cannot cope anymore. I cannot cope with me or being me. There is nothing wrong with the people around me or the place I am in. It is me. And where do you go when you can not stand your own company?

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Shared at:

Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop

Poo Days

Life with a newborn can be quite interesting. Since BabyGirl arrived we have poo days. These days are not necessary bad days just days when she is supposed to poo. Which usually occurs every twice or third day. We keep track in a calendar familiarly known as the poo-calendar where we write down every victorious poo. Never have poo been such a hot topic. We talk about poo even at the dinner table. But I guess it gets that way when you spend a whole lot of time working on the poo.

We massage Baby Girl’s little belly and exercise her legs to stimulate the bowel and relief gas. Every fart is a celebration and a step closer to the goal. Beside this we give her two teaspoons with canola oil every day. The hardest part with her stubborn stomach is to see the pain she goes through. She cries and gets grumpy – nothing seems to do. The sweetest thing is that between the spasms she smiles and cuddles. Yes, she is a shining happy little girl until her stomach starts again. We get relief for a couple of hours or at best a day and these are spent as family time. Every time we visit Baby Girls physician or nurse they ask about her poo and how the stomach is. So we even get to share our poo day stories with others. Sadly we forget and share this with friends and relatives too. Just ask us how things are and you get the story. If you are lucky that day is a poo day.

Want to learn more about baby massage? Check out these links for example:

Today´s Parent – Infant gas: How to bring relief through massage

Parent – How to massage a baby

Our Green Baby

We decided that we would have a green baby the day we found out I was expecting. When I say green baby I am not talking about an alien or plant. But to nurse and care for our baby in a conscious way. Minimizing the exposure of harmful substances and making as wise choices (economical, social and environmental) as possible. Letting her grow up with awareness of the environment and learn to care for the nature. To give our girl a chance to a future on a healthier planet. Can you think of a better reason to devote to a more sustainable lifestyle than becoming a parent?

Plant baby. Photo: daily sunny ©

One of the downsides not breastfeeding is the environmental issue. No food can be greener than your own milk. And sadly eco-labeled supplements are hard or even impossible to find. For instance many include palm oil which are grown on plantations known to be one cause of deforestation of rainforests. Being a threat to biodiversity and species like orangutans. This of course broke my heart to realize. Sometimes ignorance is a bliss. There are even brands which use aggressive marketing in developing countries. Promoting mothers to stop breastfeeding and give supplements instead. This in areas where clean freshwater is not available. Causing illnesses and death among newborn babies. This, sadly, makes many supplements far from sustainable.

As you may have noticed in my earlier post s and presentation I am striving for a greener living. Now I am more eager than ever but have less time and energy for research. So I am quite happy I got guidance from my sister-in-law A, other blogs and my previous findings. My green choices are hands on and not difficult to apply in the daily life with a newborn.

Cloth diapers there are several kinds and brands of them and you may choose one that suits your needs. All-in-one, two-part diapers or a hybrid between the two (aka snap-in one or AIO2). We had the opportunity to buy second-hand which made us able to try different alternatives and brands. Our favorite for now is a snap-in one diaper with a lower waist. It is very trim and comes in three sizes S, M or L. The second-hand market, via Facebook groups etc, have much to offer. And you can make real bargains. I have to confess when we got home from the hospital and during the first weeks we used disposable diapers. No one is perfect…

Cuddly Diaper. Photo: Charlotte, My Green Nook

Glass bottles for feeding instead of plastic. It reduces the risk of leakage of unhealthy chemicals. Though, I have to mention, most plastic bottles of today are free of BPA and other debated compounds. Glass bottles are user-friendly in many ways but not unbreakable. We chose a bottle with a protective sleeve which also gives a better grip. It is dishwasher safe and resist fast temperature changes. It can be sterilized by boiling it for five minutes. Spare parts as well as nipples with different flow are available. The bottle can be customized as our baby grows to adjust to change in needs.

Second-hand clothes are often softer and eventual chemicals have been washed away. We got a lot of clothes of my sister-in-law L. Her girls had worn them and she was happy to see them get used again. Since newborns grow fast and do not get too dirty the clothes look like new.

Second-hand gear allows you to save a lot of money. We got the baby carriage from my cousin in exchange for a computer screen. It was a bit worn but works and fills its purpose. He on the other hand bought it on eBay. The baby safe, for the car, we also got from my sister-in-law A. It was well used so the cover was pretty worn out but we bought a new cover. Now it looks fine.

Organic baby care is gentle to the skin and eco-labeled. Newborns do not need many products a good oil is all at start. You may even use an oil made for cooking. Avoid fragrance since it may cause allergies and asthma. And don’t you agree that the scent of baby is the best there is? I love to ‘sniff’ on my daughters head and get tickled by her soft baby hair. Use washable cloth wipes these are easy to make from used towels.

As our baby grows I have to find new ways to stay green. This progress I would be happy to share with you. Do you have any experiences from daily life with a green baby? What do you do to let your children grow up in a greener world?

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© The photo is licensed by Creative Commons and some rights are reserved. License Attribution 2.0.

This post is shared at Healthy, Happy, Green & Natural Party Hop