What I Love about England.

Verdant evergreen plant growing wild (or half wild) literally everywhere.

Old darkened gates and porches – more often than not leading to private yards of the lucky upper-class people.

Funny street signs. Do you think that me laughing at this could even be categorized as the ‘famous British humour’?

Amazing old churches everywhere. So romantic, almost Gothic vibes that make you want to read ghost stories under the blanket with a warm cup of tea…

Another, really similar-looking church to the one above.

British song-making tactics and vibrant lyrics. Referring to a quite well-known case of Eleanor Rigby with the actual place which the song got its name pictured above.

Especially in Liverpool these places just exist all around. Am I the only millennial fangirl gasping when realizing that I’m actually walking on that Penny Lane!

The plant above, Lamprocapnos spectabilis, is called ‘broken heart’ (särkynytsydän) in Finnish. It’s probably one of the first cultured ones that I learned to know when I first became interested in botany as a child. I can still quite vividly remember looking up the plant from a huge gardening edition while visiting the local library as a 6-year-old or something.

Old railroads and stations almost straight out of Harry Potter! (Yes, you get all the clichés here…)

Yours,

Miah

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Freida Mo’s – Finally!

Remember the rant I had about missing out the opening weekend of a new vintage boutique the last time I was in Liverpool?

Well, I finally got there – may I introduce you to Freida Mo’s bakery, vintage and vinyl shop on Lark Lane!

The lovely garden gate invites you to step in to the small but enchanting place of everything cute.

I have to confess having a serious fan girl moment when asking in a shy Scandinavian way if I could take some pictures for my blog. The nicest owner (below) was thrilled and even accepted posing for me in one of the shots!

This is the day dress I got – placed onto the chair while I was taking all the pictures I needed.

The collection consists of selected pieces prior the 1980’s. Students like me can also appreciate the reasonable prices: with 20-30 pounds you can have an ageless piece of clothing.

The owner told me that all of the jewellery on the table is hand-made by her.

Like promised in the sign outside of the shop – there are special find for the vinyl enthusiasts as well!

You know that you have found a good place to shop when even the toilet is decorated well and according to the theme. It’s not about running your business just because of the money but because you really care about giving your customers an overall experience that will make a lasting memory.

But Freida Mo’s isn’t just about what to wear – it’s also about taking a deserved moment of rest with delicious tea and dream-like cupcake (or two).

Like my companion said, the secret in succeeding these days is not just what you sell, it’s how you sell it – otherwise, what you have to offer in the post-modern economy based on fast, disposable consumerism. I feel that it has become a time to step away from the faceless capitalism into a more community-based form of sustainable living where you know what you’re buying and from where it has came from.

Luckily there are places like Freida Mo’s who provide a sense of truly whole-hearted customer service and a unique collection of carefully selected high-quality items!

Yours,

Miah

Gasp – Vintage!

Next in the ‘Lark Lane series’ is a vintage (or even more like antique) shop called Gasp Vintage.

Even though I personally am more of a clothing freak, I’ve always found it pleasant to come and check out what kind of cool stuff Gasp has this time.

The shop is basically almost like an old warehouse full of unique finds ranging from old plane or theatre seats to small porcelain cups.

What I love about the place is its colourfulness and variety of even strange objects sometimes!

Design for the tea-lovers!

I have really wanted to get some of those reproduction retro posters but so far I’ve just been too worried that they’d get all wrinkly in my backpack. Well, maybe next time! Tell me in the comments section which is your favourite – and maybe I’ll even send it to you…

Yours,

Miah

Milo Lounge.

I’m kinda considering the possibility of starting a new ‘series’ on this blog; called Treasures of Lark Lane! since I will do loads of posts about this bohemian street located in Liverpool, UK.

One of my favourite places for tea is Milo Lounge cafe bar right at the end of Lark Lane, near one corner of Sefton Park.

After I confessed my love for the unique tables, my companion told me that originally they used to be the floor of a sports hall in a local school. Talking about recycling!

All in all, Milo Lounge  has really interesting interiors, lovely atmosphere – which is probably the main reason that the place can be absolutely full during the busiest hours.

What I love the most, is that they have a different menu for vegans and a lot of veggie options as well! In a world where getting even the basic soy milk for your latte can be a challenge sometimes, I find it almost a luxury treatment.

Milo Lounge even has a small outdoor terrace area which I didn’t know up until now! It is also a dog-friendly place; hence I can’t wait to be able to take my own furry friend to have a cup of tea (or cold water) with me…

Next on the ‘Lark Lane series’ – Gasp Vintage coming up tomorrow!

Yours,

Miah

Defying the Tides in West Kirby.

Okay. So this is the story of my first time on a train in the UK. It is also an adventure play of two hippies walking to the nearby small islands, totally defying what Google told us about the tide waves. (Not saying that it is a smart move to do this, kids!)

This little day trip we took to West Kirby beach side was actually one of my favourite adventures in a long time!

The simplicity of feeling the cool sand and warm puddles of sea water under my bare feet. The sense of absolute freedom when making the journey in what in other times is known as the bottom of the sea bed.

The colour range of the day varied from warm tones of sandy to the cold grey of the rocky cliffs:

There’s some random significant other walking there…

Near the horizon above, you can see the small village where we would’ve needed to stay if the rising tide would’ve isolated us from the shore. Luckily we had enough time to walk back to the town (and you should, of course, always make sure your schedule is not too tight before going for a walk during the low tide).

I don’t agree with philosophies (not the people who spread them) which say that culture/human and nature are somehow essentially binary and opposite to each other – or that this is the case that it ought to be in order to save the planet.

In my opinion, anthropogenic changes in different kinds of environments are probably the biggest issue that human kind has ever conducted on this planet. We are the only species capable of transforming living habitats which such a forceful speed that it’s fully in our responsibility to make a healing turn to the better, slower lifestyles. We should definitely cut down the amount the capitalist market system makes people want to consume.

But we as mammals also are a part of the biosphere so we have the right to enjoy and use natural resources – although no more than is enough to fulfil our basic needs.

So what I am hence encouraging you to do is to go out there, jump to the other side of the fence and pick those wild berries. Go out camping with your loved ones and enjoy an outdoor meal with an actual conversation around the campfire. Or just sit there under the same blanket as your significant other (friend, spouse, kid, dog…) and listen to the sound of the wind and the birds flying around. Living in the moment.

So leave your (gentle) imprint on the sand. Be grateful for even the tiniest grains of sand. Breath in the evening wind, sip your tea and make a plan how to slow down your hectic lifestyle while still making a community effort to change the whole beach for a cleaner, safer place – for all of us and the generations to come.

Yours,

Miah