To actually write about what I promised, my work life, I need to write also about these weeks when I'm not touring or gigging but working from home and wondering what to do. So, here we go, I'm offering you a sneak peek to my week at home from day to day!
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M O N D A Y
Monday was still a bank holiday so I ate a brunch out, played on my Nintendo Switch, took a nap and all that kind of stuff you do on a day off. Also I needed to fight a bit against my brain who really wanted to bring all the work tasks up that needed to be taken care of. I wrote them down and kept on playing Mario Kart.

T U E S D A Y
I started working on my to-do list as the very first thing in the morning. In the afternoon I bicycled to exercise and the weather was amazing! I could feel the summer on my face as I opened the bicycling season. It was perfect! In the evening I made schedules for the next year's teaching and played a bit on my accordion.
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W E D N E S D A Y
I decided not to do any office stuff and have a music day. I browsed through some collections of old Finnish folk music melodies to find suitable tunes for my ideas for new ENKEL repertoire. I found nice tunes but not maybe exactly what I had in mind. So I have to keep on looking! 

I have different ways to work with the traditional material. Often I have an idea of the piece I'd like to make. For example I can think of the atmosphere of the tune (sad/happy/light/heavy), length of the melody, arrangement I want to make (simple or more layered and complicated or I might have a reference from an folk music hit from 90's or something), tune type (polka, polska, mazurka or something else!) or then I have a topic in my mind it it comes to lyrics. Sometimes the suitable tune pops up from the depth of my memory and I find that the best way. It means it's kind of living tradition because I've already learned it from someone somewhere and usually those tunes also mean something to me already. If nothing pops up in my head, then I have to search from these folk music collections (in the picture) or even go to the archives. I have to admit I don't do that as often as I could, I need to get better in that! 

Sometimes I also just happen find nice tunes from the books, usually as a side product of this kind of specific search. I keep those in my idea bank and when needed, they might end up to my or my bands' repertoires! 

T H U R S D A Y
Thursday I did not feel fabulous. I had no motivation to work so I decided to do all the things I least wanted to do on my to-do list. I started with writing a funding application for a project I'm working at. In Finland we have a very good art funding system, both by the state and by individual foundations, so sometimes it's possible to get financial help to get your fabulous projects and work done! I did write the application and sent it out. I moved on to another application for the same project but slightly different topic. I also got that sent which felt like a miracle – they take so much effort always! After all this I realised I had forgotten to eat lunch and I was starving. That happens to me like always when I work from home. I mean, how hard can it be to keep your eating routines rolling? After eating I got a couple of more to-do tasks done so I decided to quit and go out to the town, just to move a bit more than between the stove and the kitchen table.
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F R I D A Y 
Today I had a lunch out with a friend (helps to remember to eat). I planed my teaching for this weekend and a bit more. I got some art on the wall of my music room – FINALLY, after two and half years living in this apartment. 
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T H E  W E E K 
It was a very average week at home. Not very fab but also not horrible. I got a lot done but didn't feel that great. Sometimes when you work alone from home it makes you not see the amount of all the work you do and you don't get the kick out of it. And then again some days you do and that's great. I love working from home and often don't want to leave the house if I have the possibility of staying. Sometimes it's just a bit boring not to share things with colleagues. 

But instead it's great that I got to share it with you now, even if it was not the most memorable and fantastic week ever! Thanks for reading and taking part to my week at home! 

Then again the next week will be something totally different. I'm heading out to Norway to tour with the Nordic harmonium project Marja-Liisa Orgelsuite! I'm looking so much forward to be on the road again! 

Have a lovely weekend folks and don't you worry if you didn't have a fabulous week – neither did I! :*

PS. Besides the actual work I've done I've been trying to tidy the apartment and get the interior design of the music room finally done. That project is taking surprisingly much space in my head as well. But I'm getting there slowly, wish me luck! Pictures coming soooon!
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First of all, thanks to everyone who's been reading and commenting on this blog already! It's been a surprise to get so much positive feedback, so thank you! I hope you've all had a lovely Easter holiday!

My April (also Easter) has been full of ENKEL! ENKEL is my trad girl power band. We played the first notes as a band in the summer of 2014 but we got the idea a year earlier. We were on a study trip with a big group and all the flights were delayed. We four ended up having coffee and playing music at the airport since there was nothing else to do in that chaos. Someone said that our relaxed traveling attitude would make the best touring band in the world and we took that as a goal from the very start. The repertoire of ENKEL is based on traditional Finnish melodies and songs and our own compositions in that style. We have wanted to really find interesting traditional material and therefore we have limited the amount of our own compositions a bit - otherwise we might get too productive on that area. :) We also wanted to be easily portable so we decided everyone can only play one instrument and it has to be small. So no harmonium or big 38-string kantele in this band! 

In ENKEL I get to work with Miia Palomaki, Maija Pokela and Iida Savolainen. Miia plays the same kind of  melodeon as I do and we've played together ever since we started in 1996. We come from the same small village and as you can count, this year we've played together for 23 years. Crazy, ha? In other occasions Miia plays also fiddle and she has the best surprising jokes rising up when you are least prepared. Maija plays 15-string kantele. She's amazing in remembering chords and arrangements and always keeping the mood up and shining! On viola we have Iida with whom I started the folk music studies the same year. Iida is crazy creative and can come up with everything from amazing fluffy outfits to beautiful posters and rich viola voices and singing harmonies. We all compose, bring material to the band and do all kinds of administrational stuff.

It sounds kind of impressive that in freelancer life you get to concentrate on one band for a month, doesn't it? Well, impressive it was. We got to do so many different things, in one month only. We played a couple of gigs, a school concert, accompanied two folk dance groups performing, made new music, had several video meetings about music video, sent and received thousands of Whatsapp-messages, made the music video and after all, had a wellness and spa day together as a band!

In Finland there are lots of performing folk dance groups. ENKEL have wanted from the very start of the band to get to co-operate with dancers also and that dream came true! We accompanied two folk dance groups at the dance event Tanssimylly. The other group Tärsky (in the picture!) had their choreography made to our music and I can't believe how touched I was to play. There was very warm and friendly atmosphere at the whole festival and people were really encouraging each other. You could see that both on and off stage, and I really had to concentrate not to cry too hard when playing. That's how touching it felt to be a part of a big moving group!
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From Tanssimylly we moved on to something different - except that it had a lot of dancing as well. We shot a music video for my composition Lempi-ihmisille (Girl Gang Quadrille). It's directed by fabulous Saara Mantyla and it will be out in the Summer. It was AWESOME. We had a stylist and a make up artist and good food and friends helping us out. Help was really needed with those fake nails. I've never ever worn anything like that and I needed to be fed and someone needed to tie my shoe laces. It was a good way to practice how to ask help which is not my strength usually, I have to say.

​I can't wait to show the world the results!!! Meanwhile you can listen to the tune on Spotify and follow ENKEL on Facebook and Instagram. There will surely be more posted about the video!
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I N  O T H E R  N E W S
my Easter has been peaceful and nice. After the video shooting day we went to spa for a whole day with the ENKEL babes. It was the most amazing idea one could have got. We got to relax together in the hot pools and saunas and didn't have to talk about work – the kind of time you need with your best friends also! 

I also fixed my bike to be ready for the summer. Hope we'll spend some time together during the upcoming months! Yesterday I wore shorts outside for the first time this year (only for a little while!). If I could, I would only wear shorts always. I absolutely love them. Also I've been eating chocolate and changed the curtains to my working room, it's almost ready to be worked at! 

I wish you all a happy rest of the Easter and sunny spring days! Hi until next time!