PM discusses Russian tourist ban with Sky News

Once again Prime Minister Kaja Kallas makes several sound points when it comes to Russia. No wonder why she is considered one of the most respected and realistic leaders in Europe right now.

A time of mourning and reflection

The most senior member of my Estonian family passed away on Tuesday. My uncle Kuno was 81 years old and had his son by his bedside when he took his final breath. My uncle had an eventful life. Born during World War Two he spent several years of his childhood living in a refugee camp in Hamburg before emigrating to Australia. He became an electronics engineer, married, had three children and had a life long passion for photography. The last conversation I had with him was probably one of the best. We spoke of literature, he recommended two books to me and he spoke a lot about my Estonian grandfather. Sadly, my family circle is slowly shrinking and family gatherings won't be the same again.

My uncle Kuno with my grandmother onboard SS Dundalk Bay as they sailed to Australia from Italy.

Estonia piano to feature on new stamp in the 'Great Estonian Things' series

A new postage stamp featuring the Estonia piano will be released on Thursday as part of the 'Great Estonian Things' stamp series. This will be the second stamp released in the series that began last summer. Last year Omniva held a competition asking Estonians to submit their ideas of what they consider to be some of Estonia's greatest things and the Estonia piano was among the top ten. The stamp was designed by Indrek Ilves and will have a print run of 20,000.

The Village Swing was the first stamp released in the 'Great Estonian Things' stamp series.

The stamps can be purchased online on the Omniva website.

Day of Restoration of Estonian Independence

Thirty-one years ago today Estonia restored its independence. After fifty long harrowing years of Soviet occupation, Estonians around the world rejoiced in the knowledge that their beloved country was finally free again. Today we celebrate this historic day and give thanks to those bold Estonians who made it happen.  

Elagu Eesti Vabariik! Long live the Republic of Estonia!

The beauty of Äntu Lakes

The Äntu lakes are a group of seven lakes found in Lääne-Viru County. The bottom of the lakes are covered with light-coloured lime which, together with the surrounding nature, gives the water its beautiful hue. Such a stunning sight!

Many hiking trails can be found near the lakes making it an excellent place to enjoy Estonian nature.

Estonia to send 12 athletes to the European Championships in Munich

The European Athletics Championships will take place from 15 - 21 August 2022 in Munich, Germany. Twelve Estonian athletes will participate in the competition including high jumper Karmen Bruus who recently won gold at the World Championships. 400 metre hurdler Rasmus Mägi will not take part in the event due to injury and marathon runner Kaisa Kukk had to surrender her spot after qualifying, due to health issues.

Karl Erik Nazarov

The team:

Decathletes: Maicel Uibo, Karel Tilga and Janek Õiglane.

Marathon runners: Roman Fosti, Tiidrek Nurme and Kaur Kivistik.

Sprinter: Karl Erik Nazarov

Long jumper: Hans-Christian Hausenberg

Hurdler: Marielle Kleemeier

High jumper: Karmen Bruus

Javelin thrower: Gedly Tugi

Steeplechaser: Keiso Pedriks

Best of luck to my cousin's son Karl Erik Nazarov who won the 100m and 200m sprint at the National Championships in Tallinn in June. Fingers crossed that the Estonian team comes home with a few medals. Good luck!

Northern Lights Season Begins in Estonia

The natural phenomenon known as aurora borealis or northern lights is a spectacular sight commonly seen in Iceland, Norway, Finland and Sweden. Northern lights can also be seen in Estonia but you just have to be in the right place at the right time to see them. This photo was taken in Karivärava on August 8. Simply stunning!

Karmen Bruus wins Gold at the World Athletics U20 Championships in Cali

Estonian Karmen Bruus clears 1.95m on her third attempt and claims the world U20 high jump title! What a fantastic result! She has made Estonia so very proud!

Precious family photographs

Each week Australia's Sunday Telegraph dedicates a page of its newspaper to old family photographs. People have the opportunity to share their favourite family photos with fellow readers and take a glimpse into moments from the past. To date, I've had four family photographs published in the Sunday Telegraph, mainly to surprise my father and uncle who always read the Sunday newspaper. Last Sunday I had the below photo published and my uncle emailed me straight away to tell me he saw it. It brought a smile to his face. A few days later, a surprise came to me when a distant relative living in Sydney contacted me via Facebook to say she had also seen the photo. I wasn't aware of this distant cousin prior to submitting the picture and was very happy to make her acquaintance. I have more Estonian family in Australia than I originally thought!

If you have a family photograph you wish to share, you can email The Sunday Telegraph directly here: photo@sundaytelegraph.com.au

Estonian rye bread bakeries want to stay small - on purpose

Estonia may be one of the fastest innovators in Europe, but when it comes to rye bread, the nation steps back in time. Here is an interesting article about Estonia's beloved black bread written by Marian Männi.

An old way of saying bon appetit is “Jätku leiba!” (always have bread) because you’ll always have an appetite, but may not always have bread.

Viljandi Folk Music Festival 2022

Estonia's largest annual music festival took place in Viljandi over the weekend. The four-day event started on Thursday and saw 40 artists perform, including several international acts from Africa, Asia and the Americas. Over 25,000 people attended the concerts with many more coming to take part in the festivities. The Viljandi Folk Music Festival has been running for the past 29 years and each year has a theme. This year's theme was "Roots and Treetops" to celebrate the musical roots and to emphasize the role of young talent as promoters of tradition.

If you are like me and didn't make it to this year's festival, perhaps this video will inspire you to go next year.