365 Project – Blue Moment

Day 11: Silence in the air

February 12, 2026February 12, 2026Posted in 365 Project, TravellingTagged 365 Project, TravelLeave a comment

Finland to South Africa is a long journey. You spend 14–15 hours in the air, but once you add travel to and from the airport, check-in, passport control, layovers and everything else, the total travel time creeps closer to 24 hours. A full day.

Even though I’ve done the trip many times, I always overestimate how productive I will be in these lomg flights. In reality, I get nothing done. I might manage to watch a movie from start to finish, but that’s where my efficiency ends. And that was true even before I had the kids. Now, at best, I serve as a pillow.

Day 10: On the go

February 12, 2026February 12, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Alanna, Kiara, TravellingTagged 365 Project, Alanna, Children, Kiara, Nature, TravelLeave a comment

The girls travel well. They’ve had their fair share of long trips – partly because we genuinely love travelling, but also because they are half Finnish and half South African. Whichever half you live close to, the other one is a long way away.

Travelling is great – even if flying itself is mostly just a lot of waiting in uncomfortable seats

Day 9: Bookworms

February 8, 2026February 8, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Alanna, Family, Home, KiaraTagged 365 Project, Alanna, Children, family, Home, KiaraLeave a comment

Books are big in our family. Stuart and I read a lot. Luckily we both love Kindles, or the biggest room in our house would have to be dedicated to books.

We’ve also been reading aloud to the girls every day since they were just a few months old. We still read a bedtime story together every night, even though Alanna and Kiara are starting to read on their own.

At the moment, Kiara enjoys stories in chapter books, while Alanna loves comics. Both also enjoy good non-fiction. That part they get from their daddy.

Day 8: Ice crystals

February 7, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Finland, Makro, Nature, OutdoorsTagged Outdoors, 365 Project, Finland, Winter, Nature, MakroLeave a comment

We have a big glassed-in terrace in our back garden. When the temperature stays below zero for several days in a row, the glass gets covered in ice crystals. It looks like it belongs in the ice palace from Narnia (or Frozen, for the girls’ generation). Trying to take pictures of it is impossible, though. A photo never compares.

Day 7: Pikkunen

February 6, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Home, Kiara, PeopleTagged family, Home, Kiara, 365 Project1 Comment

Pikkunen is my teddy. I got it from my grandma when I turned 14. But as it’s the most huggable teddy in the world, the girls have claimed it as their own – even though they certainly don’t lack soft toys themselves

Day 6: Every Day Drama

February 5, 2026February 6, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Everyday objects, Home, MakroTagged 365 Project, Everyday objects, HomeLeave a comment

Big emotions are standard in a household with two seven-year-olds. At least the reasons for those emotions are (mostly)valid these days. I still remember the days when our girls could have a one-hour meltdown because their imaginary soup had carrots in it. And they did not want carrots.

And in case it’s not immediately obvious: the image is a heavily dramatized close-up of a kitchen grater.

Day 5: Water Habit

February 4, 2026February 4, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Alanna, Everyday objects, Home, WaterTagged 365 Project, Alanna, Children, Everyday objects, family, HomeLeave a comment

No one in our household is big on drinking water. We all drink at mealtimes, but between meals we just… don’t. I keep making vows to improve and often carry a water bottle around for a week or two. But nothing sticks. The girls are a little better, but not by much.

At night, however, they wake up to drink – and to alert me the moment their bedside bottle runs dry.

Day 4: Life on Ice

February 3, 2026February 4, 2026Posted in 365 ProjectTagged 365 Project, Finland, Helsinki, WinterLeave a comment

My office is in the centre of Helsinki. In winter, the streets nearby are usually quiet when I leave in the evenings. But put an ice rink there, and suddenly not even –12°C keeps kids (big or small) from appearing in hordes.

Day 3: Winter Wonderland

February 2, 2026February 2, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Espoo, Finland, Nature, OutdoorsTagged 365 Project, Espoo, Finland, Nature, Outdoors, Scenery, WinterLeave a comment

The first time Stuart visited Finland was for Christmas 2010. It was an exceptional December. Over one metre of snow blanketed Helsinki, and the city was running out of places to plough it. Parking lots and walkways disappeared under snow mountains in an attempt to keep the streets clear. The temperature dropped below –27°C the day before Christmas Eve in Asikkala, where we were spending the holidays.

Everyone kept saying how rare that winter was, but I don’t think Stuart truly understood it until we moved here. The past four winters have shown how much muddier a typical coastal winter is. Because of the sea, day temperatures rise above 0°C on more than half (sometimes two-thirds) of days in January and February. Snow melts, turns slushy and heavy, mixes with sand and dirt, and becomes cold mud. Not exactly postcard-perfect winter scenery – at least not before the next snowfall briefly covers it all again.

Therefore, even with numb fingers, a frozen-solid car, and limited time outdoors, I love these crisp, sunny, beautiful winter days. You can see the cold in the air and the way light reflects.

–10°C would be perfectly fine, though. –20°C is pushing it.

Day 2: Burning off energy

February 1, 2026February 2, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Family, KiaraTagged 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Espoo, family, KiaraLeave a comment

There is a wonderful Finnish word, mökkihöperö, loosely translated as “going a bit loopy from too much time indoors.” After a weekend mostly stuck inside because of the –20°C temperatures, the girls were definitely going mökkihöperö. And, with all that excess energy, so were Stuart and I.

The easiest solution is a half-day at an indoor playground. Alanna and Kiara are big enough to run around on their own, so I can (albeit with a lot of interruptions) sit and edit photos. Unfortunately, we were not the only ones who had the same thought. Do you have any idea how hard it is to recognize your child among 50+ others, all yelling “Mum!” at regular intervals? Luckily, it’s a big place.