When the sun is setting, between dusk and darkness, there is a moment when the light turns blue. And the world stops for a heartbeat.
It has been freezing in Espoo today: -19C. Most of the time, a temperature like this keeps me firmly under the duvet. However, I have been wanting to photograph frozen soap bubbles for years. I lured Alanna to go out with me, and we had fun playing with the bubbles. Magic in the air! But only for a short burst. The soapy liquid got too thick, and our fingers too cold.
Kiara was not too bothered by the cold. She went skating.
Eight years ago, I got to day 168 of my ‘365 project’. Then my morning sickness got the better of me, and I spent the next 7 months trying to keep my food down and my energy levels sufficiently up to continue with the absolutely necessary. In March 2018, my twin girls, Alanna and Kiara, were born. And you can imagine the rest.
Over the years, I have often wanted to restart the 365 project. But the time is scarce, and it was never the right time. It still is not. But I’ll give it another go anyway.
My project, my rules… I will take a photo daily, and will try to post as often as I can – but realistically, it will not be every day. I will take at least 30% of the photos with my camera and not with my phone (although some of my best photos are with the phone).
And maybe I’ll cheat all once in a while. I’ll try to make sure no one notices.
Drinking fountains are a great place for people-watching. I am always surprised how many people loiter around even after they have their bottles filled. Especially when there is a long queue behind them.
When I was a teenager, I played a lot of cards. We played a lot with my family, but also with friends – someone always had a deck of cards in their backpack. Somehere along the way, I learned to shuffle cards in a ‘fancy’ way. After that, it really did not matter if I won or lost – I was always considered a great card player.
Merlin is a very sociable little dog. Except when we meet big and excited dogs. They are scary… Merlin has a habit of inviting these big dogs to play – while standing between my legs (it is safer that way…). He is small enough to fit comfortably – but the other dogs are always not.
Today in the park we met a small and very bossy dog – Merlin again made a hasty retreat. Some friends are just not meant to be.
I used to have a bad habit of being late. Luckily Stuart is (possibly) the world’s most patient person. When we started dating, he once waited for me for over an hour in a restaurant where we were supposed to meet. The waiter already gave him a sympathetic ‘I don’t think she is coming, mate’… But already then, Stuart knew me well. I did come.
In recent years, I have found myself to become more and more punctual (although Stuart might disagree). What makes this weird is that South Africa as a culture is highly un-punctual (depending, naturally, on the subculture) – I remember once arriving to a house party 45 min later than the invite indicated, just to surprise the host who had just gotten out of shower. Whereas in Finland, if you arrive 5 minutes late for a dinner, you are late. And should apologise.
I guess I just always have to be different.
There is something magical about Spring Day in South Africa. In Finland, Midsummer tends to have everything but summer weather. I even remember a year it was sleeting. The same happens elsewhere in Europe. Just ask the British what is the typical weather for the Spring bank holiday… But in South Africa Spring Day is typically glorious spring weather – warm, sunny and beautiful.
Having a business breakfast outside in the morning was a great decision. The only problem was to motivate oneself to get back to the office.
Road trips are a travel of choice for Stuart and me – to my mother’s absolute surprise. When I was a child, I could not keep my eyes open for more than 3.5 min in a car – if I was lucky. I still get snoozy occasionally, but luckily Stuart really likes driving. I just try to keep my snoozing limited to the boring bits.
Road trip in Namibia is on our near-future to-do list. One needs a 4×4, but the scenery is sure to be worth it.
We had a baby shower for a colleague this morning – a lovely breakfast with all the office ladies. An event made somewhat shorter by the fact that the mother-to-be – to whom this was a surprise – went to the wrong restaurant, got stuck in traffic, and appeared 40 min late. In the meantime, there was plenty of time to take photos of the restaurant fountains.
I like shooting with very wide depth of field and push the boundaries on ‘almost HDR’ (with a single image, tho). But it is early summer and the little details are so much more beautiful than the whole.
Blue Moment 