I met a friend for dinner tonight. We didn’t stay late – and therefore it took me by surprise how early it gets dark. Again.
Winter is coming.
Day 224: City In The Dark
Category: 365 Project
Day 223: Blue Moment
Catching (almost) the blue moment among all the blue houses.
Very appropriate for this blog.
Day 222: Murals
Alanna’s comic school is in a neighborhood called Karakallio. It’s a bit of a drive, so it makes sense for me to wait there for Alanna to be done. I typically spend at least part of the time walking around the neighborhood.
The most interesting part of the area is the large-scale murals decorating houses here and there.
It’s like a treasure hunt. Suburban version.
Day 221: Change of Season
It’s that time if the year when the autumn just crashes in. Right now, the majority of leaves are still green. The trees are yellow only in spots, reeds are turning brown and streets are painted with fallen leaves.
In a week, the world will be all yellow and brown. With a dash of red.
Day 220: Bedtime
As said before, bedtime in our house is a long and complicated multi-step affair. But routines are good for kids, especially at bedtime. Right?
Ever since the girls were one, a bedtime story has been the best part of the routine (before that, it was the bath). For the last year or so, we have been listening to the Potter series. Regardless of anything else related to J.K. Rowling, she has an extraordinary ability to create a world that completely draws you in.
We are almost at the end. I need to find a new series.
Day 219: Dragonfly, Dragonfly
A dragonfly sat on my shoulder. And my day immediately improved.
Unfortunately, it is really hard to take a picture of your own shoulder without moving.
Day 218: Comics and Animation
Alanna started a comic school this fall. She is beyond excited. Comics are her obsession. And more than just reading them, they are also her preferred way of expressing herself. Alanna has a very observant drawing style, and she tells a story with every image she draws.
The course also goes through the basics of animation. This has been a totally new discovery for Alanna, and it has been interesting to see how she has already learned to adjust her drawing style. Her animations are – by necessity – much simpler than her other drawings.
Where are the beginner comic book courses for adults?
Day 217: Puzzling
I am old enough to admit I love puzzles. I always have. According to my mum, I loved them so much as a 2-year-old that my nursery teachers got worried.
The problem is that when I start one, I get totally obsessed. For two days (sometimes three, if it is during the work week), my fingers constantly itch to get back to it.
Until it’s done, and I am left wanting to start a new one (and resisting because… well… I have a life).
The girls see this and want to be involved. Alanna sits next to me and tells me the story of every character, flower and house in the puzzle. Kiara sits across the table and obsesses over her own puzzles.
Day 216: Abandoned Houses
Ever since the real estate developers started buying land around the metro station, there have been an unusually high number of empty old wooden houses in the neighborhood. Some cleared out and tidied better than others. Some already falling apart, with a overgrown gardens.
All adorned with graffiti of varying artistic merit.
Day 215: Super-Teddy
There are a few fluffy friends that have remained the girls’ favourites throughout the years. Eddie (the teddy) is one of them. He has been Alanna’s favourite since before she learned to walk and is still a main character in whatever adventure is happening. In fact, he has travelled the world more than most adults.
The girls are not even aware that Eddie is special to Stuart and me as well. Eddie joined our household in 2012, accompanied by my engagement ring.
Special in all ways.
