Last Father’s Day, girls and I got Stuart a small wooden model car as a present. He really enjoyed putting it together. It’ fiddly, but you see the progress immediately…
Now he is building a train. Much more fiddly, apparently.
Day 36: Miniatures
Category: Family
Day 34: Homework
With 2/3 of first grade behind us, the elation of the first days has settled into a steady routine. Luckily, both girls quite enjoy school and are doing well in their studies – although homework is still quite an unpleasant chore.
I have been most impressed with how differently first-grade maths is taught compared to my own school days. The girls have studied how to visualize data in charts, estimate prices, solve verbal equations, measure distance, build 3D models… all this before ‘formally’ even learning how to write the number 10. It is all about challenging problem-solving skills, not learning by heart.
I’d quite like to go back to first grade myself.
Day 32: Showering
One thing I miss from South Africa is a bathtub. Finland has an estimated 3.3M saunas but bathtubs are quite rare. Don’t get me wrong; sauna is amazing. But sometimes I would just love a bath.
When we moved to Finland, Alanna and Kiara were 3 years old and had never showered in their lives. Bathing a toddler is easier – and more fun. A bit of a culture shock.
Day 31: Two Young Wildcats
Most of the time (well… a lot of the time) Alanna and Kiara get along well. They play together often and still share many of the same interests, hobbies, and friends. But like any siblings, they also fight. Loudly! Usually at the worst possible moment.
Alanna was born about two minutes before Kiara, but they have both silently (and sometimes not so silently) agreed that Kiara is the big sister. She is often the one who takes responsibility, apologizes and consoles her sister.
Most often after first goading her into a furious rage.
Day 26: Muizenberg Beach
Cape Town faces the Atlantic, so the water is pretty chilly even in summer. Muizenberg Beach is a popular surfing destination because of the good waves it gets, but any sane surfer wears a wetsuit.
Despite the cold, Kiara and Alanna squeezed every bit of fun out of the waves, sand, and sun in the last hours before heading to the airport. Since they were soaked to the skin and covered in wet sand, we had luckily scheduled time for a shower before starting our trip.
Day 23: Cape Winelands and impossible-to-spell Franschhoek
I love proper breakfast. Whenever I find the time, I cook different dishes even just for myself. I adore eggs in all forms, sauces, mushrooms, avo, bacon, salmon, yogurt, jams… you name it. Funnily enough, breakfast is the only meal Stuart does not cook. And rarely eats.
But there was no need to twist his arm to get him to enjoy a great breakfast in Franschhoek. The market was even on, so we spent a good few hours around town before taking a scenic drive to Vredenheim Wine Estate to meet the whole wider family for lunch.
A day of beauty and decadence.
And yes, despite visiting Franschhoek at least 15 times over the years, I still need to check the spelling every time…
Vredenheim has a park for big cats. These white tigers were not getting along…
Day 21: Bo-Kaap
I love bright colors. It’s one of the reasons traditional Afrikan fabrics appeal to me. Why would you ever wear beige if you could wear orange, turquoise and purple? Simultaneously. But I am also pretty self-concious, so I (too) often settle for safer choices.
This contradiction is what started my love affair with large earrings. You can be bold, but in a sort-of-safe way – like jumping off a cliff only halfway.
In photography, there is no need for safe choices. That’s why there are few better places to wonder around that the vibrant, bold Malay neighborhood of Bo-Kaap.
Day 20: The best of the ocean
We are not beach people. I like swimming in a salty water only slightly more than Stuart likes getting sand on his Kindle. The girls like the idea of the beach, but are not keen on the waves or the heat – so always choose the pool when given a choice. None of this means we don’t want to GO to the beach. Alanna plays with sand, Kiara hunts for shells and I take photos. We just don’t want to stay there.
So, we enjoyed the Atlantic ocean in the Cape Town Aquarium. And why not? Even I find it magnificent!
Day 19: Petting Zoo with a View
Alanna loves everything that is alive. Dogs, cats, cows and raindeers are obviously cuddly, but she also thinks that snakes are cute and spends evenings thinking how she could catch and release a mosquito without killing it.
Fantasy animals are even better. She started with unicorns and magical cats, but currently we are in a lenghty werewolf phase. Her howl is becoming pretty realistic.
Imhoff Farm with its petting zoo is Alanna’s happy place. Kiara agrees, as she thrives with the active interaction with the animals – and on all the playgrouds and climbing trees.
For parents, a good view, good food and a glass of wine are all that’s needed.
On the way back we also stopped in Hout Bay for ice cream.
Day 17: Heat and Wine
It was hot today… 35C at highest. I am not sure if I have just forgotten what it normally feels like, or if I have lost my heat survival mode after living four years in Finland.
We battled the heat with excessive time in the pool and relaxed walk in the (shady) forest. In the evening, when it started to cool down slightly, we headed out to a nearby winery with a quirky restaurant. Cold white wine and a frozed daiquiri improve any night.
