Water – Blue Moment

Day 132: Diving In

June 28, 2026June 29, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Asikkala, Family, Kiara, Outdoors, Stuart, WaterTagged 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, family, Holidays, Kiara, Outdoors, Summer, Summer CottageLeave a comment

There are many truths about how warm a lake needs to be before it is warm enough for a swim.

Stuart, being South African, thinks 28-30°C sounds about right. Or 25°C with a sauna. For a Finn, that is pure folly.

I am happy with 20°C and 18°C respectfully. But then again, I do not particularly like cold water (for a Finn).

Alanna prefers warmer water too, but anything above 10°C is fine as long as it only comes up to her knees and there is a sandy patch to play in. Swimming requires 18°C or a good reason. And whether something counts as a good enough reason depends entirely on her mood. This spring, she went gor a swim when the sea was barely 13°C.

Kiara doesn’t care. As long as there is no ice on it, it looks good. Above 15 °C, she will happily swim around until she turns blue (and mummi tells her to come out).

In case you were wondering, the lake was close to 20°C.

Day 127: Once You Get Soaked

June 23, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Family, Festivals, Finland, night, Outdoors, People, WaterTagged family, Activities, 365 Project, Finland, Holidays, SummerLeave a comment

I went to my first proper music festival in years – and it was pouring down for most of the day.

But once you get soaked, you do not really get wetter.

The gigs were fantastic, it stayed warm and the company – most importantly my sister, brother-in-law and parents – never let the rain get in the way of a good time.

Great day!

I did feel a little sorry for some of the bands on stage two, which was not exactly waterproof. Unbelievably, most of the equipment kept functioning even through the worst downpour.

Day 124: Sunset in Hannusjärvi

June 20, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Espoo, Nature, Outdoors, WaterTagged 365 Project, Espoo, Nature, Outdoors, SceneryLeave a comment

It is impossible to take a picture of a sunset without it looking fake. I still keep trying.

Day 123: Seaside Picnic

June 19, 2026June 19, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Espoo, Family, Kiara, Outdoors, Stuart, WaterTagged 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Espoo, family, Food, Kiara, Stuart, WineLeave a comment

Food tastes better when eaten outside.

The nearest “beach” to us is just a quick hop away. It’s a secluded little strech of sand, and you can’t get there with a car. Consequently, it is often pretty quiet.

With the weather being great, we went for a picnic on a whim. We grabbed whatever we fancied from a store and cycled to the “beach” for a few hours of games, snacks and scenery. The girls even waded to the water, but it was still way too cold for a swim.

Best night of the week.

Day 106: Drip By Drip

May 30, 2026May 30, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Everyday objects, Family, WaterTagged 365 Project, Children, Everyday objects, family, MakroLeave a comment

People are always curious what is the hardest thing in raising twins. They expect me to describe jealousy, trouble finding own identity, or sharing (or not sharing) friends and hobbies.

No-one ever understands that the hardest thing is to stay patient in the face of stubborn insistence of getting exactly what the sister does.

Exactly.

Even when it makes no logical sense.

The biggest daily fight in our household is whose turn is it to wash teeth first. Every night!

Somehow it remains irrelevant that the other one will go 2 min later.

Day 66: Open Waters

April 11, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Espoo, Finland, Outdoors, WaterTagged 365 Project, Espoo, Outdoors, Scenery, SpringLeave a comment

The sea is finally free of ice, although not many boats have braved the cold waters yet.

With sun reflecting from the beautiful calm waters, I occassionally wonder if we shoild get a boat of our own.

Luckily these moments of insanity do not last long.

Day 32: Showering

March 7, 2026March 7, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Home, Kiara, WaterTagged 365 Project, Home, KiaraLeave a comment

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 26: Muizenberg Beach

March 2, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Africa, Alanna, Family, Kiara, Stuart, Travelling, WaterTagged 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Children, Kiara, Outdoors, Scenery, South Africa, TravelLeave a comment

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 20: The best of the ocean

February 22, 2026February 28, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Africa, Alanna, Kiara, Nature, Travelling, Water, WildlifeTagged 365 Project, Alanna, Kiara, Nature, South AfricaLeave a comment

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 15: Wild Ocean

February 15, 2026February 28, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Africa, Alanna, Kiara, Nature, Outdoors, Travelling, WaterTagged 365 Project, Alanna, Children, Kiara, Nature, Outdoors, Scenery, South Africa, TravelLeave a comment

Hermanus was windy today and the waves were majestic – and loud! It is almost hypnotic to watch them crash againsg the shore and seabirds fighting the wind (or hiding from it).

The waves carry shells, pieces of coral and other interesting bits and pieces onto the shore. We had to limit both girls to four treasures per beach to ensure our clothes will still fit into the suitcases for the journey home.

A good day to get out of the hospital.