365 Project – Blue Moment

Day 79: Starlight in a Jar

April 25, 2026April 25, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Everyday objectsTagged 365 Project, Everyday objectsLeave a comment

‘Ruuhkavuodet’ in Finnish refers to those years when your kids are still small and you juggle family, a full-time job, chores, hobbies and everything else everyday life.

Although the term is quite neutral, the direct translation, “traffic jam years” carries a nuance of being overwhelmed and too busy for your own good… It is one of those concepts, that once mentioned, makes everyone nod in quiet understanding.

However, in almost every piece of research on the topic, that is also the time of life people miss the most as they grow older. It may be tough at times, but is it full of small magical moment.

Day 78: Tourist at Home

April 24, 2026April 24, 2026Posted in 365 Project, ArchitectureTagged Espoo, 365 Project, ArchitectureLeave a comment

I love being a tourist and, when travelling, I tend to cram my days full to avoid missing anything (the term FOMO was coined gor me). But as so many others, I pass the local sights with a vague decision to “see it one day”.

Bicycles have helped a lot. Stuart and I have explored most of the nearby sights in search of the next cycling destination. However, it has left a circle of approx 10km around the house, as that is really too short a distance even on a lazy day.

This watertower nearby is one such negletted destination. There is a restaurant on top and we keep postponing a visit. For the photo I got closer to the tower than I have ever been, which only strengthened my resolve: we will definitely come to eat here… Soon.

Day 76: Snitches, cauldrons and skateboards

April 22, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Festivals, Kiara, TraditionsTagged 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Children, Home, KiaraLeave a comment

The Day was finally here. Harry Potter birthday!

The house was packed – at first with wands, owls, floating candles, Gryffindor colors and golden snitches. And later the chaos was completed by 127 excited little wizards and witches (or that is what it felt like).

The Herbology lesson (plant your owl pot) was popular, as was the Potions lesson (mix different color juices) and Levitation class (on the trampoline). But nothing was as eargerly anticipated as the opening of the Honeydukes candy shop after the other food was finished.

Our little witches loved the day – but I am happy it is a whole year to the next kids birthday!

Day 75: Office Dog

April 21, 2026April 21, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Work, HelsinkiTagged 365 Project, HelsinkiLeave a comment

Dogs are welcome in our office, so there are often furry visitors – big and small. Surprisingly often, there are kids as well, although typically only for an hour or two.

I have never yet seen a cat in the office. Or a parrot.

Day 74: Just a Little Magic

April 20, 2026April 20, 2026Posted in 365 Project, ActivitiesTagged 365 Project, Activities, ChildrenLeave a comment

Girls’ birthday party with friends is finally this Saturday. They are currently fascinated with Harry Potter world, so I promised to organize a Potter-themed party.

I wanted each of the little wizards and witches to have their own wand. Wooden chopsticks, some hot glue and spray paint can do magic.

Day 73: Early Morning on the road

April 19, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Finland, OutdoorsTagged 365 Project, Finland, Outdoors, SpringLeave a comment

At the moment, the sun rises in Helsinki at 6am. In just a week, it will be 20 minutes earlier. The change is so fast, you can really feel it – and Finns are almost unrecognizable from the dark, crumpy winter dwellers of just a few weeks ago.

Getting to the office early feels decidedly more humane when you are accompanied with blue sky and the first rays of sunshine.

Day 72: Nesting Coot

April 18, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Espoo, Nature, WildlifeTagged 365 Project, Espoo, Nature, SpringLeave a comment

A few kilometres from our house is a small pond that is a birdwatcher’s paradise. Several rare birds nest there and in the surrounding area, and there is a very active community alerting people to rare sightings. I am not part of it. I mostly know about it from my walks, when I occasionally stumble into clusters of people arriving by car or bicycle, or nearly running, binoculars in hand, asking breathlessly if they have “missed it yet.”

As it was a beautiful day, I cycled to the pond to join tens of others trying to catch a photo of a bird. I just wanted a pretty picture, so I would have been quite happy with a duck. Instead, I found this Eurasian coot building a nest. Although common in Europe, the Finnish population is critically endangered.

So, am I a birdwatcher now?

Day 71: Jumping up, up, up…

April 16, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Espoo, Home, Kiara, OutdoorsTagged 365 Project, Alanna, Children, Espoo, Home, Kiara, Outdoors, SpringLeave a comment

Last year Santa brought the girls a trampoline. I was a bit worried it wouldn’t be used much, but I didn’t need to worry. Last summer, there was barely a day that girls didn’t go jumping, at least for a bit. Most days, there would be several friends bouncing with them.

We set the trampoline up again today (you have to take it into storage for winter). Thirty minutes later, you could already hear the laughter of four little girls.

Day 70: Raking

April 15, 2026April 15, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Espoo, Home, Outdoors, StuartTagged 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Espoo, Home, Outdoors, SpringLeave a comment

Raking is pretty far down the list of my favourite things to do. But there is some satisfaction in having a tidy yard. At least it has been dry, which makes raking easy. Keeping girls at task was harder.

Day 69: Glass of Red

April 14, 2026April 14, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Cooking, StuartTagged 365 Project, Stuart, WineLeave a comment

Long time ago, I preferred red wine. However, white wine has always been a summer drink. After I moved to South Africa and then Singapore, I lived in a long summer (comparatively) for several years. As a result, I only really drink white. Intellectually, I know reds are better and more complex wines. White just tastes better.

Stuart doesn’t care about temperature. He drinks red.