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.
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.
As a kid, I loved Finnish baseball (pesäpallo). It’s quite different from American baseball – most notably, because you pitch the ball up, not across.
So, when I came across a set of used pesäpallo equipment for kids at some sale or another, I did not hesitate for a second.
The girls’ success rate of actually hitting the ball is still low enough that we can practice in our backyard. I do not expect that to last long.
I would still love to pick the sport back up myself, but unless you are part of a fairly serious team, you can only really play in summer. And in summer, there is so much else to do.
Moving from Johannesburg to Espoo transfers you to the opposite end of the spectrum in almost any criteria imaginable for comparing cities.
Some contrasts are obvious. Johannesburg has more than twice the people of entire Finland, and around 20x Espoo. In Espoo, kids can walk and cycle safely to school, whereas in Johannesburg… not so much. People smile to strangers in Johannesburg, but in Finland… not. And then, of course, the weather is just a little different.
In summary, Finland excells at fundamentals, but Johannesburg is amazing at everyday luxuries: easy outsourcing, endless restaurants, beautifully maintained gardens…
In Johannesburg, you may go to sip coctails on a beautiful terrace on Sunday. In Finland, you likely go for a hike in a forest.
It’s easy to dismiss basics when they are well cared for. But the lack of them makes yor life difficult. Just consider the multi-hour blackouts that regularly plague Johannesburg.
But occassionally, I just really miss the luxuries.
The house belonging to kids’ scout group has a handfull of beehives at the edge of the property. The bees seem pretty used to strangers coming and going, and they paid no attention to me or my camera.
During spring, the kids sell the honey (there is a bigger farm further away) as one of their fundraising initiatives. This time of the year, they just observe the bees.
And learn to stay away.
Every spring, the circus school Alanna and Kiara go to puts together a final performance. The performers vary in age from 3 to 20+, and in skill from total beginners to the performing group, but the energy and enthusiasm are always there.
Unfortunately, the lighting looked great live but was less kind to photography. Any presentable picture required at least a fraction of a second of stillness, and there wasn’t much of that.
Alanna is still recovering from her cold. And I am still working long hours.
Luckily this time of the year means the sun is still high when I end my day. Good time for a gentle walk to the seashore.
A squirrel has moved into a tree in our backyard. It is getting braver every day – probably as Merlin isn’t here to scare it away anymore.
I know I should probably chase it away, but it is just too cute. For now, we will live peacefully side by side.
Georgian is one of my favourite cuisines. And khinkali might be the best thing it has given the world.
The girls agree. When Alanna was maybe four, we took them to a Chinese restaurant. She promptly burst into tears after discovering that the dumplings had no “soup” inside. She still asks every time.
So, for Stuart’s early birthday – Georgian it was.
We have a huge glass terrace at the back our our house. During summer, it is the most-used “room” we have. It is our dining room, living room and outside patio – all wrapped into one. In fact, it was one of the main reasons we bought the house to start with.
The glass roof is fairly flat and keeping it clean(ish) of leaves, pine needles, pollen and dust is no small task. Not that I am too pedantic about it… And a good thing too. About five minutes after completing my task, a gust of wind brought down a fresh rain of rubbish.
Oh well.
You probably noticed I am cheating a bit in my 365 challenge here. This picture was taken by Kiara, not me. I guess the ones below should be my official entries, but who cares.
Kiara got a cold last night and was running a high temperature, so we cancelled all our Vappu plans. It has been the warmest Vappu in 18 years, so lounging on the terrace wasn’t a bad alternative.
To make it a bit festive, our snacky lunch included all the traditional Vappu essentials: sima (kind of fermented lemon mead), strawberries, munkkis, potato salad and wiener sausages.
I even wore my matriculation hat, as tradition demands. Mine is a bit small, so I rarely wear it for long, even at Vappu. Otherwise it would not be in such pristine shape.
It is the one garment where stains are worn with pride.
