family – Blue Moment

Day 248: Winding Down

October 29, 2026October 29, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Asikkala, Fall, Family, Outdoors, TraditionsTagged 365 Project, Activities, Fall, family, Finland, Outdoors, Summer CottageLeave a comment

When I was a small child, our summer cottage (with no electricity or inside plumbing) was not suitable winter use. We would come for a day (or more) in autumn to rake the leaves and close everything up for winter.

I mostly remember having hot chocolate and sandwitches in the sauna steps with my brother, while the adults did… whatever adults do in these situations. We would spend the night at my grandmother’s house in a nearby town.

Now we can stay overnight and cook proper meals in a warm kitchen.

The girls spend time on the shore, doing many of the same things I did with my brother.

Unfortunately, I am now the adult doing whatever adults do…

Luckily, that is not too much.

Day 247: Family Halloween

October 28, 2026October 28, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Alanna, Asikkala, Fall, Family, Festivals, Finland, Kiara, TraditionsTagged 365 Project, Alanna, Fall, family, Finland, Holidays, Kiara, Summer CottageLeave a comment

Our family tradition of celebrating Halloween at the summer cottage started somewhat by accident. It is the right time of the year for some autumn maintenance and gardening. A few years ago, our work weekend happened to fall on Halloween, so we turned it into a celebration.

So now, even though we were several weeks early (calendar juggling is a reality even within the family), there is no reason small enough for a celebration.

Halloween is definitely not a Finnish tradition, and has only caught on here in the last 10 years or so. When I was a kid, it was as distant as Carnival in Brazil. You had heard of it, but it had nothing to do with you.

So, I still find it hard to believe my kids will grow up carving pumpkins every year.

Day 246: Weight Of the Family

October 26, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Family, Finland, TraditionsTagged 365 Project, Black&White, family, Finland, History, LearningLeave a comment

I picked up two family Bibles from my uncle today to deliver to my mum.

They are no light reading. The older of the two was printed in 1849 (177 years!) and weighs around 8 kg. It is impressive that it has remained in the family for so long.

I also find the written Finnish in the Bible fascinating. I can understand about 80% of it – and much of that is because I can guess the words from context, or already know the passage. But a lot has changed in less than200 years.

That’s a weighty piece of history.

Day 234: Chores

October 13, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Everyday objects, Family, Home, Kiara, StuartTagged 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Children, Everyday objects, family, Home, Kiara, Learning, StuartLeave a comment

It’s a guaranteed rabbit hole in any conversation with fellow parents: how many chores should kids do?

We are still at a pretty basic level. We expect the girls to clean up after themselves: to tidy their rooms (and whatever else they have scattered around the house), take their plates away, put their laundry in the basket and clean up the kitchen after making their own snacks or breakfasts.

For bigger jobs, such as raking leaves or cleaning up the garden, we expect them to pitch in for a few hours.

I think the girls are soon ready to take on more responsibility around the house. In fact, we’d probably have insisted on it already, if getting them to do their chores weren’t such an enormous chore for Stuart and me.

Day 233: Birthday Dinner

October 12, 2026October 12, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Alanna, Family, Helsinki, Kiara, night, StuartTagged 365 Project, Alanna, family, Food, Kiara, StuartLeave a comment

Stuart, Alanna and Kiara took me out for dinner to celebrate my birthday.

Over the years, Stuart and I have perfected the art of maximising the number of dishes you can taste in a restaurant. We never order the same dish, and often go half-and-half on starters, sometimes even on mains.

The girls complicate the maths, as they are just as keen to taste everything. With you have half a starter to start with, sharing it with two other people tends to leave you with very little.

When the dish is very small – or exceptionally good – we claim it is super spicy. But even that doesn’t always work anymore.

Day 228: Birthday

October 7, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Family, Home, TraditionsTagged 365 Project, family, HomeLeave a comment

I was celebrated today with breakfast and flower in bed, several cards made with love, and a simple cake in the evening. ❤️

And many, many messages and calls.

The present is yet to arrive.

Day 215: Super-Teddy

September 25, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Everyday objects, Family, HomeTagged 365 Project, Children, family, History, HomeLeave a comment

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.

Day 183: The Weirdest Cottage in Hiiumaa

August 22, 2026August 22, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Alanna, Architecture, Europe, Family, Kiara, Nature, Outdoors, Stuart, TravellingTagged 365 Project, Alanna, Architecture, family, Holidays, Kiara, Nature, Scenery, TravelLeave a comment

We got an early start today due to a serious underestimation of how early one must book the ferry to Hiiumaa. Luckily, someone had come up with the idea of a few non-prebookable tickets.

But that gave us plenty of time to meander around the southern part of Hiiumaa. A short hike towards the southernmost tip, an old (sill functioning) wool factory, and a playground or two…

We decided to have a quiet evening and braai (BBQ) at the cottage – and luckily we did. The girls loved the place! The cottage looked like a pink Moomin house, with round walls, the main bedroom in a tower, massive cubby beds for the girls and an amazing floating sauna in the little pond. It even had a tiny playground.

The fact that it was totally impractical bothered only Stuart, who was cooking.

Day 179: Picturesque Pärnu

August 14, 2026August 14, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Architecture, Europe, Family, Outdoors, TravellingTagged 365 Project, Architecture, family, Holidays, Outdoors, TravelLeave a comment

Stuart and I visited Pärnu during our longer European road trip 10 years ago. I, however, had almost no memories of it, so I believed it to be a somewhat boring town. Stuart felt the same.

When we started talking about it, though, we realized we had gone there approximately a week after I badly hurt my foot. I was in a moon boot and on crutches. And having just hobbled around Tallinn for two days, I had no interest in even leaving the hotel. I remember driving along the beach the next morning before heading to Latvia.

So, maybe not something I can blame Pärnu for.

Now that I’ve actually seen Pärnu, I find it amazing.

Day 171: Friends Like Family

August 7, 2026August 7, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Family, Friends, Outdoors, PeopleTagged 365 Project, Alanna, family, Summer CottageLeave a comment

Some friends become family, even if you only see them occassionally.

It was less than a year ago that Alanna was genuinely surprised to learn that ‘Auntie Maria’ is not actually her aunt (in the real meaning of the word). She knew Maria was not my sister, but “she feels like family”. Fortunately, as Maria is Alanna’s godmother, we were able to establish a link close enough to enable her worldview to remain unchanged.

‘Auntie Maria’ lives in the UK, so it’s a rare treat to have her over, even if only for a brief visit. A walk, a drink, a loooong sauna and a few good conversations later, we have recharged the friendship enough to last until next visit – whether that is in a a few months or a few years.

Best friendships don’t require more than that.