Finland – Blue Moment

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 119: Herbarium

June 15, 2026June 15, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, FinlandTagged 365 Project, Activities, Children, Finland, Holidays, SummerLeave a comment

When it is not homework, it is fun.

As a summer activity, we are collecting flowers with the girls to press them. With my mum, they are also catching bugs to inpect and draw.

Anything to keep them engaged in reading and writing.

Day 110: Summer Cottage

June 5, 2026June 5, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Alanna, Asikkala, Family, Finland, Kiara, Nature, OutdoorsTagged 365 Project, Alanna, Children, family, Finland, Kiara, Nature, Outdoors, Summer, Summer CottageLeave a comment

Swimming, boating, fire-cooked crepes, sauna, bbq, hammering, hand-picked wildflowers, ice cream – long days outside and never-ending bedtime giggles.

A perfect day for little people.

Day 109: Not Quite the Midnight Sun

June 3, 2026June 3, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Asikkala, Nature, OutdoorsTagged 365 Project, Finland, Nature, Outdoors, SummerLeave a comment

In a few weeks, the day will be at its longest in Finland. Stuart struggles to sleep in the light, but I have no problems. I love the long evenings. It feels like you gain a whole new day after working hours.

Even when the sun sets below horizon after 10pm, it doesn’t actually get dark anymore. This image is taken at 23:55.

Dusk.

Day 108: Poison and Beauty

June 2, 2026June 2, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Finland, NatureTagged 365 Project, Children, Finland, Learning, NatureLeave a comment

When Merlin, our late Schnauzer, was in puppy school, he surprised me by learning the command ‘leave’ in 5 min. He surprised me even more by actually obeying it – regardless of what he found on our walks.

It was harder with kids.

Finnish forests are full of delicious berries and plants. It takes a lot of repetition to ensure the kids do not experiment with anything, even when they think they know. Lily of the Valley is easy, but some plants are easier to confuse – and more poisonous.

At least we don’t live in Australia.

Day 103: The First Is The Best

May 25, 2026May 25, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Espoo, Family, OutdoorsTagged 365 Project, family, Finland, Food, Outdoors, SummerLeave a comment

The first ice cream of the summer!

Well, of course,we have had ice cream in the past months. Actually, in the past week. But not from an ice cream kiosk. (At least, not most of them. A mall kiosk does not quite count.) And we had not eaten any outside. (Almost none) And nothing in our T-shirts, with the sun shining.

Hard to explain why, but this was definitely the first ice cream of the summer. And it was great.

Day 96: Gentle Walk

May 16, 2026May 16, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Alanna, Espoo, Nature, OutdoorsTagged 365 Project, Alanna, Espoo, Finland, Nature, OutdoorsLeave a comment

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.

Day 86: Old Kokkola

May 4, 2026May 4, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Architecture, Finland, Travelling, WorkTagged 365 Project, Architecture, Finland, History, TravelLeave a comment

I travelled to Kokkola for work today. It’s a small town on the shores of the Gulf of Bothnia. In spring, before the nature awakens, there isn’t all that much to see. In summer, it can be nice (so I hear).

The old town of Kokkola has some beautiful wooden houses from the 18th and 19th centuries, with a few dating back to the 17th. They were definitely worth a walk.

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 64: Next-Level Egg Hunt

April 9, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Alanna, Asikkala, Family, Kiara, TraditionsTagged 365 Project, Alanna, Children, Finland, Holidays, Kiara, Summer CottageLeave a comment

In my family, escape rooms are a thing. We regularly go with my siblings, their partners, and sometimes include our parents. The girls have tagged along for a few times as well – and keep begging to come again.

So this Easter, I built them their own escape-room-style egg hunt. They had to solve puzzles, break codes, search for clues, and even reveal invisible writing. Along the route they had to uncover boxes and find matching keys or number codes.

A few of the challenges were quite hard, but the girls managed to locate all of their eggs. Apparently, it was more fun that our “typical” hunt, so I have a feeling we may have started a new tradition.

A great addition the already existing tradition of spending the Easter in our summer cottage with my parents