Summer Cottage – Blue Moment

Day 134: Sleep Well, Merlin!

June 30, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Alanna, Family, Friends, Kiara, Merlin, StuartTagged 365 Project, Alanna, family, History, Kiara, Stuart, Summer CottageLeave a comment

Today, we laid our beloved Merlin to rest.

He passed away back in January, but we wanted to bury him at the summer cottage, the place he loved more than any other in the world.

Merlin came to our family a little over 10 years ago. He was an intelligent and curious little pup who simply could not fanthom that anyone would not love him as much as he loved them. There was nothing he loved more than being included in… everything.

He was especially certain that all hadedas (type of ibis) thoroughly enjoyed the one-sided game of tag he invented. (Except for the one that decided to chase him back).

Merlin was very obedient, calm and caring. Nowhere was it more evident than in the way he cared his two “sisters”, when they arrived. He kept bringing his favourite puppy toy to the babies, although he clearly found it rather strange that they did not play with it for months.

As they grew, he remained endlessly patient, no matter how loud, rough, or devious they became – even when they stole his food. For his entire life, he kept an eye on them. It caused him great concern whenever they disappeared from sight on walks (for example, to kindergarten or school).

The move from South Africa turned his life upside down, but in Finland Merlin discovered his inner husky. Rain or darkness no longer bothered him. And he absolutely loved snow. And forests. Most of all, though, he loved the summer cottage.

Merlin was a very special little dog. Six months after his passing, we still unconciously reach out for him every day. We miss him tremendously!

Alanna suggested that we light a candle to Merlin every year on his birthday. She said he was such a brave dog that his soul was half fire. So through the candle, he will hear us singing Happy Birthday to him.

Rest in peace, Merlin. ❤️

Day 133: Midsummer Moods

June 29, 2026June 29, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Alanna, Asikkala, Cooking, Family, Festivals, Kiara, Nature, Outdoors, TraditionsTagged 365 Project, Alanna, family, Finland, Food, Holidays, Kiara, Nature, Outdoors, Scenery, Summer CottageLeave a comment

Finns are always surprised when the weather is good at Midsummer. Although, I could be a spoilsport and note that every single one of the five Midsummers since we moved bach has been beautiful.

Then again, I still remember the years of +9°C and rain, so I mostly let people enjoy their weather debates.

Anyway, it is hard to capture the essence of Midsummer in single picture. I cheated and made a collage. Good food, good drinks, the midnight sun, summer…

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 131: Different Office

June 27, 2026June 29, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Asikkala, WorkTagged 365 Project, Summer CottageLeave a comment

We are in the process of building a separate little building at the summer cottage that, for now, will house a few rooms with proper desks and office chairs. At least for the time being, it is affectionately known as the “Teams Pavilion”.

It’s not quite finished yet, so this week I was still working from the boathouse. It may look rustic and cosy, but after a few hours your back starts complaining. Even so, I think it is a much better place for meetings than the main house, with the girls running around and Stuart workshopping in the next room.

Little back pain is a small price to pay for spending the evenings at the summer cottage. And the girls love spending the days with their mummi.

Day 130: Spelling

June 26, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Alanna, KiaraTagged 365 Project, Alanna, Children, Kiara, Learning, Summer CottageLeave a comment

As the girls have been learning to read over the past year, I have been marvelling at how anyone ever learns to read in English. The spelling makes no sense.

In Finnish, every letter is always pronounced the same way, so once you know the letters, reading is pretty straightforward. To make up for it, Finnish words can be ridiculously long, and tiny changes can completely change the meaning of a word. But still. At least it is consistent.

I was well into my teens before the concept of a spelling bee made any sense to me whatsoever.

Day 129: Sausage

June 25, 2026June 25, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Alanna, Asikkala, Cooking, Kiara, TraditionsTagged 365 Project, Alanna, Food, Kiara, Summer CottageLeave a comment

Despite being a foodie, even I admit that frying sausages over the fire is part of summer at the summer cottage.

Day 128: Just A Bit Better Food

June 24, 2026June 24, 2026Posted in Activities, Cooking, FamilyTagged family, Activities, 365 Project, Summer Cottage, FoodLeave a comment

According to my dad, my mum and I cook far too complicated food in the summer cottage. Then again, he considers anything more time-consuming than fried sausage or pasta too complicated. (Unless it is fish, in which case it is never too time-consuming.)

To be fair, we do occassionally go a bit overboard. Or rather, we like trying new things. And more often than not, one element doesn’t quite work out, so we end up improvising as we go.

Generally, though, we have fun.

And my dad has yet to refuse any of it.

So I would call it a win-win.

Day 126: Late Arrival

June 22, 2026June 22, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Asikkala, nightTagged 365 Project, family, Summer CottageLeave a comment

The more firmly you intend to leave early on Friday, the more likely it is you end up putting out some random fire at work.

Even when we arrive at the summer cottage too late for the girls’ bedtime, driving out on Friday is always my preference. The weekend feels longer, when you wake up at the summer cottage on Saturday.

Being able to sleep in while the grandparents entertain the kids is just an added bonus.

Day 111: 10,000 Photos

June 5, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Asikkala, Nature, OutdoorsTagged 365 Project, Scenery, Summer CottageLeave a comment

Our summer cottage has been in the family for longer than I’ve been alive. I have spent every summer by this same shore. Some little things have changed, but very little.

I got into photography in 2008. Since then, I have probably taken 500 images every year with this same scenery as a backgroung – often even from this very same spot. That’s nearly 10,000 photos.

And it is still worth taking just one more.

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.