Summer – Blue Moment

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 127: Once You Get Soaked

June 23, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Family, Festivals, Finland, night, Outdoors, People, WaterTagged 365 Project, Activities, family, 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 122: Finnish Baseball

June 18, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Espoo, Home, Kiara, Outdoors, SportTagged 365 Project, Activities, Alanna, Children, Espoo, Home, Kiara, Learning, Outdoors, Sport, SummerLeave a comment

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.

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 115: The Last of First

June 10, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Alanna, Family, Kiara, Stuart, TraditionsTagged 365 Project, Alanna, family, Holidays, Kiara, Learning, Stuart, SummerLeave a comment

The last day of first grade: report cards received, flowers given to teachers. We all even survived singing Suvivirsi (you need to be a Finn to understand that).

Done.

Ten weeks of summer holiday deserve a celebratory pastry.

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 104: Joy Of Small Things

May 27, 2026May 28, 2026Posted in 365 Project, Activities, Everyday objects, NatureTagged 365 Project, Activities, Everyday objects, Nature, Outdoors, SummerLeave a comment

One of the big clichés in psychology is that happiness comes more easily if you can find childlike joy in small things.

Unrelated, I stopped today to blow dandelion fluff. A dog walker gave me the evil eye. Probably because adults should know better than to spread weeds.

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.