Many more suns

Joonas at Kristi's too self concious already to allow a natural capture

Juulia at Kristi's unaware of the camera, concentrating

Joonas, Juulia, Jaan last Sunday

30-32 degrees in here. We are enjoying another Summer with J. while others are never to be seen again. I have a sore throat from last week despite the temperatures. No interesting events other than having a full house with 3 kids at home permanently for the next 2 months. We have survived 6 weeks, done everything possible at our reach, including dentist visits, baking, gardening, hiking and sleeping far too long and counting...

Looking forward to dine out today

I am already visualizing an oversized glass of any non home made drink, as different as it can be possible from the gingerbread and spicy wine spectrum, and loaded with ice. I will, for the first time, greatly appreciate the ice on the drink.
A late best wishes message from the sick, completely overloaded with Christmas produce and flavours lady of the house and Co. Seasonal greetings for all!!!!!!
This year we did not manage to get anything ready on time, but still thought about all our friends and relatives with affection and nostalgia. Please, make of 2010 the year of your visit to Estonia.
We will go to Lido (The Latvian export restaurant) this evening to give the kitchen, the cook and all of our stomachs a break!

Yes, because we have mostly bad pictures. Here featuring Kyoko, Joonas and Emil before they went to sledge last weekend.

Few complaints, no offense intended

J. changes the settings of the computer everytime he uses it; mutes its volume invariably despite repeated requests to resist temptation; erases icons that I often use and deletes shortcuts I need. In the car, he moves the mirrors, pushes the sit back and low, heats, and the worst: modifies the memory of the radio making it for me impossible to locate my favorite station again (the only one I appreciate in this country). Note that he uses my car only to fill the fuel tank. I will have (for the peace) to give up trying to show him the reasonability of my petitions to leave everything as is, but it will also mean that I must budget a considerable time waste for the rearrengement of my preferences at least once per week. He takes strange pictures. This year, Joonas saw Santa for the first time and J.´s caption of the experience did not show either Joonas or Santa Claus in full. They are both parted from eachother already, faces unrecognizable...Luckily someone else (I am sure it was not J.) made another photo...The failed pic is is our other blog.

Taken in the International Women Association Christmas Bazaar, where Emil and I were helping with the selling of "pre-owned" books

Friends are leaving

This time to Brussels. Foreign service. Some friends are also returning from Kiev, after 7 years abroad. This is why I am not that sad, and in any case we have the plan to visit them before next Summer. It is very hard to move around the world with children and forget about home, projects, routines and expectations. It is specially difficult to neglect one´s career. The life of a diplomat´s family is no paradise as it might seem.

My grandmother left her hometown Ovejas, Colombia (below, left) in 1941(?), for entirely different reasons. They made their home in Medellin, Colombia (below, right. The house in the city and a country house they visited sometimes). I think she never overcame loosing her sense of belonging despite the many gains. I can very well relate to that!

13

Comimos en Lucca y no mucho mas, el personaje principal, como en los ultimos 36+ meses fue Joonas. Para hoy: pie de manzana con el auspicio de Jaan y Emil.
La casa de Madrid esta por desempacarse.

La remodelacion no se nota todavia por el desorden que lo domina todo en nuestra vida. Todo un paraiso de actividad para cualquier persona que sufra de obsesiones compulsivas (no para Emil, como efectivamente se ilustra en la imagen, que tambien documenta el hecho de que cuando un hijo a los 12 anos calza 42 no hay medias que le lleven el ritmo, ni mama que lo note hasta que no se haga evidente en una foto):