Change of Scenery

The sky at midnight

First in Italy, then one week home in Germany, and now here in the country, where the sun shines at midnight.

Yes, we are on our summer holiday in Finland and we will be here for two months. TWO MONTHS!

It will be lovely to see our family and friends. And there is of course the advantage of the free babysitting service.

But I must admit, I feel a bit stressed as I think of these two months ahead. It means staying with our family and friends and storing all our things in our suitcases. For two months.

However, I'll try to concentrate on the positive things and enjoy the possibility of spending the summer here in Finland.

And I'll try to keep you updated about all this, although it will be a bit demanding before mid-July, when Herr Welle joins Fräulein and me, and brings my own laptop with him.

Fräulein enjoying my mother's garden

*****
Olemme Fräuleinin kanssa kesälomalla Suomessa. Ja aiomme olla täällä peräti kaksi kuukautta!
Yritän kirjoitella Suomi-kuulumisiamme tänne blogiin, mutta saan oman tietokoneeni vasta heinäkuussa, kun Herr Welle liittyy seuraamme.

A Shopping List - Or Not

Do you remember The Other Mum, the lady who is always so fresh and stylish and who's style I have been trying to copy?

I haven't seen her for a while, but yesterday I saw her pushing her Bugaboo pram in the city.

First, I thought her hair was dirty (I may have been a bit gleeful there for a moment), but then I realized, she was probably just following this new wet hair trend.

So, what else was new with her? What should I add to my shopping list?

I drove past her with our car, so I didn't have much time to analyze her outfit, but two things caught my eye:

1. extra-huge pilot sunglasses and
2. very tight capri jeans in pale orange / salmon color.

Maybe I should find someone new to copy...

My style is not worth showing here, so here is Fräulein in her Italian style.
Jeggings by Benetton (in Italy, naturally), blouse second-hand.

*****
Kirjoitin aiemmin toisesta wiesbadenilaisesta äidistä, jolla on Fräuleinin ikäinen tytär ja samanlaiset Bugaboot kuin meillä. Näin hänet taas eilen. Vaaleanoranssit capri-farkut ja jättimäiset pilot-aurinkolasit saivat kuitenkin miettimään, pitäisikö minun etsiä uusi tyyli-ikoni...

Photo Report From Italy

Oh, it was nice in Italy. The weather was amazing and there was enough time to both relax by the pool and to do some sightseeing.

I don't want to write a detailed report about our week, but here are some photos to show you the high points.

Fräulein didn't really enjoy swimming,
but liked to play by the pool with her cousins.

One night we had a five-course celebration dinner for Opa Welle
 by a catering service. Yummy! 

Dressed for dinner

Unwelcome visitor*

An obligatory sightseeing photo to show you
that we didn't spend the entire vacation by the pool

On our way home.... Yes, that is a spare tire.

*might include some photoshopping...

*****
Reissumme Italiaan meni mukavasti. Aikaa vietimme sekä uima-altaalla (Fräulein ei tosin innostunut uimisesta) sekä nähtävyyksiin tutustuen (todisteena yllä yksi kuva). Ja kotimatkalla puhkesi rengas...

Next Stop: Italy

I know it hasn't been very active here in my blog lately, but now I must have a week long break as I won't have access to Internet.

Our car is packed full and this afternoon we will head south. With one pit stop in the Northern Italy (lets hope there will be no earthquakes!), we will drive here:

Last year, we celebrated the birthday of my mother-in-law (with the logic I have used in naming our family members, I guess I should call her Oma Welle), in this same house, about 70km north from Rome. Present were the families of Herr Welle's brother and sister, plus the grandparents. Total of 8 adults and 6 kids, ages ranging from 7-month-old Fräulein to her 10-year-old cousin.

The house was just perfect for this kind of group. There were enough bedrooms and each room had a bathroom, so the families had their privacies. But there was also a large dinner table both inside the house and on the patio, where we all could gather together for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

This year, we will celebrate my father-in-law's (Opa Welle) birthday. We had such a great time last year that it was decided to do it all over again this year.

So, Italy here we come!

Please, keep you fingers crossed that we will all survive this trip calmly and harmoniously! No, I'm not afraid of spending one week in the same house with Herr Welle's family, but the drive there is 1200km, so I am a bit worried how we will manage that with Fräulein...

*****
Lähdemme tänään ajelemaan Italiaan, missä juhlistamme appiukkoni syntymäpäivää yhdessä Herr Wellen sisarusten ja näiden perheiden kanssa. Olimme samassa paikassa myös viime vuonna, kun anoppini täytti pyöreitä. 
Talo on aivan täydellinen tähän tarkoitukseen ja viime vuonna oli niin mukavaa, että täytyyhän reissu ottaa uusiksi! Mutta mitenköhän Fräulein selviää 1200km:n ajomatkasta...