Looking forward, with one eye in the rearview mirror...

So.  Summer is upon us.  This is our 2nd summer in Finland, and last year we experienced the warmest, actually HOTTEST, summer here in over 100 years.  I'm not counting on a rerun, but that's OK.  Looking back on the 14 summers I spent in Canada, I know there are some things I will not miss about real heat.  When the thermometer seem to get stuck at +35C, for weeks and weeks, and the nights remain hot and humid, and the loudest noise you hear is your A/C working relentlessly, while you toss and turn in bed, praying for a cool breeze....  5 times I was big and pregnant in the summer too, which meant extra sweat.  We were surrounded by huge lakes and a river, but when the heat peaked, so did the e-coli in the water, making those beautiful lakes dangerous to swim in.  So sad.  We had many, many days with smog warning,  extreme UV warnings, and at times there would be like a lid with thick humid smog covering our area, making it dangerous to be outside at all.  So then we'd stay inside, where the air was stale and dry from running the A/C non stop. 

Will I miss all that??  Nope.  Of course there were many days spent in our backyard pool.  And backyard BBQ's with wonderful family and friends, that I'll miss.  Sometimes when it wasn't too humid, but just warm, and dark in the middle of the night...  That I'll miss too.  And the HUGE thunderstorms, when the trees would be bent over sideways...  Yeah, I'll miss that as well.  I am looking forward to some things thou.  Cool nights when it's still light outside for example.  Last night we were working on the house, and I realized it was past 10!  And it was totally light outside.  I could hear tons and tons of birds chirping, and the air was so fresh and smelled increadibly good from all the wildflowers, pinetrees, birch trees and lilocs.  Mmmm.....  You could hear the birds down at the pond (it's more like a small lake actually), but otherwise quiet.  The lakes here don't get so hot, but many people will have a sauna right at the lake side, where you warm up, and then you dash in to the cool, clean water.  In the woods we'll be picking blueberries, lingonberries and wild strawberries, as well as tons of wild flowers.  And even if the day has been hot, it usually cools off at night, so you can open the window and let the breeze in.  No A/C needed. 

I feel fortunate to be able to experience living in different contries, with different climates and cultures. 
It will be fun to go to the market in the summer and buy fresh fruits, berries and veggies from the locals, just like I loved to stop at the roadside market stands back in Canada.  Buying fresh melons and corn on the cob... yummmm..... 
I guess you can make the best out of every situation, and I'm looking forward to another summer here!  And I'm sure there'll be times I miss all those great summers in Canada ;)

Spring!!!

We have just celebrated a beautiful Easter here.  Our first in Finland!  It's neat to reach all the Holidays and milestones in a new country.  For the record I can also mention, that today is our 10 months "Anniversary" here as well!!  Crazy how fast that went!
The spring weather here has been amazing, I can't get over how much SUN there is!  This weekend the temperature rised as well, and wearing a t-shirt (outside) was an option!  The kids faces are becoming pleasently freckled, and if I let them, they'd stay outside till midnite...  The days are getting really long, the sun is up between 4 and 5 am sometime, and it's still somewhat light at 10 pm!  And it's only gonna get lighter!  I like. 

For me it's very sentimental to see how the nature is showing all the signs of spring.  These are the flowers and plants and trees I grew up with!!  I didn't think this would matter so much to me, but it does!  Our house is located close to the woods, and we've been taking some walks on the trail with the kids.  I LOVE it.  I don't know how anybody would not like to walk in these green forests (it's mostly pines and other evergreens providing the "greenness"), that smell so amazing!  I played a lot in the woods as a kid, and it makes me all giddy when I see the same love for the nature in our kids faces.  We found these little eatable plants, and the kids quickly became busy finding as many as they could.  Even Little Guy liked them! 
The kids remember picking blueberries and wild strawberries last summer, and are now looking forward to doing that again this year.  I tought them to thread them on straws, to create their own little "berry kebab"!! 

Only one more month of school here, and then we are hoping to enjoy our 1st real summer in Finland!  Last year was kind of chopped up and stressful, but this year we should be able to relax a bit more.  We are also looking forward to some overseas visitors! (our 2nd oldest daughter's best friend is coming w. her great aunt!)  It will be fun to show them around here and let them see how well we are doing.  I'm saying so with a happy, thankful heart.  Yesterday my husband's great uncle asked me how I liked it here, and before I had time to answer, another man said: "Good, she smiles all the time!" I guess he's right!