Summer 2021

September and school having started, I look back to the past two months with the taste of Southern warmth, Northern cooleness, family reunion and a great deal of nostalgie. The slight feeling of sadness as we close the summer season I have felt every year since some years. I feel there is so much of life, adventure, and unique shared experiences compressed into such a short period of time. I feel the children grow exponentially during our holidays, in all levels, as they discover the world in our travels (Diving and learning about sea urchins, medusas and other exotic sea creatures), learning new things (my 6 yo. son can now buy bread in Greek and my 3-year old learned to hold breath under water and scubadive!) and even go through challenges with us (how to get organised after car breaking down on a German highway early on our roadtrip to North). We move yet one step closer to them growing-up and leaving the nest! In honesty, they are all still young (3-11yo), which I thank every day The highlight of this summer was without a doubt meeting again our family in Estonia and Finland. We hadn't seen our parents, sisters, brothers and their families for over two years! During the time apart, my youngest grew-up from a baby to a little girl..A lot happened during the pandemie in both parts of Europe and it is difficult to even start catching-up during such a short visit. For me, the most important was to see my family in good health and happy; spending time together, sharing a meal or having an evening tea together. The sheer presence of all of us togehter was both grounding and energising. After 20 years abroad, being "home" in my native neighbourhoods simply makes me feel good. I am so pleased to see my children share this feeling, spending time in the calmness and nature, a break from the frenetic everyday city-life of ours. Despite the adversaries we encountered during this summer, it definitely stays in our minds and hearts as a summer of reunion. Blessings to all my extented family, in both sides of the Baltic sea. We miss you greatly!