running (or is it sailing?) away

i'm pondering running away on one of these. that big one in the foreground actually had a sign saying, "ask the crew if you want to ride along to bergen." of course, if i'm running away, i'm not really going to say where i'm going, as that's surely half the fun.

but since life is actually pretty good and i don't really have a very good reason for running away, i think i'll only do so if i get to wear one of these hats. aren't they awesome?

if i'm honest, this boat is probably more my speed, but first, we gotta get rid of that wanker that's onboard. how much of a tosser does he appear to be?

what about you, do you sometimes consider running away?

hello august

this face got so cute while we were away. i have a hard time not just squeezing her to bits, she's so sweet and adorable. on another note, i can't believe august is here already, time is flying by. school starts again in less than two weeks and it feels like we've barely had time to play. well, that's not true, i get to play pretty much every day at work if i want to. i'm more thinking of evening games of kongespil and painting in the garden on a warm, sunny afternoon, like we did last summer. we'll have to be sure we do some of that before it's all over. our long, golden nights are still with us, but it won't long before a hint of autumn enters the air. as far as i'm concerned, it can wait a little longer.

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this zoo with big ambitions is in my (broad) neighborhood (thank odin for that).

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check out how awesome our turtle competition is going.

and it's not too late to enter (last day is august 10) if you fancy building a tiny turtle
(on an 8x8 plate).

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so many interesting things to read:

ira glass' lifehacker interview.

a piece from the nytimes that i can only hope is taking the piss.

an interesting approach to the induction of new employees.

what they've found in a shipwreck.

before digital photography was mainstream.

a photographer who staged her spam emails to awesome effect.

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and if you need more, the new yorker has opened their archives all summer long.
here are some suggestions as to what to read.

50 things about right now (mostly awesome)

i totally copycatted was inspired by molly's 50 things about right now post.

1.  in a word, kittens. two of them, tho' we thought she had 6 in there, her belly was so big.
2.  sunshine breaking through.
3.  working at home.
4.  sitting for too long in one spot when i work at home.
5.  building excitement over our coming holiday in london.

7.  flowers in bloom all over the place.

8. did i mention the two perfect, tiny kittens?

9. awesome projects at work.

10. great people to work with on awesome projects at work.

11.  a trip on the (rather distant) horizon to seattle and then new york.

12. yes, me, in new york.

13. for the first time ever.

14. cold white wine in the garden.

15. and the odd gin & tonic.

16. the coolest business cards ever. and i have some.
17. long, light summer nights.
18. being invited to a party this weekend.
19. horses with fly fringe attached to their halters.
20. the antics of our pigs.
21. the child hanging out with her good friends.
22. the awesomeness being submitted to the turtle competition we're running on eurobricks.
23. these are the ultra-creative people i get to work with. all. the. time.

24. pinterest.

25. looking forward to molly's kittens.

26. yes, that's more kittens.

27. awesome neighbors.

28. summer visits from friends.

29. rewatching friends from the beginning on netflix.

30. shark burgers for dinner.

31. salmon burgers for dinner.

32. burger burgers for dinner.

33. berries to pick.

34. the strawberries are done.

35. the child buying a nikon D7100 with her confirmation money.

36. arranging lunch dates with friends in london.

37. and tours of oxford with other friends.

38. packing up the "dining" room so it can become sabin's room.

39. reluctantly. because packing all those books away again feels wrong.

40. our independent, awesome feral hen keeping her babies safe up a tree every night.

41. overusing the word awesome.
42. but it's because everything is pretty much awesome.
43. looking at the calendar to find the best time for a weekend in rome.
44. and maybe one in berlin.
45. did i mention we're going to london?

46. getting to write at work too.

47. mowing the lawn.

48. strawberry shrubs.

49. staying up late.

50. sitting in the golden hour light with husband in the garden, sipping a cocktail and talking about our days, the future, living abroad, the angle of the roof, and what to do with all these cats.

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seriously awesome reflection photos by kiripi katembo siku

they are stunning and so full of subtext and depth.

a big thank you to molly for sharing them with me.

friday burger

it's summer. it's friday. so we had burgers. happy weekend, one and all.

gorgeous summer days are upon us

i'd say summer is here about a month earlier than it was last year. although we've had some rainy days, largely, they are filled with sunshine. and that means meals eaten in the garden.

i don't know if our mild winter and actual summer for what looks like two years running are products of climate change, but if they are, it's definitely working in our favor.

most meals have included fresh asparagus, plucked from the garden. asparagus is such an exercise in patience, you have to wait several years before you can begin to eat it, especially when you plant it from seed. this is the first year we've been able to really pick it. and we've definitely been enjoying it. mostly lightly steamed with a bit of butter or shavings of fresh parmesan.

even the child has been inspired by the good weather (and i suspect by instagram). she made this stack of homemade blueberry pancakes all on her own when she got home from school the other day. she's also taken to making iced lattes. most importantly, of course, is that you must photograph it all before you enjoy it. i think instagram is a good influence on her.

long, golden evenings stretch out in the garden. the child is constantly in motion and never far from her trampoline for long. she's trying to perfect handstands before her grandmother gets here.

but she can also do all kinds of flips. this is why she's signed up for a gymnastics-focused boarding school for the ninth grade.

the elderflowers are already in bloom. i looked through my photo library and it's a good three weeks earlier than usual. that means we'll have fresh elderflower syrup to make drinks for our upcoming party.

there are flowers popping up all over the garden, it seems like in bigger abundance than ever before. those who lived here before us were into gardening and i'm grateful for the flowers they left behind (even if i'm not grateful to them for much else).

there's less than a month to go before the solstice and the light begins to turn away from us again, but with this much of its golden glory, i think i can bear the thought of that.

small happinesses

a big giant kitten, trying to get a little sip of milk, then falling asleep.

sleeping away the heat of the day.

beads of sweat on cold things to drink.

three packages of lego minifigures, and all three were ones i didn't already have!

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i've fallen in love with

a 2500 year-old siberian princess' tattoos.

it's definitely worth a click to read the story.

and there's more about her here.

if you don't want to read, here's a little video:

search "Indo-European Mummy in the Altai" on YouTube and watch
a marvelous program about the find from BBC Learning.
Natalia Polosmak, the scientist who discovered her has the most amazing manner.
i want to be friends with her and just hang on her every word.
see, i think she's so awesome, i actually used capital letters!