A month in photos - May

This is my May monthly photo collage. Better late than never!

In May we spent a day in our summer place in Fregene. We went to the beach for the first time this year in our swimsuits, but didn't swim yet. The water was a little bit chilly as spring hadn't been so warm here in Rome. We baked several times and I got homemade cakes for breakfast at mother's day. The apricots in our tree got ready and this year we got loads of them and made marmalade. Me and Carlotta had a beach picknick with coffee, juice and apple cake. Carlotta's last year in the Elementary School was coming to an end and she had a basket ball match, their class showed us a little musical and they got a diploma from their teachers. We went shopping to Ostia and after that I convinced the girls to go to the beach to take some photos during the beautiful golden our. And in the end of the month me and Carlotta spent two lovely days at a farm house in Tuscania about 100 km from Rome. And I also had quite a lot of work and we spent a lot of time with the horses. 

Mother's Day and first time at the beach

This was what welcomed me when I got up quite late this morning. Sofia and Carlotta had made a lovely card for me with photos and my breakfast was served with coffee and cakes that we had made the day before. Sofia made oreo cup cakes and Carlotta chocolate-coconut balls. So yummy!

Sofia suggested that we go to Fregene where we have a summer place. We go there very little, which really is a pity. As we always go to Finland in summer, we have rented it during the summer months. Last year we found a family who wanted it for the whole summer and they are coming back this year again. So from June to the end of August we can't go there. This Sunday the weather was a bit cloudy, but quite warm, so we started packing some food in the bags and called our friends to ask if they wanted to join us. So in the end it was me, Carlotta, Sofia and my friend Marzia with her daughter Alice. Armando didn't want to join us and Daniele had organized his Sunday with his friends, so off we went, us girls to celebrate mother's day in Fregene.

It was already lunch time when we got there and we were hungry, so we cooked some pasta and made sallad and my friend had brought ome grilled chicken and wine. Everything tastes so good out in the little garden.

Then we spent some time at the beach. We hadn't brought our swimming suites, but it actually would have been warm enough to put them on now.

We had a coffee at the nice beach café.

Then we went back to the apartment to have dessert. I had made a cheese cake with straw berries for Mother's Day.

I found the recipe in the internet, but this is my adapted recipe and it was really delicious.

Month in photos - April

Spring is really here and April has been full of new flowers and green grass here in Rome. It has also been a month with lots of work for me.
One Saturday there was a photo walk in Eur with a photo group that I found in Facebook. Eur is a district in Rome where there's an artificial lake. We went to take photos of the blooming cherry trees by the artificial lake of Eur.
Sofia and Icoon partecipated in an international show jumping competition in Arezzo in Toscana.
Also Carlotta had a competition in Rome. It went very well.
On the 8th of April Daniele officially became an adult. He turned 18! He celebrated his birthday in London with a few friends. When he came back we made a strawberry cake and celebrated at home.
We had a nice lunch out in our garden with our friends one Sunday.
Carlotta went on a school trip to the Cilento region. She had a good time there.
And on the last weekend of April it was Carlotta 's confirmation. There is a very nice restaurant at our barn and we had the party there afterwards.

Month in photos - March

March was a very nice month and we saw both spring flowers and snow.
In March me and the girls spent 3 days in Montefalco in Umbria where Sofia and Icoon partecipated in a show jumping competition. We stayed in a nice apartment in the beautiful Umbrian countryside.

Our apricot tree was flowering.
My dear friend from Finland was here in Rome and we met in Ostia where we chatted over cappuccinos and walked around. So nice we managed to see each other!
We went on a mini ski holiday to Ovindoli in Abruzzo for a weekend. It was me, my husband and the girls. Daniele had already been on a ski holiday in Austria. It was really nice and after that spring was more than welcome.
We had a relaxing Easter break. Went to Ostia to do some shopping and had an ice cream, celebrated our Easter at home with lots of good food and chocolate and on Easter Monday we had a barbeque party in the garden with our friends. The morning was a bit rainy so we sat on our porch, but then the sun came out.
I will link this post in http://monaspicturesque.blogspot.it/ where I also got the photo template and in http://pienilintu.blogspot.it/.

October is here

October is here and so is the more unstable weather. It's still not cold here in Rome, but there have been some rainy days and the weather sometimes changes very quickly. Between these two shots taken from our porch, there is only about fifteen minutes!

Cool summer days in Finland

We wanted cooler weather - and that's what we got! It has rarely been over 20 degrees here, so there was a difference of about 20 degrees compared to Rome. This summer has been the coolest for ages here in Finland. I think it has never been this cold during summer time since my children were born, at least. Last year we had a swim in the sea or in some lake almost every day, but now you really don't feel the need to do it. The sea water must be really cold. For us it's not that terrible, we had a lot of warm weather before coming here and know that it will still be warm when we get back in September. But I think lots of people who live here have taken a last-minute holiday to some warmer country, because if it's not warm now, it probably won't get warm anymore this summer and here the winter is long and you really need some sun before starting to think about autumn and winter.
I got quite a lot of work to do just before coming here and as a free-lancer you can't refuse all the work when it comes. So I have been working late in the night to be able to do something with Carlotta during the day.
I came here with Carlotta and in a few days Armando, Sofia and Sofia's friend will be here, too. Daniele has been working here in Finland the whole month of July and on the 11th he will fly to Monaco with his friend.
You can do lots of things here, although it's not so warm. 
We have been to the indoor pool, to the library and done some shopping, we have been to the summer theater and were lucky it wasn't raining, we have been eating lots of strawberries, we have been horse riding, we have made day trips to Lovisa and Porvoo and also managed to go on a picnic. I have seen some friends and hope to have time to see more friends and relatives, although schools start here soon and people go back to work.

Beach life in Rome and surviving the heat

July in Rome was really hot. Every day it got warmer and more humid and in the end it was about 40 degrees. The last days we were there before finally going to Finland it was so warm you couldn't do so much during the day and life for me started in the evening, although it still was 30 degrees then and very humid.
We had a pool in our garden, but in the beginning of July when we came back from the Italian Pony Championships in Cervia, where we had spent 5 days, the water had turned green and had a bad smell, so I had to empty it and as it was so warm, it took me days to clean it and I didn't fill it anymore before going to Finland. Cervia is near the Adriatic sea and there the temperatures were much more tolerable than in Rome.
The only place where you could feel a bit better was the beach or maybe some pool, but I had to work, so I can easily count the times I went to the beach in June-July on one finger. In the week-ends it gets too crowded and hard to get a parking place.
One morning we spent a few hours at the Cancelli beach which is a bit further away from Ostia and the water is cleaner. It was just lovely.

Then one afternoon we went to Ostia, but the water had already got very warm and wasn't so refreshing and it didn't look too clean either. We went there because Sofia and her friend wanted to have their nails done and in the meanwhile I went to the beach with Carlotta and her friend. It's closer to the centre of Ostia and there the water gets dirtier. The sunset was nice, though.

 

 

An other time earlier this summer I went to the beach with Carlotta and we saw this summer's lovelies sunset so far. It was so beautiful! I love the beach when the sun starts going down and people go away and it's not too hot anymore.

First swims of the year

The first swim of the year is always something to document. This year I took my first swim in the sea on the 17th of May. Me and Sofia went to the beach of Torvaianica with our friends.

We had a nice coffee and a chat at the beach cafè.

Carlotta was at the theatre with her friend that day, so the next day when I had finished working I suggested to her that we go to Ostia to have a swim at the beach and maybe an ice cream afterwards. She liked the idea. 
I like going to the beach when it's not too crowded and not too hot and the best moment is when the sun starts going down and people go home and the light is so beautiful.

Then we drove to the centre of Ostia where there is a frozen yogurt shop. Yummy! You serve yourself and choose the toppings and pay by weight.

I love the golden hour!

 Driving back home.