Fruit family

Today Kai gave all family new names:
We are mammamango, pappapapaya, Hana Banana* and...
Kai DRAGON fruit.

Weekend afternoon fika from le Maisone Vanille. Tres yummy.

* although, there is certain confusion about Hana, as she generally is Hana Luna, and there apparently is another Hannah in school who is supposed to be the Banana...

Tomten kommer!

Somehow kids have managed to find out that Christmas is approaching. That means, they say, that Santa is going to come. And - of course! - with loads of presents. I havent really told them yet that we will be in Japan by then, most likely in a small village way up in the mountains, or even more likely, on the train on our way there, and that Santa most likely wont be able to find his way. Guess we will have to do a pre-Christmas party before we leave...

Tomten kommer!

Daddy's in Italy

This week, Keisuke is off for some work in Italy, and the kids and I spend the week "home alone". Now that they go to school every day and acutually sleep at night - Kai I rather have to drag out of bed in the mornings, to not get too late to school - it's not such a big deal.
We do miss him of course and every morning Kai asks if it isnt Saturday yet. Apparently he was really popular during the weekend before he left

Me and my dad.

Kiwi bird

Kai continues being our little artist. The other day he showed me a picture of a kiwi bird he'd just drawn, looking at a little soft animal.

"That's very nice" I said. "I coudn't do that!"
"Don't worry mum, I will help you" he said.
And then came back to me with a dotted-line one...

Two and a half

Yesterday I pointed out to Hana, she actually turned two-and-a-half. Naturally she demanded cake and singing, but I somehow managed to get out of that. Anyway, big girl she is now!

My boys

Cool. Here checking out the citadel which has just been opened up to the public. Nothing special but at least a huge area where kids can run around without getting run over by a car or a motorbike. And they sell ice-cream.

Five million dollars

One really good thing about our house is that we have no neighbours - and this in the middle of extremely densely populated Hanoi. One one side we have the owners "garden", a piece of land where he most likely and probably sooner than later (when he has made enough money from our rent) will build another house. But not yet. It is still just a mess of mango trees, banana plants and orchids. In front we have the little lake. And finally, on the other side there is, strange enough, a totally abandonded piece of land. Just huge bamboo and trees growing wild, no-one ever there. Until last week. When a big group of young men stormed in and cleared the whole lot in a few days. And, yesterday, we got it confirmed: the land has been sold. The price: five million dollars. Million. Dollars. Thats about 35 million kronor. For a little piece of muddy land next to a dirty pond. Now it is of course just a matter of short time until our backyard will turn into a construction site. Including the regular workers-from-the-countryside camp. They will live there and they will work long hours, seven days a week. We know we have been spoiled, but couldnt they have waited just another six months...

Nothing to do with the post really...

Buddhism

Mindful. Heartful. Peaceful. If I am ever to pick a religion it most likely have to be Buddhism. Just another reason for staying in the region, and...

... the kids already seem to have gotten hold of it.

Urban planning

Well. As the old one was so beautiful... why not another one, just the same.

Riverfront urban planning, Vientiane...

... which is also the city currently on top of my where-to-move-next list. Hm... Guess it is good that Keisukes contract finally got officially extended, until June at least it seems.

Halloween

This year Kai and Hana teamed up with a bunch of friends and went "trick-or-treat"-ing around the neighbourhood. Very excited running around the little alleys making "bus" - and late at night and all!

Big Yuuki, new Yuuki, Kai and Jolan.

Very tired witch.