So… I finally baked it. The little Mondamin baking tin has been waiting patiently. I found the old cookbook, found the exact recipe printed on page 15, and finally had everything I needed to make the Wiener Nuss-Kuchen. Well. Almost everything. The recipe calls for hazelnuts. I used walnuts. I know. 😂 After all that … More I Finally Baked the Mondamin Cake!
Some recipes simply stay. This one has been in my kitchen since 2010. I don’t even remember exactly where I first found it, but somehow it has stayed with me all these years — one of those simple recipes that is worth keeping. These are simple oatmeal and peanut butter cookies, made without eggs. Ground … More Oatmeal – Peanut Butter Cookies
In my last post, I told you about my old Mondamin baking tin and my mission to find the cake it was actually made for. And I found it! After lots of searching, I finally came across an old Mondamin cookbook on eBay Germany. And there it was — on page 15: Wiener Nuss-Kuchen. The … More I Found the Original Mondamin Cake Recipe!
I recently found an old tin baking dish, and instead of simply putting it back in the box, I started wondering: What cake was this actually made for? The answer was hiding right on the tin. It says “Mondamin” and “Wiener Nuß-Kuchen.” I don’t understand German, but I could work out one important word — … More Old Mondamin Cake Tin
There’s something so satisfying about collecting seeds from my garden to save for next year. A little piece of this year’s garden, carefully saved for the next season. I love the thought of planting these again and watching the cycle begin all over. Ilze
This post comes with some pretty pictures of my straw flower and a little fly. Enjoy! Yesterday, I did a sleep apnea test at home. I’ve suspected for a while that my sleep isn’t really restful. I wake up tired, foggy and exhausted, even after sleeping for hours. Then I started looking more closely at … More Oxygen Drops to 76%
I think I spent years slowly breaking myself apart. Not intentionally. Just little by little. Putting everyone else first. Ignoring what I needed. Pushing through exhaustion. Forgetting the things that made me feel like me. Until eventually, I realised I had become very good at functioning — but not necessarily at living. I broke apart. … More I Broke Myself Apart
I couldn’t sleep because of the storm. It was loud. Around 2 a.m., the power went out. A lot of homesteads around us were left without electricity, and when I woke up in the morning, we still had none. And suddenly, the most important question of the morning was: What do we eat for breakfast? … More No Electricity, No Breakfast Plan
Tonight we were supposed to go to a jazz concert – 150 kilometers away from home. We had everything planned, tickets bought but then the weather changed. Not just a little summer storm with some rain and thunder. This was the kind of storm that makes your phone ring with emergency notifications — the kind … More When the Storm Says Stay Home
This is not a beautiful blog post. I’m a real person, and sometimes my reality is a struggle. Right now, I can’t sleep. I can’t concentrate. Some days, I feel like I can barely live normally. I’m trying medication. I’m trying stretching, relaxing, resting, taking things slowly. I’m trying all the things I’m supposed to … More Struggle
I love when I can make a soup using vegetables straight from my garden. There is something especially satisfying about picking what I need and turning it into a simple, comforting meal. This garden vegetable soup is somewhere between a soup and a stew — full of vegetables, easy to make, and finished with crumbled … More Garden Vegetable Soup with Feta
Sleep apnoea is a term I’m hearing for the first time, because my doctor is starting to think that this might be the reason why I’m not sleeping properly. So now I need to find out if I actually have sleep apnoea. I’ll be taking a little machine home with me (beginning of Spetember) and … More Sleep Apnoea — Apparently, We Need to Check That Too
I think I’ve finally realised I’m never going to find my recipe box. For the past year and a half, I’ve kept hoping it would somehow turn up. I’ve looked everywhere — more than once — but it’s not coming back. And that makes me really sad. It wasn’t just a box of recipes. It … More My Lost Recipe Box
Sunday was a family day — we went to visit my brother because it was his birthday! We decided to make a little adventure out of it and headed to the Purezers Nature Trail. It sounded like the perfect place for a forest walk after birthday cake and shashlik! Except… there had been a bear … More A Birthday Visit… with a Bear Warning
Love these cute and relaxed cows 🙂 Ilze
Sixteen years of marriage. ❤️ We had a plan for our anniversary: dress up a little, go out, sit in a restaurant, have a nice dinner, and properly celebrate 16 years together. But it doesn’t feel like me… or Jānis. So why do it? Instead, we ended up in the forest, hunting for chanterelles. There … More 16 Years of Marriage… and a Forest Full of Chanterelles
After all the canning was done, we packed the picnic basket and headed to the highest spot around us — a place with a tower rising way above the treetops. We had checked it out a few days earlier, and it looked like nobody ever came there. Perfect for watching the solar eclipse. Well… apparently … More Picnic Under the Eclipse
Yesterday (and today) was one of those very August days — we made dill pickles and beetroot soup for winter. And Helmī discovered the ultimate trick for peeling a mountain of onions without crying: swimming goggles! 😂 Honestly, I’m impressed. She looked ridiculous, but she was the only one with dry eyes. The winter pantry … More August Days: Pickles, Onions & an Eclipse
Today is officially the last day of my sick leave. And honestly? I’m not sure anymore what the point of it was. The idea was supposed to be simple: take some time for myself. Rest. Slow down. Let my body and mind recover. Wait for the “pills to start working.” Try to find some kind … More What Is the Point of Sick Leave?
There’s going to be a partial solar eclipse on August 12, and I’ve started hunting for the perfect place to watch it. Technically, I could just stay in my garden. Here in Gulbene, the eclipse will begin at around 8:05 pm, reaching its maximum at about 8:56 pm — and spot in my garden might … More Hunting for the Perfect Spot
Third week on sick leave. Of course, this is not exactly ideal… but I’ll survive. I hope. For now, I’m spending time relaxing and loving. And doing things I would normally never do — like making colour swatches for all my coloured pencils. Or… sorting seed packets. 🌱 Anyway, I hope you’re all having a … More Going Back to My Roots
I wandered around the garden, enjoyed the flowers, checked on everything growing… and had a little visitor — a stork stopping by for a moment. There is something magical about these quiet encounters with nature. And then I noticed something funny — my dress looks almost exactly like my zinnias! 🌸 Apparently, even my clothes … More A Slow Day
Yesterday ended with the most peceful sunset after an incredibly hot and humid day. We were hoping for rain, but it never came, so there wasn’t much relief from the heat. At 8 p.m. I made myself an iced coffee with caramel syrup. It was delicious… until I realized my personal barista (me! 😄) had … More Sunset, Coffee, and Another Step Forward
Today was supposed to be garbage collection day. I even gave the bin a little pep talk before wheeling it out. “Today’s your day, buddy.” It wasn’t. Nobody came. Then I remembered the phone call I got at the end of June from the new waste collection company. “Hello! We’ll be taking over from July.” … More My Garbage Has Been Ghosted
About a year ago, I took a fermentation course. I was so inspired, learned a lot, and came home full of plans… and then life happened. Somehow, an entire year slipped by without me fermenting a single thing at home. Renovation, work, family, gardening—you know how it goes. There was always something more urgent waiting … More Finally Putting My Fermentation Course to Good Use
I had one of those little garden moments that made me laugh. This year, my carrots are looking really nice. They grew straight, healthy, and have a beautiful bright orange color. Every time I pull one from the soil, it feels like uncovering a tiny treasure. But then I found something I definitely wasn’t expecting. … More When Carrots Decide to Hug
One of the things I love most about this time of year is bringing home little gifts from the garden. Last night, I came inside with an armful of fresh harvest – cucumbers, string beans, and everything needed for fermented food: horseradish leaves, blackcurrant leaves, and plenty of fresh dill heads. The zucchini plants have … More Little Gifts from the Garden
After my doctor’s appointment, I stopped by a little shop on the way home. I wasn’t planning to buy anything, but somehow I walked out with… another houseplant. Only after getting home did I realize what it actually was — an asparagus fern! I had no idea when I picked it up. It’s tiny, light, … More Not the Kind of Asparagus I Was Expecting
Last night, I didn’t fall asleep until 3 AM. The full moon was shining brightly outside the window. Usually, I enjoy those peaceful nights and somehow seem to sync with that quiet energy. This time, though, it was different. My mind just wouldn’t settle, and sleep refused to come. Perhaps that also set the tone … More Evening Watering in the Garden Heat
For quite some time now, I’ve been struggling with brain fog. I can’t find the right words. I forget where I put my phone. Sometimes I walk into a room and have no idea why I went there. It’s affecting my work too. I’ll read a client’s email two or three times and still struggle … More Living in a Fog: Could It Really Be That Simple?
There is something special about picking the very first cucumber from the greenhouse. They are not the perfectly straight, glossy cucumbers you see in supermarkets. One is a little crooked, another has a funny shape, and they certainly wouldn’t win any beauty contests. But to me, they are perfect. They were grown without chemicals, watered … More The First Cucumbers of the Year
A few years ago, I started a little tradition. Every Christmas, I buy myself one gift. Not something practical. Not something our house desperately needs. Not another tool for renovation. Just something that makes me smile. The first years were the hardest. I still remember how uncomfortable it felt to spend money on things that … More The Pencils I Never Thought I’d Buy
Some of the most beautiful things in a garden are the ones you never planned. My hollyhocks are a perfect example. I love them because they are completely free. I never bought them, never carefully planted them, and never designed this flower bed. They simply appeared, dropped their seeds, and decided to grow here. Every … More My Self-Seeding Hollyhocks
There is something incredibly satisfying about picking the very first zucchini from the garden. After weeks of watching the plants grow, waiting for the flowers to appear, and checking every day to see if a tiny zucchini had started to form, today was finally the day! I harvested my first zucchini of the season. It … More The First Zucchini of the Season
Yesterday, I shared one of the most magical wildlife moments I’ve ever experienced—a hoopoe unexpectedly visiting our home. I truly thought that would be a once-in-a-lifetime encounter. For more than two hours, I couldn’t stop thinking about that beautiful bird. I felt so inspired that, around 8 PM, I grabbed my camera and headed outside. … More An Evening Gift from Nature
Some moments in nature feel almost magical — the ones you dream about for years, but never really expect to happen. Today I had one of those moments. This beautiful bird is a hoopoe (Upupa epops) — or pupuķis in Latvian. Seeing one is quite rare here. There are only a few hundred hoopoes in … More A Rare Visitor: My Unexpected Encounter with a Hoopoe
There is something incredibly satisfying about making a meal where almost everything comes straight from your own garden. Today’s dinner is a simple vegetable roast with chicken. The only thing I had to buy was the chicken. Everything else was grown here at home. The tray is filled with freshly dug potatoes, sweet carrots, beetroot, … More A Roast Almost Entirely From the Garden
Some evenings are simply magical, and this was definitely one of them. The Latvian band YŪT performed in the beautiful surroundings of Jaungulbene Manor, and I can’t think of a better setting for their music. There is something special about listening to live music surrounded by history. Jaungulbene Manor, located in the Vidzeme region of … More An Evening with YŪT at Jaungulbene Manor
The original plan was simple: go out for a slice of cake and a good cup of coffee – since it was Home Cafe weekend. I had cake and coffee in the arts studio, so… .. somehow, I came home with something even sweeter—two beautiful handmade bowls that I absolutely fell in love with. They … More I Went Out for Cake… and Came Home with Pottery
After thoroughly stuffing ourselves with delicious homemade Italian pizzas, we decided that a little walk was exactly what we needed. Right next to the pizzeria is a wonderful park—although “park” doesn’t quite feel like the right word. It is more like a peaceful patch of forest, where nature and creativity blend together beautifully. As we … More A Walk Through Art and Nature
This weekend we joined the Home Café Days here in the Gulbene region, and what a lovely tradition it is. For one weekend only, farms, family homes, gardens, and small businesses open their gates and transform into cosy little cafés. Instead of visiting restaurants, you travel from place to place, meeting local people who have … More A Weekend of Home Cafés
I almost forgot to share this little garden update! More then a month ago, I decided to plant strawflowers next to our pool. I had no other pace. At the time, I wasn’t completely sure if it was the right spot, but now I’m convinced it was a great idea. The plants have settled in … More Strawflowers by the Pool
Nelle and her friend both recently earned their cycling licences, opening up even more possibilities for summer adventures. They have already discovered how much fun it is to explore by bike, and this week they set off on another little road trip together. They cycled about 14 km (9 miles) each way, making it a … More A Little Summer Adventure on Two Wheels
There it is — the rain we desperately needed! It poured heavily for about 10 minutes, then continued at a gentler pace for another 30. It wasn’t a long storm, but it was enough to give everything in the garden a lovely, much-needed drink. The timing couldn’t have been better for the girls. They were … More Nature Took Care of the Watering
Sometimes a blog post doesn’t need a big story. Today, it’s simply me in my new dress, wandering around the garden. The dress made me feel happy the moment I put it on. It’s comfortable, feminine, and perfect for a warm summer day. The kind of dress that makes you want to slow down, stroll … More Just Me and My Garden
Technology has changed incredibly fast. I grew up with dial-up internet, simple mobile phones, and film cameras. Today, AI can write, draw, and help solve complex problems. So what will technology look like in 20 years? I don’t dream about flying cars. I think we’ll simply make today’s technology even smarter. Artificial intelligence will probably … More AI Is Making Us Dumber
We had terrible winds, so we decided to escape to Salacgrīva this weekend. We had problem, the road was blocked, but we know other way around. In Salacgriva I think I almost melted. The weather was absolutely beautiful… if you’re a lizard. The sun was so strong that even standing still felt like an activity … More A Summer Weekend in Salacgrīva
Yesterday I wandered around the garden with a basket in one hand and a cup of tea in the other, just checking on how everything is doing. I was happy to discover that my mint hasn’t started blooming yet. That means it’s still the perfect time to harvest it for tea. I always try to … More A Little Tour Around the Garden
Yesterday evening we had dinner with a beautiful view. The weather was calm, the kind of evening that makes you want to stay outside just a little longer. After dinner, I wandered over to the vegetable garden with a handful of seed packets. It might be July, but there’s still time to sow a few … More A Little Bit of Hope for Autumn
It’s been a while since I last opened my watercolor paints. I wouldn’t call myself a watercolor artist. Most of the time I have no idea what I’m doing, and if I’m completely honest… I’m not very good at it. But every now and then I stumble across a subject that somehow works, and that … More Back to Watercolors
Yesterday evening, Jānis and I declared it a sushi night. No special occasion. Just one of those evenings when neither of us felt like cooking, and sushi sounded like exactly the right idea. Sometimes the simplest plans turn into the nicest memories. After dinner, we went for a walk. The weather couldn’t quite decide what … More Sushi, Storm Clouds, and a Stork
Summer is officially half way through, and with it comes the fleeting magic of the last peony blooms. A few days ago, I visited Jānis’ mother’s garden to gather the very last of her magnificent peonies. There is something heartbreakingly beautiful about the final flowers of the season—they feel like a quiet farewell to summer’s … More Summer in a Gravy Boat: Peonies & Foraged Bilberries
There has always been one wildflower that has felt a little more special to me than all the others. In Latvian, it’s called ilzītes. My name is Ilze, and ilzīte is the affectionate, diminutive form of it—the kind of name someone uses with warmth and kindness. Ever since I was little, I’ve loved the fact … More The Little Flower That Shares My Name
Lately, I’ve been eating peas every time I walk outside. It’s become my little summer ritual. I’ll step away from my computer for a few minutes, wander into the garden, and pick a handful of fresh peas straight from the vines. They’re sweet, crisp, and somehow taste even better because they come with a short … More Stealing a Few Minutes
In the age of AI, my favorite bloggers are the people who write about their own lives. I love reading about ordinary days, gardens, family traditions, travels, and little moments that no AI could ever truly experience or tell. It’s raining. And I love it. Everything looks greener after just a few hours of steady … More Rainy Sunday
Today felt like one of those summer days spent almost entirely in the car. We got up early to pick up our youngest daughter from CampIT, where she had spent the past week. She had such a wonderful time! It’s an IT camp with exactly the kind of attitude I love—encouraging curiosity, creativity, and hands-on … More A Day on the Road
June is one of my favourite months in the vegetable garden. Everything suddenly seems to wake up and start growing faster every single day. The leeks are getting bigger and stronger now. They still have a long way to go before harvest, but it’s always satisfying to see them thriving after such a slow start. … More Garden in July
This year, I decided to try something a little different. We tipped the hay rolls onto their flat sides, covered them with a layer of compost, and planted cucumbers and pumpkins right on top. The hay underneath should slowly break down, helping to retain moisture while feeding the plants over time. So far, I have … More A Little Gardening Experiment with Hay Rolls
It’s so hot here in Latvia today — +29°C (84°F for my USA friends). I don’t think I’m built for this kind of heat! 🥵 On the bright side, it’s the perfect weather for everyone who needs to cut the grass and make hay. ☀️ This evening, the temperature finally dropped to +20°C (68°F), and … More Heat, Hay, Sweet Peas & a Friendly Stork
This morning, before I even picked up the watering can, something caught my eye on the greenhouse floor. A snake skin. For a second, I just stood there looking at it. It was much bigger than the one I found last year. Last summer, I only noticed the old skin after I had already watered … More A Snake Has Been Visiting My Greenhouse Again
I’m sorry for being a little quiet here lately. I actually have plenty of stories waiting to be shared. Photos to sort through, little adventures to write about, recipes, nature walks, and moments from everyday life. The only thing I’m missing is time. Life has been moving quickly, and by the end of the day, … More A Quiet Sunday Beneath the Apple Tree
Can’t wait to eat first peas Ilze
It’s peony season again. My mother-in-law has so many different peonies growing in her garden. Every year they put on a beautiful display, but this year one flower completely surprised me. My daughter brought me a single yellow peony. I had never seen a yellow peony before. Pink ones in every shade? Yes. White and … More A Yellow Peony
Four years ago, I made dozens of beeswax candles. Most of the beeswax I used was bought from my friend Aija, but until this Līgo, I had never actually seen where it came from. I absolutely loved visiting this place. Surrounded by nature, this is where Aija brings the honey frames after the harvest. Here … More Where My Beeswax Once Came From
I’m still not quite ready to leave our Līgo memories behind. ❤️ There were so many little moments that made the celebration special. Nelle had her own little photoshoot around the abandoned houses, where she looked right at home exploring every corner. She made two new furry friends, had plenty of fun, and even decided … More Still Sharing Our Līgo Celebration
This year’s Līgo was wonderfully simple. We celebrated right next to the Baltic Sea, listening to the waves, watching the sunset, and enjoying time together as a family. No big plans, no rush—just fresh sea air, good food, laughter, and the feeling that sometimes the simplest celebrations are the ones we remember the longest. I … More A Simple Līgo by the Baltic Sea
Today is Līgo, one of the most special days of the year here in Latvia. This year we decided to celebrate it a little differently. We packed the car, gathered the kids, and set off on a journey across almost the entire country to visit our godson (krustdēls, as we say in Latvia). The drive … More A Līgo Journey to the Baltic Sea
Around the summer solstice, when the days are at their longest, it’s time for one of my favorite little traditions – collecting wildflowers for tea. The exact timing depends on the weather. Some years the flowers bloom a little earlier, and some years a little later. This year, after a few days of hot sunshine … More A Solstice Tradition: Gathering Tea
I was inspired by my blogging friend Maria from Sweden and her beautiful post about lake to share what my brother is up to right now. As I’m writing this, he’s somewhere deep in the Swedish wilderness, completely off-grid. Tents, campfires, no electricity… no extras … just nature. This isn’t a one-time adventure either. He … More Off-Grid in Sweden: Chasing Wild Salmon
This is a wild animal. No one feeds it. No one pets it. No one tucks it into a cozy bed at night. And yet… I have to admit, I would absolutely love to give this adorable European hare a cuddle. 😊 Of course, I won’t. Wild animals should stay wild, and that’s exactly how … More A Wild Visitor I Always Love to See
From Monday until Thursday, I felt completely overwhelmed. I won’t go into details about work or what exactly was happening because that’s not really the point. Some weeks are simply heavier than others. The funny thing is that I refuse to work late. Once my workday is over, I close my laptop and I don’t … More Romanticising the Crazy Workweek
On This Day 2020. Ilze
This week is terribly busy at work! It feels I have no time for anything else! I can’t wait for this week to be over. The drive home from Salacgriva was absolutely spectacular. The first summer night fog of the year had arrived, quietly covering the land like a soft white blanket. I always look … More The First Summer Night Fog
Sometimes the weather has a way of testing our patience. This weekend we were in Salacgrīva, my hometown, for a birthday celebration of a lovely boy! Unfortunately, the weather decided not to cooperate. It was cold, rainy, and windy, and since the celebration was outdoors, we spent most of the day trying to stay warm. … More A Rainy Day in Salacgrīva and a Field of Lupins
This is one of those breakfasts I make when I open the fridge and nothing really catches my eye. Luckily, we always have eggs from free-range hens, and that’s usually enough to get me started. If I find some cheese, I grate it and mix it with the eggs. Then I spread the mixture onto … More My Go-To Breakfast
It’s monday morning. My inbox is full, my task list is long, and I’m wondering how I’ll get everything done. But that’s a problem for one task at a time. I want to share something much more impressive than my workload. A few days ago, just before a thunderstorm arrived, I looked up and saw … More Right Before the Storm
Some evenings are simply too beautiful to let slip away unnoticed. This sunset was one of those moments. The sky was painted with soft colours, the clouds catching the last light of the day, and everything seemed to slow down for a little while. I stood there looking at it, knowing that a single photo … More I Couldn’t Resist
I walked past my rhubarb today and immediately noticed something wasn’t right. The leaves have turned a bright purple-red color. Not the whole plant—just parts of the leaves, mostly around the tips and edges on a few leaves. The rest of the plant seems reasonably healthy, which makes the whole thing even more puzzling. Now … More What Is Happening to My Rhubarb?
This week I had the chance to travel to Līgatne for a work meetup. Most of my workdays are spent at home, sitting behind a screen, so it was a nice change of pace to get out, meet people in person, and spend a day somewhere different. The meetup took place at Zeit, and I … More A Lovely Day in Līgatne
Today I pushed myself a little bit outside my comfort zone. I went for a walk. That doesn’t sound like a big deal, does it? And honestly, it wasn’t. But at the same time, it was. Sometimes the smallest steps are the hardest ones to take. A day ago, I probably wouldn’t have done it. … More A Small Step Outside My Comfort Zone
Today we visited the former Latvian Army camp site in Litene. The forest was peaceful, birds were singing, and it was hard to imagine how much history this quiet place has witnessed. Before World War II, Litene was one of Latvia’s largest military training camps. Thousands of soldiers spent their summers here learning military skills, … More A Visit to Litene
Yesterday’s sunset was one of those moments that made me stop whatever I was doing and simply look. The sky was painted with beautiful shades of orange, pink, and gold. Soft clouds drifted across the horizon, catching the last light of the day and turning into little works of art. They looked almost too perfect … More A Colourful Goodbye to the Day
The internet is full of advice about self-confidence. Stand tall.Think positive thoughts.Look in the mirror and tell yourself you’re amazing. I don’t know about you, but if I stood in front of the mirror every morning declaring myself amazing, my family would probably schedule an intervention. So I started wondering what self-confidence actually is. At … More How to Build Self-Confidence (According to Someone Still Looking for It)
The strawflowers had been waiting patiently for me to plant them outside. They sat in their pots for longer than planned, and I knew I had to find them a home before they outgrew their temporary one. I would say they did outgrew these small plugs… After walking around the property and looking for an … More A Home for the Strawflowers
Back in 2017, we had a favorite picnic spot. It wasn’t anything grand or famous. Just a place deep in the forest where a huge stone stood among the trees. Someone had built a simple table and benches nearby, and there was even a small shelter for firewood. We always talked about making a fire … More The Stone That Stayed
Yesterday I had plans. I wanted to go for a walk after lunch, stretch my legs, and get some fresh air. But then the rain arrived. And honestly? Thank goodness for that. Instead of heading out, I sat inside with the door open and watched the rain. No mosquitoes buzzing around my ears. No pressure … More A Rainy Day Gift
It was finally time to clean up and set up the pool for another summer. Unlike many sensible people, we didn’t clean it properly in autumn. We emptied the water and left it outside all winter. With temperatures regularly dropping to -20°C here, I was too nervous about leaving water inside and hoping for the … More Pool Season Has Begun
A few years ago, we installed the windows in our old house. At the time, it felt like a huge milestone in our renovation journey. The house suddenly looked more complete, more protected from the weather, and a little closer to becoming the home we had imagined. Now we’re preparing for the next stage: finishing … More Important Life Decisions
The greenhouse has changed quite a bit over the past few weeks. The first photo shows what it looked like when I finally decided it was time to tackle it. There were boxes, bags, old cardboard, and all sorts of things that had accumulated over time. After a good clean-up (apart from washing the greenhouse … More Progress in the Greenhouse
Yesterday I was in the greenhouse, continuing the endless task of taking care of the tomatoes. While I was there, I decided to finally clean up one corner that had somehow become a “later” place. There were mostly cardboard from IKEA furniture and a few empty potting soil bags. Nothing exciting. Or so I thought. … More Surprise in the Greenhouse
Today is the 1st of June, and just like that, school is over. The kids are home! I’m happy for them. Summer holidays always felt magical when I was a child — long days, freedom, adventures, and not having to think about school for a while. Now, as a parent, I see it a little … More June Has Arrived
This morning, I stepped outside with one simple goal — to see what food I could find in the garden. To my delight, there was plenty. I picked fresh rocket, radishes, dill, spring onions, and salad leaves for breakfast. There is something incredibly satisfying about gathering food just a few steps from the kitchen. It … More Shopping in My Own Garden
Some photos are special not because they are perfect, but because they capture a moment that can never happen again. Recently, some relatives spent time going through old slides and photographs. I can only imagine how many boxes, memories, and tiny pieces of family history they sorted through. And among all those slides, they found … More A Photo Found Among Old Slides
Yesterday, Nelle turned 14. Fourteen feels strange to say out loud. Somewhere between a child and a young woman. Old enough to roll her eyes at me sometimes, but still young enough to laugh at silly things and disappear into her own little world. Time really does move in the strangest way. The days often … More She’s 14! Already?
Lovely evening sun… Ilze
Being in Riga for a work conference feels a little strange in the best possible way. It’s work, yes, but also not really just work. It’s one big mingling event between colleagues and clients — conversations flowing from reports and dashboards to travel stories, coffee, and life in general. Yesterday evening I had such a … More A Few Days in Riga for a Work Conference
There are times when we make sushi at home… and then there are times when I simply say: “Let’s order sushi.” Living in the countryside means food delivery is almost nonexistent here. No delivery apps, no endless restaurant choices, no late-night cravings magically appearing at our door. So whenever our local bistro announces sushi offers, … More Sushi Night
It was time. For a while I dreamed about renovating it. In my mind it was going to become one of those cozy little caravans with curtains, soft blankets, tiny shelves, and warm summer evenings somewhere in nature. I even started thinking about colors and little details. And I started to renovate it … But … More The End of Our Caravan Chapter
In the weekend, me and Helmī spent some time gardening together, and honestly, those are the moments I want to remember. We planted beans together — the kind you eat whole with the pod. I made the holes in the soil with a poker, one by one, and Helmī carefully dropped the beans inside. Such … More Little Garden Helpers and Hopeful Foxgloves
After spending hours planting tomatoes in the greenhouse, carefully trying to fit every plant into its “perfect” place, I stood there looking at the remaining empty spaces between the beds and thought… “Well… surely I can still squeeze something else in here.” And that is how I ended up scattering calendula and marigold seeds all … More Companion Flowers for My Tomatoes