Ingrid likes making potato gratin. It’s about the only dish she can make. And potato gratin is one of Adrian’s absolute favourite foods, so it’s a win-win situation! This time she decorated Adrian’s gratin (which differs from ours because it does not have grated cheese on top) with A-shaped potato pieces.

Ingrid and I made paper cube animals some while ago. I made a tiger, because tigers are orange (well sort of at least), look cool, and are easy to draw in a recognizable way.

Then Adrian wanted a dinosaur. It had to be a T-rex of course, and a red one, just like for his bed curtain. I couldn’t think of a way to make a cube look like a dinosaur so I had to deviate from the plan a bit.

Today I went to a parents’ meeting for Ingrid’s class, where – among other things – we got a chance to see the materials the kids are working with. The theme they are currently working with in various subjects is “Prehistoric time”. (This spring term it was “Space”.) For each major project like this, they make their own books where they paste in all sorts of drawings, worksheets etc. I had to laugh when I saw what Ingrid had drawn on the front cover of her book:

Continuing on the Minecraft theme: Ingrid reading a Minecraft magazine.

Ingrid built Minecraft things.

This is a Nether portal. I had to Google that. Now I know what a Nether portal is.

A house, including a bed (very clearly a Minecraft-style bed, obvious even to me) and chests with food.

A vegetable garden.

Cat, dog and hamster. Actually I have forgotten which one was the cat and which one the dog; Ingrid said that they can be recognized by their colouring.

The last month of summer vacation. All full of activity with our Estonia trip, Kolmården, scout camp and swim camp. This is the kind of life that suits Ingrid best so it’s been a happy month for her.

Looking forward to each trip or camp is almost as enjoyable as the event itself. Packing is also great fun, and she loves to do it thoroughly and slowly and together with me. Unpacking though is no fun at all – we have to keep reminding her, and still I find her dirty rain jacket in the corner a week later, stuffed in a little bag, or maybe some week-old leftover snacks in a smelly box.

She’s been extending camp life by sleeping in the tent we put up in the garden for her. A sleeping bag, a flashlight, and a pile of Kalle Anka Pocket issues is all she needs to enjoy herself. She has also started talking about wanting a room of her own – part of the charm of the tent may be that nobody else is ever there.

She has become fond of giving gifts. It was very important for her to buy birthday presents for me – and to keep them secret so she could surprise me. I got a photo album and a plant (a Saintpaulia). She’s also spent pocket money on gifts for Adrian. His reactions have been mixed, from “I want more! Now!” to “meh”.

Favourite expression: YOLO! – pronounced either in English, yoh-loh, or in Swedish, jållå. The tough/hip combo of hip hop style is starting to interest her (although not hip hop music).