1. Autumn leaves in bright colours beneath my feet. 
2. Talking to a friend over the phone. She can be so straight forward yet so right. I value honesty and good advice. 
3. A book about "hygge". Having browsed through the book, I think it will be a nice read. I am confused it is written by a non-Danish author though. 

1. I leave the office early by not participating in the fire escape rehearsal. My girls are surprised to see me home before 5 p.m. 
2. Em is happy to share about her philosophy class. When it comes to debating and argumentation she's unbeatable. 
3. My Mom comes over right from her trip with her old coworkers. It is nice listening about the wonderful castle and the lovely village she has been to. 

1. A boy waving at me while crossing the street with his mommy right in front of my car. I wave back. 
2. Shopping for candles and a plate for the Advent wreath in a lovely pink colour. It is nice to just do and not get into overthinking about the past and the future and all the in-between. 
3. We watch the documentary piece about the students' tour to Auschwitz on TV. Em's statement is the closing one. 

1. My new haircut reminds me of my looks back, while I was living in Ljubljana many years ago.
2. I have 3 jars of the best honey from my friend's orchard. We are now ready for autumn chill. 
3. Jay tries on the T-shirt I bought for her. It's a little big but she likes it.

1. A joke at the office makes me laugh to tears. I remember it while I drive home in the car and still have to laugh out loud. It's been a while and it felt so relaxing. 
2. On my way to the library down the alley of trees by the river I spot kaleidoscope pink knitted scarves  wrapped around tree trunks by Europa Donna. 
3. I accompany Em to the gym to the see the place. It seems nice. Simple. No TV screens, no fancy posters. 

1. I am thrilled to hear Em had stood up for herself and expressed her opinion about not having been named vice president (after she had run for school students' president and lost). She says she even surprised herself to have had the guts to do this and speak out in front of teacher coordinators and other class representatives, but she just couldn't keep quiet. Way to go, my girl. Em has stood up for herself and/or others many times in primary and secondary school, and this is just one more situation proving the values she stands for. 
2. Texting with Elaine from UK. 
3. It crossed my mind a while ago how our house resembled William's from the movie Notting Hill with all the stairs and floors. And bang, tonight the movie is on TV again. 

1. I open wide the windows in the morning and notice the golden treetops along the river.
2. Jay calls me to tell me about her math test and English project presentation. I sense self-confidence in her voice.  
3. Right after we turn off the light Em comes downstairs to wish us goodnight and cuddles with her little sister. 

1. First day of October. Too misty outside, so I do my morning exercise indoors. 
2. Girls go for a walk in the sun after lunch. Meanwhile I clean up and enjoy the quiet. 
3. Em asks me to help her with her gap-fill homework. I am amazed how good my French still is after all this time.

1. The open market with home-made food and art products is a wonderful surprise.
2. Lunching at Wok & Roll. The Vietnamese lady is most kind.
3. A walk along the river with my friend Natasa before I give her a lift to the train station. 

1. I manage to finish writing the update about our summer and e-mail it to my friend in Denmark. 
2. First Em refuses to talk about it, then after an hour or so she comes downstairs to our kitchen to share details about the first day of her running for school students' president. 
3. Jay is eager to go through her English before bedtime with me to be reassured before her questioning tomorrow. I think she is doing really well, my girl. 

Second morning in a row that I am sitting in my car, parked outside our office building, for over half an hour, struggling. Something's got to change. The system is not going to. I have to. 

Today's good things: 

1. A promising job ad.
2. Reading again. The invention of Wings.
3. Walked 11 times round the track while Jay was at her piano class. 

1. A beautiful view through the window. All snow. And the blue sky.
2. Jay makes a small snowman (before she leaves). I take photos of her with my phone (which I am looking at right now and missing her terribly although she's only away till tomorrow afternoon).
3. I do my e-banking and even check some jobs sites in the evening while listening to Em's singing in the bathroom. I'm feeling most grateful she's here and that I have something useful and important to do.

1. A freezing cold morning with an intense pink horizon is a good start of the day.
2. We agree to go for a walk at lunchtime. A stop for juice and coffee and a friendly chat is exactly what I need.
3. Mom makes late lunch and I am more than grateful for this tasty homemade meal. Jay and Em think the bread dumplings are delicious, too.

1. After they leave for the day I take my backpack and go for a long hike. I know of a dozen things that I should have been doing instead, most of them related to housework, but they just didn’t seem tempting (and mind-occupying) enough to stay indoors on such a glorious sunny summer day.
2. At the restaurant on the top of the hill I set as my destination they serve me a lemonade in a smoothie jar with a yellow straw lid and I think that is just lovely.
3. Once the trail leaves the forest and I am out in the open again, in the full blazing sun, all I can think of is that I need to sit down. I spot a bench, hidden in the shade of trees and bushes, next to a cottage that is clearly uninhibited today. A perfect spot to drink some water and listen to the birds.

1. Em is really excited about her shopping spree. The yellow jacket she bought is a hit.
2. When I see the date on the document I panic. A few hours later I start working on the application and I am done in 30 minutes.
3. I am my own enemy the whole day long and it is only at 10 p.m. that I make peace with myself. Red nail polish is my reward and a reminder to take it easy on myself.

1. I can’t get enough of the smell of the undergrowth during the hike.
2. We stop by the river to freshen up. Our feet are numb and our skin is cool as we stand in the water in the shade of trees and the stone wall.
3. While my girls go for a swim in a private pool I have two hours to myself. It’s too hot to do anything else but to have an ice cream and watch a cheesy romantic Spanish series on TV.

1. I manage to get some bureaucratic things done in the afternoon. Then we go for ice-cream and a decaf to our favorite café and run into Jay’s music teacher and her boys again.
2. Playing badminton and tennis with Jay in the evening when the heat is down.
3. At the end of the day I feel bone tired and restless, with too much on my mind. I am grateful another day has come to an end.

1. Finding a parking ticket in the parking ticket machine, waiting for someone (for me!) to use it up for the last 45 minutes. That is really nice.
2. After clearing some things at the bank, I stop at the downtown park and have a sandwich in the shade of the trees, next to a white marble fountain.
3. A chat with Jay’s friend’s mommy. She is pretty cool to handle the kind of job that she has.

1. Jay is so looking forward to her friend sleeping over at our place tonight. She gives me a call to work, reminding me to buy potato chips for snacking in the evening.
2. Shopping for groceries at the mall in the city. It is nice not to run into neighbors and locals every place I go.
3. A walk at 9 p.m. I do some stretching next to the church on the top of the hill and can hear chirping of kids on the other side of the building.

1. A call from Em, attending her 8-day debate seminar. We miss her terribly but I am happy she has taken this challenge, knowing she will learn so much.
2. I pretty much finish reading the book about focus.
3. I take a break from housework, parenting and worrying – and go to cinema on a Sunday afternoon. I get nearly stuck in the traffic on the highway and have to violate traffic rules, without putting anyone in danger though, to make it there on time.