We're dealing with a lot of practical stuff at the moment in several different areas of our lives. Since I'm about to finish my big five-year project at work there is plenty of things happening in this regard and I have a deadline for the finished artifact on April 14. Another smaller project has to be done by May 1. My "big day" is then coming up in late May and we have just found and rented a place for the big dinner, which we are discussing whether to prepare ourselves or go for catering. For the same occasion we have rented a house nearby for our entire family to stay in — cheaper and more fun than hotel rooms. To further celebrate it all, T. and I are discussing taking the children on a short trip to Berlin the week after, which means that we're also dealing with bookings there as well.

In the middle of it all we are also thinking about where we should move to on a more permanent basis, and the two houses above are at the top our list. One of them is fairly newly built and beautifully decorated. Its location is perfect, but on the downside it is slightly smaller than the other. The other is thus larger, approximately ten years old, and equally beautifully decorated, but the location is not as good from our point of view. Both of them are fairly close to the sea, however, and the costs are also similar, which doesn't help much in the decision-making process. In a little more than a week's time we're off to have a look at them. It would be great to have this settled as well.

I've been doing yoga faithfully for the last week, half an hour per day, and it feels great. My body feels less tensed already, my back and my hips are slowly recovering their strength, and I'm moving far more easily. However, at this point in time I really don't have the proper equipment or the "right" clothes. I simply use a really old pair of black pants and a bright pink t-shirt, which I received at work a few years ago. The mat is the type you'd sleep on when going camping, which works but isn't perfect with regards to grip. It all works for now, but I've begun to think about alternative equipment. If I continue to do yoga to the extent I have this past week, I'd love to be able to buy some proper equipment in perhaps two or three months' time.

This is what I have in mind right now: a simple top from H&M, white yoga pants from Röhnisch, a basic sticky yoga mat for everyday use such as the chai (chocolate brown) one at Gaiam, a traditional Indian cotton rug to have on top of the other mat if the surface needs to be softer, and perhaps an ultra light travel yoga mat from Yogamatters.com. An olive yoga mat bag from Overstock might be good as well.

Feeling my body becoming stronger is amazing in itself, but some new clothes and equipment might not be bad as a carrot either. Onwards.

Spring equinox. The day is as long as the night, the tide has turned, and it has indeed been an amazingly warm and sunny day.

I have begun what will hopefully become a new habit as well: yoga in the mornings. My work has kept me very still for a long time now with hardly any time for exercise at all, which has resulted in a really weak back. I needed to do something about it and picked up a book I bought a long time ago, The Complete Yoga Course, and decided to give it a go. It does already feel like the perfect way to start the day.

It's Saturday morning. The sun is shining from a clear blue sky. The building is quiet, although that wasn't the case last night. Several of the residents in this house saw reason to call in "störningsjouren" (people in charge of talking to someone who disturbs the peace) due to a couple fighting and arguing rather violently in what seemed to be the apartment beneath us. I hope nobody got hurt.

The last week has been a difficult one. The more mundane aspects involve a persistent cold and a sore back, but our main focus has been on the events unfolding in Japan and in Libya. None of these situations have been resolved, in fact the situation in Libya is escalating as I write this. Nevertheless, it has become clear that the situation at Fukushima Daiishi is indeed a serious one affecting people, animals, and crops in its vicinity. I'm really sad to see these developments and think about the repercussions this will have in the years to come.

I'm enjoying the peace and quiet of this morning, however. T. and I are watching the birds feed, reading the news, and watching a documentary on television, and the boys are busy, but content, doing their thing in their rooms. Some practical stuff needs to be adressed today, and since I don't have a temperature anymore it might even feel really good to be able to spend some time outside in the sunshine. A good weekend to you all!

Almost. May 2nd, 1986, to be precise. We were driving through a wonderfully sunny and warm north-eastern Poland. We were all at least dimly aware of what had happened in the not so distant Chernobyl only a few days earlier, but the information had not been extensive. We had brought Iodine pills, which we were to take dutifully, one each day. I remember us having a break by the roadside, goofing around and laughing, but we all felt there was a shadow lurking in the oh so bright blue sky.

Our journey took us over the border to Eastern Germany and we took the WWII concrete transit route just north of Berlin. It felt like driving on a railroad with its constant and rhythmical thud. Towards late afternoon we arrived at the West German border, and suddenly our journey stopped. We were not allowed into the country.

Men in white protective clothing, sinister-looking dogs, and geiger counters soon came towards us and they checked ourselves, our bus, and all our luggage. In a very serious manner they asked questions about the aim of our journey and they were rather upset, frankly annoyed, with our recklessness in choosing this route. We were not contaminated, however, but it was dark before we were let into West Germany. I'm not entirely sure how the group leader managed to find lodging for us all — but he did. This was only the beginning of a very strange journey through a Europe not really clear about what had just taken place.

A lot of people around the world need help at the moment, and the most recent example of this can be found among the earthquake victims in Japan. The subsequent problems at the nuclear plants and the recent news of an awakening volcano, Shinmoedake, might lead to even larger problems for the people in need of help as well as the rescue teams that have been sent out to help them.

I don't wish to forget the people fighting for their freedom in Libya, for instance, or in other parts of the Arab world, but the eyes of the world seem to be fixed on Japan at the moment. Various governments have sent experts to the country, and organisations like the Red Cross, and the Médecins Sans Frontières are already at work in the north-east region of Honshu. They might need some financial support now in order to continue their efforts.

I admit that this feels rather mundane considering the last few days' events in Japan, but I just wanted to spread the news that TowelsRus have really nice, extremely soft bamboo towels at 40% off right now. We bought some for T.'s grandmother a while ago and when we saw this offer we decided to buy a few for ourselves as well. There seem to be more left...

We're watching the news and reading the online newspapers following the worrying developments in the Sendai region in general and the explosion at the nuclear plant Fukushima I in particular. The grainy images of earthquake rubble, the flood moving vehicles and buildings, and the smoking reactor hall paint a picture of terrible events. Aftershocks of various kinds are indeed happening and the continued loss of lives makes us very sad. Our thoughts go to the victims, their families and friends.

I had a hard time finding the perfect bag, so I decided to buy the stuff needed and instead stitch together one myself. I'm actually rather pleased with the result — a tote bag and a small pouch in a purple fabric that feels really rustic and nice. The flower is a practical retroreflector which I found at Cosas. This will hopefully work well on my Big Day.

Last weekend was the first time this year I could really feel the warmth of the sun and it finally brings a glimpse of spring. The vivid colours of the landscape made us all stop momentarily and just gasp. Wine testing, tapas dinner, dips in the pool, and wonderful outings in the vicinity in amazing company... We had some wonderful days in our rented cottage by the sea.

This morning we woke up to the news of the big earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit Tokyo a few hours earlier. Scary. We're just hoping that as many people as possible have made it and that things will not get any worse.

Monday evening we came back from our own long weekend by the sea. It was indeed windy and we did see some big waves, but even they were diminutive compared to the waves rolling in on the shores of the Pacific ocean at the moment.