Manor houses and more minus degrees
It's been cold the last couple of days. I mean REALLY cold. So cold, that you can feel your nose hairs snap-freeze the minute you leave the house. So cold, that the morning radio has notified us that kids in the earlier grades don't have to go to school. That is, minus 20 degrees celsius or under. I'm a mean mother though, and have made the kids go to school anyway. In Oz, I could totally understand the concept that you shouldn't be forced to go to school if the temperature is over 40 degrees, and you have to sit in a demountable building with a corrugated iron roof with no air conditioning. But here, although it's cold outside, we drive our kids to school in heated cars, and there's ample heating indoors.... so why stay home?
Best thing about days with temps this low, is that the constant thick layer of grey cloud actually clears, and you are guaranteed of a gorgeous blue-sky day. This meant I had a chance to get a reasonable shot of Mikus in front of his kindergarten yesterday. His kindy moved house last november, and now resides on the ground floor of this old manor, which is just two blocks away from our new house. It was designed by a prominent Latvian architect Eižēns Laube in the early 20th century, and is the most spectacular wooden house on the block (ok, ok, it also looks a bit like the Addams family live there). Needless to say, I/we were thrilled! The kindy is a lot more spacious and beautifully renovated, and best part is the park across the road, with well-worn sledding tracks and a pirate ship playground. What more could a boy and his wooden-architecture loving mum ask for?
That is a beautiful house, and I'd love to go to kindergarten there! And that's a great photo of Mikus - he looks very tall!