Rebecca and I took a little trip and went to a fair of "Old Trades." The fair wasn't very inspiring, but as I was uploading my photos in the evening and reviewing the events of the day, I realized we'd had a wonderful day nonetheless. Not so much because of the setting - the beautiful village, luminous in the hot summer day, the green shutters closed to keep out the blinding sunlight, the gates and the walls covered with climbing plants like the purple, white and red bougainvillea. Mostly it was because me and my little girl had spent the day together, quietly touring around.
It really was quiet, too, especially for a toddler who liked to walk with me but also to run around among the stalls, and who'd often refuse to hold my hand (except when a dog was in sight). And so, in the evening, as the photos of our day flickered across my screen, I realized that the "quiet" is really me: I am quiet and relaxed with a toddler now (most of the times, at least). When I look back, I remember that when the boys were this age I often felt somewhat overwhelmed, and at that time I probably would have weighed carefully the benefits before venturing out on such a day trip with them. It was partly a matter of numbers, of course - two little boys a year and a half apart - but mainly it's my attitude that has changed, through experience and perhaps a better sense of what's essential and what's just not worth worrying about. There are most definitely some benefits that come with age!
As we drove back home, the pizzeria at the foot of our hill had just opened, the little lantern on the street a welcoming sign. So we stopped, and Rebecca and I shared a pizza: because one of the advantages of dining out with a toddler is that one pizza and one mineral water make a dinner for two. 
And when we got home we still had time to go through our new bed-time rituals, which nowadays involves one or two dollies, sometimes called "Niklas" and "Jememy."
