Same old same old

Not the view from my window: From Favourites

Like the UK, we are also having an early cold and snowy winter in Finland and looking to last another week at least... -33°C in Lapland last night and -16 forecast here for the weekend. Even in Helsinki we have about 10cm of snow on the ground, which we've had for a couple of weeks now. Our newly purchased thermometer tells me it has warmed up a few degrees and now is only -10.6°C outside. After last winter it all seems pretty common place now (not having a picturesque view from my window, makes it all seem a bit wasted somehow) but good news for all those enthusiasts who got excited and bought new skis last year I guess!

I really must buy a proper winter coat this year...

Night shift

"The Hour of the Wolf" is the hour between night and dawn. It is the hour when most people die. It is the hour when the sleepless are haunted by their deepest fear, when ghosts and demons are most powerful."

... It is also the hour when the flipping snow ploughs have a gathering underneath the bedroom window in order to take away the snow pushed aside the streets during the day.

Please let us know who has designed the piiping device activated by reversing - can it not be turned off during the hour of the wolf?

Sumu ja jää

lumi polku: From More snow days

Saturday was a bright, clear day, with almost no wind, although still -14ºC. Almost perfect for walking in the snow and maybe venturing on the ice to take some photos. This of course meant we woke late, then spent the rest of the five short daylight hours in supermarkets and shopping centres. So looking at similar sää enuste (weather forecast) for the next day we decided we would go out before 10am to enjoy some hyvää ilmaa.

Sunday was white. Not from snow, but from fog; and from the covering of white stuff, a hoare frost on steroids, on all the trees left by the freezing fog. Like tiny leaves or blossom, a thick covering of delicate feathery white ice crystals had grown on the skeletal winter trees, so that even our view of Citymarket car park and the Shell bensiiniasema became almost magical. We took our walk anyway, and instead of low sun, glittering snow and impossibly long shadows, we had a sugar frosted world in shades of white disappearing into the dim mist, and where a gust of wind in the tree tops brought down a shower of frozen powder.

On ice, in fog: From More snow days

feathery ice crystals blossom: From More snow days

From More snow days

More photos here

Deja vu

Balcony sunrise

Like this, but better...

Grow your own frosted glass

Sugar frosted privacy

Enjoy a tasty new 'acid etched' look to your balcony. (Please note you should take a good look at the view before using this recipe as you won't be seeing it again for a while...)

Ingredients:

• 1 x glazed in balcony
• 1 x micro-sauna
• Water
• 1-2 x humans
• Seasoning: baste with beer or cider to taste

Instructions:

1. Chill glazed balcony to around -15 to -20°C (if you can't fit yours in the freezer you may need to relocate to, say, Helsinki in the winter which has an over-abundance of apartment blocks with said items)
2. Pre-heat ridiculous micro-sauna to 70-90°C for 20 mins. If you don't have a micro-sauna an ordinary sized one will work fine (or as some would say, far better), although you should pre-heat for up to an hour.
3. Place humans in sauna. You may need to do this one at a time if you are using the stupidly small micro-sauna. Add water as necessary to give the bodies a good löyly - this may take between 2 and 20 minutes depending how well done you like them.
4. Quickly move the steaming bodies to the balcony - wrapping them in towels is usually recommended.
5. Allow to rest, occasionally basting with your choice of beverage.
6. After about 5-10 mins repeat stages 3-5 until a satisfactory layer of frost is achieved.
7. Rinse humans and store carefully for future use.

What to blog?

Minus Thirty! From Lapland - Winter 08/09

No, I didn't throw myself down the stairs (or go skiing) and end up in hospital for two weeks.  I was more serious about wanting to write amusing and interesting posts, but since I can't think of any it will have to be the usual rubbish...

We have also been busy post holiday: we have moved (temporarily), I've worked on portfolio, been to Europan 10 launch, started new Finnish course, applied for a job and had an interview (don't think I'll get it though).

Lappi was fun, although quite expensive.  Apart from getting to see my Mum and sister, my lasting memories will probably be seeing -32°C on the thermometer (and going out in -30°C to experience what happens when your nose hairs freeze..., walking across a lake, husky sledging, and meeting woolly hungarian pigs (Konna's favourite I believe). No northern lights though, so will have to try again sometime.

The whole thing was quite an adventure for my Mum, although she claims the most worrying experience thing wasn't artic temperatures, galloping reindeer, sauna habits or Kittilä airport's snowy runway.  No, it was me, driving in Helsinki in falling snow, and with 10cm on the ground. Thanks Mum! (Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned I'd never driven in the snow before setting off... hmmm.) 

Top tip: learn to ski

Well at least their wipers aren't frozen to the windscreen today: Around Helsinki Winter 08/09

As I write this I can see out my triple-glazed window various snowploughs, diggers, mini-tractors, bobcats and quadbikes with mr.plough attachments that are beavering away clearing snow from roads, paths bus stops and apartment building car parks. Somewhere (I imagine) someone is digging their car out, as the snow plough pushes a metre high wall of snow between the road and the drive. The postlady cycles past on her bike. Mothers pull toddlers along on pulkkat (sledges) on their way to nursery, bundled up in near identical romper suits. Life goes on.

Fake snow artists need not apply: From Around Helsinki Winter 08/09

Yesterday morning Hiiri and Konna could tell by the trackless snow that they were the first to leave the house.  The paths had not yet been cleared by the little machines so they had to trek through the 20-25cm snow to the Metro in the snowbright morning darkness- which was running as normal of course. I decided to go for a walk instead of blogging about yesterday's myrsky - who knows how long this will last or when the next lot will be, and good practice for Lappi in the new year.

Over-equipped as usual: From Around Helsinki Winter 08/09

As we live right on the eastern edge of Helsinki, in a couple of minutes I was out next to open fields and drifts half a metre deep.  Luckily I had dressed for the weather (in fact probably over dressed as the wind had completely gone), and had my nordic walking sticks and a flask of hot soup in my pack.  I keep having to stop to take photos, which is a procedure involving: take off stick straps from wrists, prop sticks in snow, remove right ski glove (try not to drop in snow), put on thin glove instead (drop ski glove in snow), take off backpack waist and chest strops, (knock over sticks) find camera, fumble in gloves, take pictures; then reverse process before walking another 10m and wanting to take another picture.  Eventually I work out my camera will fit in my coat pocket, considerably simplyfing this process.

Across the fields: From Around Helsinki Winter 08/09

Back into the woods and immediately see my first skier of the day - and I feel an inadequate ulkomalainen  trying to wade through the snow instead of having skis (although all the falling over would be more embarrassing of course).  The trees are coated in snow, just like those unfeasibly foam coated ones from bad tv snow scenes, and I have a few comedy moments as I brush under low branches sagging with snow which slides off on to me.  I decide it is probably bad manners to trample the fresh ski tracks (as these are easier for following skiers) and plow my own furrow alongside. Looking through the trees I can see foamy, pearly snow grottoes.  It starts to snow again. 

Snow foam and grottoes: From Around Helsinki Winter 08/09

I come across a strange concrete structure - maybe part of the wartime city defences - snow clinging to the grain of the boardmarked concrete.  I am now at the foot of the roskismäkki, the hill of the old rubbish dump (now environmentally beautified) which overlooks the new Vuosaari harbour complexe, but it is time to turn back. I stop for now cold soup and hard bread before I trudge back towards civilization, and as I hit the main, lit track a tractor goes past flattening and compressing the snow and creating two narrow grooves, ready-made ski tracks; and is soon followed by several afternoon skiers. Back home and it is already 3:30 and getting dark - just time for hot shower, hot food and off to the Metro to get to school - level four starts tonight... 

On concrete: From Around Helsinki Winter 08/09

Finnish studs

so... what exactly is this a picture of!? nokian talvirenkaat

Well the title might have generated a few unusual search hits, and you may be worrying what exactly that aggressive and phallic looking thing is (especially if you were trying to get here), but don't worry it's nothing like that - nor is this post about a suomea remake of the 1970's film of Jackie Collins' book...   

Instead, ask yourself - if you could hear winter approaching what would it sound like?

Since the beginning of the month, walking alongside the roads as the evenings draw in, I have increasingly heard the winter creeping up on us.  That is the crunching-hiss of studded talvirenkaat (winter tyres) on passing cars, almost like a distant gravel drive.  Studded winter tyres are allowed from 1 November to the end of March, and winter tyres (not necessarily studded) are obligitory between 1 December and Feb 28th (or whenever weather conditions are considered bad enough to need them). I imagine if we actually had a car that tonttu creature would be complaining we haven't changed tyres yet...

Other essential winter items are engine block heaters, so the car will actually start (so that's what those posts in all the carparks are), and super anti-freeze in the windscreen wash (there is one called superpiss - I kid you not).  Passing the Finnish winter (ice) driving test helps too I guess. It is often said that the combination of snow, ice, lonely gravel roads, studded tyres, and the terrifying 'I was here first' rule for joining traffic, is the reason for Finland's unsurpassed output of rally and race drivers (well except this year). 

Luckily for us (admittedly occasional) cyclists there also studded winter bike tyres available (as shown in the picture if you hadn't realised) - and if you have ever gone down on a bike on ice or snow you will appreciate that.  I just need to decide if I am really going to take my bike out in the cold & dark before buying some... I mean there's lots else to do inside...