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...

How to use a camera in mittens...

From Senaatintori lightshow

As you know I don't like to go on about the weather and length/shortness of days in Finland too much, particularly the cold, snow and darkness...* (kö).

Erm, anyway here are some pictures of the lightshow and projections Senaatintorilla tiistaina. It was about minus 17°C with a biting wind and pitch dark (being after 4pm) so I played an interesting game of 'can-I-hold-my-camera-still-enough-without-a-tripod-and-operate-it-with-gloves-and-woolly-mittens' while Konna hopped up and down (cold, not the other). Thank goodness for the 3200 ISO setting is all I can say (although actually pushing the little button and turning the selector with a digit encased in nylon, neoprene and sheep fuzz was another story...). After watching the final angel fade from Engel's architecture we retreated fittingly to Cafe Engel for lohikeittoa, kähvia ja pullaa, and sweated in our thermals.

Did I mention the 35cm of snow yet?

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* Well as I don't drink tea or like football or cricket particularly I have to do something stereotypically English, don't I? And heck, it was a record -35.5°C in Lappeenranta on Monday which is down here in the sub-tropical south not up in arctic Lappi...

White fluffy stuff

Snowy Logs: From Lapland - Winter 08/09

I'm looking out of our window now, watching the post lady in her yellow uniform trying to pedal her yellow bike across the icy yard in the falling snow. There has been snow on the ground for the whole of February, as well as at least half of January, and we still have more than 10cm in uncleared areas - a proper Finnish winter in other words.  It is funny how quickly I have become used to it really, so it is strange seeing pictures from Britain of swathes of crocuses and other early spring flowers.  However according to YLE it has still been warmer this winter than average, and December was very dreary and dark - which gives me an idea of how depressing it is when there is not much snow in the winter.  Maybe I should go out and enjoy it while it lasts.  

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By the way, I hope you are liking the new look blog title headers.  The idea is to change it each month using a seasonal picture from our collection.

Ice, ice, baby

Ice fishing/Pilki: From Helsinki/Porvoo January 09

In the last couple of weeks (yes I know it's a bit late, but hey - this a blog not a news service) Helsinki has finally had enough snow (10-25 cm) and a cold enough period (-10 to -15°C for several days) for the lakes/sea inlets to freeze properly/thick enough to be walked on (I heard it's about 15 cm). With the cold temperatures came a few days of clear skies and the sun skimming over the roof-tops and tree line, bringing out skiers, skaters and ice-hole fishers to enjoy the ice and snow.

Unlike the UK, Finland hasn't run out of salt and grit yet, and life just carries on in these conditions (which of course are normal/mild winter here), but at a cost in resources and equipment which I imagine would be difficult to justify when only used a few days a year, or every 4 or 5 years on the recent scale:

Local councils [in UK] spent £138m last year on clearing snow and ice. The Highways Agency spends another £30m on average.
But Finland, which has a similar sized road network to the UK, spends more than £400m. [source BBC]

In fact there has been some debate here that in Helsinki (particularly younger people) are getting used to milder, less cold/snowy winters and aren't so prepared for harsher weather (there was a recent case reported of child dying in -20°C in a sledge while parents were skiing); and that drivers (particularly bus drivers) are less used to driving in snow here now. 

There is also the cost to individual drivers, as by law you have to fit winter tyres which are going to set you back several hundred £/€ at least (probably more as most people by a whole second set of wheels).  This also means that snow ploughs and diggers start clearing the snow at 4am so that everyone can get to work... not a quiet operation outside your bedroom window I can assure you!

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The snow and ice is just as slippery here as anywhere else, and despite best efforts to grit and sand (not much salt though, Finland is cutting back as it pollutes it's many lakes as well as hardening your arteries) every square centimetre of Helsinki, while out walking on Sunday I still managed to slip and land on my knee, while simultaneously straining my calf (how is that even physically possible?) - so have been limping around ever since. Maybe I will have to get spiky winter over shoes like the grannies wear...

5 - Lumi (I'm dreaming of a white christmas)

this is the view I want from the kitchen window again on christmas morning...  (although if someone could arrange to swap the ugly apartment block for a nice view it would be much appreciated) from Around Helsinki Winter 08/09

Unfortunately the last few winter's / Christmases in Helsinki have not been particularly snowy: so-called black or dark christmases; but the average over the last 40 years (or 1 emmdee span) gives a 75% chance of snow.

So fingers crossed then that global warming (a.k.a global weirding) hasn't messed up my chances of building a joulupäivän lumiukko ...

Anyway, I'll leave you with BaBaBaBing to get you in the proper mood.

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

Lumimyrsky - a snowstorm in a teacup

From Porvoo 11/08

Sunday saw the first serious snow fall of the winter in southern Finland, even the Finns officially decided this was a lumimyrsky - a snowstorm. (Although the ones I was with just said 'Pah! This is just normal Finnish winter weather!'). We had been staying at a cottage in Rönnäs near Porvoo where the snow had been of the decorative type only, and were heading back during the day, stopping off at picturesque Porvoo for kahvia ja pullat as the snow fell (sata lunta) and the snow ploughs and gritters got to work on the main roads. 

Picture postcard shopfront: From Porvoo 11/08

We were dropped off at Konna's dad's place to pick up his keys, as he is going to Cyprus for the rest of the winter.  Out of the window we watched the wind shaking the street lights as the snow flew past horizontally. We trudged across the car park to Itäkeskus and the bus station, there was already ten centimetres of snow blanketing the uncleared lot. The bus was the first sign of anything not running smoothly as usual, running a few minutes late as it slithered in and out of the uncleared bus stops. Back at home the snow piled up on the windowsills and was blown across the glass like unconvincing fake spray snow. We heard on the news of a few flight and train delays.  'Imagine if we had been in England' we said, 'we would have got stuck in the first lane trying to leave the cottage, or if not there on the main road where the snow plough hadn't run through yet. And can you imagine London buses trying to run in 10cm of snow? Or the trains?'

kun olen tehnyt kaksi tavaraa

Who made all the pies? 

As I had passed another language test - level 3 with a grade 4 (out of 5) since you ask - and to avoid doing anything really useful like my portfolio or making christmas cards (or god forbid - cleaning!) I made a couple of quiches/flans (what is the difference anyway?) one tuna, pesto, onion & pepper the other mushroom, cheese & tomato. The latter was more photogenic, but the former more tasty.  This is another first for me in the cooking area now I have discovered how to make pastry.  Well, reasonable pastry anyway if you don't mind it very short. One disappeared  yesterday as it was sauna night, and the rest goes with us to yet another weekend mökki retreat with Konna's käverinsä.  

The weather is now more realistically wintry outside - a dusting of snow and five-below, with a few fat flakes drifting around for effect.  Although Hiiri did say that there looked like there was more of a snow storm in her kitchen after I had finished with the flour... lucky she liked the end result, otherwise that might have been the end of my baking for a while.

The 3rd thing (he says referring to the title) was that I now officially exist here and have my very own personal identity code from the Helsingin maistraatti to prove it. Next on the list - kela kortti.