It’s been winter

When it’s freezing cold, the sun is shining. When the temperature goes up, there will be clouds. It’s -3 degrees Celsius today, and was already yesterday, when I took these pics.

January boat

By the frozen lake Pyhäjärvi

January

On the ice, there was a cool breeze…

Winter, like in Moominvalley...

Don’t you worry… it’s only winter here now, like… in Moominvalley…? 🙂

This tiger of ours likes to warm himself up beside a warm radiator in our living room. He sleeps there beside the radiator, or looks out of the window warming up his front paws. His sister doesn’t do that.

I'll have my say...

“I’ll just have my ass on it… If anyone tries to turn down the thermostat, I’ll have the time to have my say…”

ice lantern

Making magic, when it’s freezing cold – an ice lantern! – Below freezing temperatures, a bucket and water. And, for example, some beetroot water (from a beetroot jar), too, if you wish to have a pink ice lantern, like this one in our garden now. 🙂

-Leena

Snow light

It started to snow on Tuesday, rather late in the evening. We went for a drive – that’s what we often do when it really starts to snow. 🙂 And we’ve noticed many times that some wild animals become very active when it’s snowing. – We usually see at least hares and deers – yeah, one has to be careful driving out there! On Tuesday evening we saw a hare and a fox.

These pics I took yesterday and today.

December

Yesterday’s light…

December

lake Pyhäjärvi

By the frozen lake Pyhäjärvi yesterday, the sun was already almost gone for the day. The days are at their shortest now. Here where I’m living, the sun rose today at 9:41 AM and it sets at 15:12 PM – the length of the day is 5 hours 31 minutes.

The rest of the pics I took today.

lilac in December

Lilac bush in December, on our front yard, Christmas or winter lights around her.

December

They say that this snow might still be on the ground on Christmas – I surely hope so, but let’s see what happens… Not heaps of snow, but enough for the spirit. 🙂

December

peony in December

Our backyard peony in December. 🙂

-Leena

No-snow November – it’s what’s inside…

There’s no snow out there anymore. All melted… came as no surprise. It’s the fifth season now – November.

The first two pics I took on our regular walk on Tuesday this week.

November walk

Going down… loving the spruce trees and all.

lake Pyhäjärvi

By the lake Pyhäjärvi… the lake is not that frozen anymore. It was already getting a bit dark as I took this pic, and it was so foggy that one was not able to quite see…

…yeah, that’s November – sometimes one just can’t see… or what one sees, is all the shades of grey or brown… This is the season in which one needs all the candles and campfires, and Christmas or winter lights that one possibly can have. But what’s the most crucial thing; one has to have the light within oneself… what truly matters is one’s heart, soul, mind… The mind is everything!

November

This pic I took before the walk. I was sitting at the kitchen table, nibbling some rye bread.

November moss

Some bright November moss in our garden. Moss. Magic.

November

What is that? – Some natural light and blue sky in sight? Today. That was fast. But it happened. 😀

Yes, some natural light outside is very nice indeed, but… you know…

Every little hamster...

“Eeevery little hamster…”

...knows that it's what's inside...

“…knows that it’s what’s inside…”

...that counts.

“…that counts.”

? 🙂

-Leena

Frozen lake, winter lights, …

All these pictures are from yesterday. The first three pics I took as we were taking our regular walk.

November walk

I came from there… just turning around to take a pic… I don’t have much time for taking pics on our regular walks – trying to keep up with my boyfriend’s pace… he is taller and faster, and perhaps in a bit better shape than me… my personal trainer…? 😀 Oh dear, oh dear…

frozen lake Pyhäjärvi

By the frozen lake Pyhäjärvi. It has been so cold that the lake froze fast. But it is not yet safe to walk too far on the ice…

frozen lake Pyhäjärvi

On the ice anyway, have to try it a bit…

winter lights

Later in the evening I had the inspiration to put up the first Christmas lights, or winter lights, outside. Outside our kitchen window – it’s nice to see the lights when sitting at the kitchen table and the lights also shine in a pleasant way to the kitchen, when it’s dark in there. 🙂

winter lights

One part of the lights are on our bikes, for practical reasons. My bike is the right one, I’ve had it since the year 1998. 🙂

“Okay, this is all very interesting, but…”:

kitty catty cat

-Leena

Sunshine and snow

The first snow has fallen. Snow – it feels soft to the touch and under one’s feet, but also makes the whole atmosphere everywhere soft, and magical. 🙂

The first three pics I took yesterday.

garden bunny

A garden bunny – a happy bunny.

persimmon

And yet another wonderful thing about November; it’s the season of Spanish persimmons! Persimmons are one of my favourite fruits. They are so delicious, sweet, juicy, quite big… 🙂

strawflower

The strawflowers meet snow now! 😀 They have closed their rustling petals…

half moon

Last Sunday, late in the evening, by the lake Pyhäjärvi. The fairly red half moon and the moon glade were just beautiful…

Follow the spiders?

Still following the spiders…? Yes… I am… 😉

Follow the spiders?

cat paw print

A cat paw print… whether it’s summer or winter, our cats enjoy getting outside.

marigold, calendula

The last pot marigold or calendula flowers today… 🙂

-Leena

October, October, October

I was eagerly waiting for October already at the beginning of September this autumn. – I was just so ready for everything autumnal; for colourful leaves, and… no leaves at all, dark evenings, campfires, cold nights, (campfires), the cool, crisp air on a sunny autumn day, raking, steaming hot coffee, tea, hot chocolate, glögi… outside in the crisp air, gloves, scarves and knit hats or pipos as we call knit hats in Finnish, I love the Finnish word pipo – it’s just perfect for the item. 🙂 And I was ready to start creating our dream home, here, in our home. – About this project more later, and some pics, too, when anything is ready… ;D

october

October 1st. I tried to make a flower crown with the natural spring and summer flowers that still were blooming in our garden, there were not that many of them anymore… 🙂 After taking this pic 12 swans flew over me, honking as they went.

Norway Maple

October 2nd, pic above and pic below. A foggy morning. In the pic above our big Norway Maple.

October

This was at around 10 AM and after a moment it started to clear up… and all of a sudden the sun was shining in the clear blue sky!

rubber boots

Oh my… Oh, my new rubber boots! And the old ones, too! 😀 I took this pic as I was wearing my new rubber boots for the first time on Thursday last week. I just finally had to buy new rubber boots as my old ones had been leaking, both of them, already for over a year, now they are almost completely cracked – I’ve been storing them with care, but I’ve been wearing them A LOT here in countryside, even in sunny weather, because they are so comfortable. 🙂

The next eight pics are from Friday last week.

Norway Maple

Our Norway Maple in sunshine.

October

sunflower

Whatever happened to our sunflowers? Well, our biggest sunflower for this year is in the pic above… and I love it! 😀 And the tiny spider was feeling the same way! Okay, this year we know that the pre-growing of sunflowers has to be started earlier. 🙂

unknown flower

And these… I still don’t remember what these flowers are called. They are summer flowers grown from seed in summer. Very tough flowers – they are still there in our garden today – cosmos flowers already got frostbitten, badly. EDIT: This flower is clarkia or godetia, silkkikukka in Finnish. Thanks for the answer, A! 🙂

marigold, calendula

Pot marigolds or calendulas are sturdy autumn flowers as well. Still there.

October

In our backyard, a smaller Norway Maple and its friends: three pine trees, a rowan and two junipers.

Kauttuankoski

On a bridge above the Kauttuankoski rapids, going for a walk, at around 7 PM, it was about to get dark soon.

October

The bridge down there, in the pic above. The lamp posts were already lit. And the lovely scent of dry leaves around everywhere…

October

In our front yard today. Who’s raking? – Me! When the time is right. 😉

strawflower

And the strawflowers are still standing there with their rustling petals today!

-Leena

Summery September

Still all summery, warm. I’m actually already ready for everything autumnal, but… it will happen soon enough… again… 🙂 So now some flower power! Again! 😀 I took these pics yesterday and today. Some of the flowers are old friends – flowers that have been in my blog already in summer, but here’s also some new flowers, a bit late blooming, and I took pics of them only just today – flowers with a bit more autumnal colours…

strawflower & marigold

First the strawflowers and tiny marigolds. The tall strawflowers are very sturdy flowers! I wouldn’t have believed they are still standing. 🙂 And the rustling petals have been very tough, too!

marigold

Marigold, gold…

marigold

A runaway marigold growing wildly beside our porch. With a birch tree. 🙂

cosmos

A bit of cosmos

cosmos

Evening light…

summer flower

Above some late blooming flower of summer flower seed mix, I presume. Autumnal colour…

And the rest of the flowers today are bigger marigolds, pot marigolds or calendulas, grown from seed in summer.

marigold, calendula

marigold, calendula

marigold, calendula

Late blooming autumnal beauties…

marigold, calendula

marigold, calendula

lake Pyhäjärvi

And yesterday by the lake Pyhäjärvi. Eating ice cream and taking pics at once… 🙂

lake Pyhäjärvi

A summery, calm lake…

-Leena