Pushing the limits
Yesterday the temperature dropped down to minus 25 C
In the frosted early morning.
I went out on the ice – but stayed out way too long -
One and a half hours… With no breakfast.
Came back with a frost damaged face
And spent the rest of the day in bed sick.
Just goes to show that you shouldn’t
Be bound by your limits –
But you should know what your limits are!
Thank you in advance for your kind comments – I won’t be replying to them today
As I need to recover.
For more unlimited posts, please visit: Camera Critters.
A real Viking winter
February is traditionally the coldest month in Sweden. And it hasn’t disappointed us yet…
The weekend dawned bright and very cold. And when I say cold, I mean colder than – 25 C.
So, what do Vikings do during the winter ?
Well, they (by which I mean Sir Pe) fetch the newspaper in dressing gown and bare feet…
They (by which I mean me) spend a long, long time getting dressed.
Thermals on, three layers on the legs and a further five layers on the torso underneath that warm winter jacket.
Don’t forget the balaclava – winter’s must-have fashion accessory.
It goes nicely with icy hair and glasses!
Vikings (by which I mean me again) take their dogs out for long walks in the cold
Pausing for a few seconds to enjoy the scenery.
Eventually they stumble home
Because there is so much ice on the inside and outside of their glasses that they can hardly see a thing.
They warm up inside, ready to do it all over again at lunch time!
You don’t have to be crazy to enjoy a Viking winter – but it helps.
For more crazy tales, please visit: My World.
Wish you were here…
We’re having lovely crispy nostril-hair-freezing-and-cracking kind of weather.
But look at that glorious morning sun!
The new pool
There was excitement in the air.
A hint of anticipation after the endless rain and grey clouds.
At last, they could go out and enjoy themselves!
They gathered up their friends and children, packed their swimming things…
… and set off to find the new pool.
Rumour had it that it was large, set in beautiful surroundings and that the water was just the right temperature.
……
……
…..
……
Come on in – the water’s lovely!
For more amusing pets, please visit: Pet Pride.
The signs of spring
At last – spring is here!
Wood anenomes
Walpurgis Eve falls on 30th April in Sweden and large bonfires are lit to bid farewell to the winter. Hands are held and voices raised in song to usher in the spring.
Cherry blossom
Flowers peek shyly through last year’s leaves or blaze brazenly with colour to welcome in the long, light days.
The Swedes break out into T shirts, shorts – and happy smiles, blossoming in the sunshine just like flowers.
Froggy love
Oh yes! Things are definitely hotting up around here.
Holding onto winter
While spring blossoms in people’s hopes, some of us are too busy holding onto winter. First, get a neighbour with a big spade and a special igloo-building bucket and then round up the kids on the street…
Work all afternoon with miniature-sized helpers… (Wear a helmet in case of falling ice bricks!)
Let the kids go in for tea, while the artistic neighbour with the big bucket and spade continues working until it is dark.
Get up early on Saturday morning and continue building the igloo. Make sure it is big enough for the kids to stand up in. Oh – and don’t forget to build a door and a little window. Lay down a carpet of pine branches and put four children-sized chairs inside the igloo. Stand back and admire the result!
Let the igloo stand there in proud defiance of the thaw that is just starting. (Make sure you eat your veggie hot dogs in there before it melts!)
Yup – some of us find it hard to let go of winter. We just want to enjoy its very last moments — to the full!
Winter is blue!
It’s official! Thanks to Kelli in Denmark, I’m now sending off this catchy new tourism slogan to the Tourist Board: Welcome to Scandinavia: where the weather is out of focus even when you haven’t been drinking!
After the wet-washing-on-a-line kind of weather, Monday dawned clear and bright. As I picked my way carefully on the icy path at 6.45 am (out walking with the dog), I looked up to see the most wondrous moon setting behind the trees. It was ablaze – a glorious orange ball. I rushed back at break-neck speed to get my camera. (You need to understand that break-neck speed on a path of sheer ice is the equivalent of the speed of a snail…) Oh – the things I do for you, dear readers! Risk neck and limb to take a fabulous photo.
Unfortunately, this wasn’t it! The moon was nearly below the trees by the time I had slid my way back to a suitable shooting point. See that orange ball? That is the moon taunting me as it slides out of view.
But just imagine this: an enormous Chinese Lantern … without the gold lettering… and orange in colour… That’s right! A huge orange hanging in the sky. So big you could see all its dimples … its lunar cellulite, if you like.
And have you noticed how blue the photo is? Just one more bit of proof that winter is so cold it is blue!
I like it.
Wish you were here!
Sunday morning. A wet mist hangs like damp washing over the countryside. It’s cold. It’s wet. It’s unpleasant. And no – the photos aren’t out of focus. The weather is.
As that old cliché goes: it’s good weather for ducks. Their orange feet are the only flashes of colour to cheer up the day.
What a shame that you aren’t here to share it!
Anyway, if you want to escape our candy floss mist, then head on over to the third riveting edition of Strange Shores: a blog carnival written by ex-pats. It’ll leave you shaken, and quite possible, stirred.
Who says what?