Welcome this new day, Holi 2010

When Annikki and I left for India in mid-October, we drove the 600 kms from Oulu to Helsinki. We had snow storms for much of the day, heralding the early, very early, advent of winter.

We do not know much about the time we were away in India, but when we got back we were right in what seemed to be mid-winter. (I lost my old SIM card in the snow in Helsinki airport! But I have got the uld mobile phone number back last week, so you can call me on that number again!)

But winter in Oulu has just continued and continued. We have had the longest spell ever where the temperature has remained well below zero. Some days have been exceptionally cold because of the strong winds. The snowfall right through winter has been heavy.

The Vesaisentie and Kampitie gardens are totally and completely snow covered, with only one small foot track, each, to the garages.

From 2010 Photos February

From 2010 Photos February

Our reindeer stands deeply immersed in thought and snow. Just like Annikki, who has been wondering when it will be "snowman snow" as I think she is contemplating another unusual creation, like her mobile snowman, before the grandkids arrrive by March end!

From 2010 Photos February

From 2010 Photos February

From 2010 Photos February

The snow formations on the ladders and fretwork are reallly beautiful. The aluminium door and frame are a grewat view from the kitchen window.

Today and tomorrow are celebrated as the festival of Holi. Holi is celebrated, in many countries around the world where we have a Hindu population, and also in Bangladesh, at the end of the winter season on the last full moon day of the lunar month Phalguna (February/March), (Phalgun Purnima), which usually falls in the later part of February or March.

We certainly hope that this long hard winter in Finland, and which seems to be an unusual phenomena around the northern hemisphere this year, will draw to a close and the milder, warmer spring weather will be on us. (Friends in Dallas, Texas, reported snowstorms even at that latitude!)

Annikki and I would like to wish you a colourful and happy year ahead on this auspicious day.

(All these above photographs are by Annikki.)

Back to the freeze...

Tonight's weather forecast said that we are in for a very cold spell to round off our longest winter yet. As many of you would have noted, winter set in as we were driving to Helsinki in mid-October when a snow blizzard kept us company most of the 600 km.

Thankfully, we were in India through the months of half of October, the whole of November and right until the middle of December.

Annikki, Mika and me in Alibaug in Madhu Kapur's fabulous retreat.
(Photo by Hasnain Chinwala.)

We landed back in Finland in a snow storm and I lost my old SIM card in the snow at Helsinki Airport, when my phone shot of my frozen hands.

And it has been winter all the way since then with not even a short spell of above zero temperatures.

It has been the longest coldest winter in my living memory (26 years of my 67 ) and Annikki's (44 years of her 66) here in Oulu.

So when we watched today's weather forecast, they said that night temperatures are going below -30 C and this cold spell is going to last a few more days after which we will have a bout of heavy snowfall.

In about an hour, 00:30, I have to be on my way to Oulu airport to pick up three engineers from Poland and distribute hem to three apartments around Oulu. This is a process which will take about an hour - if their baggage arrives along with them. Recent history has been that baggage has been lost, which means another half an hour at the airport.

Well, it looks as if I am going to enjoy the coldest part of the night trekking around our lovely snow bound city!

Good night, all of you tucked into warm beds or lounging in air-conditioned bedrooms, and spare a thought for this Christmas Goat trekking around in his red-nosed snowcar! :-)

Coldest winter in 7 years

I had one tenant arrive at 00:40. I dropped that person off at our apartment, got a couple of hours sleep, as the next one arrived by the 06:15 train from Helsinki.

As I glanced through the Kaleva, our local newspaper, before leaving for the station, the headline was that we are having our coldest prolonged winter in the last 7 years.

The year we came to Finland, 1984, was really cold. In end January and early February we had a long spell of -30 C and lower.

Then for a long period the winters were milder. Or, was it that they appeared milder because of that first hard one?

Now, on our return from India, we have had a really long and cold winter, not just that it seems cold because we have returned from India.

But one must remember that in mid-October, when we were driving down to Helsinki to catch our flight to India, we already went through blizzard like conditions almost all the way through our 600 km journey.

I can certainly say that we have had a really long winter in Finland. And if, what the Kaleva writes is correct, we are certainly having a really cold one!

The temperature last night on the Russian border, just 200 km away, was -36.5 C last night! (We really do live just 200 km away from our mighty neighbours!!!)

We are certainly obsessed with the weather!

Dawn of a new winter

We are now half way through October, but yesterday we saw the footsteps of winter fast approaching.





The ponds are freezing over during the night.



The bridge has frost all over it.

A gardener's work in such circumstances is never over. Annikki has slowly but surely been getting ready for winter, moving plants to their ideal locations and putting the summer stuff away while slowly bringing out all the stuff required for winter.

On Tuesday, she was going into a state of panic as temperatures below zero were being forecast. She was worried about our 14 goldfish in the outside pond.

On Wednesday, she made a concerted effort to catch the fish to bring them in to the indoor aquariums. She netted 12 out of the 13, the last one diving deep into the water to avoid capture.

The next morning the pond was frozen over. She had to break the ice, and a relieved goldfish was happy to be netted and taken in to the comfort of the warm water in the aquarium!

A lot more work to be done to ensure we are safe and secure through winter while continuing to enjoy the creations Annikki makes during the course of winter to warm our cockles!