It feels like only yesterday we had endless light… and endless swarms of mosquitoes 🙂
In mid-August, the first yellow-colored leaves on the birch trees felt like an accident from nature, but by now there is no doubt about autumn taking over. Greens turn to a warmer shade and rusty colors pop up.

While we’ve still had very summery days up to 27*C, and early autumn can be enjoyable, we are changing too.

– Every day that Mogwai gets a chance to swim is a blessing, but we check the water temperature and bring towels as there isn’t always enough heat or long hours of sunshine to dry quickly. Mogwai is 11 by now, so we make sure she can have lots of fun but doesn’t get cold or uncomfortable.

– The raincoats hang by the door for rainy walks in the woods. They keep my dogs dry and comfortable and save me a lot of time and hassle when they join me at the studio (where I like avoiding mud everywhere).
This season, we were gifted 2 new coats, the Hurtta Monsoon II eco, made from 100% recycled materials. We have them in the colors ‘Desert’ and ‘Peacock’. When I asked our Instagram followers which color they loved the most, ‘Peacock’ won with 53%, second place for ‘Desert’ with 40%, and only 7% voted for ‘Ruby’, but I’m sure that’s because I didn’t have a picture.

– Every day it gets noticeably dark earlier, and that is probably my least favorite thing about winter coming up because life is so much easier when you have almost 24 hours of light. During summer, I can spend all day at the studio, go home for dinner, and still have enough time to paddle or hike in the sun. The more we move towards winter, the more it feels like a puzzle as I need daylight for mixing ink and paint, but it’s also nearly impossible to hike in the dark since we don’t have street lights or footpaths (and I don’t want to bump into a wild boar!). We trade evening walks for longer morning walks or long lunch breaks because we all need the light and the time outdoors. We all have our reflective gear ready for the short pee moments before bedtime. The dogs have reflective bandanas, safety wraps (which I also use during hunting season, and reflective coats. We also have reflectors on leashes and some of our bags.
While we are limited once it gets dark here in the Swedish countryside, we experienced (again) the joy of being able to go for a walk on a cold winter evening when we visited Belgium last winter. No matter the time of the day, it was always possible to go out for a walk. It was quite funny seeing how bright our dogs looked in the headlights of passing cars! These bright blobs on legs must have confused many drivers 🙂

– Just like I am swapping out summer t-shirts for cozy sweaters and warm socks, the dog sweaters are also ready for action.
Lizzie has already been wearing her Razzle Dazzle Midlayer (in pink, so cute). She’s always the first one with cold ears and hedgehog hair. Very soon, I’ll add the Warming Midlayers to the rack. For Oona, the Warming Midlayer is more of a late autumn/winter garment, but Lizzie and Mogwai need a bit more support, and we can also layer these with the coats.

– Speaking of raincoats, on a recent hike, I noticed that my summer raincoat was unable to handle the heavy rainfall. I was soaked! Chilled to the bone, I ran for a hot chocolate. But the dogs? All dry. (except for their head, paws, and tail). So I’m researching human raincoats- and hope it stays dry until it’s cold enough for my winter coat.
No bad weather, they say here, only bad clothes 🙂

– During summer, the dogs often have the chance to hang out in the garden. They mostly snooze in the sun, but it makes them so calm and satisfied. With the arrival of autumn, the opportunities to hang out outdoors diminish rapidly. We try to make up for it with longer walks (in summer we often swim and play, but hike less), and some chews. My dogs love food, so any type of snack helps them settle and be happy.

As long as we’re on time for dinner, they don’t mind all the other changes in our routine. Especially Oona is pleased now the 6 o’clock walks are over as she dislikes getting up early to be active. She’s more of a stumble-out-of-bed-for-breakfast-and-get-back-to-bed kind of dog. And Lizzie adores crawling under a blanket with me in the evening- it’s our special bonding time. Mogwai will miss swimming in the lake, I wish I had an indoor pool for her :-)- but she’s happy when we go for a walk or play games too.

When the seasons change, we have to adapt, and before I know it, I’ll have to change my tires and get the snowboots out. But for now, we’re enjoying what is probably the most beautiful season- and we’re blessed with a lot of sunny and warm days so far. While some things, like swimming, will be over soon, we get to enjoy the unique traits of every new season. And I’m ready for many more misty mornings with hot chocolate and warm sweaters!

I hope you are too!

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