The unexpectedly loud sound of shattering glass… in the middle of nowhere by a lake.

That could only be Oona getting into trouble! 🙂
But no worries, no actual glass was broken and no dogs were harmed. It was only the thin layers of ice on the edge of the lake that broke when Oona ran over them. It’s an unusual and fascinating sound, and not easy to reproduce because both snow and ice can manifest in such different forms and shapes that we never know what we might get during a winter. In this case, several thin layers of ice were formed with large pockets of ice in between. It reminded me of lasagna 🙂

This winter has been unusual, and we’re not even living here for 10 years. When we just moved north, we cast snow in the fire during the Valborg festivities on the last day of April. We would be well trained from all the snow shoveling and I even made mazes of snow for the dogs.
Cold days up to -26*C were not unusual, and once it started freezing, it would last for weeks or months.

This winter, the coldest moment was one day at -17*C. The snow melted away several times and while we still have a layer of white, it’s actually all frozen. In my garden, I can see grass and even plants that haven’t disappeared yet (the kind that is normally gone in winter). Roads have been icy instead of the compressed snow we used to drive on, and we’ve been hiking on crampons almost the entire time.

The lake in town isn’t fully frozen and for the first few years, the ice was strong enough to land a plane on it.

The current conditions normally only appear by late March or early April when the cranes bring spring to the Nordics. I’ve heard the same from friends in Norway and Finland; this winter has been weird.

But on the bright side; the days are getting longer!
The holiday season is charming and cozy, but it still feels like a huge relief when we get more light. Everything feels easier when you get enough hours of daylight.

Slippery roads:

I love Oona’s tail!

Sniffing buddies!

The most beautiful days are those with frost. It’s like fairy dust everywhere.