I've been so busy the last month.. and I truly don't know where it's gone to! In fact...WHERE has 2008 gone so quickly? I am sure that time is speeding up on this planet!
I hope that you all had a lovely, peaceful Christmas. We did...it was just the four of us, the two dogs and four mad cats - no rush, just nice. We were also visited in the evening, by the friends we met in Pyhä. (see previous blog)
I am sitting here, with Mojo the cat across me, resting over my arms as I type.. as my own personal warmer! It's snowing a blizzard out there, so I am glad to be indoors. We had thought about travelling to Luosto, 40kms away - to watch the annual fireworks display - to see in the New Year 2009, but we decided against it. We drove down to town earlier and that was enough! Good though that it is snowing heavily..as we have actually had a few relatively warm days, where the snow fell off the trees and melted on the land.. leading to lots of wet slippery ice. In just a few hours.. it was gone.. the wonder of a snowstorm!
So, I am just relaxing now, with some cherry alcohol, listening to the local fireworks going off in the background. One good thing about Finland, is that fireworks are only allowed to be set over New Year.. and the Finns, good folks that they are, stick to it religiously. Nothing like the UK, where often it can seem like a good quarter of the year is filled with fireworks! Poor animals...
I've been thinking that I would share with you a host of images that I have taken around Christmas.. and there is a WHOLE load.. but pretty.. so relax and just view.... and may I wish you all... A VERY HAPPY, HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS 2009!
My Love to you ALL...x
Has Santa been???????....
Outside my home...
A walk around the forest next to my home... (Kaamos winter colours 11am)
Kaamos time 10am!
Our outside tree and door decoration
The beautiful tree on the way to town... *photo by my friend Amel*
Handmade chocolate tree decorations that I made!
Very pleased with them too! Yummy!
You will see on the tree.. that there are lots of little Tonttu (Elves) made from tree branches, wood, pine cones etc. Red Tonttu shapes are a traditional decoration on Finnish Christmas windows.
We have a tree with red decorations and traditional Finnish Straw Christmas decorations..including the Olkipukki Goat of course! (see Octobers blog)
Some fake flowers that I had wanted for my Christmas present. Tiimari - a local chain store, sell these huge flowers (easy to care for.. as I kill most plants!)..and sell different types of flowers as they would come into season, had they been real.. I got these and the whopping glass vase too.. now to make sure the cats don't have it! Really lovely to look at.
Finally, some beautiful sunsets...
Oh, and my personal favourite... which was actually a sunrise attempt, as the sun won't come over the horizon again fully, for a few weeks yet. I LOVE 'Kaamos' time!
HAP-PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!
