Winter that is!
The snow can surprise you, right up until the last day.. then the summer starts with the arrival of its friends.. the mosquitoes!
I've been meaning to run a blog for some while now, but what with work and being unwell the last week with a horrid bug.. it just didn't happen.. so this is a little late.. but better late than never... after all, once out of the internet, this might be read in a weeks time, a months time or even a years time or more.. (I also have lots of snow time images to share with you... I will try to do that soon...)
The melt of Spring has been upon us for a while now.. back at the end of March I took several photographs to show the ice in town as it was receding.. it's lovely at this time of year.. (NOT).. the snow can melt and refreeze several times over to create vaste skating rinks.. primed for creating many of annual visitors to the casualty dept.. Indeed my first winter/spring thaw time here, I slipped and broke my left elbow.
Normally I wear my yaktrax.. but on this occasion, one had broken slightly (after MUCH use) and I decided rather stupidly to not wear them at all. BIG mistake. In case you do not know what I mean.. they are an invaluable tool that you wear over your shoes, boots etc.. and if you are coming to Lapland and are worried about falling, I do highly recommend them. They are lightweight, easy to wear and like a certain bank card.. one should never leave home without them!
You can find them HERE
Anyway, here are the photos.. in slideshow format. What looks like snow on the road is in fact ice.There is also one image of the frozen river, with all the skidoo tracks on it (now it is virtually defrosted) and like many of the official iceroads (frozen rivers) opened during winter to skiiers, skidoos etc.. is now closed unless you have a deathwish.
The other yucky side to the snow melting is that it all goes a yucky grey or brown at the road sides, a reminder of how much emissions a car puts out! Ive tried to steer clear of those images.. but there is one pile of grey snow in the slide. It is also very hard to discern but the photograph on the pathway (by the railing of the rivers bridge), was actually trying (and failing miserably) to show you that the receding ice there was about 4" thick. We did have some beautiful blue skies in March though.. as you can see.
Anyway, Winter is not so willing to give up the reigns here so easily. Just when you think that the snow had stopped its visits.. it surprises you! Here are two videos.. taken on Monday 20th April. Same day..morning and afternoon on the same road. It had been snowing heavily, although you can't see it, it still was slightly. If I'd have taken the video earlier all you would have seen was a white out! Later on in the afternoon.. everything was back to normal! :D The first video is rather long.. the afternoon one is much shorter. They are a bit grainy.. sorry about the quality! As you can see.. our roads are 'uber' busy LOL...!!!!
Now we are left with the middling stage...what snow there is in the forest, has little density and is hard to walk on. There is little colour and a rather drab landscape. Spring here is rather boring in my view..I do miss the masses of tree blossoms, the burgeoning daffodils, crocus' etc.. Soon enough, the snow will all be gone and Summer will march on in... the midnight sun of Lapland is not so far away. Indeed, the nights are already much lighter here and very late at night, it is not a deep dark sky.
On Friday.. it actually RAINED! We were in town and we all commented on it. "Ugh.. what's this wet stuff?" LOL.. one of the main signs that it is nearly over..plus..this afternoon my husband was greeted by his first friendly mosquito of the year.... Yes, that little fella at the top of this blog is waiting.... OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!!
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