Oh ok, did not spend there more than an hour or so, walking around in Seurasaari, this little island right here in Helsinki. It's got white bridges and old houses, an outdoors museum area as it is, criss-crossing paths and a lot of birds an squirrels. I used to live close by as a kid and teen, and went ther for outing every now and then. Love the place :)
It's almost April and the sun is out and snow has melted and... According to the weather forecasts we still may get some cold and snow next week, but inspite of that, we took out our grill yesterday. Not all of the patio furniture yet, but the grill <3 And we grilled some duck for dinner. So much better start for the season than last year with that small temporary grill!
Crocuses are blooming in the park near-by quite beautifully already, but the ones in our backyard are only pushing their heads through the dirt.
Spring is back, and sun is warm, and first trees are starting to produce new leaves. The best days of the year are almost here, when every day the world gets greener and greener! And then it is summer again!
It was a beautiful fire red sunset this evening when we were driving home from shopping. Especially behind the woods behind the neighbor house it looked like the sky was on fire!
The sun has melted a whole lot of the snow and ice everywhere and the rivers and streams are running mostly free again. Yesterday we walked in beatuiful sunlight down to the Vantaa river and the Myllykoski rapids, where the river banks were still covered in ice and snow, but the rapids were bouncing happily.
After our one week winter-again the spring is back with the lovely warm sun melting the snow and ice everywhere. They still have this ice skating rink by the Helsinki Central Railway Station, but don't know for how long anymore with the weather warming up again like this.
Ironically it seems that we're having more snow now in March than anytime earlier this year, when it was winter according to the calendar. Today it's been snowing again. Tiny flecks when we first started out with the dog, then it turned to hail that was stinging my face, and then to big soft flakes. And then it stopped altogether, by the time we were back home again.
Today was a rather cold day, especially with the harsh wind again, but we went for a couple longish walks with our dog anyway. By 5pm the clouds had almost all vanished and the sun was shining low right above the treetops, ready to go down. The rays were glistening on the pure white snow that had hardened up due to the colder wearther. Quite beautiful, even if a bit uncalled for (yet not uncommon) in mid-March.
Woke up this morning to 7cm of new snow and more coming down. We're having a new cold spell, though in March it generally does not mean colder than 0 plus or minus a couple degrees Celscius. The snow falling is heavy, giving the whole world a thick pure white coating. By far the most beautiful winter day of this winter - interrupting our nice spring... But I don't believe (which does not mean that I couldn't be wrong) that this would last for too long, as far into March as we already are.
Walking out today - yet another beautiful sunny day, yey for spring! - I noticed the birches growing catkins already. It's barely March, but there they were, hanging from birch after birch. Today it's been the warmest day of the year so far. We're planning on getting the grill out during the weekend, maybe already tomorrow. Next week it should get colder again according to the forecasts, but I have my fingeres crossed that the meteoroligst have got it wrong!
We have had fabulously springy days here lately. Sun has been out, and I have been walking through this patch of forest behind our house every morning with the dog, the rising sun shinig through the still barren trees. Actually, by the time we are out walking, at around 9am, the sun is already quite high this time of the year, but not over the tree tops yet. Squirrels are scurrying about, birds are chirping in the trees. Very spring indeed!
Yesterday I went for lunch at this restaurant on the top of a water tower in Espoo. It was horridly windy, but the sun was shining through a pale orange haze created by the ice melting from the sea, and the sun warming the open spots of the sea, creating water vapor, that then lingered in the horizon.
It is spring, and our spring onions have started growing. So early! But the spring is early this year. Last year we were a bit late starting many things in our garden, and now we have been talking about correcting that. But we'll see... It's a long way from words to actions - it's not like we wouldn't have time, it's just that getting started requires a whole lot of motivation and inspiration from either one of us. It's nice to have things growing, and it's nice to take care of the garden, but getting started with it... Hmm. Anyway, last year's spring onions are well on their way and soon well have nice salads with our own spring onions in them :)
Yesterday morning the ground was covered with sleet again. It had been snowing in the night time, but by 9am the temperature had risen few degrees above zero and the sun was sending its rays through the clouds, warming up the ground and trees and all, melting the snow away, turning sleet into plain water. Snow on trees and bushes had already melted into droplets of water hanging heavy until they finally fell on the ground. The rest of the day was sunny but windy, until late afternoon when the clouds rolled in again.
I haven't ventured all the way to the Vantaa river since my surgery, but today we drove past it and I asked my husband to stop the car so I could snap a photo of the river while it's still frozen on our side of the bridge. On the other side of the furthermost bridge in the lower picture, the river is already flowing free, at least right there next to the road.
March snow, perfect paw print snow. Wet and heavy, slushy sleet. Last night we had some heavyish snowfall with trees all white in the morning - but by the time I was out the door with the dog, it had already turned to sleet. The snow on the trees had melted into water drops that wrer falling off the trees like rain, punching holes in the remaining sleet on the ground. Stark weather...
Our weather system just can't make up it's mind this year. Every few days it flips from winter to spring and to winter again. So, we have snow coming down again. It's mostly melting, though, as soon as it hits the ground, but the obviusly cold night has done it's deeds and the little brookes are frozen again, and the snow does stay on the grassy areas and on top of the ice of course.
Even the snowfall cannot undo the part of spring where buds are already on some bushes and birds are chirping and hopping around trying to find food after returning from their winter stay in some warmer place. Once they're back, they don't leave again until next autumn.
The little stream by the fields is running free again. Not that it was frozen for too long this winter anyway. Willows on the edges of the stream are already pushing out pussy willows. I wonder if there'll be any in the trees at Easter time, when they traditionally are picked and used in these "vitsat" that the easter trolls give away and get an easter egg or some other candy in exchenge. Kinda like trick-or-treating without tricks.
