With barely snow on the ground (in Finnish terms), there is still just enough for us to go sledding at the little local hill that the kids hit all winter. When we arrived, there was no one about, but considering the tiny size of the space, last winter there were upwards of 50 kids and parents playing around in the snow. After Christmas, I expect a sharp increase too, as kids tend to get sledding presents and want to test them.
For Smallsteps, this is plenty large enough for now and she enjoys it a lot and at least yesterday, she didn't mind the run back up the hill to do it all again - which saves Daddy a lot of his energy :)
It is "pretty" cold here at the moment, so staying out for long isn't really advisable. It was -20C (-4F) in the morning and the rest of the week is shaping up for more of the same. This puts a bit of a dampener on the outside activities, not because it isn't possible with the right clothing, but it isn't that comfortable overall, so takes some of the fun out.
So far, my camera has been okay with it (Olympus EM-1), unlike the Canon I had earlier that would stop functioning if it got too cold. I m sure there is a limit still, but it is far better than it was. The problem is though, I still need to take my gloves off for some settings and at this temperature, it isn't a lot of un, so I end up setting an average and hoping for the best.
It is funny to think back to living in the tropics as I think I do far more outside now than I did then, even though I was surrounded by rainforest on one side and the Great Barrier Reef on the other. I should have really taken more advantage of conditions at the time and especially should have got more into photography back then.
This is a long weekend, as it is Finnish Independence day tomorrow. Normally, there would be a fancy presidential ball to watch the elite arrive and then have all us plebs pick on what they are wearing, but due to covid, there will be no ball again this year.
Funny really, considering that despite all of the measures taken to stop Covid, pretty much all of my friends have recently had flus, their kids have had flus, grandparents have had flus - common flus. If common flus are spreading, so is Corona. But, that logic doesn't matter - people just do what they are told mindlessly. Logic doesn't matter any more at all though, neither do statistics - it is all about making a bit more money and every "variant" is going to be met with a new vaccine requirement, or face the punishment.
The slippery slope.
But oh well... life goes on, the slopes are still free to sled and for now at least, I prefer to spend my time away from the ridiculousness of humanity anyway - and have fun with my family instead.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
It's great to have snow here in the south too, the dogs won't drag any dirt into the apartment so everything stays cleaner longer :D
Maybe the anti-ball folks are finally happy, lol.
This weather is the best for dog owners, other than bone dry of course. :)
Those "anti" people are never happy!
It's some of the simple things that we can experience if we choose to do so that become such fond memories.
The weather here sounds pretty much the same as what you are experiencing.
I love getting out in the cold, but the time it takes to get dressed properly, if you plan on being outside for a while, becomes a real chore.
When our kids were young and needed our assistance to bundle up, all too often it would take longer to get them ready than the time they would spend outdoors.
They would come inside for 10 minutes and then want to go outside again. I'd either have to do it all over or listen to the whining.
Finish Independence Day, who's rule were they under before the Finish people decided that enough was enough.
Enjoy the remainder of the weekend with your family.
What do you remember as the best parts of childhood?
And it is terrible with kids who after getting dressed say "Daddy, I need to pee" :D
Russian rule. For a long time it wa probably not too bad here - but i think the last few dacades weren't easy.
I would die if I had to put up with those temps. It's 60F where I'm camped right now.
That sledding does look fun though :)
!PIZZA
I have friends that did their military service through winters - *they don't want to do it again :)
That sounds miserable. I probably would have been dishonorably discharged :D
I am so bad at being told what to do, I would likely be court-martialed and shot against a wall :D
Ah yes! I forgot the military still lines rebels up against walls and shoots them! I'm sure that would be my fate as well, right after the dishonorable discharge :)
Spending time with children is always a very magical time for me. When you look at them, when you hear them laughing and playing around, when you see the curiosity in their questions, you know that humanity is not yet lost. We are born with it, and it's only about whether we can preserve it.
I really loved the photographs, they are beautiful. I wish we had that much snow in Poland, it's snowing a bit, but the snow can barely last and starts to melt quickly.
Enjoy the time with your family and the Independence Day tomorrow! :)
I agree. It seems harder and harder to hold ono these days though. Too soon they are swept into staring at screens.
Will it snow more where you are - do you get "lasting snow"?
It should, yes. Southern Poland, we used to get quite heavy winters here, but they got much milder in the last decade or so. That's probably due to a slight shift in the climate, and if my reading got me right, in another decade or so we should be back to where we started. And I look forward to it, I miss those snowy winters from my childhood, we'd return from schools and go outside right away and only return once it was so dark and cold we couldn't bear it anymore. Life was much simpler and slower then.
I'm not idealizing and of course there is no going back to one's childhood, but I think there are treasures hidden there deep within us and bringing back those times of childhood might help a lot in bringing them out into the light.
Here's a photo of my girlfriend from today's morning, it snowed almost the entire day. We'll see whether this weather will stick around or that's just a thing for few days and we'll back to rain and puddles and mud.
https://ecency.com/hive-193084/@niebieskibezczas/wt889pe9ahxr5bnpl5uosz
The only close thing I've been to snow is the blocked (ice) water from my fridge😅
I honestly hope to travel round the world, in different seasons and experience these things, at least once in my lifetime.
Family time is such a precious moment, glad you're having it.
It is nice to be in the snow from time to time, but long-term it isn't for everyone. I know a lot of people who come here and then struggle mentally.
Struggle mentally? How does that come about please?
It is cold and dark. This time of year, there is about 4-5 hours of light a day, and it isn't exactly super warming. Not a lot of opportunities for vitamin D production here and it seems that often the people who end up struggling the most, are coming from warmer countries. There are actually in general though, a lot of mental health issues here.
Oh wow.. didn't know all of these.
Thanks for the enlightenment.
We have a sunny weather 16C (60F) in my city right now. I have had some sun bath :)
Have a good weekend and a holiday with your family.
16C and I would be sweating! :D
Enjoy the sun :)
Thanks.
Good choice spending more time with your family. Just look at the joy on Smallstep's face. That is the best feeling in the world!
She loves it. Now it is time for some UNO around the coffee table :)
Good times! UNO is such a fun game. Will the man be the victor or will one of the ladies take the title??? LOL Make it the best of days :)
Smallsteps wins 70% of the games!
She is going to be a force to be reckoned with!
and unfortunately for me, I will have to do a lot of the reckoning... :D
LOL at least you're not going in unprepared! In truth, it is apparent that you and your wife are wonderful parents!
I only got to see melted snow in 2012 when I visited the UK. I'm a little jealous. I also experience a 2°C last year, which wasn't pretty for my health but in the UK I handled a -2°C. -20°C sounds very cold.
Isn't melted snow..... water :D
Just above zero is the worst weather and the coldest, as the air is moist. Minus temperatures are better because the air is dry :)
I'll be sure to visit Canada when it's -50C then.
:)
Nice fun you had there!, not sure who is having a better time, if Smallsteps or your wife!!!
Met with some friends last night their older son doing his Erasmus college interexchange in Finland for a few months. They spend a week there a couple of months ago and loved it. You would laugh at the description of the number of clothes they wearing during the trip!
Yeah, my wife was enjoying it too :)
It is funny how many different clothes and layers are needed. Dressing properly for the weather is crazy expensive too! I tend to have a wider tolerance for temperatures, because I am cheap and don't want to spend so much on the perfect clothes. :D
And in that picture above those words, your ladies seem to really be enjoying themselves.
Yeah, they have fun together. I couldn't find warm enough pants!!
Makes it hard when you are the driver to have the big boots, the fat slick pants, and the big jacket. I hate having all that crap on, so it's just street shoes, warm the car and no giant jackets. Thus why I have really cold toes right now after clearing the car, and driving out for a pizza and a spare milk just in case we get a lot of snow during our slight warm up to 20F/-7C.
Beautiful girls.
I agree :)
Great family pictures, nobody can see that you couldnt adjust your camera right I think? I love to see how kids can be happy with not much, than having the people they love around and some fun.
Austria also has snow, but this wet muddy snow, you can nothing do with it haha anyway contraire to tropic weather ;-) but makes us be more grateful when the sun shines again and spring is arriving :-)
I wish you and your family a wonderful long weekend :-)
I guess you have to go up into the mountains for better snow? Here, there are no mountains :D
Yea we have mountains with probably great snow, but lockdown, so the mountains seem to be far away too. hm, always thought there would be some mountains in finnland.
Family is sacred!
Indeed :)
Those kids really look happy playing in the snow.
Great photography boss
to play sleigh freely with your family that is the most important thing ,happy every day !
It is always nice when my daughter is laughing :)
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Beautiful pictures 🙂