Coldest so far

Last night and this morning were coldest so far, our temp meter said -23C. But I know its much colder in open fields (we are in the middle of trees so this is much warmer place, as well as cooler place in summer heat). Yesterday morning when our meter said -21C, my aunt's meter said -27C. So, it might be, that this morning it was -30C.
No matter what, it was way too cold!
I'm happy to tell now it's much warmer (haha), temp meter said -12C.

I didn't do my normal 'Sumawalk in the morning, no way. And 'Suma was allright with it, she happily got inside after we had escorted kids to taxi (with a little detour by the fields so if 'Suma had to go, she had the chance). 30mins outside and I was freezing.
I'm not build to live this cold.
So, I have been adding wood to fireplaces and drinking hot tea. My fingers are warm and only my ankles ache a little (sometimes if it's really really cold I have to take painkillers to ease the pain in my legs and joints).

I found few small boxes of raisins and almond flakes that had exceeded their use by date too much even to my liking (actually, almod is so fatty it becomes rancid at some point if not kept in freezer). Added them to bird food, jays really like raisins.
Kids are going to have semolina pudding after school, I had cabbage pasty as lunch. Haven't figured out what we will dinner be, but I think I'll get ideas when I take 'Suma to forest for her walk. Good time to think.

Spacewalk

I told kids we'll go for a spacewalk.

This is, my children - the outer space!

Full moon, bright snow blanket over everything sparkling like diamonds under bright moonlight.

We found several star constellations, saw a plane travelling across the sky and wondered just how fast clouds drifted in the sky.
Tomorrow morning there will be moon eclipse, hopefully we'll be able to see it, too. We'll make another spacewalk then, while walking to the taxistop.
Even os went outside for a minute after we came back inside.

Weekend and stuff

It's finally weekend. Actually the week itself wasn't too bad, for working at home two days has benefits! But still, weekend is a weekend.

It's a pity I can't take photos in the dark. When light in our yard are lit, big spruces behind our house make this view look somehow like from Game of Thrones.

Ski tracks. One villager made them after Thursday's snowstorm (it was -20C yesterday while I took this picture). So much easier to walk along that ready made path, it's so wide I don't step on skitracks. Two empty areas ahead are because of the tornado, that used to be dense forest all the way!

Skitracks continue. -10C.

 

 

One of the Rocky Road batches I made during Christmas. It was delicious and it's been eaten a long ago.

Hb and ys set up a bird feeder just before Christmas (ys had made it in school), and it took almous four weeks for the birds to find it! But now they are enjoying their daily buffet of seeds and fat. Jays, all kind of tits and yellowhammers. i can see them from my place at dinner table where I use my laptop while I'm working. Sometimes it's good just to watch birds.

Right now I'm waiting to fire die out in my wood oven, I'll make a roasted boar with root veggies, it should be good. Also I made dough for buns, I used my dried white clovers grinded to flour and grated left over cheeses from fridge. Should be good, too.
I might make an another batch of Rocky Road, I have still lots of chocolates, marshmallows and apparently ready popped popcorn. That will be good!
I should also try to bake a batch of shortbread cookies with meadowsweet sugar, don't know how they will end up.

And now I'm starving!

Winter wonderland, again

I know I'm living in a wonderland. For now it's winter wonderland, it's been snowing for a week now.
We've had some cold days/nights (-15 has been lowest, so not so cold after all).
We still don't have much sun, yesterday we had an hour or so, before clouds came back.

The sun is somewhere left in this picture. 11am.

'Suma wondering why I have stopped. She's ususally off the leash when we are on the fields or in forest. she doesn't wander far. All tracks are deers', hares' and foxes', only those tyre tracks are made by humans.

Car tracks we used as our walking path were made by local farmer who had shot a deer a day before (his field), shooting cabin on the left. Our house is next, half hidden behind trees, that big building in the middle of the picture is our neighbours derelict barn, his house (no-one lives there) right next to it.

Another bad picture of a black dog. We were hunting for a Christmas tree just before Christmas.

It's snowing atm, and by thursday we'll be having a snowstorm. I guess I'll work at home at thursday then. Chimney sweeper will be coming on thursday, too, so it's better I'm at home to let him in and make sure he doesn't spread soot all over the house.

Snowing

I'm enjoying my first week of working two days a week at home, opened computer at six o'clock and read all emails and notifications. Yesterday I was at the office, we had a two-hour training of our new systems (I almost got to turning a heel on my new sock) and then I had a couple of meetings with collegues - mostly just updating how was Christmas.
Now at home, I'm waiting at least some light to appear outside so I can take 'Sumawalk. It's snowing quite heavily at tho moment, and I suppose it will continue during the day. It's almost half past eight and still dark! Oh well, days have become longer for three weeks - ha! Shortest day was just 5hrs32min, and now we have 6hrs1min day. Sun should be up by 9.30. I quess I won't be seeing sun today, because now I can hardly make the shape of my greenhouse 20m away.

Cats are hibernating, I throw them out in the morning and after 45 mins they are queueing  by the front door to get in. They eat, sleep and in the evening I'll do the same, they are out about 30 mins and then Pretty Boy is howling behing our back door. In the mornings it's the front door, in the evenings it's the back door.

Snow mutes sounds outside, all I can hear is tanks growling in (not so far) distance, the low noice travels through the ground, not through the air.

Outside world had gotten blue by now, so I will take my sleepy puppy to walk in the woods, clean the car of snow (and ice, of course) and pack it with recycling stuff (plastic, metals, cardboard) - can't get it's doors open without brushing the snow away. When I'm back indoors, 'Suma will happily sleep until noon and I'm starving. Lunch, short walk outside and back to work, and then kids are back home and I'll start making dinner before I force one of the kids with me to take a longer walk with 'Suma. Dinner (and a show, cats ot 'Suma will take care of it) and then off the bed. That's how my days go by.

It was Christmas and a New Year, too

Os is a year older once more, I bought pizza for dinner for him (it's his favourite, he likes my pizza, too, but this specific pizza is his fav) and baked a cake for him. Or rather the cake, it's the same I bake for every occasion: sandwich cake filled with strawberry+lingonberry puree and vanilla cream (with cream cheese of turkish youghurt or something a bit sour to cut extra sweetness, covered in sort of  dulce de leche (equal amounts of brown sugar and cream boiled until a drop keeps it's shape dropped in cold water), and sides covered in whipped cream.

Christmas was a lot of food (ham, casseroles, nibbles, chocolates) as was new year's eve. A lot of fireworks and sparkling wine. Two (three) batches of Rocky road and mud cakes.

Frost, snow, some rain, many walks and many films and episodes of tv-series. A lot of burned firewood in log burners. Only one pair of knitted socks (for sys who didn't get pair for christmas present, because he got one for his bday) but I started a pair for me! and I also knitted a new hat for me ('Suma might have eaten my previous one, don't know for sure because can't find any remains). Then I finished beret I promised to make to my friend (black yarn - I waited for a sunny day but never happened). Some mulled wine, ginger breads and sushi.
Last evening I knitted a pot holder (because 'Suma...), I need to wash it so it shrinks, if measurements were right I'll knit another one later.

Back to work, back to school. Sys messaged me he should have have his skates with him. Nope, forgot. School have some spares. So it's winter sports again - that time of the school year I hate.
Our neighbourg like winter sports, though. Last night's last 'Suma walk and I saw a light going around and around in a field. Yep, our neighbourg was skiing at 10 pm with a head lamp!