November Cabin Trip

I was so happy when we had a chance to go to the cabin and the weather report promised good weather. It was around -15'C when we arrived at the cabin yesterday evening, though the temperature dropped down a little this morning (about -18'C). The dusk was gorgeous as well, though I didn't manage to capture a good picture of it. There was a stripe of dark reddish colour above the horizon followed by dark blue. Ahhhh...just amazing!

Thankfully this time it didn't take too long for hubby to drill the frozen lake to get some water to warm up the sauna he he he he he...we went to bed rather early, actually, but we woke up pretty early as well as a result.

Anyway, here are some photos that I took...

A pic of me lying down on the frozen lake. The cabin is right behind me. If you wonder about the angle, I only brought my small tripod with me (very handy and light), thus the weird low angle ha ha...

Another pic of me, facing the frozen lake he he...In this era, it's so darn easy to be narcissistic. Dohhhhh!!! LOL!!!

My footsteps and maybe a reindeer's tracks hmmmm...Actually correction, a friend's son took a look at the pic and said that one of the tracks is definitely a hare's and the other one is possibly a fox's tracks, but most likely the tracks of two hares.

Just having fun on the frozen lake he he...

The moon...

Lots of ice crystal pics along with their zoomed-up versions. I cropped up different sections of the ice crystal photos to give better view.

I'm gonna be busy starting tomorrow, but at the end of net week I'll have some days off, so we'll see what I can do about blog-hopping. 

6th Wedding Anniversary Cabin Trip

Yep, just got back from the cabin again. R2 took two days off 'coz I've been getting work during the weekend so it's kinda hard to go there then. Didn't take too many pics, but I did take some ha ha...but first of all, here are a few pics of the cakes I bought. Yep, the first one I bought a few days before our anniversary already LOL!!! Couldn't stop myself 'coz it looked SO delicious (and it was!!!).

The second one I bought for all of us (it was a frozen one), so I brought it along to MIL's place. Luckily BIL and SIL also came over that day, so we shared the cake with them, too. Otherwise we'd have been eating too much cake HA HA HA HA HA HA...

We arrived in Kelujärvi at around 5.30 pm yesterday and it was SO dark already. Mind you that the area had no electricity (the path towards the cabin near the lake, I mean). Usually we had a flashlight with us, but this time each of us had a head light (the one with the rubber band that we could put on our forehead) hi hi hi...I bought it a few hours before we left at a nearby store. It was only €3 (it included the batteries already!). Pretty cheap!!! And it was nicer to walk in the dark without having to carry a flashlight in your hand ha ha ha...

Because it was so dark already, I didn't take any pics. The lake was already completely frozen, though I didn't dare walk on it yet 'coz the river water downtown Sodankylä is still running like normal (only parts of the surface is covered with thin ice). But that helped us a lot in getting some water for the sauna, 'coz R2 didn't have to dig too long to get the water hi hi hi...It was a glorious starry night, though. The sky was very clear and the stars were twinkling happily up there.

We went to bed early 'coz R2 was too tired already and I woke up at 6 am due to my screaming bladder. Had to get up and go to the outdoor toilet. R2 woke up as well to burn more firewood 'coz the cabin started getting cool already, then we went back to sleep HA HA HA...At around 9 am the sunlight woke me up. It was SOOOOOOOOOOO bright outside and just lovely (around -8'C). Thankful that we got a chance to enjoy the sun, 'coz at around 12.30 pm it went cloudy again and the sun was already hiding behind the clouds.

OK, here are some pics...enjoy!!!

This is the frozen lake. Don't the funny-looking small piles of snow on the surface of the lake remind you of a meringue pie topping? (click on the pic to see a bigger version)

Plenty of birds were eating and chirping happily outside the cabin. Had to fix the colourings of the pic below 'coz I took the pic against the sun (there was no other way I could take the pic):

Ice crystals. Marvellous under the sun!
 

More ice crystal pic. This one below is from the car window:

Another one. This one is formed on the car door:

Here's the original photo:

Playing with my shadow HA HA HA...

Had to fix the colourings of the pic below 'coz I took the pic against the sun (there was no other way I could take the pic):

A one-winged angel? :-D

Web of...deceit? LOL!!!

OK, that's all for now. Take care, people!!!!

Cabin Trip Easter 2012

After work on Thursday we went to the cabin. The day started off sunny but then it got cloudy during the afternoon. We arrived at the cabin at around 4 pm and this time we had no trouble walking on thick snow 'coz it had condensed in many parts and became harder (compare it with Cabin Trip Feb 2012). There were tracks of cross-country skis in many places.  

I forgot to note the temperature that day, but it was probably around 3'C under the sun and closer to 0'C after it got cloudy.

Here are some cloud pics...I LOVE taking pics of different cloud formations ha ha... 

This is what the view on the frozen lake when we had just arrived there...

 

Zooming in on the above pic...

Then the dark clouds shifted and here was what it looked like...

Another view of the lovely clouds...

After taking those pics, we tried clearing the path towards the lake before we could get some water for sauna (not drinking water). Then R2 had to get some water, so again he had to do hard work to make a hole in the thick ice. At around 6 pm the sky got so dark again and snowstorm came. It probably lasted for about half an hour or an hour at most, then we enjoyed a very nice view of sunset at around 8 pm (click to view it in a bigger version).

After the sun went down, the sky was filled with stars!!! And a full moon! :-D

At around 5 am I woke up to pee in the outdoor toilet and I saw the HUGEST orange moon ever (I took a short video clip of it but I haven't converted it yet). The orange moon was dangling so low in the sky as it was about to set. I've never seen the moon that low and that huge and that orange before...just amazing!!! I tried taking pics of it but it didn't turn out great (it only looked yellow and it looked small). But anyway, this is a very lame pic of the setting moon...

I'm telling ya that the real deal was more orange than that. I just wish you could all see it for yourself...but anyway...here is why we had to clear up the path before we could get some water. Pic taken when we were on the way back to the car...

Yep, the sun was shining SO brightly on Friday and it was so warm. :-D Here's one other random pic I took when I was there...

OK, now I still have plenty of things to do...wishing you Happy Easter and for those who don't celebrate it...then hope you've all enjoyed a longer weekend! :-D :-D :-D

3BT: Random Days

1. On Saturday, R2 told me that he'd take a week off before I fly to Indo (I didn't know he was planning to do it and I didn't even ask!). QUALITY TIME, here we go!!!!!!

2. He also said that we could go shopping to Rovaniemi (YIIIIIIIIHHHHHHHAAAAAAAA - might as well buy some Christmas gifts there) and spend another night at the cabin prior to my departure. Double YES!!!

3. Arranged a day to go to Rovaniemi so that my MIL can go with us, which would be next week's Wednesday. YES!!! :-D

4. Taking these pictures:

First pic: BIL tried to check the surface of the frozen lake. It was actually perfect for skating (which is rare for northern Finland).


The other side of the lake:


Another side:


Hung my camera's strap on some tree branches, so the angle is weird ha ha...but I like the pic anyway. :-D


5. Watching hubby scrub the dirt away from the stove and other parts of the kitchen after he finished washing the dishes last Sunday (and he didn't even ask my help HA HA...).

6. Yesterday was the last day of my training. YEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!!!

7. Yesterday night I brainstormed about my online store with a friend and she said she was willing to try to be my supplier (no, she's not a real seller, she just loves shopping HA HA...). We'll see how it goes. ;-D

Saturday, the First Day of December 2007

Can't believe that it's December already. Yesterday I even "forgot" that it was already the first day of December he he he...Anyway, when we arrived at my in-laws, my mother-in-law hugged me right away and then she served coffee and my strawberry-cream birthday cake.

We had a little talk while Arttu and Dad were busy fixing the car. For some reason our car's heater didn't work well, so they were tinkering with it. I told my mother-in-law that my mother send regards to all of them. She looked happy and she sent regards back to my Mom he he he he...Then I got to ask her about her rashes. You see, ever since last summer, there were rashes all over her arms. At first she said it was due to allergy, but even after she applied some medication all over it, they were still there. The rashes looked like mosquito bites...red and itchy.

Then about two weeks ago she finally went to the doctor and the doctor took a bit of sample from the rashes to find out what it was. Yesterday I got a chance to ask her what the doctor said. She said that it was because of stress. I began to wonder what made her stressed. Arttu said that it must've been because of Dad. You see, a few weeks after I moved here, Arttu's Dad was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. I thought he was still doing fine even though sometimes he seemed disoriented. Turned out that nowadays he grows restless during the night, so he walks around the house and urinates in weird places. Yesterday he urinated in a bucket. Gladly the bucket was empty.

I feel sad for my mother-in-law. The love of his life is now deteriorating mentally and she must be worried whenever he gets up during the night while she's sleeping. I remember Arttu telling me their story. They met when she was 19 and he was 31 and even from the first meeting, she knew she'd marry him. And they did get married!!! They'll have been married for 45 years on December 26th. Unfortunately, I don't know what to do to help. All I know is that I'll remember their situation more specifically in my prayers, especially since her rashes aren't getting any better yet.

Talk about stress...turns out my brother's girlfriend's mother is also in stress. She's also suffered from rashes or itch over the past few weeks. It seems that she's stressed over the "upcoming loss" of her daughter. My mother's told her that she can come and visit anytime she wants to. Gladly their house is near my parents' house so they can definitely come every day (literally) if they want to.

One thing that makes me SO RELIEVED...is that my Mom is able to let go of me. Yes, she did cry, of course, but she didn't get stressed out about me. At least not that I know of he he he he...

OK, now on to a lighter topic then...here are some pictures I took yesterday while walking to the frozen lake. I also took a video clip of downtown but I still have to edit it to make it more presentable.

First pic: my birthday gift from my BELOVED mother-in-law. Since I've never had plants before, I asked her how many times I should water it he he he he he...Hey, I just realized last night that this is my first "pot" of FLOWERS!!! Nobody'd EVER given me flowers before in my life HE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE HE...YIIIPPPIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!! ;-D



Second pic: Pic of the lake again. It was around -9'C when we went to Kelujärvi, but when I walked to the lake, it was already down to -12'C. Then when we were about to go home, it dropped to -20'C. It's again -19'C today he he he...BRRRR!!!!!!!!












Yeah, tried to make footsteps on the snow picture he he he...Hope you like it! I also wanted you to know how thick the snow was. Actually on the left side (the huge field), the snow was MUCH thicker, but I didn't want to walk there, thank you very much ha ha ha ha ha ha...


This last pic was taken from inside the car. This is the view of the river in Sodankylä. I just want you to see how thick the snow is at the side of the road since the snow truck comes every day and moves the snow from the road to the sides of the road he he he...There are MOUNTAINS of snow here and there (I'll take more pics later on, OK?)



I just uploaded this video of the frozen lake, so it might take some time before it loads. If it doesn't show yet, try again in a few hours, OK? He he he he he...