Weathering the North

When living in our modern welfare state where the celebrated Nordic model is still (more or less) in place – meaning, for example, that education and healthcare are free and the society runs practically like clockwork – there is something here you just cannot rely on. In a northern country you will never know for sure how the weather will be any given time of the year.

In April, the temperature already rose to +20°C but only for a while. Towards the end of the month, nature seemed to come to a standstill. This weekend, we had thunderstorm with hail showers beating the tiny buds that were finally about to come to life.

For Friday morning, we had booked two strong young men to come to fell a couple of dozen dried up or otherwise wretched trees from the row of spruces bordering our garden on two sides. They also cut the trunks into pieces and were done in three hours.

We cleared out the mess ourselves. It took us three days. As soon as we had all the pieces nicely piled up and had carried the branches and brushwood away from the garden the pouring started.

For once, I was too tired to stay up very late. I do love the summer season when you will be engaged in physical activity just like that, into the bargain so to speak. There is plenty more to come. Not just yet, my body tells me. 

Most of the snow is gone by now but the below photo shows how it was last night at about 5 am. We can only hope this was the last of that sort we will have to weather here in the North this spring.