Darkness, Be Gone.....

Yesterday  evening (the last day of April)  was the night of the annual bonfire in Junselevallen (the Junsele valley), a few miles from us. It is, of course, like the Scottish Beltane (today/May 1st), a celebration of the end of darkness and a welcome to the forthcoming six months/half year of light. I didn't make it to the event but Håkan went along and enjoyed himself, chin-wagging with his old cronies and other local farmers etc.  He was interested to know that in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland this is also celebrated. Down to the Viking invaders back in the mists of time, he decided; 'It's the same thing,' he said to me when I went up to the milk parlour for milk at just after 06:00 (!!) this morning.

And this was the scene at 06:00 this morning, zero degrees but glorious sunshine and a lovely feel of Spring getting a proper grip on the place:

And this is the Sami infant burial island, taken from the garden, and still ice-bound, just:

With a bit of luck, the Gök (Yok) or Cuckoo, as we know it, will arrive fairly soon. The locals do look forward to this annual visit and comment on it. A few years ago I was roped in to help the lads with the building of new pontoons/brygga for the lakes and one of them mentioned that he'd heard a Cuckoo a few days before. They were all, to a man, astonished when I commented; amazed that I had understood what was being discussed in Swedish!:

Hakan driving one of his Volvo machines, delivering the new pontoon/bryggan to the lakeside:

Hakan hitching a ride across the lake, with Mats holding onto the thing while Eric, out of site, does the heavy oarswork:

Almost in place, with another few neighbours, Uno and Per Toget, lakeside to anchor:

Yesterday afternoon. Rocky slumbering gently with a contented smile: