Fire & Rain......

After a few weeks of mostly decent, Spring-like weather, we've had snow today. An unexpected surprise for sure but hardly the white-stuff as we're used to it. If anything, it was a minor flurry which has continued all day. Wispy stuff with no substance, it didn't lie, and simply dissolved on hitting ground. It made me laugh to catch some friends in northern France, particularly in Brittany, wailing about cold winds and snowfall as if it was likely to have any affect on them in reality.

In Sweden we were used to somewhat more serious amounts with temps that remained well below zero for months on end and a metre or so of snow to struggle through. Strangely enough, it's something that you get used to, even sort-of look forward to and enjoy! Even J had to admit she enjoyed clearing the white stuff to keep a track in and out of house possible:

And the track to the cottage/Bagarstuga had to be kept open with a track through for ease of access to our main freezer which was housed there:

It was a time, five years or so when life was definitely different from the French experience, with snowfall that has no meaning or significance:

And the old woodstore also needed a track down kept open, an essential need to keep temps and spirits up in winter:

Of course with wooden houses, we were invariably warm and comfortable whatever temperatures were:

The house at night:                                 Now with Easter approaching and everyone in lockdown, I'll be unable to grab a few of these absolutely delicious Swedish buns, Semlor (plural of Semla), wonderfully marzipanny (is that even a word?!) confections which I can buy at this time of year in London. I once managed to eat both of these in a single sitting, a bit like a surfeit of Lampreys maybe, but evidently more survivable:   The other beauty of Springtime oop North is the beauty about to unfold like this view from our old garden:  And even the worst of weather here in France has never brought about the need to resort to one of these for travel, a perfectly normal method in northern Sweden:  I've been promised some interview time with this guy in near future, one of my favourite musicians with a truly excellent new album just out:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctWs_usT-BM.