Hello there! That was a good, long break. Janne and I passed a very nice Christmas in Sweden, but came home feeling like we needed a holiday from our holiday. Funny how that is. There's nothing quite like a relaxing time spent at home.
Pähkinä was not spared the freezing temperatures that have hit much of Europe, and the indoor temperature was a startling -5 C when we returned. I've been gradually killing off houseplants since moving to this place (Something to do with caring for all the outdoor plants, I think. Suddenly making things live in tiny pots indoors makes so much less sense.), but the cold killed off all the hangers-on spare my favorite. "The Penny Plant," a gift all the way from Sheffield, England that has endured three London apartments, an international move, and transition to the countryside, looked completely unfazed. Maybe plants really do feel love, and the neglected ones just couldn't carry on.
Bad things also happened to one of our faucets, but it seems minor and will hopefully be fixed soon (We do, happily, still have running water, albeit undrinkable. But at least there are showers to be had.). Other than that, and some solidified olive oil, Pähkinä was just as we left it plus some additional snowy decor. And, aaah, it's so nice to be back.
One of the treats of winter is getting to see where wild animals have been, and sometimes what they've done, even when the creatures themselves remain hidden. The local hare population has done a good job keeping paths open, and it turns out they have some special ones of their own as well.
Bunny tracks
We leave behind tracks too.
Human-canine tracks
But it can be slower-going for the short-legged.
And here's a photo to close, just because I think it's pretty. I hope everyone had a good holiday. What did you do? I'll be back with more detailed reports soon. Happy 2010!