My OperaA House in The Country, Zen Edition
Thursday, April 11, 2013 9:52:25 PM
Winter has passed.
The nameless lord of snow and ice has retreated to his home in Niflheim, taking with him his Hrímthursar army. A few of his minions were left behind. Lost and bewildered they cower in the shade under the evergreens, bellowing mute roars of agony, tormented by sunlight and the singing of playful passerines.
Yes, winter has passed.
Though we live behind walls of solid granite boulders, dredged up off the misty hills behind our garden, under a roof of sheaved reeds, harvested in the West lowland marshes, this winter's siege has been a tiresome one. Food has been scarse and the horses are restless...
Okay, enough lofty drivel.
Spring has arrived.
And about time, too.
It's only a month ago I did a post showing you the first flowers of our garden (and tits). Since then the snow returned with a vegeance, blizzard and all. Only the last few nights have been above zero.
Not that it is uncommon for a Scandinavian winter to proceed beyond vernal equinox into April, it's just that this winter, on top of being longer than average, also has been extremely cold.
However, lately there have been a few days with clear skies and temperatures around 8° Celcius.
The sunlight can be very powerful in April, because the atmosphere is still cool, no water particles in the air to filter the rays. That is when the sun has burned away the dense morning mists which are hovering over the land from the early hours till around ten. But in the midday hours, it can get pretty hot.
Still chilly in the shade under the evergreens, though.
Enough about the weather. Here's a video...
For the additional videos of this series
Episode One
Episode Two
The nameless lord of snow and ice has retreated to his home in Niflheim, taking with him his Hrímthursar army. A few of his minions were left behind. Lost and bewildered they cower in the shade under the evergreens, bellowing mute roars of agony, tormented by sunlight and the singing of playful passerines.
Yes, winter has passed.
Though we live behind walls of solid granite boulders, dredged up off the misty hills behind our garden, under a roof of sheaved reeds, harvested in the West lowland marshes, this winter's siege has been a tiresome one. Food has been scarse and the horses are restless...
Okay, enough lofty drivel.
Spring has arrived.
And about time, too.
It's only a month ago I did a post showing you the first flowers of our garden (and tits). Since then the snow returned with a vegeance, blizzard and all. Only the last few nights have been above zero.
Not that it is uncommon for a Scandinavian winter to proceed beyond vernal equinox into April, it's just that this winter, on top of being longer than average, also has been extremely cold.
However, lately there have been a few days with clear skies and temperatures around 8° Celcius.
The sunlight can be very powerful in April, because the atmosphere is still cool, no water particles in the air to filter the rays. That is when the sun has burned away the dense morning mists which are hovering over the land from the early hours till around ten. But in the midday hours, it can get pretty hot.
Still chilly in the shade under the evergreens, though.
Enough about the weather. Here's a video...
For the additional videos of this series
Episode One
Episode Two
