You might have heard by now that London and its surrounding areas have ground to a halt in the midst of a heavy snow storm.
As we look at pictures and videos of London snowed in, HG remarked: "哎呀，家常便饭嘛." Regular dishes for dinner.
Southern Finland had our first snow as early as December. Imagine a salt shaker turned upside down - that first week of December saw snow fall continually for more than 48 hours. That weekend, we rode a train to Helsinki, took a walk around town and had dinner. The snow-covered train platform in the BBC slideshow looked just like the one in Helsinki.
The snow came and went, no thanks to climate change. Our latest round of snow has stayed with us for a couple of weeks now and we've had lots of fun. Like what you saw in the slideshow, cars were covered, people ski instead of walk, kids (and adults) have lots of fun with snow fights and sleighs. People taking their dogs for walks in the snow are a common sight.
The Finns come outdoors no matter the weather. Our families in Singapore think that we are cooped up at home all day because it's too cold. Little do they know that school kids come out to play twice a day for at least an hour each, rain or shine or snow. As long as they are properly dressed, the kids are unstoppable!
The kids and I tried to build a snowman last week. We were overly ambitious. Our second snow ball was so heavy we couldn't lift it up so we ended up with a pair of boobs instead. Estelle thought they look like a dumb bell. (They are on the left of the benches in the pic above.)
Driving in winter can be perilous. The vehicle might slip on icy surfaces or worse, swerve and spin. My friend Sunshine commented that I may be better at driving in winter since I obtained my license in Finland. I'm glad to say that my skills haven't been tested although an hour of practice on a slippery surface track was a compulsory module here.
The Finnish authorities also make it mandatory for vehicles to change to winter tyres between 1 December to 28 February. Winter tyres are usually spiked with metal studs or have grooves of at least 3 mm. Snow trucks start as early as 5.30 am to clear the roads and workers shovel to clear walking paths.
So you see, the Finns - and I was told Scandinavians in general - are well-prepared for winter. Life goes on.
HG is wishing for a national broadcast that schools and offices will be closed. He can go on dreaming.
Do you know that the speed limit on highways here is 100 km/h? Other major roads may be 70 or 80 km/h. Even exceeding 110 km/h, I don't feel I'm driving very fast, probably because the roads are longer, wider and have lesser traffic.
The past 3 days have been wonderful. The sun shone beautifully and I almost forgot we are still in winter. It's now -9ºC and white everywhere. The gloomy months of November and December are over and spring is coming. Finland is "liveable" again.
Bonus: A wild rabbit has set up its nest under a tree outside our home! Just 5 feet from our window, isn't it amazing? I worry about the cold temperature (was down to -18ºC one night) and if it can find food. It's leaving a trail of poo-poo so I guess it's doing ok. I am also resisting the urge to feed it because it is, afterall, wild and should be able to survive on its own.
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