Sunshine on my life

Actually just in principle, not yet practically.

The sun has risen over the horizon (rose first time 16th of February) but it's still behind the mountains. If you go high enough it's possible to see the sun but as our town is located in north facing valley we need to wait couple of weeks more to see the sun from the town. Even though I haven't seen yet the sun it just so nice just to know that a dark season is over!

On the other side of a skateing ring

This time it was our friend whose scooters slide runners melted together with the belt. We drove only on the other side of fjord for to spend a weekend on a cabin, but crossing icy Andventdalen was enough. Driving on the clean ice is really unhealthy for scooters - and our mental health.

But it's nice to escape from the town, even just for other side of fjord and look our cosy town from a new perspective.

Pink clouds are giving a hint that the sun isn't that far away anymore.

There isn't that much snow but it managed anyhow to bury our scooters.

Going to a cabin is just an excuse for to take it just easy. Even a dog is relaxing there.

I'm just hoping for a winter!

Weather statistics from yr.no

We were having over two weeks period with plus Celcius degrees. It has been raining, raining and raining and instead of going to ski with my dog we have taken some swimming trips on the water pools around the town because he loves to play in water. When there is +5 degrees Celcius out it's almost summer conditions even though it's dark! At the warmest temperature has reached +7 degrees.

Even though we haven't had that much snow there has been still a high risk for avalanches. We saw that practically when one day the way to the airport needed to be closed because of avalanches took over it just before we were waiting for two passenger airplanes to land. Airplanes landed but our passengers for them were still in the town and we weren't sure when we can get coming passengers out from the airport. Also Perleporten (=Pearly gates) got damaged when a slush avalance took over it. That caused that the way to school got closed.

We're having a late start for a winter season but I'm not yet lost all of my hopes. Just two years ago I was feeling I was having constantly wet shoes until almost end of January but it ended up with a fine season. So I'm hoping it'll stay now cold and then we just need some more snow!

Dream of a scooter season

When I was smelling burning rubber I was pretty sure that smell came from slide runners because they need some loose snow to lubricate and cool them down - and that we didn't have that much. I was driving very slowly to avoid overheating and I was pretty sure it went fine. But after a stop when I was trying to step on gas nothing happened. I was totally stuck. Slide runners was melted together with belt. Oh, rats...

The runners weren't totally worn out but I changed them anyhow - just that I don't need to do that middle of the season. But the new runners melted as well together with belt. Then I got enough and bought ice scratchers which are scratching some loose snow to cool down belt. I don't believe that they can be helping on really icy conditions but if there is any loose snow they might be fine to have.

Then I thought it might be time to fix our sledge. It got broken last season on the way home from our last cabin trip. Then we fixed it just with what-ever we happened to have on that situation. It went fine to drive home and we also used the sledge on our last cabin trip in this season. But now sledge is fixed and everything we need is some snow that we can use our equipment.

It's raining, raining, raining...

People are often asking me if I'm getting depressed with that long dark season we're having here. No, actually I'm not. A dark season is just a period between two half a year long polar day without darkness. Dark season is ok as long we're having snow. But there is one thing which makes me to feel low. That's a mild period in winter, doesn't matter if that's in dark or light time.

We have been having almost +5 degrees Celcius and it's raining. Everything is icy and that little snow what we were having is disappearing. I don't actually mind that my shoes are totally soaking wet but it's really irritating to be walking on the slippery roads even though I'm having spikes on my shoes. I don't see anything good to have warm weather in the middle of winter!

Vet in the town

When vet is coming to town it's time to check for vaccinations for dogs and also if there is some other things which are bothering, they can be check. Our dog is pretty sure to get vaccination is something which can be lethal - it's worth to be fighting for life. Almost 30 kilos of panicking dog isn't that easy to hold but this years vaccination went relatively fine.

Our dog has been having some troubles with his ears and last autumn when we were on holiday we took him to vet. He was having infection in his ears. He didn't get totally fine after that treatment so vet was checking again his ears. Yes, an ear was still infected. Now he got some antibiotics for addition to ear drops.

It was written that antibiotics were having some taste on them which makes dogs and cats to eat them happily. I'm not believing everything what is told so I hide the tablet in a meat ball. He took the meat ball, ate it and spat the pill out. Now I understood why the tablet was that screaming pink - it's much easier to find it from the floor with that colour.

I can't believe that he who has designed the medicine bottle for ear drops is having a dog. At least our dog isn't waiting still that we could just drop that liquid on his ears. Drops are feeling uncomfortable (just try to put some drops in your own ears!) and when he's moving his head that pointy and pretty sharp tip of the bottle is sticking him in the ear making medicating also painful. And to being honest I'm not sure if I can count 3-4 drops but he's just getting a random amount of medicine. I really want to quit the infection so I needed to fix somehow the bottle. I added a spray nozzle on it and it's working actually brilliantly. One spray is enough and it's spreads medicine nicely on thin layer in the ear. Quick and easy! Why they just wouldn't make that kind of bottles?

Shimmer behind the mountains

Some earlier years I have been waiting eagerly first shimmer behind the mountains. Now it just came and I'm just looking it amazed. Is the sky getting really lighter already? Is the dark season defeated? We'll get some real twilight in the end of the month, but we can clearly see the darkest time of the year is behind.

We just had an amazingly beautiful weekend. We went to the other side of the fjord and spend the weekend in a cabin. It was nice to wake up late and eat a breakfast with candle light, looking shimmering sky on the south, behind the town. Later incredibly bright full moon lightened terrain. Starlight was bland, but northern lights were dancing all over the sky. The dark time can be really ravishing!

New Year celebration in Svea

I had my last working week in Svea over New Year. In the New Years evening everybody gathered in the canteen and we had a really nice meal together. At midnight there were pretty impressive fire works. Otherwise work week was just like normal. No any extra free just because of New Year.

We got one extra unplanned overnighting in Svea. We were outside looking for landing airplane - and just before touch down it took suddenly up again. Because of the turbulences it couldn't land. After one more attempt it gave up and returned to Longyearbyen. We got a change to fly back to Longyearbyen day after.

Time in Svea is over for now but I'm hoping I could go back next summer again.