December - Day 24

The sun will rise at 1113 and set at 1319. The length of the day will be 2 hours and 6 minutes. One minute longer!

I had an early morning. I have been puttering around the kitchen for a while and now I sit here, watch at my computer's white page and drink the first cup of coffee. In a bit, I will get out with the dogs and maybe see the sun rise. After the walk, I will prepare as much as I can for tonight's dinner and at the same time will listen to the radio, as Christmas peace is declared in Turku. Peace Declaration has been declared in the Old Market Square in Turku already in 1320, and ever since with just a few exceptions. The declaration is about maintenance of social order during Christmas time, one is not to disturb the peace with any kind of mal behavior.

Later in the afternoon, I will drive to town and will walk with my Mom to cemetery. The sight there is beautiful, as this is a small town, we will most likely see many friends there and wishes for joyous and happy Christmas are shared. Usually we all visit the cemetery but now that the girls are arriving later tonight, we have had to arrange the schedule a bit differently. I pick up the girls from the airport and from then on the dinner and the presents.

I hope this post finds you well and I want to thank you all who came here day after day to read and comment. While the shadows crept closer and closer and my part of the world lost light, I never did, because I had a place to come to and read friendly messages from around the world. This has been a joy.

Peace, Joy and Light to all of you!

And wool, lots of wool with you, as always,

Lene

December - Day 23

The sun rose at 1113 and set at 1318. The length of the day was 2 hours and 5 minutes. Mild temperature (around zero) and still very windy.

Tonight when I go to bed, all (except some cooking tomorrow) will be done for this Christmas. For me these few days are the closure of the year, the light has died out and it is time to stop and rest. These few days feel like one should go on tiptoe not to make a sound, just let what is left of this year, quietly diminish away and then after the holidays, get up and go on with life. Christmas Day used to be the first day of the year yet in 1500's in Sweden (Finland was then part of Sweden) so no wonder this feels like the end of the year already.

This is Ruusu tonight, she has been doing as many ours in the kitchen as I have during the last two days. We both are all set to enjoy now.

I know that many parts of the world celebrate Christmas, celebrate being merry. When I was a child - long time ago - Christmas was celebrated without any noise and merrymaking. Christmas Day was so sacred, that everybody spent the day with the family inside - I don't remember us ever going out even. We did not get up at five o'clock to go to church but many did. Anyway it was a long day, imagine having all those new toys and you could not go and share them with your best friend. It must have been the longest day of the year (Good Friday was another). Then when the Boxing Day came, the merrymaking could begin and what a great day it always was.

Till tomorrow!

Lene

December - Day 22

The sun rose at 1113 and set at 1318. The length of the day was 2 hours and 5 minutes. Mild temperature (around zero) but the wind was picking up in the afternoon, I was almost cold in my usual attire.

I mentioned couple of days ago that I keep seeing this same herd of reindeer every day. It really has been just a fraction of the herd, as today we saw the whole lot, and there were about 70 of them. They have more or less settled into the fields of the village with no inclination to leave and munch somewhere else. This is not good, because they keep crossing the road having difficulty to decide whether to stay on this side or cross to the other side, and when driving it is very hard to notice them in time. If you see one occasionally on the road, you might be able to avoid hitting him, but when they move as a herd, it is like a string and there is no way to avoid a collision with them.

While I was walking today, I saw our mailman approaching on the main road with his small car and at the same time a herd started to move and cross the road, and he tried his best, avoided the collision, but after spinning couple of times on an icy road, his car finally stopped about three feet away from a lamp post. He was lucky, the car stopped in a pile of snow and he climbed out of his car safe and sound.

These reindeer are not wild in a way as moose are wild, they always belong to someone, they are livestock and here and further north are families for whom they provide the main income.

--- I have been on my feet the whole day, first the walk and ever since in the kitchen. I am knackered.

This is inevitable at this point, only two sleeps left ---

Wool with you,

Lene

December - Day 21

The sun rose at 1113 and set at 1318. The length of the day was 2 hours and 5 minutes.

For three days in a row the length of the day is the same, 2 hours and 5 minutes. These three days are called "nesting days",  as the sun stays in her nest.

These three days will tell us what kind of weather we are having in the summer. If one is not able to see one's shadow, that is if the sun won't come out, it is going to rain for the whole summer. If on the other hand the temperature will drop way down, the winter will be quite mild.

One is not supposed to spin from now on, as Christmas has come. If you would spin, you will be bitten by mosquitoes next summer and there is a possibility that a bear is going to feast on your livestock. I hope that you have gathered your firewood also, as you are not supposed to be cutting wood any more. The folklore does not say anything about baking, and I am glad, since I am going to bake for the next two days. 

Flour with you,

Lene

December - Day 20

The sun rose at 1111 and set at 1318. The length of the day was 2 hours and 7 minutes.

On our daily walk we keep seeing the same flock of reindeer, there are 11 altogether and one of them has a bell under the chin - I love to hear the sound. Tina is used to them and just looks at what they are up to, but Ruusu would LOVE to chase them a bit. She will go as far as her leash will allow and usually when she makes the dash through the snow, she will set the flock on foot and she just loves this powerful feeling. Other than reindeer we very seldom see anything else but cars driving by.

(All the pictures here are from the book: Rahwaan puku Folk Costume. An Overview of the Folk Costume Collection of the National Museum of Finland. Ildikó Lehtinen, Pirkko Sihvo. Museovirasto, Helsinki 2005. These are pictures of everyday clothing, not pictures of national costumes, but national costumes are based on these folk costumes.)

I never really cared for national costumes when I was young and I did not think that I would love to have one, although I have always known that special skills are needed for the making. Then I got the loom and started to pay attention to the woollen skirts and their striping and thought that I would need to learn to weave those fabrics. Since then I have studied more and more the clever construction of the various vests and jackets. I am not sure where I would wear a national costume as a whole, but I would love to wear various parts as every day clothing. And most of all, I would love to have the skills to be able to make one.

In some of the costumes the pants (or knickerbockers) men are wearing can be made with leather, I tried to find a translation to this type of soft leather, we call it "säämiskä" and I believe it is Sämich in German and Chamois in French. I could not find a dress for Kangasniemi, but Jyväskylä is fairly close and their dress looks like this.

I just love these fabrics in these two pictures. 

For the whole day I have been thinking that it is Monday, and that there are many days left... and then I looked at the date and started counting, if today is 20th it cannot be Monday... Oh my, Wednesday tomorrow already!!

Wool with you,

Lene