Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Tina

This is a second(!) post in a row with no knitting to show. I have not abandoned my current work on the needles, the progress just is so s-l-o-w that there is not much to show. Although I'm slowly approaching the waist, I have completed two out of six decreases. (The yarn is from Anne-Maj Ling and the needle size is 3 mm.) Yes, I'm quite drawn to color blue again but it has to wait. Same with all the interesting KALs around. I don't have any other knitting plans nor irresistible desires at the moment. Let's hope it stays this way for few more weeks. But I plan to spin a bit.
Yes, Z-plied yarn. In case I want to continue this Twined Odyssey.

I just came home. My trip out into the wilderness was a bit cold and am drinking hot tea and warming my hands around a hot cup. A scarf and wool socks and a warm sweater were all a necessity today. I took Tina
- a Finnish Spitzer - and her hunting assistant (he thinks he is the hunter but Tina refers him just an assistant, she is doing all the work and playing the main role) and their gear into the woods where they are going to live in a tent the whole week and roam the woods to their hearts desire.

A Finnish Spitzer is a very old breed specialized to bird hunting. When Tina spots a bird in a tree, she takes the birds attention by barking 120 times(!) per minute. The bark is more like howling or singing. The bird is hypnotized more or less with the furious noise and stays put and in the meantime the assistant tries to approach the bird very slowly and with as little noise as possible, sometimes the last meters on his stomach crawling. If they are lucky, they get the bird. I have been told that Tina is sometimes very interested in the catch but very often just comes to check that the bird is being put into the backpack to be taken home. And once it is done, she is off again searching for another one.

Although people hunt up here they respect the nature and always make sure that the amount they take does not have too big impact on the number of birds. A wild bird in a freezer is a treasure and it has to be cooked with love and care to get the best of it. We, who live here permanently, have a right to hunt on these grounds. People coming from elsewhere have to have permits.

These two pictures are from the camping spot. Those two are going to have some kind of a retreat out there, it is very unlikely that they will meet another human being during the whole week... The moment we got there today Tina jumped into the lake. It is not that common for a spitzer to be a keen swimmer but Tina learnt to swim with the girls. I hope she stays away from the water in the evenings, the odour of a wet dog might be a bit much in a small tent... But then again she will be wiped out in the evenings and after having warm sausages cooked in the open fire, she probably just enjoys curling into a sleeping bag. She has her own.

There won't be humans but it is very likely there are lots of these.

This herd of reindeer got very nervous when I stopped the car and got out to take pictures. And they started to walk away from me quite quickly.

The country up here is very bare and empty. Maybe that is one of the reasons, one follows the nature so closely. Not much is happening, and since I don't have any neighbors who I could follow, I have all this energy for the nature. Sometimes, just sometimes, this is a bit lonely. Mostly not.

There are three rivers that connect with my lake. This river is one that flows away (downstream) from the lake. I'm not sure if this one is the most beautiful one. The one that is upstream is maybe a bit more idyllic yet. But I could not find a picture of it.
Now I think I'll return to the waist shaping so that I will have some knitting to show eventually...

26 comments:

  1. A week camping with a four-legged friend sounds great to me. Tina is a beauty and I am sure she will enjoy the smell of the 'birds' roasting!
    It may be lonely, but your country is beautiful. Remember, you can be lonely while being pushed about on the sidewalk of any major city. I would rather have your landscape than a city landscape.
    I love your rivers - flowing over stones and I am sure the sound is beautiful - until the cold ends it for a season!

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  2. Wonderful pictures. You have a lovely eye for composition!

    -- Vicki in Michigan

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  3. Anonymous17:30

    I also love your non-knitting posts just as much as the knitting ones. I very much want to visit Finland, and especially your little corner of it. It is so beautiful and remote.

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  4. Anonymous17:36

    It really looks magic and the reindeer look a bit ghostlike as they are moving away. I have to join the rest of your readers and say that I enjoy your nature posts just as much as your knitting ones.

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  5. I love the steely water and steely sky and steel-colored reindeer to match. Just lovely!

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  6. Anonymous18:30

    I'm another person who enjoys the nature posts you do as much as the knitting posts. I agree with Peg that you can be lonely in a busy city!

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  7. Wow, reindeer! Thanks for sharing.

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  8. You live in a truly wonderous and beautiful place!

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  9. I agree, I love your non-knitting posts as much as you knitting posts. Thanks for sharing.

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  10. Anonymous19:32

    I'm another fan of your non-knitting posts. I always love seeing your little corner of the world. It looks remote and peaceful. Thank you for sharing

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  11. Real reindeer! I can't tell you how exotic that is to an American like me.

    How do you prepare a wild-caught bird? I'm sure you must have a traditional recipe for it.

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  12. Those are beautiful pictures. I especially enjoy the reindeer and the philosophy of the hunters in the wild there.

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  13. Anonymous20:38

    I am in awe - again. You write so beautifully and always with wonderful pics. I can only dream of the place you live. Just beautiful :)

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  14. Lonely is an interesting word to me. Lonely meaning alone or lonely meaning without anyone. I love your blog. The pictures are incredible. I live in the central U.S. in St. Louis. We have the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers and I do so love the rivers. Your lake is so beautiful and although you think it's stark, I find it filled with beauty. Thank you for sharing it and I wish Tina and her assistant much luck this week.

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  15. Anonymous23:02

    Tina is such a beauty! Of course, all the photos are beautiful, definitely take your landscape over any cityscape. You truly live in a magical place and I find it absolutely wonderful that you love and respect it as you do.
    Yes, a traditional way of roasting the wild bird?

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  16. Anonymous02:39

    I, like everyone else, loved your nature pictures today. I think it would be lovely to come across a herd of reindeer in the woods. We don't have them here, except in zoos. Thanks for giving us glimpses of your country.

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  17. Anonymous02:56

    Thank you so much for answering my question so quickly about the yarn and needle size you are using! I really appreciate it.
    Of course, it makes your project seem all the more labour intensive. But I also keeping thinking about your comments about just knitting it and not being distracted with other projects. I really want that sense too.
    I agree with all the other comments about your stunning pictures! Just love them!

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  18. Anonymous03:40

    As other people here, I also enjoy your non-knitting posts as well as your knitting posts. I like to read about your country and your way of life, as it is so different from my own. No news of Grandma Kitty ?

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  19. Thank you for the nature walk. I can see and feel the cold settling into the north country as nature changes clothes, and the water takes on shades of ice.

    The ghosting reindeer are a real treat to see.

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  20. Anonymous08:52

    It's funny, Tina looks a lot like Icelandic dogs - they also have this curled up tail. They don't hunt birds though, they herd sheep. They're good barkers too.

    Apparently there's a Finnish club for the Icelandic dog!!

    http://www.geocities.com/islanninkoira/

    You're place up north sounds wonderful. Your writing about it always makes me think "voi voi" that I still haven't been further north than Oulu.

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  21. I love seeing pictures from your area. I just posted lots of pictures this week of our hike in very dry Texas. So different from your landscape.

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  22. I love the photos of the woods, the lake, the reindeer...I spent a marvelous week above the arctic circle in Norway six years ago. We flew to Alta, drove to Kautokeino and Karajsok (sp??) and then to Nordkapp, where we caught the Midnatsol and leisurely boated down to the Lofoten Islands. I absolutely loved the arctic country side. It's starkness appeals to me for unknown reasons. Thank you for sharing your photos and your camping trip.

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  23. Anonymous16:57

    Thank you for sharing your photos. Reindeer in the wild seem so exotic. Your knitting is beautiful and so is your country.

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  24. Beautiful. My sister is moving to Oslo so I am interested to see what Scandanavia looks like.

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  25. Hello lene,
    I don't care if you don't have any knitting to show. I love your photos. My dog Scout - all the way across the globe in Australia- particularly enjoys your photos of Tina. (Scout is a bit of an internet stalker!). But I do love your knitting as well.

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  26. Lena you take the most beautiful photos! I must admit the photos are a big reason for coming to your blog. I love what you write, but the photos of a place so far away from where I am (Australia) are just wonderful!

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