Takatalvi
The last moments of Winter ° •
Takatalvi, means in Finnish that Winter weather comes back after the promise of Spring.
Last October 2023, The first frost arrived suddenly on the morning of Wednesday the 18th of October (as far as I had documented it). What a sight, the poppies looked so majestic with their frosty rims.
The week prior we had secured about 50 bulbs of narcissus, and tulips mostly and a couples of Lillies, To be planted any day before the first snow fall.
Somehow the weather had other plans as it rained endlessly for the next weeks, deep into November, and from down pouring rain it then snowed. The ground froze, leaving no chance to plant the bulbs. I had read somewhere that it would still be possible to plant in the early Spring, once the snow would have disappeared, leaving the ground to defrost.
This was my plan! Planting the bulbs in the early Spring. Late in the Fall I had stored the bulbs in the dark in one of our rooms that isn´t heated (4°C - 6°C).
Later in the late Winter my husband relocated them in our basement where the temperatures are colder.
I was anticipating the moment were I would open one by one those paper bags containing the bulbs… were they ok? Surprisingly all had already a vibrant green shoot (see photo below) only two out of fifty had perished. Very happy, I was looking forward to getting them in the ground. I prepared a round basket, lined with a linen towel, and one by one inspected the bulbs, once finished, I placed the basket in our mudroom ready for planting.
It’s really like a running joke here in Finland, to think that Spring is finally here, you get so happy & excited ready for having the first coffee moments on the terrace but then within a night … Winter returns and decide to persist a little longer : ( kind of ruining all your spring plans!
After living almost six years in Finland, I am embracing it!
So, Winter go ahead snow more, blow icy winds …. soon enough Spring will push through. I have come to actually cherish that time of year, this shift in the season is so special. We go from white snowy covered landscapes. So silent, and peaceful, slowly slipping away, to unfolding signs of promising warmer days.
This year we returned from Lapland. I remembered opening the car door and hearing for the first time the call of the grey headed woodpecker, aah … what a joy it brought me, a single tear of happiness glided along my cheek, that was the first sign of a shift in the seasons.
Then the deers returned. A family of three. They were here last Spring as well.I like to think that they are the same ones. I often find their tracks in the snow, but they are more elusive then, in the Winter.
The Sea ice started to melt away ...
We had foggy Weather for the next two weeks.
Thank you for being here, subscribe to my Substack to follow along my nordic life in Finland. Wishing everyone a Beautiful Easter Sunday, n.
