Tag Archives: sunshine

Day 30: Proekt 365 (A little streaming sunshine)

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Day 30: Proekt 365 Lovely streaming sunshine to brighten my day

Day 30: Proekt 365
Lovely streaming sunshine to brighten my day

My close personal relationship with my desk, keyboard and computer screens continued today, finding me pretty much locked in my desk chair and focused on the tasks at hand. So, I was thoroughly delighted to be able to turn off the desk lamp for even a brief bit of time today as the sunshine streamed through the windows and brightened the room around me with dazzling winter sunlight.

Glorious, lovely, bright sunshine. If you look closely at the photo, you can see my transition lenses darkened a bit. Yes, it was just that bright.

We may have only had a brief window during which there was no need for any additional light. But, I’ll gladly take it. A month ago, it was ‘dark’ (think very, very grey) all day and completely dark by about 3.00-3.30 in the afternoon. Here we are heading into February and the days are longer and, more importantly, brighter. I swear, that plant in the corner along with all the other plants in our flat perked up as soon as the first traces of sunshine hit. That same plant looks rather sad just now, sitting in the darkness.

We may be expecting a bit of snow over the weekend, which will be very much welcomed by this household. But, it is such a relief to see the days lengthen and the sun rise that much higher in the sky each day. Winter may be here, but summer is coming.

Day 14: Proekt 365 (The lower the temp, the brighter the sun)

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Day 14: Proekt 365 Sub-zero temps mean clear skies

Day 14: Proekt 365
Sub-zero temps mean clear skies

Stumbling out of bed this morning required the immediate addition of several layers of warm clothing. As I made my way to the coffee, I peeped at the thermometer outside our kitchen window: -17C (that’s 1.4F for those of you not using the metric system). Yes, it’s freezing; but, beyond the cold, we have clear, blue skies and sunshine!

A week ago, Helsinki temps were hovering just above freezing and the days were darker than dark given the constant cloud cover, persistent rain and lack of snow. I don’t mind telling you that everyone was in a foul mood, myself included. Meanwhile, many parts of North America, suffering the great Polar Vortex of 2014, were experiencing the sort of temperatures and weather common for Helsinki this time of year. It was odd.

One week on, we’ve had a very tiny bit of snow to brighten things up even with clouds, and the mercury has plummeted. This is winter. And, with winter and the colder temps, we get winter sun, which is a very much welcome sight.

Day 9: Proekt 365

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Day 9: Proekt 365 A brief moment of sunshine in Helsinki winter

Day 9: Proekt 365
A brief moment of sunshine in Helsinki winter

Helsinki today was graced by a brief return of real sunshine. What a sight.

This time of year, even when the sun appears, it sits rather low in the sky. The photo above was taken around 11 this morning. At its zenith, it’s never much higher than this during the long winter months.

The past month has been particularly dark and grey this year. With no snow at all yet (a rarity) and near constant thick cloud cover, sunshine of any sort is very much welcome. I’m sure there were many an individual standing and reveling in the brief winter sunshine today for that brief while as it appeared in the sky.

Thank you, Mother Nature! Even if it was but a fleeting moment, it was a lovely thing to see!