February brought back the sunlight.
Shimmering on the ice crystals.
Shining all the way through the kitchen- and even reaching the living room now!
A slightly warmer feeling, although it kept freezing all month.

The warmest day was probably -5°C (23°F), and coming from -15°C that felt tropical 🙂
Still, we went out dressed all warm and cozy in soft layers, big hats, and lots of Lip balm*.

*I managed to have zero cracked lips this winter. I’ve been using some kind of eco lip balm from the supermarket. It feels a bit sticky like a Pritt stick, it doesn’t smell nice or fancy. But it works miracles. Even when my lips hurt in the evening, I put on some of that Pritt balm, and by the morning, it’s all fine again.

When the snow arrived in January, we got about half a meter of snow, but after 2 months, the snow is less fluffy, more compact. In many places, it can hold a smaller dog like Lizzie, but she still has to be cautious because you never know when a hidden ditch awaits an unwary pup.

Finding that perfect spot is precision work- or giving up, whatever comes first 🙂

Freshly cut trees seem to taste excellent.
I haven’t tried.

I was unsure how Mogwai would deal with winter this year. The last few winters weren’t as cold as this one, and in March she will turn 13!
But so far, she’s been doing excellent. Some days she’s taking it easy, while on other days she’s dragging around sticks and jumping around.
Coats have become a staple item, helping her to maintain some warmth on her back, belly, and hips.

Because Oona is also getting older, I got her a matching one too.
Now they are like 3 sunshines with paws! This colour isn’t just making me happy, it’s also super visible in the woods.

Oona, being the clumsy and naughty one of the groups, knows very well that when she wants to hide, she needs to stand very still in tall grasses (her natural colour blends right in), but with this coat, there is no hiding!
It does not, however, eliminate the dog’s great sense of smell…

One day during a very frosty walk, she took off.
Looking happy.
Half-hiding behind a rock,
It wasn’t that far from me, and at first I thought she found a tasty stick, but you might know the feeling of… “hm this doesn’t seem right…”
I trudged through knee-high snow, barely getting anywhere, except for being out of breath and my muscles burning. I called Oona, but of course she ignored me

… and it turned out she found a dead + frozen moose!

Picture of a time she did find a particularly nice stick covered in snow:

Posing pretty? Not today!

Do you see those lines behind Lizzie and Oona?
That’s from a car that’s been driving across the lake.

So it’s strong enough to hold us too 🙂
(The ice is about 20cm thick, and the locals measure + report)

I mostly share my sketchbooks on my other page, but during a Zoom session with Frances Ives, we drew from one of my photographs of Oona and me. I loved sharing this memory with the group.

March will be a month of celebrations, lots of work, and hopefully many beautiful walks too.
It’s always a surprise what March will bring. Sometimes an early taste of spring, sometimes a month of snow.
But the light has been changing, the cranes are on their way, so soon we’ll be hearing them announce the changing seasons.

Much love from all of us!
Take care!
X