When we travelled back to Blighty at the end of April to visit friends and relations, Äkäslompolo was still the perfect "winter wonderland". Barely four weeks later, when we arrived back in Finland, summer had got here first!
Summer in Lapland is almost as striking as winter.
With 24 hour daylight and the cleanest air in Europe, you get drawn outdoors to do things, and seem to have much more energy to do them. For the plants and animals, with a relatively short summer season, growing and feeding becomes a real priority, and the area is alive with birds and animals of all sorts.
When we arrived back in the village, this fella was waiting to meet us. In summer, you see a lot more reindeer out in the open, getting away from the insects in the forest and enjoying the open spaces.
Reindeer are generally very placid animals and it's lovely to see them wandering past, just minding their own business and looking for the next bit of tasty lichen.
It's possible that he was looking across the lake to the village sauna, wondering if he might pop over for a relaxing end to his busy day.
In winter, it's normal practice to wander out of the sauna several times for a dip in the lake, where the water is kept from freezing by an underwater fan.
It's really a more pleasant experience than it sounds, honest!
On the smaller side, the red squirrels in the area are much more agile and always seem to be busy, even if only trying to bury food quicker then the magpies can spot and pilfer it.
In the UK, typically the grey squirrels are seen as more of a nuisance. Here the red ones are much more fun and don't seem to be unduly worried by having humans around, especially the types that put nuts on their patios!
After bounding toward our patio table, and sitting there happily eating the nuts that had originally been put out for the great tits and pied wagtails, only about two feet (sorry 60cm) from where I was sitting, this young lady seemed to be asking "Would you like me to pose for a photo?"
At least, I think that was what she was saying; our Finnish lessons aren't progressing as well as they might...
Though we are about five minutes walk from a lovely lake, the idea is that a group of people from the village will cycle up through the Finnish/Norwegian border, and on up to Alta, near to the most northerly point in Europe, to go for a swim in the Norwegian sea, which is sure to be warm at this time of year (not!)
The trip is around 340km (oops, around 200 miles) and is going to take place over three days at the beginning of July.
To prepare for this, cycling has been the way to take advantage of the extra daylight.
Fortunately, as well as having miles and miles of quiet roads to cycle on, we also have a mountain to (try to) cycle up, just to remind us how unprepared we are, especially compare to the Fit Finns!
Although, or maybe because the roads are quiet, you meet all sorts of interesting characters.
I wasn't quite sure if this handsome chap though I might be planning to chat up his Mrs, since he was definitely giving me a good look up and down as I passed.
Of course, the warmth and sunshine brings out all sorts of wildlife, and, with some, it's a handy reminder to watch where you are cycling!
This slippery customer (I think a female adder) was basking on the road as I cycled past. Not being the biggest fan of the slithery creatures, I used a bit of zoom to take this from a safe distance!
I'm sure the meeting increased my average speed by about 50% and trebled the attention I was paying to the road ahead for the rest of the day.
Midsummer heralds a celebration that sees every town and village in Finland building a bonfire. Äkäslompolo is no exception, and down at the lake, the bonfire was lit, on schedule, at 11pm on June 20th.
After the most wonderful couple of weeks of weather, with the temperatures nearing 30C, midsummer was a big change, with a spell of chilly weather seeing all the anoraks out again.
More on the summer activities later, assuming we make it to Alta and back!
Summer in Lapland is almost as striking as winter.
With 24 hour daylight and the cleanest air in Europe, you get drawn outdoors to do things, and seem to have much more energy to do them. For the plants and animals, with a relatively short summer season, growing and feeding becomes a real priority, and the area is alive with birds and animals of all sorts.
Reindeer
Reindeer are generally very placid animals and it's lovely to see them wandering past, just minding their own business and looking for the next bit of tasty lichen.
In winter, it's normal practice to wander out of the sauna several times for a dip in the lake, where the water is kept from freezing by an underwater fan.
It's really a more pleasant experience than it sounds, honest!
Squirrels
On the smaller side, the red squirrels in the area are much more agile and always seem to be busy, even if only trying to bury food quicker then the magpies can spot and pilfer it. In the UK, typically the grey squirrels are seen as more of a nuisance. Here the red ones are much more fun and don't seem to be unduly worried by having humans around, especially the types that put nuts on their patios!
At least, I think that was what she was saying; our Finnish lessons aren't progressing as well as they might...
Out on the Road
The extra daylight sometimes has a strange effect on people. With us, that included deciding to sign up for "The Mad Cycle".
Though we are about five minutes walk from a lovely lake, the idea is that a group of people from the village will cycle up through the Finnish/Norwegian border, and on up to Alta, near to the most northerly point in Europe, to go for a swim in the Norwegian sea, which is sure to be warm at this time of year (not!)
The trip is around 340km (oops, around 200 miles) and is going to take place over three days at the beginning of July.
To prepare for this, cycling has been the way to take advantage of the extra daylight.
Fortunately, as well as having miles and miles of quiet roads to cycle on, we also have a mountain to (try to) cycle up, just to remind us how unprepared we are, especially compare to the Fit Finns!
Although, or maybe because the roads are quiet, you meet all sorts of interesting characters.
I wasn't quite sure if this handsome chap though I might be planning to chat up his Mrs, since he was definitely giving me a good look up and down as I passed.
Of course, the warmth and sunshine brings out all sorts of wildlife, and, with some, it's a handy reminder to watch where you are cycling!
This slippery customer (I think a female adder) was basking on the road as I cycled past. Not being the biggest fan of the slithery creatures, I used a bit of zoom to take this from a safe distance!
I'm sure the meeting increased my average speed by about 50% and trebled the attention I was paying to the road ahead for the rest of the day.
Mid-Summer Celebrations
Midsummer heralds a celebration that sees every town and village in Finland building a bonfire. Äkäslompolo is no exception, and down at the lake, the bonfire was lit, on schedule, at 11pm on June 20th. After the most wonderful couple of weeks of weather, with the temperatures nearing 30C, midsummer was a big change, with a spell of chilly weather seeing all the anoraks out again.
More on the summer activities later, assuming we make it to Alta and back!
