Just some thoughts...

Even though I’ve spent more years of my life in Sweden that in Australia and I should be used to it, the dramatic change of the landscape with every change of season never ceases to amaze me. To think that only a couple of months ago this landscape was all white with mountains of snow covering every piece of bare ground, with temperatures well below -25 at times, with not even a dead leaf on any tree and with daylight for only a few a hours each day. The ocean and the lakes covered with a metre thick layer of ice and wildlife struggling to find anything to eat. Most birds have migrated south and only a few species are strong enough to stay and survive the long and cold winter months.

In the middle of the month of June I can paint a totally different picture. The trees and grass is all green and it’s a green that is so green it almost hurts your eyes or eye… ;-) The fields are covered in lush grass and a multitude of wildflowers in all the rainbows colours fills the meadows and paddocks and the scents from all the flowers is the scent of summer.

The ocean and the lakes are ice free and white and purple water lilies covers the dark waters while a multitude of wildlife and insects thrives in the forests, on shores and in the water. The birds have returned from southern continents and when they are not singing their little hearts out they are nesting in trees and bushes all over the countryside.

While it’s still coolish in Australian standards the days are as long as you want them to be. The sun just drops below the horizon at 11.30pm and it never gets dark and by 2am it’s shining again. The daylight saving opponents in Australia who argues about 1 hour would have a real struggle on their hands here but to their surprise they would find people still get their full quota of sleep every night.

The summer is short but very intense in all aspects. In a few short months everything comes to life again to breed, to grow, to flower and to seed. And when autumn comes to die and to hibernate only to be repeated again in 6-7 months’ time.

I can imagine it could be hard to appreciate this intense feeling of life if you haven’t lived here and if you come from somewhere where seasons are not as dramatic as they are here but if you ever decide to travel to the northern parts of Europe I assure you won’t be disappointed and you will have an experience to be remembered for a life time.