Time Captured In Snow.

The winters in southern Scandinavia are in contrary to popular belief quiet temperate. They feel cold, due to the damp, windy conditions, but on average, the temperatures will stay around 5C during the day and around freezing, or just below freezing in the night. The Gulf Stream keeps our weather very stable, thus our winters are mild and our summers cool. Not my kind of weather at all, if you ask me.

However, as with every rule, there are exceptions. Every few years we do get large amount of snowfall, particularly in January and February, making our winters feel long and at times endless. December snow is very rare and the fact that our Christmas 2009 was white is highly unusual and happens on average every fifteen years. Since that very snow fall in the middle of December last year we have experienced record breaking weather conditions. In fact the temperatures have remained below freezing, way below freezing almost constantly for six weeks. The few hours of plus degrees did not manage to thaw very much of the very first snow away and in periods, we continue to receive fresh addition, such as yesterday night. Thus everywhere I look I see fresh snow, but also old snow. The remains of December snow are clearly visible. My garden furniture, my flower pots and my lounge chair are all covered by snow that is by now six weeks old.

As I walk around my terrace, gazing at the old layers, which still look as white and pristine as when they fell, I realized that I am - in an interesting and unique way - revisiting the past. Minutes, days and weeks, all captured in frozen precipitation we call snow...