May 27, 2010

May Nights Revisited.

The long winter and extensively delayed spring has so far caused a lack of joy, which I usually feel during this time of the year. I am trying very hard to reinstall it in my consciousness by reminding myself, that although it feels far from it, the best part of the year is indeed here.

The cold temperatures in May and April, with very few heat waves instigate a sensation of literally no spring. I fail to feel its presence, despite the bloom and the green growth. It is similar to ones dreams and desires - when fought for and awaited for too long, once they come true, they do not bring the satisfaction one has hoped for.

The only time I feel that indeed this is the season of magic is when I look at our night sky. The nights are white and almost absent. Before bedtime, when most of the world is already fast asleep and I open my windows to let in fresh breeze from the west, I can see traces of sunset finales, which colour the heavens in yellow, red and purples. Even at midnight, as the city below comes alight, the sky is not dark and the onset of darkness becomes exponentially delayed by each day. We have now gained ten hours of light since winter solstice in December and are one hour short of the longest day which will occur in about a month.

As seem on the two images below, taken at approximately the same time point, about a week apart, the increase in light is close to impossible to comprehend.


Northwest, 11th of May, 11:00PM


Northwest, 18th of May, 10:55PM

22 comments:

Alberto Hugo Rojas said...

PRECIOSAS FOTOGRAFIAS... FELIZ DIA

Reasons said...

Oh Zuzana you do sound fed up and I am not surprised. I hope it warms up soon and you have a long, warm summer.x

Elizabeth said...

What a beautiful pictures you made.

Today we have a sunny day!!!! I count my blessings.

Brian Miller said...

wow, what a difference...i love sleeping with the windows open, that gentle breeze luling me to sleep...

Sandy said...

I love the long days of summer. And so dislike the dark days of winter - only the holidays get me through them. It is going to be light out in Alaska until late at night while we are there. That will be something new for us. I enjoy your comparison photos - what a difference in your sky views. Have a great day Zuzana!

Unknown said...

Wow. The sky is so pretty. Breeze in the night is always enjoyable.
Have a good day!:)

Keith said...

Hey there. Thanks for the comment on my blog. I appreciate it. Great post here. I enjoy checking out your blog. Hope you've had a wonderful week. Enjoy the upcoming weekend.

swenglishexpat said...

I agree, it is as if spring has been squeezed out of the calendar!

Claus said...

Wow! beautiful takes, and ever amazing phenomenon! :-)
Interesting enough, and while I have heard as of late that it's been pretty crazy weather-wise in the north, it's been rather "normal" here in Guatemala. So far, every month has delivered what it was supposed to this year: wind and cold in the beginning of year (first two months) increasing the heat later, until arriving to our very hot summer in March and April. And though it was rather warm the first days of May, it quickly turn into rain, typically beginning in this month, going on until the end of October. It's been a long while since we had what it's normal and expected, so we are rather pleased. Worried, though, that the excess of each (too much heat caused droughts, too much rain cause another enless list of problems) always causes damages in more ways than one. Oh well...can't have it all, huh?

have a great day!

Phivos Nicolaides said...

Lovely, sweet nights of May!

sprinkles said...

What a huge difference in the amount of light in those two photographs!

I feel like summer will never get here. We didn't have any fall at all last year, it just went directly from hot summer days into cold winter. And it seems winter is determined to stay. In springs past, it seems like they started out chilly but got warmer as the months wore on. This year, we get a tease of a few days of warm weather and then it turns cold again for several more days. And then the snow last Saturday, which is completely out of character, just did more to depress my dampened spirits.

Yesterday late afternoon finally warmed up, hoping it will today too. We're forecasted for thunderstorms today and tomorrow so we'll see.

Alberto Hugo Rojas said...

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so still delights with beautiful pictures.
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pardon my English.
I look forward to your visits, I continue to come here.
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one with my pictures.
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happy day

Sandi McBride said...

I hope you are smiling Zuzana, you sound so sad that it makes me worry for you...a bout of homesickness, maybe?
hugs
Sandi

Cat in the road said...

Sandi's comment above seems like she really gets the point of this posting.

SandyCarlson said...

Zuzana,
Your skies are totally gorgeous. Thank you.

Rustique Gal said...

Zuzana, It will happen, it really will! I know what you mean about joy, though. Until a couple of weeks ago, I didn't know if I would really come alive again like I seem to do every spring. But I feel it now. The roof rack is on the car and I'm hoping to get my kayak on the lake this weekend. Planting flowers has helped!
Happy Weekend!
Sherry

Rajesh said...

In your part of the world the night sky is spectacular.

The Fashion Bloggess said...

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as per usual! LOVE your
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xx

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

lovely sleeping atmosphere.
Happy Friday!

Unknown said...

amazing photos. here it's still so hot.

i miss you Zuzana

Zuzana said...

Alberto (welcome), Joanne, Elizabeth, Brian, Sandy, Mr. Stupid, Keith, swenglishexpat, Claudia, Philip, sprinkles, Sandi, Scribe, Sandy, Sherry, Rajesh, The Fashion Bloggess (welcome), Jingle and Denise; thank you all for your kind visit and lovely comments.

Our White Nights are very special and always a source of incredible magic to me. They give us back the light we lost in winter and in combination with warm evenings extend our days and lift our spirits.
As I am positioned in the southern most Scandinavia, you can imagine that the just few hundred km north the light effect is much more pronounced and there the nights are completely absent.

I always appreciate your time and kind words,

Xoxo,
Zuzana

Hilary said...

I always love those late night summer photos of yours. That small one on top looks like the sky is a rainbow. That's an incredible difference between the two lower photos. I'll trade you a bit of our warmth (very hot here this week) for some of your longer days. ;)