064/2011 a lovely sight, originally uploaded by rosipaw.
The sun is getting more and more powerful, day by day. Today I could almost see the piles of snow getting lower in front of my eyes! Streets are full of puddles, and roofs almost clear of snow.
It’s a messy time, but how I love this mess!
062/2011 mad as a march hare, originally uploaded by rosipaw.
That’s how I’ve felt all through this crazy, busy week after the holidays. It’s been very difficult to get back into working routine, and I feel as if I have just been jumping, rushing and bolting around, without accomplishing much.
This saying instantly came to mind when I spotted these traces in our garden, left by another mad March hare last night!
057/2011 layers, originally uploaded by rosipaw.
Not the prettiest sight, but quite interesting textured layers of white and grey, dirty snow, with clear blue sky on top. A promise of spring, anyway!
043/2011 white on white, originally uploaded by rosipaw.
Just a picture of the colour scheme outdoors. The pile of snow sitting on our garden fence, epitomizes the immobile state of winter. Nothing moves, it just is!
I couldn’t decide which photo to choose today – this one or the one below. In the end, it was the straight lines above that better depicted my lazy mood today.
040/2011 icing on the trees, originally uploaded by rosipaw.
Rapidly dipping temperatures, after yesterday’s snow storm, created these formations on the trees – like thick icing. Clear blue skies added to the crisp effect. At sunset the scenery was particularly attractive.
Pretty, but terribly cold! My poor fingers almost froze while taking these pictures. Winter is still showing its might, and holding us in its icy grip.
027/2011 no outside lunch yet, originally uploaded by rosipaw.
And not for some time, I don’ t think. Snow has become my photo theme for this week. I can remember sitting at this table many times last autumn. It’s in front of the inn, where I and one of my colleagues often go for lunch on school days. I am beginning to wish my time away with this winter…
But the yellow wall of the old house looked pretty amidst all the white.
026/2011 yes, there is a car there, originally uploaded by rosipaw.
A common sight along our streets. Cars in various stages of getting buried under snow. Looks as if this one is a beetle. Might be somebody’s summer car, so it doesn’t have to be dug out, but can wait for the snow the disappear in spring. In built and densely populated areas, the masses of snow are creating big problems. Modern man and nature at odds.
At long last some sunshine – light and shadow playing on the snow. What an instant change in my mood and energy levels!
020/2011 footprints, originally uploaded by rosipaw.
A nightly footprint in the snow – the newspaper delivery person. Clearly somebody who has nothing to hide, and is not worried about leaving an identifiable mark behind. Yet, it’s not a consciously created mark, but purely accidental. The person would probably be surprised to know about my picture of it!
How aware are our students about their digital footprints? Will they fall prey to stalkers, or lose a job opportunity in the future, because of carelessly uploaded online material? Some schools warn and present scary examples, block and protect. All with good intentions, I’m sure. I would rather see students start consciously working on a positive online image at school, with the guidance of teachers. But do we know how to guide them?
013/2011 our snow barometer, originally uploaded by rosipaw.
Two of our garden light bulbs are broken. It looks quite funny after it’s snowed. The heat from the still working bulb soon melts all the snow on it. The half broken pink bulb still retains a little bit of snow on it, while the broken one gatheres all the snow on it. I’m wondering why it is that the warm light balls create icicles underneath them, but the snow-covered one doesn’t. Must be to do with melting snow turning into water, and then the colder night temperatures freezing the dripping water – perhaps?
Quite a science lesson – but pretty, too! I think our light fitment has more character than our neighbours’ uniform, perfectly working ones. Nah – I’m just making excuses for our laziness to fix things around the house. There is so much snow in the garden, though, that I think we’ll wait till spring to change the bulbs.
007/2011 drowning in snow, originally uploaded by rosipaw.
It’s getting from bad to worse! No end to the white stuff coming down from the clouds!
I felt almost claustrophobic walking in the street today – the pavement and the street is getting narrower and narrower.
The snow cover on our roof will soon be considerably thicker than at any point last winter. Funny formations on the gutter, though – makes me think of gargoyles 
Even here in Finland, people in towns are now struggling to clear the snow, in order to still be able to manoeuvre in the streets. In Helsinki, they are now looking for big enough underground tunnels to store the mountains of snow. Two birds with one stone: most importantly, clear the streets, and secondly, as an innovative added bonus, possibly use the snow for district air-conditioning next summer.
A real-life problem calling for a creative solution. A powerful formula to remember in the classroom, too!
