The environment here is an amazing contrast from the city, namely Helsinki, where I’m otherwise living. There can be dramatic changes in the weather and natural surroundings, the sky full of dark clouds, then suddenly the sun shines like a spotlight on the northern ridge of Saana fell. Or then there’s the more subtle changes, such as the onset of ruska around now, fall colours illuminating the leaves on the trees and ground cover.
Spending time observing here, from indoors or out, constantly reveals wonders, in the form of sights, sounds, smells, also finding different berries and encountering other living creatures…
Most of my time spent here so far has been characterised by rain, which has led me to spend more time indoors than I might have originally thought. From where I’m staying, sitting looking out the window, Sweden can be seen in the distance, where once, after the rain, appeared a rainbow. Yesterday was my first hike, up Salmivaara, which was surrounded by dark grey rainy-looking clouds, and offered a lovely view of the landscape. However I’ve been making use of my time spent inside the residence and also the Biological Station, researching and writing, working with my collected samples, such as berries, finding out about them and their properties, with an interest in making natural inks.
One highlight so far has been the reindeer that come daily to munch the grasses and leaves in the field and tree-covered outcrop outside the residence. They are impressive animals. It’s a bit like having visitors, although rather I think it is me who is a visitor on their land.
