Life in Sweden: Spring is on its way…even if it’s still cold out.
We’re well into March and there is still snow and ice on the ground in the suburb of Stockholm where I live. Two weeks ago, we had a snow storm and temperatures down to -16C. It’s a tad bit warmer now (though still below zero on the Celsius scale). I’m still wearing my winter boots and thick, cozy sweaters. I never leave the house without my fleece-lined winter hat and thick mittens. According to the calendar, it’s spring but at first glance my knee-jerk reaction would be, “Hell no! It’s still winter!”
But…there are signs that we are in the early days of spring, even if it’s hard to believe.
For starters, when I wake up at six in the morning to write, it no longer looks and feels like the middle of the night, so I don’t have to turn on a lot of lights anymore. Instead, the sun is up and there’s enough light that I can sit in the kitchen without turning on a lamp unless it’s cloudy out. And when I leave the office at 5:30PM, there’s still sunlight in the sky. When I first noticed it, I got so giddy. Yeah, I know…I’ve probably lived in Sweden too long if a little more daylight is getting me excited. But when you’ve had close to six months of the sun not rising until around eight or nine in the morning and setting at around 3PM, you sometimes feel like someone put a thick blanket over you and you can become a bit zombie-like until the summer comes.
So what happens when the sun is out, even if it’s still cold? Swedes turn into sunflowers. You’ll see them bundled up, their faces turned up to the sun and you’ll wonder at first if this is some weird sun-worshipping cult until you catch yourself doing the same thing. Because it feels so good, even though it’s cold out. Because that bit of warm from the sun is enough to keep you going until you can finally pack away your winter gear until the end of the autumn.
And despite the snow, spring flowers are making an appearance. I keep hearing reports from friends in Skin that they’ve spotted snowdrops and other early spring flowers. I haven’t seen any yet, but I hope I will. I need a few more sneak peeks of spring to help me feel like there is more to life than ice. 🙂
Have you seen any signs of spring? And what’s the weather like in your neck of the woods?
But…there are signs that we are in the early days of spring, even if it’s hard to believe.
For starters, when I wake up at six in the morning to write, it no longer looks and feels like the middle of the night, so I don’t have to turn on a lot of lights anymore. Instead, the sun is up and there’s enough light that I can sit in the kitchen without turning on a lamp unless it’s cloudy out. And when I leave the office at 5:30PM, there’s still sunlight in the sky. When I first noticed it, I got so giddy. Yeah, I know…I’ve probably lived in Sweden too long if a little more daylight is getting me excited. But when you’ve had close to six months of the sun not rising until around eight or nine in the morning and setting at around 3PM, you sometimes feel like someone put a thick blanket over you and you can become a bit zombie-like until the summer comes.
So what happens when the sun is out, even if it’s still cold? Swedes turn into sunflowers. You’ll see them bundled up, their faces turned up to the sun and you’ll wonder at first if this is some weird sun-worshipping cult until you catch yourself doing the same thing. Because it feels so good, even though it’s cold out. Because that bit of warm from the sun is enough to keep you going until you can finally pack away your winter gear until the end of the autumn.
And despite the snow, spring flowers are making an appearance. I keep hearing reports from friends in Skin that they’ve spotted snowdrops and other early spring flowers. I haven’t seen any yet, but I hope I will. I need a few more sneak peeks of spring to help me feel like there is more to life than ice. 🙂
Have you seen any signs of spring? And what’s the weather like in your neck of the woods?
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