A Trip to the North

'And so the time came for the white hare to journey north. Far away, high up above the arctic circle, to where the sun does not rise in winter time. To the land of the Lapland woman, the Finland woman and the Snow Queen. To where the wardrobe's door opens to an icy sparkling world. He had heard the song of the North call to him for so long and now the time was right'
                                                                      ~*~
Finnish Lapland. Two hundred and fifty kilometres above the Arctic circle, this is where I was lucky and grateful to begin the first week of the brand new year. An adventure in a magical snowy land. The land of my dreams. A place where after only a few minutes outside, my hair and eyelashes had turned white with ice. A cosy log cabin, our home for seven days. A cabin that I wanted to continue living in and take home with me by the end of the week.

Inside the cabin was warm and cosy with a log burner and a weeks worth of wood outside on the porch.

The white hare stood out in the cold snow beneath the starlight and whispered to the sky. His words were carried up into the polar night. He told of a robin that knew the secrets of old and silently the lady Aurora answered with the most beautiful reply' 

Our first night we were blessed and saw the Aurora borealis right above our cabin. A milky green rose up and arched across the sky. I hadn't realised that she moved so quickly. A shape almost creature like, tip toed sideways above us. Walking diagonally she swished her tail as if to say 'here I am'
The Finnish term for the Northern Lights is 'Revontulet' meaning fox fire, which comes from an old tale where the fox was believed to swish its bushy tail on the snowy fell landscapes, throwing sparks into the air. (would love to incorporate that into a painting at some time. :))
That first night I was unable to capture any pictures. Results on my camera were totally black blanks of night sky and so was my iPad. Only my daughter seemed able to catch them on her phone.
So, the next night, after a day of cross country skiing I set my camera up on a different setting and crossed my fingers that she would return again...
She did, out of the seven days we were so so lucky to get glimpses four days out of the seven.  Pictures are blurry as I literally just held my camera to the sky and tried to hold it still. I had no tripod or any fancy gear.

'And she danced, swirling her green gown across a sparkling sky. The white hare watched in wonder and all that he had imagined became reality'

Aurora over the cabin...

In the morning at about 8.30am-9am with a beautiful crescent moon.

The morning walk to ski.

Father Christmas was no where to be seen. Taking a much needed break I'm sure! 

A week filled with hot chocolate, hot berry juice, elves, reindeer, twinkling lights, crackling of log fire, crunch of snow and the clear cold air of the north, in my lungs. 

One afternoon, out in the forest, when already darkness was approaching. We met some reindeer.

In a wooden sleigh lined with a reindeer skin and a thick blanket to cover, we were transported through the forest pulled by a white reindeer that looked as if he had stepped straight out of the pages of a fairytale. The heavenly arctic twilight cast a spell on me as the sleigh pulled and creaked like frosted branches on a windy night. It was at this moment that I knew that the Snow queen would have me in her grasp forever. The magic had entered my eyes and the North would always be pulling me back.
The temperature on our journey was -33, so it was quite difficult to uncover my fingers to take photographs and hold the camera still.

In the forest the white hare met a reindeer, who told him how the Snow Queen had tricked him. How a spell had been cast and how now she would own part of his heart forever.

When the journey was finished, darkness was almost upon us. We went into a cabin for hot berry juice and cake.

Inside I learned a little about reindeer and Sami people. How they freely roam the forest, how the deer that pull the sleighs are only male. The amazing fact that reindeer can see the white moss and lichen that they dig up and eat beneath the snow, using ultra violet light and how each single strand of their hair/fur is filled with air, which is why it keeps them so warm in the cold. I got to feel the antlers that are shed each year. I would never have believed the male ones were so heavy. I learned how the clothing colours of the Sami people tell which area they are from and even if they are married or single. 

Outside in the snow the ice sparkles. Tiny diamond glints mesmerise and whisper... do not go home, stay...stayyyy with us...

High on top of the fell was Narnia.  Amazingly beautiful! A wonderland.

And a frozen cafe that looked as if it belonged on the top of an iced Christmas cake.  How warm it was inside though, with an open fire.

Far up in the northern lands where darkness is more abundant in the winter months how clever Mother nature is. Such balance of dark and light. Dark, yet then the light from the pure white of snow. Dark and yet, the magical dance of polar light in the sky...

'The white hare returned home, leaving part of his heart behind in the Snow Queens' keeping. And on nights when the stars shone bright and there was ice on the ground he felt the missing part pulling him like a sting of a white bee' 

Now here at home, when I look up at the seven stars of the plough from my garden, on clear starry nights. I will remember the North and it will remind me to return one day. I have to, as how can I live without all of my heart?

X

Oxford

On Thursday my daughter had no school due to a teachers strike. So we decided to have a day out to Oxford. It's not far on the train and the sun was shining. The perfect day for an adventure. We were heading to this majestic building below, home to the Pitt Rivers museum.    

Inside it is just as impressive.

The Pitt Rivers museum is a collection of archaeological and anthropological artifacts. It was  founded in 1884 by one Lt General Augustus Pitt Rivers, after he donated his collection to the University of Oxford.
It's an amazing place filled to the brim with curiosities from all over the world. Inside the light is dim. Much darker than the picture above in which my camera made things look far brighter, compensating for the lack of light. A kind light for the old things and just right to add to the atmosphere. There was so much to photograph and look at and read and on top of that there were drawers underneath filled with even more secret wonders! To be honest I would have been happy just staying in here all day with a notebook and pencil sketching and writing. Anyway here are a few  of the things that I took pictures of. Things that jumped out and spoke to me.

Masks

Ornate keys which made me wonder about their stories. Which doors had they opened? Who had been their keepers?  

 Magical things

Spells

Most objects were labelled by the tiniest writing imaginable.Others were more readable.
Above, the small paws of a poor mole, cut off while still alive. It's feet kept in the pocket of a man, as a cure for toothache!  I am fascinated by the past and things such as this, but I'm so glad that we have progressed with cures for toothache these days.  I'm sure the mole would be too!
If you suffered from warts, then the charm below would have been for you...

In case it's too small for your to read this is what it says on the label.
"Charm for warts Oxfordshire~ Go out alone and find a large black slug. Secretly rub the underside on the warts and impale the slug and thorn. As the slug dies the warts will go"

~*~

This little bird made me feel sad.

Shadow Puppets

                                                                           Music

I loved the colours and designs of these old playing cards

And was  particularly attracted to all the things depicting animals of course.  

It was very atmospheric in the museum and some of the things such as the shrunken heads, weapons and ancient surgical instruments were rather unnerving. It made us wonder what it would be like to stay the night, or be there in the dark surrounded by all of these objects that hold the spirit and ghosts of people. Then I found this video showing the museum viewed by torchlight, which I thought you might like to see. 

I gazed in awe, as I always do, at the beauty of mother natures creations in the natural history part of the museum.

On our way to lunch we passed the most adorable little cottage.

And met a white rabbit blowing bubbles. :)

We were lucky that the day was dry and warm. There were lots of ladybirds flying around the old university buildings. On their way to look for a good sleeping places for winter I expect, which I'm sure they will find among the many stone buildings here. 

Our last stop, after a little shopping, (well I am with a teenage girl. ;)) was this fabulous exhibition that was totally unexpected as I hadn't known it was on.

Original sketches and notes by Tolkien, JK Rowling, Alan Garner, Susan Cooper, Philip Pullman and CS Lewis, including his original map sketch of Narnia. There were also some very old looking books and manuscripts concerning magic and angels, and some illuminated with gold. All was so wonderful to see, what a rare treat.  Sadly  no photography was allowed inside, so I will have to keep all of these precious images in my head. What a special end to a great day out.