Autumn colors week

 On Thursday we packed warm clothes and other cottage gear and drove to meet Teemu and Andrea at their cottage. We've been many times before, and the little cabin and sauna by a small lake are dear to us, too. There's electricity, but no running water, and the temperatures were quite chilly in the day, and frosty at night. Being morning people, our crew slept in the main cabin's pull-out sofas, and enjoyed the comforts of waking up in the same building as the kitchen. 

The days were sunny for the most part, and we did lots of walks and excursions. We admired the gold and deep green views, and played in the mossy forests. We hiked to a lake which in the summer has a deep rocky cliff that is excellent for dare-devilish jumps into the water. This time we clung to small trees, peered close to the edge and quickly nudged the kids away from the edge. I also discovered that the thermos I had bought for those little hot cocoa moments had cracked and we had to dispose of the hot drinks. Instead there were slo-mo jumps off rocks and half-hearted searches for more lingonberries. 

The sauna was heated every night, and it was excellent. I did not dare to swim in the lake, which I regret. it was dark at first, and I chickened. Petra had ducked in up to her neck, and others swam. We ate well and celebrated name days with impromptu oven pancakes and a chocolate-lingonberry roll-up cake. The idea of the cake was still better than the execution - the balance of the berries, cream and chocolate were not quite perfect, but it was lovely that it actually came to exist at all and it did taste good. 

Kai was taught how to light a fire, and once he got going he wanted to also light all the candles, and unspent matches felt like an unfinished job, just waiting to be scraped. He sat in front of the fire until his cheeks were flushed, and wanted to watch the wood burn, anxious if it went out. We grilled some more of his favorite sausages. Kai's other passion was whittling sticks into pointy objects, and he put a lot of effort into it. In the end, predictably, he cut his finger and had to take a break from his work. 

Petra was not seen much, as there was a lot of media consumption on small screens happening in the little side cottage. Yes, the upside is that it's possible to actually teach a zoom class from the cottage over wireless data network. But then it also supports everything else as well. 

At last it was time to go. We had just found a real field of lingonberries, so it was a bit difficult to walk away, even as our bucket was already filled with them. The weather was turning even chillier, and we were all expecting a little bit of snow on Sunday or Monday. 

Our last visit was to other friends, not far away. The kids found several decades worth of toys and played to their hearts' content. Kai also made fast friends with their cat, Poika, who tolerated his affections admirably. We all may have benefited from a bit of cat therapy. In the morning, the kids discovered the joys of scraping the ice off the car's windows, burning sticks and wood scraps, the crisp flavor of frost-bitten winter apples and the joy of rescuing a blue tit that had got stuck in a bad place. 

Tonight we are back at the house, and the first brief snow has fluttered down, only to melt immediately. There should be more by morning, we expect. The Autumn break week is over, time to get back to school.