Spring Winter

It's still very much winter as you can see in this picture looking up the North Sound. There's plenty of snow and ice; the sea is still frozen close to land and in sheltered places. The temperature is about minus 6°C and there are no puddles, only ice (fortunately with plenty of grit around).
However, there is a new feeling in the air. The sun has a certain amount of warmth when it shines. The air feels dry. There's only the slightest breeze. I have my hat, scarf and gloves but it's no problem to be outside for 10 minutes or so without them and they spend a lot of time in my rucksack. When I wake up it is already light outside. It stays light until about 5 o'clock, which gives more time for fun outside.
This is the spring-winter, definitely one of the all-time favourite seasons for those who live up here.
Tomorrow our visitors arrive from England. They are already in Sweden but spending the night at an airport hotel before getting the train up to us tomorrow. We'll pick them up from the station in Sundsvall at midday. They are parents and two smallish children so it will be an exciting time for us all. Fortunately they are outdoor types and the weather forecast looks good. We were in town to pick up a couple of sledges to add to our collection. Unfortunately the children's snowshoes were already loaned out but perhaps we can get them a bit later.
The red House is warm, clean and tidy, waiting for the guests to arrive!
To return to the photo, the boat on the right is a training ship, the Pole Star,  used by the local college. Originally it was built as a small ice-breaker and it has no problems with these conditions. It's been out for a trip which is why that ice is broken up. On the far left of the picture is another much larger ship, slightly hidden behind the buildings. That ship is delivering wind turbine parts: the tower sections, the actual turbines that go at the summit of the tower, and the blades that turn to drive the generation. The fact that this is arriving now is another sign winter is coming to an end because building such structures ceases in winter. The whole harbour is full of this gear and two more large storage areas have been built to accommodate all the turbine parts. It's going to be a busy summer on forested hilltops in the north of Sweden!
Oh yes, it's Valentines Day! I got a lovely card/artwork and a small wooden heart with gold leaf patches from Jan! I gave Jan a set of large and small hearts, made of ice! They are now hanging outside, around the front door area!
Jan has been this evening at the cinema, seeing the latest Bridget Jones film. I stayed home to catch up with my blips (9 - 12 Feb) and watched a few Tai Chi videos from Susan Thompson, a teacher recommended by our teacher Ulf. Here's an example...
And it's Friday, so I'll wish everyone a happy weekend!