“I’ve got sunshine, on a cloudy day,” – The Temptations
Number of winters The Temptations spent in Helsinki: zero.
Töölönlahti starting to freeze
Getting up before the sun is no big deal in Helsinki these days because the sun doesn’t get up until 9am. And by up, I mean legs over the side of the bed, still in its pyjamas.
Today’s forecast – with 3 weeks to go until the shortest day
At mid-day the sun in Helsinki sits just 8 degrees above the horizon. Which means that while we have sunlight, we often have very little sunshine. In fact, November was ‘three times gloomier than average’ with Helsinki having a total of just 12 hours of sunshine in the first 26 days.
A rare November day
So how do we cope with these grey days that seem like constant twilight? Well luckily it’s still quite novel which helps and before heading out we have a hit of Vitamin D spray every morning.
We also bought a sunlamp which wakes us by filling the room with a soft glow. This grows stronger until we wake to what feels like a room full of sunlight – it also has a setting that includes the sound of birds chirping.
Time to wake up! The fake sun has risen & the fake birds are chirping
The temperature has been sitting around 2 degrees for a month now, which means any snow we have doesn’t stick around. Last winter was very mild by Finnish standards and no snow means dark days as there’s nothing to reflect the light. So for the first time in my life I’m really hoping it will get much colder!
Perfect number plate for snow
But I’ve got a bit to learn yet about snow. I was walking home the other day admiring the flakes as they fell around me and decided to pull my hood on. What a rookie! There’s no better way to spoil a romantic mood than by dumping a whole lot of snow on your own head!
Hey Helsinki 
I read in the Metro paper today that apparently it was the gloomiest November for ages with only 16 hours of sunshine. 16 hours?! What is that, like 2 minutes a day?!
Good on you, everyone needs to pull on a snow filled hood every once in a while 🙂
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Ha! Thanks. I also read articles on things like ‘How to walk on ice.’ ☺️
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😀
You may want to continue with ‘how to drive on ice (roads)’ if you want to visit our cottage in the archipelago in the winter 🙂
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Last year, when we lived in Moscow, they had the wettest September on record. I don’t remember the amount of mm of rainfall, but it wasn’t a drizzle at all. And there were only two days out of the whole month without any rain. That was one long grey and wet month :s
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Yikes! That sounds pretty grim. I dont mind grey as much as I think I’d mind damp. Something to be grateful for ☺️
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Yep, I alo think cold and snow are somehow easier to live with 🙂 but that lamp is definetely a great idea!
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Haha Gotta love that number plate !!
You have described the change in weather in
your usual delightful detail !
Thank you Mel
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Thanks Dad! I thought you would like that number plate xx
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Great post Melanie 🙂 On the plus side you get to see the Northern Lights 🙂
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Thanks Joe – seeing the Northern Lights is one of my ultimate dreams. I hope I can do it justice if I manage to capture it with my camera. Hope youre well
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I always wondered how people cope with a lack of sunshine…is Vit D deficiency a problem?
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Hi John, yes – while many foods naturally growing here are high in Vit D, lack of Vit D is a real problem & has been linked to depression, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) & even Finlands high suicide rates. You can buy sun lamps that you sit in front of for 20 minutes a day & even earphones that deliver the right kind of light straight to the receptors in your head! I know of at least three Finnish families however who opt to spend the darkest 3 months of each year in Thailand instead ☺️
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See you there!
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Thanks Mel. As you know, here in Oz we’re well on our way to summer, and it’s difficult to think of living somewhere that has such little sun . . . we have so much.
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