As we are enjoying amazingly bright and brisk winter weather here in Helsinki today, I decided to take a walk in the little forest across the street. So, I dressed in my warmest clothes (it’s fairly freezing outside!), grabbed my camera and headed off.

On sunny, very cold days like this, the sky becomes an almost unreal bright blue. The photo above hasn’t been altered in any way (except to resize it), the sky really is that incredible, intense blue. In the forest it looks like the blue sky has dyed all the shadows blue as well, while the snow basking in sunlight is a blinding bright white.

And oh, the snow! We haven’t had this much snow in decades, and it’s quite impossible to describe the vast, enormous amounts of snow that now cover everything in sight. As I discovered when I got a wee bit too excited about taking close-up photos of snow covered trees and ventured off the path, the snow is now very nearly waist deep where it’s still untouched! This great amount of snow has completely changed the landscape, making even the most familiar places look new and different, and the little forest across the street has become a winter wonderland, like something out of a fairy tale.

Still, no matter how amazing all the snow and the forest are, the cold that had been nipping at my nose and freezing my fingers finally drove me back home to snuggle under a blanket with a cup of hot coco. :)

I’m Eerika and I live in Helsinki, Finland. When I’m not getting stuck in snow drifts in enchanted, snowy forests, I make soft toys filled with rags and oodles of personality, draw and take lots of photos of my cat. You can read more about my work and my life over at my blog: Rag Pets.