The change from November to December was a big one this year because I swapped high summer for the first snow of the season. The bonus of visiting family in the southern hemisphere when you live in the northern one.
The purpose of trading grey winter for sunny summer wasn’t just for the sun or the warmth. I supported family who ran the Lesotho Ultra in the Maluti Mountains, 50 kilometers of sky-high terrain. Lesotho is a beautiful place but I decided to walk around in it and left the running to other people.
It’s a dry summer in Lesotho, seen in the fields around Semonkong above. The mighty waterfall Maletsunyane was a much tamer version of itself and the hydro-powered electricity in Semonkong was feeling the effects. It was great to chat with people with visions for Lesotho using renewable energy (hydro and solar) and to learn about the Norwegian involvement in them.
Returning to Norway in December was perfectly timed to the first snow. It stuck around through Christmas (and two days of rain) and has afforded good days of skiing and snowshoeing.
From summer to winter
We borrowed a car and took adventures to the snowy paths of Nannestad and Gjerdrum. I let TJ do the skiing while I tromped around in the forest all by myself on my snowshoes. It’s so quiet and peaceful (and scary if that stillness is interrupted by a sudden thud of falling snow).
But now it’s rained, creating a thin layer of ice on everything, so it’s time for indoor work. If you are in still in need of a 2019 wall calendar, stop on by to my Gallery and pick one up. When does your week begin – Monday or Sunday? Calendars are available for both!
Outspoken Images by Marie Warner Preston 