Gingerbread house project I

Niks and Naks (and others) liked the gingerbread house last year so much that this year they want to build a bigger one, a real moomin house.


Niks: Here is the box that holds the forms for the house.

Naks: It will be a big one, 36 cm tall!



Niks: The recipe is printed on the back of the box. Do we have all the ingredients?

Naks: I believe we do...


It takes some time to make the dough as the syrup, sugar, butter and spices must be cooked first and then cooled before other ingredients can be added. But finally the dough is ready.

Naks: Does it taste good?

Niks: Yes, but it is rather mild, not very spicy.

Naks: It will do, is it hard enough?

Niks: Not yet. It must sit in the fridge overnight. Tomorrow we can see if it will work or if we must add more flour.

Naks: This is a fun project.

Niks: Definitely. I can't wait to see the finished house.

Naks: I can't wait to get to the point when we can start nibbling at the house.

Niks: Unfortunately that won't happen until after Christmas. Then it will be demolition time!

Naks: It will be the best part of the whole project!

Dead Month

It is marraskuu, the Dead Month. Only little demons love this month.



Deimos: We still have leaves on the ground - but they are wet and rotting. No fun to play in.



Deimos: All snow has not melted but it is quite wet.



Deimos: This fern is called "dead man's hand" - even when it is not as dead as now.



Deimos: Wet snow everywhere...



Deimos: More wet snow and dead ferns.



Deimos: Of course the evergreen trees are still green.



Deimos: Lingonberries are evergreen, too.



Deimos: The track is getting a bit too slippery for jogging. Maybe they can lay the ski tracks here soon...



Deimos: Not everything is frozen. Running water freezes slower than stagnant water. This ditch smells quite rotten, though, the bottom is covered with mud and rotting leaves.



Deimos: The fireweed are getting quite limp and wet and rotten.



Deimos: You can still find some color if you find a mountain ash!



Deimos: The big lake is not frozen yet, but the pools above the water level are frozen - though quite thinly.



Deimos: The lake and sky and the rocks are all gray. And so is the horizon, it is barely discernible as a gray line between water and sky.



Deimos: A lichen covered birch. The lichen feels wet. too.



Deimos: The bear moss looks like little stars. Mosses are evergreen, too.



Deimos: The forest is still green, but it is the deep green of spruces and pines.



Deimos: Hey, this is no longer fun, it is starting to rain, lets go home!



Deimos: I said this is not fun any more. The moss is wet, the leaves are wet and it is raining! I want to go home! NOW!

First snow day

Actually this is not the first snow this winter, but there is a bit more than the thin sprinkling we got earlier. Niks and Naks wanted to go and investigate.



Niks: This is not logical...

Naks: ... we no longer match the landscape!



Naks: We don't even match the dry grasses...



Niks: ... but we can pretend we are a couple of the last fallen leaves.

Naks: Hey, have you noticed that this snow is wet.



Niks: Definitely wet enough to build a snowman!

Naks: The first snowman of this winter!

Niks: Cool!



Naks: Even our favorite swamp is covered with snow...

Niks: The snow monsters are hibernating under the ice until next spring.



Naks: The ice is not very thick...

Niks: Thick enough for two small trolls.



Niks: Don't go too near the edge!

Naks: Why?

Niks: If we fall over the edge, the ice may break and we may wake up the swamp monster!



Naks: There is still a lot of beauty in the forest.

Niks: We add beauty to any landscape!



Naks: These are the delicate grasses...

Niks: ... that Algol called fairy dust.



Niks: Look, there are still mountain ash berries in the trees...

Naks: ... even if all the leaves are gone already.



Naks: We'll take these home!

Niks: Definitely!



Niks: Here are some grasses...

Naks: They are for Eggie though they are not really very yellow...

Niks: It's hard to find anything yellow in a winter forest.