Haitula and snow

It is finally snowing instead of just raining all the time.


There is not yet enough snow to cover the lingonberries - but it's snowing all the time, so these are probably covered by tomorrow...


- OK, Fafner, I think this is a good place to build a snowman.
(By the way you can see how windy it is by looking at the end of my scarf.)


- Push, Fafner, rolling the snowballs is hard.


- Phhhw, finally the snowman is ready. The snow is a bit too cold, so it did not stick together well. You can see that this is a snow alien because he has eyestalks and some sort of flowery antennae on his head.

(Outsider's remark: Haitula looks so snowy in the last picture because the wind blew him over several times.)

Dragon Quest

Umbriel has found another dimension door...

Umbriel: Look Haitula, this dimension door opens with the imagination key. Do you want to come and explore with me?

Haitula: Sure. I'm always ready for adventures. And Fafner, too.

On the other side...

Umbriel: This appears to be some kind of Munchkin land... Look at those little people... I think they are in trouble!

Haitula: You are right! A frightened horse! And pink haired princesses in distress!

Umbriel: Let's go and save them!


Princess 1: HELP!

Princess 2: HELP!

Princess 3: HELP!

Princess 4: HELP!

As Umbriel is much bigger than the Munchkin people, it is easy for him to stop the frightened horse.

Umbriel: Easy now...

Haitula: You are safe now, Umbriel has stopped your horse.

Princess 1: No, we are not safe! We are being chased by a fierce dragon! It was the dragon that frightened our horse!

And sure enough, the dragon appears...

Princess 1: It is a dangerous fire-breathing dragon.


Haitula: Never fear, Fafner will take care of it.

Princess 1: But he is so small. The big dragon will burn him in no time!

Haitula: But Fafner is a cold dragon! He won't burn. He breathes ice crystals! Get him, Fafner!


Fafner breathes ice before the big dragon has figured out what to do.


Soon the big dragon is completely enclosed in ice.


Umbriel: That was swell, but how can he be kept frozen? Fafner cannot stay here and keep breathing ice on him forever.

Princess 1: Maybe the King's men can help.

And as soon as the King's men are mentioned, they arrive.

Tuomo: Did someone call us?

Umbriel: Do you know how to keep a dragon frozen?

Tommi: No problem. We'll bury him into permafrost. He'll stay frozen thousands of years if not forever.

Umbriel: But won't it take too much time to dig a cave into the permafrost? Won't he thaw before the cave is ready?

Seppo: No problem. We'll put him into a huge Dewar flask with liquid nitrogen. That will keep him frozen long enough for the cave to be finished.

Jouko: Just help us to lift him onto the cart and we'll drag him to the laboratory


Umbriel: I'll help, I'm the biggest... Uuuh, he feels cold.


Tuomo: Thanks for help! Good-bye now. Call us any time if you need help!

Umbriel: I wonder what happens if some paleontologist digs that dragon up from the permafrost thousands of years from now. I wonder if they can thaw and revive him. Or clone him and fill a prehistoric park with clones of extinct dragons...

Haitula: Umbriel, I think you have watched too much TV. They did not revive that mammoth they dug up from the permafrost, did they?

Umbriel: No, they did not, but he was not frozen by Fafner either.

Meanwhile the princesses have gathered around Fafner...

Princess 1: Oh, Fafner, you were so brave!

Princess 2: Thank you ever so much!


Haitula: Umm... don't you think we deserve some thanks, too. After all I brought Fafner here. And Umbriel stopped your frightened horse...


Princess 2: Oh, sure, thank you very much.

Haitula: Ummm... You're welcome...


Princesses: Thank you, friendly giant!

Umbriel: Umm... My name is Umbriel.


Princess 1: We must leave now. Our father is probably terribly worried. Visit us any time!

All Princesses: Good Bye!

Umbriel & Haitula: Good Bye!


Umbriel: I guess it's time to go home.

Haitula: Do you think we can visit this place again some day?

Umbriel: You did not fall in love with a princess, did you?

Haitula: Of course not! But maybe we can come back and see if the paleontologists have dug up a frozen dragon...

Frost And Winter Sunshine

Haitula reporting:


The temperature is just below freezing. There is still no snow, just a light dusting of frost. Even though it is about noon, the sun is very low.


Look at my shadow! No, the sun is not setting yet, it's about half past noon.


Here's the swamp I visited last summer. It's frozen over now.


The ice is thick enough for me to walk on though it is way too thin for people.


The ice is actually quite thin. I can see fallen leaves through the ice.


Here's a fallen tree. I wonder if I can walk along it. The frost has made it quite slippery...


Ooops! Good thing I'm so small and light. The ice did not break - otherwise I'd fallen into the swamp already second time this year.


The sun is so low that the forest is in shadow.


I have been wondering what my other half is. One half is fairy.


I think the other half is Swamp Monster! I think I would make a good Swamp Monster!

On our way home we stopped to look at the mountain ashes.

The leaves are long gone, but there are still berries in the mountain ashes...


... plenty of berries!