123 :: December Scenery

Jaana: December has been quite mild and cloudy and overall a dark month, but yesterday's Winter Solstice means that daylight starts increasing again. Today the length of day is 3h 34m, sunrise at 10:29 AM, sunset at 2:03 PM.

Kia: December has been very wet and yet unseasonably warm. Today the length of day is 6h 59m, sunrise at 8:46 AM, sunset at 3:45 PM.

A reminder of how our sceneries looked like in November, October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February and January.

Hyvää Joulua! Buon Natale! Merry Christmas!

Thank you all for your visits, comments and shared photos throughout the year. It's been fun, as always, to show you the similarities and differences between Finland and Scotland with our photos. Time for a break for the holidays now, but we'll see you again in 2014.

With our best wishes for a joyous holiday season and a happy New Year,
Jaana & Kia

122 : November Scenery

Jaana: For the most part November was grey and wet, but towards the end of the month we got a proper snow cover. Now just wait and see if it's here to stay. Today the length of day is 4h 59m, sunrise at 9:36 AM, sunset at 2:35 PM.

Kia: Many colorful autumn leaves are still clinging on, but I can hear Jack Frost knocking at the backdoor. Today the length of day is 7h 37m, sunrise at 8:16 AM, sunset at 3:53 PM.

A reminder of how our sceneries looked like in October, September, August, July, June, May, April, March, February and January.

We're curious to see how November looked like in your neck of the woods, so do share with us by leaving a link to your photo in our comments box!

119 :: Rusty Leaves

Jaana: Rusty freckles on rowan leaves.

Kia: Close-up of a Copper Beech leaf.

117 :: Yellow Leaves

Jaana: Yellow leaves on a Norwegian Maple by the City Hall.

Kia: The yellow leaves of a Japanese Acer on a sunny afternoon.

115 :: Red Leaves

Jaana: Fiery red leaves of an ornamental chokeberry shrub.

Kia: Ivy leaves in their vibrantly red-colored autumn costume.

113 :: Fireweed

Jaana: Fireweeds are not so fiery anymore.

Kia: Now that it's autumn, the leaves of the fireweeds have turned reddish and orange.

You can view them in their summer costume in our Weeds post.

108 :: Tea Room

Jaana: The Ounce, a tea room and shop in Helsinki.

Kia: A mouth-watering Afternoon Tea at the Willow Tea Rooms in Sauchiehall Street in Glasgow, known for its silver furniture and leaded glass work.

106 :: Art In The Park

Jaana: The Oulu Museum of Art recently celebrated its 50th anniversary with an art exhibition at the Hupisaaret park area. This piece, created by Essi Korva, is called 'Connection'.

Kia: Glasgow authorities have innovatively chosen street artist Sam Bates to paint in areas previously "plagued" by graffiti, like in Kelvingrove Park.

102 :: Statue II

Jaana: The Lauttamies (raftsman) statue is located by the Kukkolankoski rapids in Tornio. It was unveiled in 1961 in memory of the men who once rafted timber on the Torniojoki river.

Kia: This bronze statue has been erected in Glasgow in 1992 in memory of the Scottish cartoonist and poet Bud Neill; it features the sheriff Lobey Dosser with Rank Bajin in handcuffs, astride Elfie, the only two-legged horse in The West. The statue itself has the unique distinction of being the world's only two-legged equestrian monument.

99 :: August Scenery

Jaana:  August continued to treat us with sunny days and warm weather. It's been such a beautiful summer. Today the length of day is 15h 10m, sunrise at 5:43 AM, sunset at 8:53 PM.

Kia: August has been mainly cloudy, but everyone is still trying to enjoy the last few days on summer. Today the length of day is 14h 10m, sunrise at 6:14 AM, sunset at 8:24 PM.

How did August look like in your corner of the world? Do share by leaving a link to your photo!

A reminder of how our sceneries looked like in July, June, May, April, March, February and January.

75 :: At The Botanical Gardens

Jaana: Argentinian Bonnet Orchid in the greenhouse of tropical and subtropical plants at the Oulu Botanical Gardens. (Love those old tags.)

Kia: Fuchsias in one of the glasshouses at Glasgow Botanic Gardens.

65 :: At The Museum

Jaana: The 1840s showroom at the Northern Ostrobothnia Museum in Oulu.

Kia: Floating Heads by Sophie Cave has become the symbol of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow. This sculpture installation, like floating balloons, draws the gaze of the visitors up to the upper level from a lower level rich in Victorian busts. With its many different faces, ranging from laughter to sadness, this unique work of art encapsulates the word "expression".

64 :: Sculpture

Jaana: Ajankulku, The Passage of Time, is a bronze sculpture consisting of 34 miniature statues of known and anonymous characters who have contributed to the city of Oulu over the past centuries. It was commissioned for the 400th anniversary of the city in 2005. Every now and then the individual characters get clothed by an unknown knitter.

Kia: Foot and Arch is an unusual two-piece sculpture by Ganesh Gohain, an Indian sculptor who was Artist in Residence at Glasgow School of Art in 2003. It was installed in the grounds of MacKintosh's House For An Art Lover in Bellahouston Park, Glasgow, by Alan Kean in 2005.

57 :: River

Jaana: Oulujoki basking in the golden light of November.

Kia: Enjoying the last patches of autumn colors on the banks of the White Cart Water. This is one of the narrowest points of its bed.

55 :: Rural Autumn

Jaana: On October 21st the fodder bales were just about the only reminder of autumn.

Kia: On October 21st this grain crop was still waiting to be harvested. Oats and barley have been Scotland's main cereal crops since the Middle Ages, simply because, unlike wheat and maize, both are willing to grow in this damp, sun-deprived climate.

From November on we'll be posting once a week, on Sundays.

53 :: Autumn Colors

Jaana: The scenery overhere is looking quite wintry by now, but there are still some autumn colors to be found if you look closely.

Kia: Autumn has arrived bursting with color. The fall foliage has been particularly beautiful this year, the most colorful since I moved here.

52 :: Fallen Leaves

Jaana: Decaying rowan leaves sugared with frost.

Kia: The free fall of a little leaf frozen in time by a spider web.

50 :: Berries

Jaana: Our European Rowans (Sorbus aucuparia) are carrying a big crop of berries this year. According to an old proverb, it means that we won't be getting much snow this winter, because the Rowan won't carry two loads.

Kia: Autumn jewels in the shape of berries are dripping from trees and bushes right now. I especially like the deep pink berries of the ornamental Kite-leaf Rowan (Sorbus oligodonta). In Scottish folklore, Rowan trees are said to be protectors against evil and enchantments.

49 :: Autumn Bloomers

Jaana: An entire field of Sunflowers got bitten by the first frost before coming to full bloom.

Kia: This variety of stonecrop is called, rather appropriately, Autumn Joy Sedum. Its flowers bloom from August into November.

46 :: Urban Autumn

Jaana: After all the greens of the summer, I'm happy to see autumn coloring the landscapes.

Kia: The autumn foliage of ivy is so pretty and bright.