Winter still holds on tightly, even though March is well underway. Last week, Tunturi-Lappi recorded the season's coldest temperature, dropping below -35°C at Kittilä's weather station. While that’s not extreme for winter, it certainly feels cold. Just two days ago, our home thermometer showed -32°C in the morning. That’s cold enough to make your teeth chatter.

Cold weather brings clear skies. And the sky has been active. There have been northern lights on many nights, even early in the evening. Sometimes, as the horizon still glows red with the remnants of the sunset, the next light show is already getting ready to dance across the sky. At its best, a crescent moon graces the scene with its own delicate display, completing nature’s perfect evening show.

I mentioned earlier that I’ve been "collecting" northern lights photos, or rather, series of them, so I can later compile a longer video. It’s quite challenging to capture northern lights in motion with my camera setup, so the only way to make them move is by turning numerous photos into a video.

For one 10-second clip of northern lights showing their movement and the motion of the night sky, you need around 500-1000 photos. That's quite a bit of collecting, but recently I’ve managed to gather a decent amount. The camera does most of the work, staying out alone in the freezing night, capturing the movements of the sky for as long as the battery holds up.

The dark nights are getting shorter, and soon the northern lights collecting will come to an end as the nights will be full of daylight. We’re in the last moments of this season to capture these beauties and add them to the archive.

In addition to the cold, we've had plenty of snow. It must have passed a meter deep by now. It’s funny to see friends and family on social media posting updates of clear streets, sneakers, and even the first signs of coltsfoot flowers. It’s easy to forget how long Finland really is and how different the conditions can be across the country. While they might soon be lounging on terraces down south, we’re still in the prime season of snow shoveling up here, with no end in sight for now.

When it comes to the light, I have mixed feelings. The days have already stretched to 13 hours of daylight (I just checked, and it's true)! It brings energy and a desire to stay active, but it’s increasing at such a pace that it’s hard to keep up.

The combination of the bright white snow and the dazzling sun has occasionally proven problematic, as I’ve started getting migraines from it. Not good. Sunglasses trigger them too, so it’s a bit of a tricky situation. I’m hoping my eyes and head will adjust in time. For now, they still long for the darkness, which I have to recreate by hiding behind curtains and blankets.

Like the rest of nature, we’re just trying to make it through the last challenges of winter. Spring has come every year so far, and it will again this time too.