Cold winds swept in from the east the week after New Year and the temperature nose-dived into double digits below zero. We decided to make it a long weekend at the summerhouse and headed up to Orust late Thursday afternoon. At first there was snow, but Friday morning we woke to a magnificent sunrise and an extremely cold but sunny day.

It’s cold, minus 14 degrees. The snow is a fine, dry powder, and creaks as you walk. Everything is covered in glittering frost. The sun stays low over the horizon and throws long, blue shadows over the snow. The light is blinding but it doesn’t warm.

We put on several layers of clothes, thick gloves, and knitted beanies and take our usual walk around the forest roads. Cooper picks up scent of deer and shoots off into the forest. After a while he returns, exhausted but unfazed by the cold. There are deer tracks in the snow, and patches where they’ve dug to find food, along the road back to the house. I take the obligatory shots of the abandoned caravan and the red tractor.

Inside the summer house the wood stove is keeping us warm and cozy. The outhouse (toilet) is about 30 meters away. It is insulated and heated but struggling to keep up with the cold. Going there is a bit of an adventure, but when you got to go you’ve got to go.