Missing my Canadian autumn...
October 4, 2011 5:51 AM Subscribe
How do I bring the awesomeness of autumn to a very rainy and cold part of Norway?
Autumn is my favorite time of year in Canada, and I miss it! I'm living on the coast of Norway that is gorgeous and great in its own right, but definitely not the same. Its rained....every day here so far. And will soon be dark at 4 ish. All of the normal things I love about fall, like campfire smells, raking leaves, walks looking at the leaves with my family, camping with friends, the first frost, building leaf forts for my puppy to tackle (he loves them, not sure why...), are not here!
Its Thanksgiving this upcoming weekend in Canada and I am suddenly insanely homesick for fall in Canada, Thanksgiving, all the things that make autumn so special back home. Any ideas of what I could do to bring the awesomeness of autumn back into my life and make it a smooth SAD controlled transition into a very dark winter?
Ideas so far:
- Hiking when its not raining with friends
- Baking banana bread and pumpkin pie for European friends who have not tasted their awesomeness.
- Starting a knitting project
- Baking party with friends
- Order an SAD lightbox considering I'm moving to the Arctic in January and have been told its awesome
Autumn is my favorite time of year in Canada, and I miss it! I'm living on the coast of Norway that is gorgeous and great in its own right, but definitely not the same. Its rained....every day here so far. And will soon be dark at 4 ish. All of the normal things I love about fall, like campfire smells, raking leaves, walks looking at the leaves with my family, camping with friends, the first frost, building leaf forts for my puppy to tackle (he loves them, not sure why...), are not here!
Its Thanksgiving this upcoming weekend in Canada and I am suddenly insanely homesick for fall in Canada, Thanksgiving, all the things that make autumn so special back home. Any ideas of what I could do to bring the awesomeness of autumn back into my life and make it a smooth SAD controlled transition into a very dark winter?
Ideas so far:
- Hiking when its not raining with friends
- Baking banana bread and pumpkin pie for European friends who have not tasted their awesomeness.
- Starting a knitting project
- Baking party with friends
- Order an SAD lightbox considering I'm moving to the Arctic in January and have been told its awesome
I could mail you some coloured leaves if you like.
posted by Canageek at 6:08 AM on October 4, 2011 [5 favorites]
posted by Canageek at 6:08 AM on October 4, 2011 [5 favorites]
Comfort yourself with the thought that this year is about the wettest year on record, and that next year will be much better?
posted by Harald74 at 6:38 AM on October 4, 2011
posted by Harald74 at 6:38 AM on October 4, 2011
Yeah, throw a Canadian Thanksgiving and cook typical dishes for your Norwegian friends. Thanksgiving (especially the American version) looms large in North American pop culture, and your European friends will be familiar with it from books and movies and TV, and they'd probably get a big kick out of getting to "do" Thanksgiving with you. Include whatever Canadian activities y'all do for Thanksgiving besides eating. (I had one memorable (American) Thanksgiving in Europe trying to teach some local friends American football in the park. With a tiny foam football one of my back-home friends had brought with. It was awesome.)
Also, what do Norwegians do to get through the season? Trying some local traditions would probably help too, and then you'd have new traditions to take home with you when you go back to Canada. :)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:57 AM on October 4, 2011
Also, what do Norwegians do to get through the season? Trying some local traditions would probably help too, and then you'd have new traditions to take home with you when you go back to Canada. :)
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:57 AM on October 4, 2011
go for walks with waterproof boots, big fuzzy scarves and a big umbrella. Rain shouldn't keep you inside forever, though this is best done on a day which isn't too windy
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:02 PM on October 4, 2011
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:02 PM on October 4, 2011
Also, what do Norwegians do to get through the season?
Bad weather? Go outside anyway. Buy new clothes for fall and winter, so you can stay warm and dry. Alternatively, watch "71° nord" on TV Norge.
Invite some friends over for fårikål and beer, or make a reindeer meat casserole with brown cheese and juniper berries, served with lingonberry jam. Decorate your home with heather and lots of candles.
posted by iviken at 2:29 PM on October 4, 2011
Bad weather? Go outside anyway. Buy new clothes for fall and winter, so you can stay warm and dry. Alternatively, watch "71° nord" on TV Norge.
Invite some friends over for fårikål and beer, or make a reindeer meat casserole with brown cheese and juniper berries, served with lingonberry jam. Decorate your home with heather and lots of candles.
posted by iviken at 2:29 PM on October 4, 2011
"Det finnes ikke dårlig vær, bare dårlige klær."
"There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes."
posted by Harald74 at 3:44 AM on October 5, 2011
"There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes."
posted by Harald74 at 3:44 AM on October 5, 2011
I was only mostly kidding about the leaves- they are not really turning yet where I live, due to a warm fall, but if you want when they do I'll spend a couple of bucks to mail you some. I even have a maple in my backyard if you want the most Canadian of leaves.
posted by Canageek at 7:54 AM on October 8, 2011
posted by Canageek at 7:54 AM on October 8, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
If it's your thing, drink more tea or hot cocoa (which I consider a "cold weather" drink in general). Apple cider as well!
Have friends and family send you some dried, pressed leaves, acorns, etc. Or cut some leaf shapes out of appropriately colored construction paper, if you're artistically inclined.
Pick wild grasses and tie them into "sheafs". Use pumpkins (whether or not you use them as jack-o-lanterns) and squash as decorative items about the house while you wait for them to ripen for some sort of dish. Make an autumn wreath of even fake materials and hang it on your front door.
posted by DisreputableDog at 6:07 AM on October 4, 2011