A Moomin winter

A few weeks ago, I received an out-of-the-blue email from Finland, from the good people at Moomin.com.  At some point last year, I had completed a questionnaire on their website, and had been picked at random to be one of their winners - imagine it!  A week later, and into our letterbox popped a little parcel with the most intriguing of stamps.

Lizzie is, of course, the biggest Moomin fan, so all of this was music to her ears.  We carefully opened the envelope, expecting maybe a couple of postcards, when a whole load of goodies dropped out.  Beautiful writing paper, a pen, a cosmetics case, a bike reflector, and a genius Finnish invention, a pot lid lifter, to keep one's cooking from boiling over on the stove.  Suffice to say, it made our day - thanks very much to everybody at the Moomins!

I suppose at this time of year, the Moomins would be deep in hibernation, keeping cosy in their secluded little home, whilst all around them the winds howled and the snows fell.  I wouldn't be lying if I said I'd be happy to join them, such is the cold and grey that makes up the seemingly endless month of January, but as we plough on through, the days are slowly getting lighter, the primroses are showing their vibrant colours in the garden, and croci and daffodils are making their first forays above the ground.  The newness of spring will soon be in the air once again, and I for one intend to go out and find the best of it.  In the meantime, I'd be contented with a little more winter's sleep, and it looks like I'm not the only one...