Waterfall

Today we combined business and pleasure. The morning was very sunny and while having breakfast we decided it would be a nice day for a swim. There's a waterfall not far from here and it has got a small pool just under it. After breakfast the sun had gone hiding again, but we thought we'd risk it. If the plan is to get wet, it really doesn't matter much if we already get wet on the way.

Our supply of firewood was running low, so we took axes with us. Before we got to the waterfall, the local young man who was with us, found a dead tree that was waiting to be cut down. It was all but easy, but we managed to cut into carrriable chunks. In addition to normal firewood, we collected some "magic wood". It's the local equivalent for the Finnish "tervanen", meaning pine tree that has a lot of pine resin soaked in it. It's something that works as the perfect kindling since pine resin lights quickly and burns hot. Instead of waiting for years after the tree's been cut and then harvesting tervanen from the tree stump like the Finns, the locals here cut wedges on the living pine trees and wait for them to get filled with resin. Then they cut thin slices with the axe from the area. The effect is more or less the same.

After the work was done it was time for a swim. The water was cold, but not too bad. I didn't really think I would swim, so I hadn't packed my swimming trunks. My underwear served the purpose well.

The climb back to the farm with the firewood bundled on our backs pretty much cancelled the refreshing effect of the quick swim. The only thing I did after that was chopping some of the older firewood into pieces that fit the oven. It started raining soon after we got back so there was not much to do.