Monday: rain, what else? From the early morning on it was clear that the day was not going to be clear. The sun shone on us through a milky veil and a little later, the September rain started. And that way the weather was all day. We are a bit disappointed that these rains don´t come as real storms with giant waves: that would give them an exciting edge. In their present form they just paint the landscape and seascape brown. But all this is, of course, a part of the experience. Still, we are silently hoping for a storm to fall upon us.


Greyness surrounds the lighthouse

With this kind of weather, it is needless to expect the arrival of any visitors. So we concentrated on the daily chores. Seija took care of the cleaning activities and providing us subsistence for the day, whilst Ilja tackled the challenge left to us by Mikko & Jouni, the carpenter masters from the week previous: painting the new bed in the shed. This went on as planned, only that during the painting it became clear that there wasn´t going to be enough paint left for the second layer. If we don´t get any refills this week (which is almost certainly the case), finishing off the job has to be left for our followers. Hope they will bring some paint.


Ilja admiring the nemly painted bed

Another part of the Mikko’s and Jouni’s legacy was also fulfilled, as Seija managed to spot a seal at the same premises our predecessors had. Whether or not this was the same one, it is hard to tell. Anyway, when Ilja was called to witness the sight, the tricky animal was gone.

Later this afternoon, Seija continued a chore which had been left unfinished since her last time here. This was, of course: scraping off the old paint from the first floor ceiling. Ilja also got acquainted with this delightful experience; it is a messy, slow, difficult and exhausting job, and it is no wonder that the previous crews facing it found more urgent things to take care of. Well, our arm muscles needed the training anyway - we hope.

Our meals consist mainly of what other people have left here - such as the two fish in the freezer, caught by the crew two weeks ago, to be eaten tomorrow; or the astonishing amount of carrots found in the bottom locker of the fridge. Using even half of them during the week will prove a challenge for our culinary imagination.

All in all, today was nothing special - which is not to say it wasn´t a great one. ´Til tomorrow.

Seija & Ilja