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Sep 21
in Arctic 2018

78 deg North – Longyearbyen ..Northernmost town in our world…

Shadows stretch in the middle of the day. My fingers are snug in 2 pairs of gloves as I peer out from a goretex hood and a cowl I knitted on the flight to this northernmost town in the world; north of the Arctic circle at roughly 78 Degrees North.

My nose and cheeks were not accustomed to the freezing cold accompanying such a blue sky, as we wandered through the empty street on a Sunday afternoon to get our northern bearings set.

We soon realised that Sundays were quiet days…. as was before 10am every morning; where the only movement in the street was the occasional flurry of gravel being blown by the howling wind…. and us… wandering inquisitively through the streets.  

The mountains dusted with a recent snowfall stood guardian to this small township which has months of both continued daylight and continual darkness. I still can’t get my head around it being dark for 4 months of the year. The locals say they have two winters…. the dark and the light winter. The dark winter, or polar night, when the sun doesn’t rise at all for two months, is followed by a period of twilight in February and early March.

My mind started imagining spending a few weeks here in the total darkness where there is not even the light of the moon. It would be cold. It would be windy. What would I do outside? How would it feel??… 24 hours a day in complete darkness. How would I respond to weeks of darkness?? Would it be fun?? .. or would I rather be at home by the pool eating our summer watermelons??? haha.. I still haven’t made up my mind on that one yet. 🙂

Life goes on on the cold here.. even though even the summer days start late for us…. and watching the construction workers do their job is astounding. Can you guess what is being done in the protection of the horizontal red and white umbrellas? ……WELDING! …..Yes… welding in the freezing gale being protected by a horizontally placed umbrella!!!!. Quite astounding really. 

 


Early day 2 we adventured on a full day trip to Pyramiden. In my next post I will devote to this incredible town which has been suggested to have been developed into a town to showcase Soviet superiority and excellence in living standards. 

Founded by Sweden in 1910 as a coal mining town and sold to the Soviet Union in 1927. Pyramiden mine was closed in 1998 and has since remained largely abandoned with most of its infrastructure and buildings still in place. In 2007 it began being a tourist attraction and it was like walking through a time warp. … more on that next post.





 

The boat trip was just wonderful. Recent snow highlighted the sculptural mountains and being on the sea is always comforting to me. … and was a teasing taste for 3 weeks aboard a tall ship starting in a few days time!

We had a BBQ on the boat and coasted slowly in front of the Nordensköld Glacier. The texture of the ice was vibrant and the lines and colours of the landscape were accentuated by the rarity of the blue sky day.





 

After Pyramiden we passed Skansbukta where at Svenskhuset, the Swedish hut; where in 1872, seventeen Norwegian seal hunters died; not from scurvy or starvation – or even polar bears….. but in 2016 it was concluded that it was likely their demise was self inflicted by cooking their food in the cans which were lead lined in those days… and it is presumed now that they actually died from lead poisoning.

 

It was a really fabulous day on the water and Pyramiden was a really interesting place to visit. More on Pyramiden next time.

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About the Author: Julie
I am a Journeywoman. I live my life as an explorer. An adventurer. An Observer. An Artist. There is no differentiation between how I live my life and the art that is an expression of it. It is through my experience adventuring the unknown, that I learn more about myself. My aim through this connection is to live where my expression is fully in alignment with the essence of who I am. “In the field of Fine-Art Photography, Julie stands apart from others with the way she sees the world and expresses her connection within it. Julie Stephenson’s photographs are sublime. Her work is an expression of her deep connection; and a gift to the world.”

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skeinydipping

I looked down and saw my hands. Hands which have t I looked down and saw my hands. Hands which have touched; have loved; have created; have worked; have nurtured. My hands.   

I looked down and saw on my wrist and fingers items from around the world which have so many stories; items which have all been created from the heart and made by the hands of others. 

I looked down and saw beautiful yarn. Yarn which has been handled carefully through shearing, dyeing, skeining, balling; and now being knit in my beautiful hands. 

My hands are one of my gifts. This year I’ve really missed the touch of another with my hands, to feel the heart of another through my fingertips; but so grateful and love my hands which touch and feel; work and play!

What do you see when you look at your hands?

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Knitting a fabulous  #slipstravaganzamkal by @westknits .
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#gratitudeattitude #westknitsarethebestknits #westknitsmkal2020 #knittersofinstagram #knittersoftheworld #knittersofaustralia #indiedyedyarn #handmadewithlove #handmade #handmadejewellery #fromtheheart #createeveryday #livetotravel #healing #healinghands #creativehands
My life is wonderful… and I have so many stories My life is wonderful… and I have so many stories. I’ve had adventures on all continents. Slept being rocked by the sea; felt the ice on my skin in both polar regions, and felt the silence of the deserts. I’ve walked stone steps in monasteries at altitudes where each step I’ve taken consciously and mindfully; focussing on treasuring every molecule of oxygen in the rarefied atmosphere. 

COVID has paused those adventures, but I draw upon my experiences as I navigate adventuring my days in a different way, on our ‘home range’. 

I recall my steps in Tibet as I walk through our bushland. I am mindful and conscious of my surroundings. I listen. I feel. I feel happy here. I am content.

My new stories may not hold the same experiences of connection with others; and may not be of extreme challenges or crazy things  (which I am rather prone to doing! 🙂 ) but they are not less wondrous… as I smell the warm eucalyptus waft from under my feet. 

I weave my stories, and this story is of my personal journey on my daily walk through our bushland. 
You can see some of my other woven stories on my website - link in profile. 

How do you express your life’s stories?
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#weaversofinstagram #indiedyedyarn #indiedyed #rigidheddleloomweaving #ashford #inspiredbynature #contentcreator #emotionalbalance #homedeco #handcrafted #makersmovement #creativelifehappylife #wellbeing #travellerlife #journeywoman #weavingaustralia
“....The Assookinakii cowl was created for those “....The Assookinakii cowl was created for those times in your life when you need a meditative and healing knit. Assookinakii (ass-s-oo-kin-uh-k-EE) means ‘healer’ in the Blackfeet language, thank you to Cut Woods School in Browning, MT for the tradish language support”. –  Candice from @thefarmersdaughterfibers 

Knitting this beautiful cowl by Candice from @thefarmersdaughterfibers for @sistersunitedmt ; WAS healing. 

As my hands gently formed the repetitive stitches I reflected on the word ‘Assookinakii ‘ - healer. I am a healer. I don’t understand it. It’s something unseen. Something within me which has been recognised by Ngangkari and ‘clever men’ here in Australia; and shaman and healers around the world as we travel. This recognition always has caught me by surprise; as I seem to walk a line between two worlds. 

As the stitches slipped from one needle to another and the beautiful colours of @spincycle_yarns revealed themselves; in the pauses between the stitches I heard a voice whispering to continue to seek connection with the natural world and listen deeply. 

What has been healing for you this year?
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#healingjourney #meditationpractice #dyedinthewool #assookinakii_cowl #knittersofinstagram #knittingaddict #livinglifetothefullest #happydays #shaman #healer #healersofinstagram #listentoyourheart #indiedyedyarn #handmadewithlove #knittersgonnaknit #knittersoftheworld
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2017 All photographs created by and property of Julie Stephenson.