Even though it happens every year, it is still a shock to the system how quickly the days get shorter in the autumn. All of a sudden, it is dark when you go to work, and dark when you get home. And it’ll only get worse from here.

It says something about how extreme the change is that, in Finland, the winter blues (or kaamosväsymys) typically start in the autumn, rather than in the dead of winter.

Combine that with the usual (predictable) chaos of life – most intense preparations for peak season at work, the girls’ schoolwork and hobbies – and it is no wonder one feels a bit weary.

But a few sunny, brilliantly colored days do wonders.