30 Days…

…Hast November, April, May and September….Bob has even fewer left. It’s February 20…and four weeks today, I’m scheduled to fly home. While I’m really not counting the days, it is hard to believe that I’ve been here 10 days already. Where does the time go?

Ironically, Spring has also only 30 days to go, as well. For those down south, this has been a very cold winter. Here in Rankin Inlet the weather has been typical of winters past. If you really wish to count the time 'til Spring, load the following link (http://days.to/spring/2015).

 When I left the Health Centre, after five last night, the sun was low in the sky and it was quite light. The days are getting longer and by the end of next week, both here in Rankin Inlet and those daylight hours in Niagara, will almost be the

same length.

By the time I leave, on the first day of Spring 2015, here in Nunavut, I’m estimating our days will be about 2 hours longer than those in Niagara. If I were to stay ‘til June, locally, we would have daylight occurring from 3 in the morning until 11 or 12 at night. The light affects people and I’ve heard, from a couple of sources now, that the long days of summer are actually tougher to take than the short days of December. People seem exhausted from all the daylight. I’m sure that there have been studies on the effects.

Images showing the sunrise on
Wednesday from my breakfast window

When I was here in the month of January of 2008, I can recall having about four hours of daylight when I arrived. I know this since it was only on the weekends, that I could take any outside photos through the town. We work straight days, Monday to Friday, here at the KIVALLIQ HEALTH CENTRE so I was limited for my daylight outside shots with the exception of our hour long lunch hours (but I had too far a walk to return home and be back for 1 p.m.). My weekend outdoor photo shoot time was reduced even further if I got called back to the Health Centre for any emergency cases.

This time, I’ve had the opportunity to explore a little more in daylight, even in these cold temperatures. The most amazing thing is the sunrises of the past ten days. While we have had some overcast, cloudy and down-right dark cloudy mornings, we have also had some spectacular sunrises. This series was shot on wednesday morning in less than ten minutes. Having the chance to watch the sun peer over the horizon, from my breakfast window has been awesome.

Those subtle changes in hue of the deep purple through the many hues of violet into blue happen as the sun creeps higher in the sky has been most interesting. My digital images may not capture the full essence of the beauty…but we’ve tried. The one thing you tend to miss on the landscape are the trees. There are no trees. While last time this bothered me considerably, this time I’m resigned to the fact that they don’t exist…so let’s move on!

What intrigues me most about today’s computers is the ability for me to type and edit in English so that you can read it….copy the text, paste the copied text and then have the pasted copy translated into INUKTITUT and print it out below for you to see! Everything above this lined paragraph was copied and I will attempt to paste it into the blog (wish me luck!). As you can see, some words have no direct translation but others do. Grace and I saw the same thing in Russia, 18 months ago on our vacation there. The Cyrillic alphabet, running under Microsoft WindowsXP. You could make out the symbols and the position of the various buttons were identical, but you would never be able to run a machine while reading the screen.

STAY WARM…STAY SAFE!  Big hockey tourney this weekend…it started last night.

30 ᑕᔾᔅ…

…ᓴᔅᑦ ᓄᕕᒻᐱᕐ, ᐊᑉᕆᓪ, ᒪᔾ ᐊᓐᑦ ᓯᑉᑎᒻᐱᕐ….ᐳᑉ ᓴᔅ ᐃᕕᓐ fiwir lift . ᐃᑦ'ᔅ Fipruarj 20…ᐊᓐᑦ fuur wiiks ᑐᑕᔾ, ᐃ'ᒻ schitulit ᑐ flj ᓱᒥ. ᓴᕐᑦ ᑐ ᐱᓖᕕ, ᐳᑦ ᐃ'ᕕ ᐲᓐ ᓯᕆ 10 ᑕᔾᔅ ᐊᓪᕆᐊᑦᔾ…whiri ᑐᐃᔅ ᑦᓯ ᑎᒥ ᒍ? ᑦᓯ ᑕᔾᔅ ᐊᕆ ᒋᑦᑎᖕ ᓗᖏᕐ ᐊᓐᑦ ᑉᔾ ᑦᓯ ᐃᓐᑦ uf nixt wiik, ᐳᑦᔅ ᓯᕆ ᐃᓐ ᕋᓐᑭᓐ ᐃᓐᓕᑦ ᐊᓐᑦ ᑦᓱᓯ ᑕᔾᓕᒡᔅᑦ ᓲᕐᔅ ᐃᓐ ᓂᐊᒐᕋ, will ᐊᓪᒧᔅᑦ ᐱ ᑦᓯ ᓴᒥ ᓕᖕᑦᔅ.

ᑉᔾ ᑦᓯ ᑎᒥ ᐃ ᓕᐊᕕ, ᐅᓐ ᑦᓯ first ᑕᔾ uf ᔅᑉᕆᖕ 2015, ᓯᕆ ᐃᓐ ᓄᓇᕗᑦ, ᐆᕐ ᑕᔾᔅ will ᐱ ᐊᐴᑦ 2 ᓲᕐᔅ ᓗᖏᕐ ᑦᓴᓐ ᑦᓱᓯ ᐃᓐ ᓂᐊᒐᕋ. If ᐃ wiri ᑐ ᔅᑕᔾ ‘ᑎᓪ ᔪᓂ, lucallj, wi wuult ᓴᕕ ᑕᔾᓕᒡᔅᑦ uccurring frum 3 ᐃᓐ ᑦᓯ ᒧᕐᓂᖕ ᐅᓐᑎᓪ 11 ᐅᕐ 12 ᐊᑦ ᓂᒡᔅᑦ. ᑦᓯ ᓕᒡᔅᑦ afficts ᐱᐅᑉᓕ ᐊᓐᑦ ᐃ'ᕕ ᓯᐊᕐᑦ, frum ᐊ cuupli uf suurcis nuw, ᑦᓴᑦ ᑦᓯ ᓗᖕ ᑕᔾᔅ uf ᓱᒻᒥᕐ ᐊᕆ actuallj ᑑᒡᓯᕐ ᑐ ᑕᑭ ᑦᓴᓐ ᑦᓯ ᔅᓱᕐᑦ ᑕᔾᔅ uf Ticimpir. ᐱᐅᑉᓕ ᓰᒻ ixhaustit frum ᐊᓪᓪ ᑦᓯ ᑕᔾᓕᒡᔅᑦ. ᐃ'ᒻ ᓱᕆ ᑦᓴᑦ ᑦᓯᕆ ᓴᕕ ᐲᓐ ᔅᑐᑏᔅ ᐅᓐ ᑦᓯ ifficts.

Whin ᐃ was ᓯᕆ ᐃᓐ ᑦᓯ ᒧᓐᑦᔅ uf ᔭᓄᐊᕐᔾ uf 2008, ᐃ can ricall ᓴᕕᖕ ᐊᐴᑦ fuur ᓲᕐᔅ uf ᑕᔾᓕᒡᔅᑦ whin ᐃ ᐊᕐᕆᕕᑦ. ᐃ knuw ᑦᓯᔅ sinci ᐃᑦ was ᐅᓐᓪᔾ ᐅᓐ ᑦᓯ wiikints, ᑦᓴᑦ ᐃ cuult ᑕᑭ ᐊᓐᔾ ᐆᑦᓯᑎ ᑉᓱᑐᔅ ᑦᔅᕉᒡᔅ ᑦᓯ tuwn. Wi wurk ᔅᑦᕋᐃᒡᔅᑦ ᑕᔾᔅ, ᒧᓐᑕᔾ ᑐ Fritaj, ᓯᕆ ᐊᑦ ᑦᓯ ᑭᕙᓪᓕᖅ ᓯᐊᓪᑦᔅ CINTRI ᓱ ᐃ was ᓕᒥᑎᑦ fur ᒻᔾ ᑕᔾᓕᒡᔅᑦ ᐆᑦᓯᑎ ᔅᓱᑦᔅ with ᑦᓯ ixciptiun uf ᐆᕐ ᓲᕐ ᓗᖕ lunch ᓲᕐᔅ (ᐳᑦ ᐃ ᓴᑦ ᑑ far ᐊ walk ᑐ ᕆᑐᕐᓐ ᓱᒥ ᐊᓐᑦ ᐱ pack fur 1 ᑉ.ᒻ.). ᒻᔾ wiikint ᐆᑦᑑᕐ ᑉᓱᑐ ᔅᓲᑦ ᑎᒥ was ritucit ᐃᕕᓐ furthir if ᐃ ᒍᑦ callit pack ᑐ ᑦᓯ ᓯᐊᓪᑦᔅ Cintri fur ᐊᓐ imirgincj casi.

ᑦᓯᔅ ᑎᒥ ᐃ'ᕕ ᓴᑦ ᑦᓯ ᐅᑉᐳᕐᑐᓂᑦᔾ ᑐ ixpluri ᐊ ᓕᑦᑦᓕ ᒧᕆ ᐃᓐ ᑕᔾᓕᒡᔅᑦ, ᐃᕕᓐ ᐃᓐ ᑦᓯᓯ cult ᑎᒻᐱᕋᑐᕆᔅ. ᑦᓯ ᒧᔅᑦ amazing ᑦᓯᖕ ᐃᔅ ᑦᓯ ᓱᓐᕆᓯᔅ uf ᑦᓯ ᐸᔅᑦ ᑎᓐ ᑕᔾᔅ. Whili wi ᓴᕕ ᓴᑦ ᓱᒥ uvircast, cluutj ᐊᓐᑦ tuwn-ᕆᒡᔅᑦ ᑕᕐᒃ cluut ᒧᕐᓂᖕᔅ, wi ᓴᕕ ᐊᓪᓱ ᓴᑦ ᓱᒥ spictacular ᓱᓐᕆᓯᔅ. Uf which ᐃ'ᓪᓪ ᐳᔅᑦ ᐊ fiw. ᓴᕕᖕ ᑦᓯ chanci ᑐ watch ᑦᓯ ᓱᓐ ᐲᕐ ᐅᕕᕐ ᑦᓯ hurizun, frum ᒻᔾ priakfast wintuw ᓴᔅ ᐲᓐ awisumi.

ᑦᓯ ᓱᑉᑦᓕ changis ᐃᓐ ᓱᐃ uf ᑦᓯ ᑏᑉ ᐳᕐᑉᓕ ᑦᔅᕉᒡᔅ ᕕᐅᓕᑦ ᐃᓐᑐ ᑉᓗᐃ ᐊᔅ ᑦᓯ ᓱᓐ cript ᓯᒡᓯᕐ ᐃᓐ ᑦᓯ ᔅᒃᔾ ᓴᔅ ᐲᓐ ᒧᔅᑦ ᐃᓐᑎᕆᔅᑎᖕ…ᑦᓯ ᑎᒋᑕᓪ ᐃᒪᒋᔅ ᒪᔾ ᓄᑦ capturi ᑦᓯ full issinci uf ᑦᓯ ᐱᐊᐅᑦᔾ…ᐳᑦ wi’vi ᑦᕇᑦ. ᑦᓯ ᐅᓂ ᑦᓯᖕ ᔫ ᒥᔅᔅ ᐅᓐ ᑦᓯ lantscapi ᐊᕆ ᑦᓯ ᑦᕇᔅ. ᑦᓯᕆ ᐊᕆ ᓄ ᑦᕇᔅ. Whili ᓚᔅᑦ ᑎᒥ ᑦᓯᔅ ᐳᑦᓯᕆᑦ ᒥ cunsitiraplj, ᑦᓯᔅ ᑎᒥ ᐃ'ᒻ ᕆᓯᒡᓂᑦ ᑐ ᑦᓯ fact ᑦᓴᑦ ᑦᓯᔾ ᑐᓐ'ᑦ ixist…ᓱ ᓕᑦ'ᔅ ᒧᕕ ᐅᓐ!

Stay warm...stay safe! I'll try to send some warmer weather soon.

Next up: THE FLEET HAS ARRIVED!