Jyväskylä: Monochrome morning

I almost miss the mist. Getting up a bit later than usual, I reach the shore of lake Tuomiojärvi at Kortesuo just before the morning mist begins to fade away. The lake is perfectly still, and there are very few people about. Oh yes, I'm only 2 kilometers from the centre of Jyväskylä city...

As I walk slowly north towards Haukanniemi, I stop to gaze at a whitish top of a rock in the lake. Oops, it's not a rock. It's a resting swan, only now it is waking up and wondering what to do next. The swan looks majestically around before sliding into the water and meeting its partner.

Lehtisaari island, owned by the Evangelical Lutheran Parish of Jyväskylä, looms in the distance. In the summer anyone can go and visit the island (transportation with rowing boats), but the season is now over.

In this monochrome dawn the only colours can be spotted on the shore where the yellowed blades of grass lean towards the lake.

Then the mist begins to clear, and the scenery changes. I cross the wooden bridge to Haukanniemi, and already more colours are beginning to appear.

A dog-walker passes by, wearing sensible rubber boots. The muddy path makes me wish I was wearing mine instead of the hiking boots which will be a mess when I get back.

I step off the main path and head for a smaller one. The ground is covered with brown, dead leaves, but in places there are lighter colors.

Mushrooms! I am in luck and spot some that are of the edible variety - and thanks to having a little plastic bag in my pocket, this evening's dinner is soon in the bag.

No, these are not edible, just pretty... Like a ray of sunlight on a cloudy day. I tread on, passing another dog-walker next to the already harvested field and continue through the woods to the northern end of Haukanniemi.

Wood cranesbills are no longer in bloom, but their beautiful leaves remain and stand out beneath the white birches.

There are lots of different kinds of fungi everywhere, in bright colours and in duller tones. This lacy white fungus has spread rather decoratively on a fallen tree.

The larches in the middle of Haukanniemi have spread their needle-like leaves on the ground, making the path soft beneath my feet.

The colours in the nature may be scarce in November in a Finnish forest, but they still exist, even after a dawn that you can hardly see through the haze. When the sky is grey, there are always little things on the ground that can make a difference.