The January Moon The January moon made a hell of a show Over Helsinki all covered in snow Between the buildings, the midnight glow, Then early morning way down low Tangled itself in power lines – oh no! Played with the street lights all a-glow, Then dropped out of sight – it had to go. But the moon over Helsinki made a hell of a show.

Homeward Bound ... Today I head home from the journey of a lifetime, a richer (in experience, definitely not purse), wiser person, hardly able to believe I am lucky enough to have completed such an amazing trip. From those first few tentative steps off the plane in Beijing, across many, many kilometres of Mongolian deserts and Russian tundras, through places so cold your toes and nose felt they may drop off, with people so lovely that their friendship warmed you...

Just when I thought things couldn't get any better, they did. We arrived in the beautiful city of Helsinki blanketed in fresh white snow gleaming under sunshine. During our orientation tour the light kept changing as the clouds changed and the sun shone through in different strengths and angles. As the light changed, the landscape seemed to continually make dramatic changes, each moment more breathtakingly beautiful than the last. The climate is cold and icy, bu...