I've been visiting Latvia for quite some years now but since autumn last year I've been there on a more of less permanent base. Years ago, I bought some apartments in a city near the Baltic sea, Liepaja, and those apartments need some serious attention: so here I am.
One of the most pressing observations, after living here about half a year is the climate. It is huge difference to live here and feel the cold, dark and short days of the winter. Before, when I made short trips of more or less a week, the climate was just a fascinating aspect but now I encounter the cold start of the day, gradually warming up when the bright sun has started its battle with the cold that has been stored up in the landscape.
So I find it hard to start my day, and when I do start working in the garden, I wear thick pants, a jumper and a jacket and gradually I undo myself of various items until I am working in shorts and a t-shirt. Till the moment when the process reverses itself and I start preparing for a cold evening.
So one of my plans is to build a glasshouse half sunken into the earth and to store, during the summertime as much heat as possible in the sand mass surrounding the building to be released in the winter period. This way the growing season might be extended.