Today was Reflector Awareness Day. It’s not a day to remember but a day to prepare… for the winter. During the winters we only have two hours of light as the sun never quite makes it over the horizon. This might make our days very short but life certainly doesn’t stop in the darkness.

Even though the light fades away by 2pm here, Tromsø is still energised with activity. People ski on what were once summer walking tracks, families play on the sledding hill, and kids are out having snowball fights and building snow caves – even little old grannies are out in force! The streets are always alive with people going here and there, not fazed by the darkness or the snow.

With so many people out and about in winter, the traffic needs to be extra careful, so clothing reflectors have become a modern-day emblem worn as armbands and leg-bands, on shoes and hats, around prams and hanging from bags and jackets. Reflectors have almost become a fashion statement, even being sewn into clothes.

We bumped into Trygg Trafikk at the shops today. They are an organisation that promotes road safety and together with Troms Fylkestrafikksikkerhetsutvalg (Troms County Roads and Traffic Dept.) were handing out free reflectors for the whole family. Kids where given a ghostly prize especially for Halloween.