Heather Sunderland grew up in Milnrow and left Rochdale to join the RAF. After the she decided to travel the world, stopping six years ago when she fell in love, both with Lapland and a man, and never left.

She now lives in Finnish Lapland near the Arctic Circle with her husband their two children.

She is writing a weekly column for the Observer, Lancashire to Lapland, about her new life.

Click on the links below to see her blogs ...

• Us Brits just don't do winter (10 December 2010)
• Taking a walk on the frozen side (17 December 2010)
• The headache before Christmas (24 December 2010)
• See your new year in melting pot (1 January 2011)
• Left feeling under the weather (8 January 2011)
• Please give us our snow back (15 January 2010)
• Nod ... and mind your language (22 January 2011)
• The black art of coffee drinking (28 January 2011)
• Cross country running - on skis (4 February 2011)
• Cold comfort in the ice house (11 February 2011)
• Pity the pain for poor Rudolph (18 February 2011)
• Diamond view was sparkling (25 February 2011)
• Legend drove me round the bend (4 March 2011)
• Missing carpets ... and earwigging (11 March 2011)
• Unbelievable ... but no place like it (18 March 2011)
• Naming in the best of taste (25 March 2011)
• It's good to be back ... honest (8 April)
• Naked truth is so out of tune (15 April)
• Pagan tradition still casts spell (22 April)
• Can't see the wood for miles of trees (21 May 2011)
• Moving story puts me in fashion (28 May 2011)
• Shopping offers food for thought (4 June 2011)
• Summer leaves me in the pink (10 June 2011)
• Weird sports are such a carry on (17 June 2011)
• Midsummer dash to the country (24 June 2011)
• Welcome - and enjoy the nature (1 July 2011)
• It's school ... but not as we know it (8 July 2011)
• A taste of summer - cabin fever (23 July 2011)
• A moose loose ... but it's all a blur (30 July 2011)
• Rock festival was music to my ears (5 August 2011)
• A hair-raising end to my week (12 August 2011)
• Programmed to speech of despair (19 August 2011)
• Mating game on the road to danger (9 September 2011)
• I do love you, but I need a break (16 September 2011)
• We're digging in for snowy season (23 September 2011)
• Scary creatures - great and small (30 September 2011)
• Driven off course by life back home (7 October 2011)
• A taste of home life ... with chips (14 October 2011)
• I love this town - but that accent ... (21 October 2011)
• Little luxuries take a great deal of effort (28 October 2011)
• Paying the price for happy memories (4 November 2011)
• This isn't my idea of a holiday break (11 November 2011)
• Spotted - on track for a new hobby (18 November 2011)
• Return home offers cold comfort (2 December 2011)
• I'm back home and feeling lost (9 December 2011)
• We're making a meal out of Rudolph (16 December 2011)
• There's no business like snow business (23 December 2011)
• Laid back? Not with our children (30 December 2011)
• Sick as a parrot over word games (6 January 2012)
• Opening door to some unusual guests (13 January 2012)
• Chilled out by these lessons in life (20 January 2012)