Three of us had braved the cold and the woodsmoke - Martyn, from Holland, Iréne, our Nordic web editor from Finland, and me.

The others were perhaps a little more clever, and slept in the containers. Sleeping in shipping containers might not sound any better than sleeping in a tent like the kota - but these big red boxes are well appointed, with stoves, cooking facilities, couches, tables, bunks, communications hear, windmills... and windows and curtains!

I slept incredibly well, cocooned and insulated from the cold. Hard to believe I know. In the morning I could hear sleepy-eyed people shuffling around in the snow. The fire was long dead, but I still was toasty in my sleeping bag. In fact, I didn't want to get out - it seemed too cold - the inner walls of the kota were covered in ice. and my boots and trousers were frozen solid.

Later, after breakfast, Petteri put Satu and I to work - building a roof for the toilet. Yes, out here, in the middle of the woods, we do have a beautiful 'room with a view'. This morning, it gained a roof - well, more of a windbreak really, but we were pleased with our engineering exploits. Clearly, a childhood misspent building tree houses and reading survival did me no harm at all.

Meanwhile, Ulvar, and the dynamic German twins - Holger and Matti, were busy fixing one of the trucks - the fuel pump had frozen, which was slowing down the positioning of our third container - our equipment store. Once they got it going, it was lifted into position, and our extra gear stored away.

Living out in these conditions, far from shops, and independent of the electricity grid, it's crucial to share out the tasks. We have to source dry, seasoned firewood, ensure that fires are kept going, and that enough supplies are available. Waste, organic or recyclable has to be dealt with properly. Cold, tired and hungry activists have to be cooked for! Apparently a cooking rota has been drawn up too.

In other news - we've bounced up in lots of Finnish national and regional media following yesterday's press conference. Newspapers, TV, radio... and in the UK, the publisher Bloomsbury has announced that J.K. Rowling’s new book, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince’ will be printed on 30% Forest Stewardship Council certified paper. The rest of the fibre will come from controlled sources - the wood will not be harvested from forest areas where traditional or civil rights are being violated, from non FSC certified forest areas that have high conservation values which are threatened, from genetically modified trees, from illegally harvested wood, or from natural forests that have been converted to plantations or non forest use. Read More »

Praise for 'forest friendly' Potter »

More as it happens...

- Dave