Friday 18 January 2013


















Winter can be a wonderful time of year for various sporting enthusiasts: ice fishing, skiing, skating, tobogganing, walking in crisp cold air that numbs your nose while the snow crunches and squeaks under your boots. Though sometimes there isn't enough snow for sports. Like today: a bare covering of snow on the ground combined with a windchill. Perhaps kites with toque, two pairs of mitts, down-filled parka, woof scarf and various other wool garments underneath layered with soft cotton (rather than polyester which isn't healthy for you over the longterm). It's not pleasant walking in damp cold with a windchill of -18C (0F). The best thing about coming indoors afterwards is preparing a mug of steaming hot chocolate with a wee bit of cream to top it off.

It has been a very wierd winter so far with snow followed by mild temperatures, rain, then several days of sun and cloud ending in colder temperatures and a wee bit of snow. Yet in places meant to be warmer there has been snow: like in Sypria. Perhaps its the poles shifting every time there's an earthquake--some recent ones, over the last six months, on the west coast have been in the 7 scale. Or some years ago I'd read an article that said the planet was going into a water cycle which would create temperature change. Humans adjust just like nature does. We might complain a little but in the end we just go with the flow. Its much easier to do that in the beginning and avoid the tension.

How's your winter life going?


The photo is one of the waterfalls at the location of Elbow Falls west of Bragg Creek, Alberta.

 Photo Credit: "Elbow Falls" woldy CC=nc-nd-flickr

9 comments:

Leah J. Utas said...

The big snows have been skirting us and the cold weather comes and goes. Today is warm enough for a light jacket and much of our snow is gone. I feel sorry for the critters who have their white winter gear on.

Raph G. Neckmann said...

New Year greetings Barbara from all of us at Necky Knoll House!

It does sound as if you are having unusual weather at the moment - I hope your planet's weather stabilizes. Over here it has been sunny, with a few giraffe snowflakes!

Rune Eide said...

We have had an on-and-off winter like you. Periods like your beautiful photo, and periods with fog and rain. At the moment it it is - 6 degrees C and 5 cm with snow where we live.

Charles Gramlich said...

We've only had any real cold air in the last few days, but that isn't totally atypical for down here. We did have gray rainy skies for well over a week, which brought some folks down.

Cloudia said...

Hot chocolate with you sounds divine!



Happy Aloha to YOU
from Honolulu,
Comfort Spiral
~ > < } } ( ° >
> < } } ( ° >

Marian Perera said...

How's my winter going? LOL! I just came back from Iqaluit, in the High Arctic, and the temperature there was in the minus forties with the wind chill. Not to mention there was always wind, since that was the tundra, so there were no trees to act as a windbreak.

It's so good to be back in Toronto! The weather feels incredibly mild here.

Barbara Martin said...

Leah, one of those days'll be a mild chinook coming in over the Rockies. Those are wonderful after a four to six week deep freeze like those in the late 60s and early 70s where it didn't get above -20F but went lower most days, some overnights of -45F.

Raph, so glad you could pop over. Those intergalactic flights are marvellous.

Barbara Martin said...

RuneE, hopefully once the weather settles we will be back to what we consider normal. Or Mother Nature has a bigger surprise in store for us.

Chalres, sun is an important factor for me to keep my mood elevated. I just look at rain as being something the vegetation needs more of to wash away the pollution and grime of the atmosphere, and once that's been done then the sun will shine more brightly after the clouds pass.

Barbara Martin said...

Cloudia, Aloha! Oh, those sun drenched sandy beaches, coconut trees, aquamarine water in the bays, and the days you get rain it's so clear and beautiful afterwards.

Marian, Baffin Island tends to be nippy in the cold department. Once I'd considered working there.