Winter Wonder

After an extremely mild November and December that yielded a total of 3cm of snow over the two months, January finally brought some real snow (though the forecast calls for rain today so we might not have the snow much longer...). I've been anxious to take Daija out in the snow, thinking she would love it.

So one afternoon that Nolana and I were both home we bundled her up and took her out to the small 'parkette' behind our house. She wasn't so sure about being bundled up and put in the sled but as soon as I started pulling her, her eyes lit up and she loved it!




I actually kind of like the snow. It's been a long time since I've had any real snow in winter and it reminds me of all those winters growing up on the Prairies and the tons of snow we had.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

For the first time in 162 years, this November in Toronto was snow-free. Seriously, it's been that long.

Today, the first flakes started to slowly float down and I joyously ran outside. It's especially joyous because the temperature is still a degree above zero! We've had a balmy winter (for Toronto) and are thankful for the gentle re-introduction to what real winter feels like, but now.... let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!


On a side note, why I was likely so eager to run outside was the fact that I have been cocooned in my office working on final papers for what already seems like forever. It's nice to see a finished product come together (at least for some of them) but I'm ready for a break!

Winter Wonderland

Saturday night it started snowing again and I think it might just be done now..... with more forecasted for Tuesday and Wednesday. Is this really Victoria? We've easily gotten a foot here and other places on the fringes of town got more. Here's some shots of my first white Christmas in Victoria!

Wintery Wanderings

When you turn to the weather station and the current weather says -17 Celsius with the windchill, you certainly don't feel like you're in Victoria. When you look out the window and see drifting snow swirled around by fiendish wind gusts, you don't feel like you're in Victoria. Despite the weather harking back to my childhood years on the prairies (yes I know, it's minus one hundred and thirty there right now) the nasty work of Jack Frost uncharacteristically hit Victoria this weekend. This was the sight Saturday night.


We decided to start a roaring fire and pour some 'adult' eggnog while watching some TV and listening the blustering wind. In the morning, this was the sight - 3 inches of the white stuff!


Now in Victoria, 3 inches is like 3 feet... unless you're talking about the Blizzard Of '96 (which everyone has such grand memories of!) I wasn't here but they talk of feet of snow falling in hours, calling in the National Guard, people eating their last can of Heinz beans while being housebound for days... I remember my first winter here schools closing on less snow than this, so I am pretty sure that the Blizzard Of '96, while scarring the minds of Victorians everywhere was not quite as dramatic as some tell it.

Nolana and her Gospel Choir were singing Sunday in a Christmas pageant (of which I have no pictures due to my hands being full of baby) and the congregation was half missing, the drummer was missing, choir members were missing, the brass was missing - all for 3 inches of snow. We take this stuff seriously here in Victoria!

That afternoon we put up the Christmas tree and I only broke 3 ornaments...


So Nolana made me pose for a picture and then politely told me to back away from the tree, NOW! Daija enjoyed her first tree raising - it will be a memory she will never forget. She was mesmerized by the lights, though.



Today was bitter cold. It is in fact -17 with the wind which is unusually bitter for Victoria. They don't really get days like this in Ethiopia....

To end with, and on that Ethiopia note, here are my two favorite Christmas decorations - both brought back from Ethiopia and made by disabled people there.

Angels on our tree.


The Christmas scene hanging.

Heartwarming

Nolana has choir tonight. Due to the blustery fall day we had and my resolve to not turn the heat on, I told her while she was gone I was going to pour myself a nice glass of Philips Chocolate Porter and sit in front of the fire. She told me in no uncertain terms that she would like the pleasure of sharing the fire with me and we have limited wood... so no fire. So instead, I poured myself a nice glass of Philips Chocolate Porter and sat in front of the... oven.
Not quite as relaxing.

On a completely unrelated front, this past week we cooked our first turkey dinner and were able to have some family come join us. To those family who were not there - we missed you. But we still had fun!