With two recent posts displaying warm weather attire, you might be thinking that I am in denial about my mid Winter existence. I have to say though, this is just not (entirely) the case. I certainly look forward to warmer weather days – oh yes I do, and my mind is bubbling with images of what our first Spring and full Summer here will be like, but I am also wholeheartedly enjoying Winter.
Thus far Winter has been very mild. We waited until the 3rd week of January for snow on the ground – Last weekend was the first real show of snow we have seen this year, which was unseasonably late and has made Winter seem not so Wintry. It has also had everyone wondering if Spring will be Spring, and Summer will be Summer? It is an unsettling feeling when the seasons do not behave…especially when we have environmental disaster hanging over our head and we are all driving our cars everywhere and buying stuff and doing what we do and the CO2 level keeps rising…and we keep wondering could the weather be a sign perhaps things need to change?…anyway….we are good at setting that issue aside…and thinking about pleasanter things, so lets talk about the weather, oh hang on, what do we use to talk about when we dont want to talk about the weather because it is a worry?
The Children were so excited when they woke on Saturday morning to a 3-6 inch powder blanket – which was enough for sledding and snow play. We were all excited actually. I really enjoyed seeing our home in snow (but without the damage from the Autumn blizzard), it looked so quaint and cozy. Cam revelled in “his” job of shoveling the sidewalk (which we all know I do as well), and the Girls stomped and plonked and patted to their hearts content.
I was keen to hike through the woods to the lookout. I wanted to see the tipi during snow, and I wanted to see Manhattan with snow before it. Maya joined me, and she did incredibly well walking for an hour in snow. At one point near the top, just before we reached the lookout I had to pick her up and give her a motivation cuddle. This worked like magic and she continued a stoic hiker. Remarkably not long after being utterly spent, she gained a second wind. As we neared the bottom to the road we saw through the trees, the familiar hot pink snowsuit and fluro green sled. Cam was pulling Elle on the sled towards the sled run. With a crisp cooee they heard us and waited (Cam new of course it was me, who else in the woods would be shouting cooee?). Maya ran down the slope yelling “Wait for me, I want to sled too”. This put a big smile on my face as I was happy for her to be so lively to hike to exhaustion and then run down the hill exuberantly with renewed energy to sled. Yay Maya!
Another hour of snow play went by, during which time we return home from sledding to clear our foot paths. This led to an inevitable snow fight in the front yard between Cam and the Girls. I was exempt as I held the camera, but let me assure you Cam tried to get me. Snow fights are the best fun, that is until one grown man – Daddy – takes it too far and it ends in tears…but seriously what Daddy can resist dusting his daughter in snow..after all, there is no harm done, it is just snow, glorious snow.
