Sunday, 20 January 2008

You know you're in Africa... .

...when electricity load shedding (I still don't understand the purpose) happens on a daily basis and will do so for about 8 years until new power stations are built. According to Durban City Manager if Eskom decided to cut the power for 2 weeks we won't have electricity for 2 weeks. I would have thought this would have a negative impact on the economy, but Durban Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Bonke Dumisa said "(power cuts) will not affect the economy substantially because Eskom has been pro-active in alerting the public as to when there will be power cuts. Business owners will have adequate time to prepare themselves..." (Quote from Forest Express newspaper, 18 January 2008) Hmmm.

...when your neighbour tells you the people next door who moved in about a month ago have had 2 burglaries. The first was about a week after they moved in, and they ran away when disturbed. The second was about 2 weeks ago when the wheels of both their luxury cars parked outside the garage were removed. They even propped the cars up on tree stumps from newly felled pine trees.

Oh Canada!

I must just add something funny from the same article in the Forest Express newspaper about the power cuts: "His (Eskom spokesperson) opinion was backed up by eThekweni electricity department which said ordinary faults sometimes occurred at the same time as the load shedding, as well as by the city's Municipal Manager, Mike Sutcliffe."(Sorry Express reporters, but this read as if Mike Sutcliffe was also a cause of power cuts.)

Anyway enough. I contacted my relations in Canada on Google Talk this afternoon. The wintry weather's returned with a vengeance. The view from the lounge window and a snow-covered tree. It does have a beauty all of its own though.

Saturday, 19 January 2008

The flight from Heathrow took off almost an hour late because of the crashed 777 at the end of one of the two runways. We had to slot in between landing aircraft on the north runway. Our pilot told us we'd probably catch up time en route because of the jet stream over Europe, and in fact we got to Johannesburg exactly on time the next morning.
I realised I couldn't waste time getting my connecting flight because I still had to go through passport control and check in. I managed to get to the plane door while people were still getting their bags and things. I raced ahead through the confusion at Jhb airport to passport control where the woman at the desk was a bit confused about the flight I was going on, she thought Canada... er... back in SA you know... After I explained I had COME from Canada and Heathrow in London she stamped my passport and told me I had come to the wrong section, and I should proceed to the correct section and pass through permit holders and diplomats entrance and not queue with the other passengers as she'd already stamped my book. Ok I was pleased about that as I could get moving again. Another passenger and his wife from Germany I think, was also concerned about his connecting flight to George which was boarding in about 15 minutes. He said he'd follow me. I explained I had already gone through the entry process and he had to queue with the other hundred or so passengers. I left him with a look of panic and despair on his face, and ran to the domestic terminal which is only accessible by leaving the international terminal and going outside for about 200 metres because of on-going build alterations. I ran! Then it was up about 3 floors to the check in desks. I got through fairly quickly and went to the departure gates and couldn't find my one as it wasn't clear on the boarding pass. I found what I thought was my gate which was actually the flight boarding to George and told the attendant there were people still in immigration wanting to catch the flight. He thanked me for informing him but didn't think the flight would be held that long. Well, I tried. The worst was they'd go on standby for a later one.

In the meantime my flight was about half an hour later at another gate upstairs.... aaaaaagh!

The approach to Durban was the most spectacular I'd ever had. Unfortunately my camera wasn't at hand to take a picture. We arrived at the coast way north of the Umgeni River and flew about 3 km out to sea, did a downwind leg at about 2000ft along the coast, still quite far out, then turned very low over part of Umbogintwini, I heard the throttle open quite a bit as we turned onto a rather short final, with the ground very close!!! Quite interesting!

I think my brown suitcases should go back to the Goodwill Store in Canada where they came from as I think they're jinxed. They didn't arrive on my flight. I wondered where on Earth they had gone. I found out from the Baggage Desk they were in Johannesburg because I never collected them there as I didn't go through customs!!! A woman at the desk piped up that we were told on the plane before we got out that we had to collect our luggage. I said this was not the case. Her next comment really p'd me off. She said there were signboards at the airport. I told her that Jhb airport is such a mess with building alterations and there was no such sign. That kept her quiet! In the mean time the guy attending to me gave me a form to fill in an said my bags would be on the 13:20 flight which was about 3 hours from when I arrived.

Leon took me home and I would return to the airport myself as they wouldn't deliver to my home because they didn't loose the baggage, I had not collected them. OK, OK! Well to cut a long story short I got my 2 suitcases later, and even complimented the old bat at the desk for remembering my name.

Friday, 18 January 2008

A different view from my window today...

Big Ben at just after 8:30 this morning.

We got to the airport at about 3:30 pm which gave me plenty of time to say a quick and tearless goodbye outside the airport and get settled in the departure lounge. Only after the plane was airborne did I shed a farewell tear or two, and I’m sure my sister did the same in the car leaving the airport. By the way I couldn't believe my luck, the seat next to me was not occupied so I could lie down across 2 seats, which is a first for me. The 6 hour flight across the Atlantic seemed shorter because they woke us up at about 4 am GMT for breakfast, so I only got about 2 hours of dozing, but better than nothing.

I arrived at Heathrow, London at about 6:25 am local time, checked one of my bags in for safe keeping and took the tube into the centre of London. I emerged at Westminster Pier to rain and temp of about 10°C. I took some pics of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, bought a ham roll and some coffee at a shop opposite the clock tower and stood out of the rain to eat it. It was too warm inside to sit there!

Because of the rain I felt there was no point in hanging around or going anywhere, so I caught the tube back to the airport. I read in one of the papers left on the tube that a British Airways aircraft had crashed at Heathrow last night. A Boeing 777 was on final approach and lost power about 500 feet above the ground. The plane crashed 16 metres inside the airport perimeter fence, ripping the underbelly open, damaging both wings and 2 wheel units were ripped off. None of the 136 passengers were seriously injured. Officials aren’t sure what caused the loss of power.

I’m sitting at the airport now entering this log. After lunch I found a place I could have 40 winks and now feel quite refreshed and ready for the next 12 hour flight to Joburg.
Not holding my breath about vacant seats though!

I don’t think there’s anything more to add here for the time being except to say thank you to my sister, her husband and two delightful boys for the wonderful time I spent with you. I love you all very much.XXXX

Thursday, 17 January 2008

The view from the lounge window on this my last day in Canada on this trip. As usual it's been a wonderful time, being with my family, meeting new people especially the Hiller's and the Hind's. We spoke about South Africa, and we gave the negative views but more importantly the positive ones. I found it quite amazing how many people I had spoken to knew someone or knew of someone who was either South African or had been to South Africa. Africa is too far away from Canada for Canadians to visit for a vacation, preferring the southern American states, particularly Florida and South Carolina and the Caribbean.

My bags are packed and I'm ready to go.

See you all again next time.

Wednesday, 16 January 2008

The view from the window today is pretty much like Monday. The snow is piling up as the temperature sits at -7ºC. Last night we took a short walk round to our neighbours parents for drinks at about 7pm. The sky was clear and the moon was shining. We left at about 10pm and it was still clear and around -1º, so there was some hope of blue skies today... I see on the Weather Network much more snow is forecast for tomorrow, the day I leave for home.

After the boys went off to school and my sister had done a bit of housekeeping, we set off for Tavistock about half an hour south east of Stratford to look at a furniture shop. We weren't going to buy anything, just look at a multimedia centre with built in electric fireplace. We saw some we liked, and have left it to my brother in law to go back to decide what he wants to replace the almost 18 year old TV cabinet they got when they got married in Scottburgh on the KZN south coast. Has it been that long? We had a Tim Horton's coffee and cookie and I bought a 12 pack of ground coffee to take back home. I hope it's allowed through customs. Just checked, coffee is not on the list.

The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing and packing. I'm ready to go.

Tuesday, 15 January 2008

The dinner was an eat as much as you like noodle affair at Gene's Chinese Restaurant in town, and the restaurant had been closed to the public for 3 sittings - we were the last sitting at 7pm.

This morning it was snowing lightly when my sister and I went into town to visit her work and go for a walk along the T.J. Dolan Trail along the Avon river. Down near the river among the bare snow-covered trees it was quite pleasant and were almost unaware that we were near the centre of a small city, with a main road passing nearby. Not quite dead centre of town, although there was a cemetery on the other side of the river! :-)

We were dressed as usual for the weather in boots, coats, hats and gloves, and spent about half an hour walking along the path. We saw a squirrel and some small birds at a bird feeder. Kind folk put seed in the feeders for the birds. The squirrels aren't able to get to the seed because of cone-shaped barriers on the poles, but are able to eat seed which the birds spill onto the ground.

We drove into town for coffee at Balzac's which the neighbour said was the best coffee shop in Stratford. The coffee was very good, and we sat at the counter facing Ontario street hoping to people watch, but the window was fogged up. The seed cookie (biscuit) was also good and filling.

After sitting talking for a while we strolled through downtown Stratford, down the Avon River where it runs through town, took some photos and walked back to the car and went home.

Monday, 14 January 2008

It continued snowing overnight and this morning the winter wonderland look had returned.

The little 1 metre high cypress outside the front door had its Christmas covering on it again.

My sister and I went to Kitchener about 40 minutes drive northwest of Stratford to look at a hobby shop which seemed to be in a private residence, and I didn't like the look of the place so we didn't get out the car. Instead we went on to another one on the otherside of town, but they didn't have anything which would have been of interest to my friend Leon at home. We went on to Canadian Tire which I would compare to Game in South Africa and bought a snow mobile suit which would do the perfect job when flying my microlight trike to Underberg in the winter. Windproof and very warm! I'm going to test drive it later. I'll get my brother in law to take me for a high speed ride on the back of his pickup along one of the country roads, just to make sure it can handle the wind chill factor as well. Oh... I've subsecuently found out a person is not allowed to be on the back of a vehicle unless all the seats with seatbelts are occupied. Hmmm. Canada and its regulations! Oh well, I'll have to believe the labels on the suit that say it's windproof etc.

Trees along the highway to Kitchener

Tonight we're going to a fund-raisers dinner for some poor African village. I know it sounds strange. That reminds me about the story my brother in law has told me of someone he knows who found his brown truck tailgate had been swapped for a white one overnight. I thought I was in Canada!!!?? At least it was a straight switch... now that's probably the difference!?

(Update: The snow mobile suite is perfect for flying the microlight. I've been using it regularly since I got back home.)

Sunday, 13 January 2008

I was a bit slow in posting this today, so people in the Eastern Hemisphere will only read this on Monday.

There was a tiny bit of snow overnight and I thought the sun was going to come out today (see pic left), but the clouds are too thick again. The snow has melted off the roofs and the temperature remains at 0ºC. The wind's shifted to blowing from the east today, and it looks like another grey day. The Canadians apparently don't like this "in between" weather, preferring either below zero with lots of snow or sunny and snow to this rainy damp weather we're having now. I'm inclined to agree. When there's lots of snow about and the sun shines, it really is a pleasant sight. The snow so white, and the sky a bright blue. Yes, it's blerry cold, but with the right clothing, being outside (although briefly) is bearable. We'll see what this my last week in Canada brings.

When the boys parents came back from Collingwood this morning we drove to London to visit Masonville Mall, just to get out and walk around for some exercise and a Tim Horton's coffee and donuts. As we arrived back home at about 4:30 pm it began to snow. Maybe this is the snow they're predicting.

Saturday, 12 January 2008

Well, the sun has tried to come out today, and it also tried to snow and rain. Temp just above zero Celsius outside (21 inside). The dog doesn't stay out long when she gets let out to do her business.

Looking out now I don't think the sun's going to get a chance today. People are still talking about this definitely unseasonal thaw and the news has issued warning to people not to walk on ice as it's thin and dangerous. People drill holes in frozen lakes, dams and rivers to fish in winter.

Life in winter here in Canada is so different to winters in South Africa. Some people leave their cars idling in the supermarket car parks so they're not cold when they get back! Can you imaging leaving your car idling in a car park in South Africa? It would be stolen before you walked away from it! But leaving the car running in Canada is not a thing that is done much because according to my sister, the Canadians are becoming more eco aware now. In summer big shopping centres and supermarkets only have about half their interior lights on in an attempt to keep electricity usage down. Home owners are encouraged to turn off lights when they're not in the room, and the municipality supplies different crates to each household for recycling e.g. plastics, paper tins, glass. South African should take a leaf out of their book. Drive through any city or large town in SA and see all the highrise office blocks a blaze of lights. (See the comments on 11 January) I think we must write to our city managers to get them to look into this situation. I know I'm going to speak to the general manager of my work place about turning office lights out at night when there's nobody there. Sometimes I go around the building turning passage lights out during the day. It's a pity other people don't care about these things too! Oh well.....

Babysitting my nephews is an easy task because all day and every day (in winter) they're at their computers playing video games (except when they're at school, and I wonder if they sit there longing for home time so they can get back to the games!!) They get on well together and I don't have to be referee of any fights.

Friday, 11 January 2008

The day started off cold (do I need to mention that?) and wet. It rained off and on, then about 2 pm light pellet snow fell for a while. It stopped just before we did the newspaper delivery route, but the wind was icy as usual. It was strange to see the neighbourhood without the 30cm covering of snow there was when I walked with the boys 2 weeks ago. Green lawns everywhere. The grass is snow resistant and retains its green colour.

The weather forecast says light snow overnight, some Saturday and Sunday and they expect about 1cm over the next 24 hours. If it continues to rain as well, the snow will melt again.

So that was Stratford today.

Thursday, 10 January 2008

I've sorted out the Comments problem - you can send them now.

Well the basketball game last night was enjoyable. It was a friendly house league game and my nephew shot a basket and was really chuffed. So were his dad and I.

Well done Buzz!

The sun shone for a while today, but it remained around 0ºC. Only small isolated bits of snow remain in some sheltered spots in gardens around the city. Now that my sister's off her night shift stint, we're going to get around more in town.

Wednesday, 9 January 2008

Another different day today. Last night there was a down pour and a wind which drove the rain all over the place. Today it has cleared up with a few scattered clouds and a very icy westerly wind. In the sun it's 15º but in the shade it's about 4. Not going for my walk today.

This morning part of the carpet in the basement was soaking wet, water had somehow got in from outside. We lifted the carpet where it was very wet, removed the underlay and put a heater fan on the bedroom carpet to dry it out and stop it from getting mould on it. A bit of a disaster as the basement has flooded before about 2 years ago. That time it was the old water heater which sprang a leak and had to be replaced. The water was a few inched deep and caused more damage. This time only about 2 sq. metres of carpet got wet. It must have either come in through the wall which is below ground level or up through the floor. We can only think it was from the melted snow and driving rain which has left the ground very soggy indeed. Basement leaks are a very common occurrence here in Canada so are not usually covered by insurance. Not good! The strange thing about this is the house is about 30 years old and now suddenly it's sprung a leak. MIKE HOLMES WE NEED YOU!!!!

Otherwise it's good to see the sun again although it'll only be for one or two days. It looks like it's going to get cold and snow again, which isn't too bad either. I've just made myself a nice cup of Nabob percolated coffee and am sipping that.

We've got a basketball match to go to this evening, my youngest nephew's playing. I'll take the video camera along and hope that doesn't play up again.The flipout LCD viewfinder's gone faulty, I think it snow got in it at the tubing over the weekend. I can't even buy another one here because I need a PAL camera, not NTSC.

Tuesday, 8 January 2008

There are a few spots of rain today , 10º and most of the snow melted.

The view from the lounge today. See blog entry of Thursday, 3 January 2008 for a comparison - and that was only 6 days ago. The graph is from The Weather Network and shows the forecast for the next week or so. A record high temp was broken in Windsor, Ontario yesterday. It was 16º - the last record high for this time of the year was 6º. But more snow is expected on Friday with the temp dropping again. Both my previous visits to Canada were in late summer - a better time to visit, but I wanted to be here at this time of the year so I know what the winter is like. It's being kind to me though.

I found a channel on TV here called "Warm up with the Fireplace Channel" and all it is is a shot of a fire burning in a fireplace. I suppose it beats having the real thing in one's lounge where open fires are not permitted because of the risk.

It's raining quite hard now....

I was going through local news on 24.com and read this report, a part of which I have copied below:
The NEC said it sought no special treatment for its president, who faces corruption charges - only fairness and justice.However, Seremane said the chances were slim that Zuma's corruption court case would be wound up before the next election. "This raises the unpalatable prospect of a sitting president facing corruption charges in court," he said. Seremane said President Thabo Mbeki did the right thing by relieving Zuma of his position as deputy president of the country after he was implicated in his financial adviser Schabir Shaik's fraud trial. "The fact that the ANC is willing to field Zuma as its presidential candidate when he faces his own corruption trial indicates how low the ruling party has sunk. "The prospect of a sitting president facing corruption charges in court - whether he is proven innocent or guilty - will leave an indelible stain on South Africa's reputation abroad and the morale of our citizenry," said Seremane.

I'm not usually a politically outspoken person, but it makes me wonder about South Africa.

Monday, 7 January 2008

What a change in the weather! Even the Canadians are surprised. Those who have met me say I've brought the warmer weather from South Africa.

The snow has started to melt and there are large puddles of water everywhere. The back yard is a slushy pond. The lawn grass they use here remains green all year round. My sister says some of the plants might even begin to shoot, only to be covered with snow again soon. The real thaw begins in March. The boys went back to school today. My sister takes my eldest nephew to school because it's some distance away, but the other walks as his school is nearby. Those who do walk to school walk in all weather except a snow storm, and you see mums with their little kids walking on the sidewalks. I ventured barefoot outside to take the dog for a walk and I think the temp was around 10ºC. I put off my walk into town today because it was still misty, and rain was forecast. I didn't feel like a walk in the rain. See what the weather's like tomorrow.

I spent the rest of the day spent at the PC playing with Google Earth which was rather fun.

We hired the movie "Borat" which we watched until it got a bit too rough for the kids to see. We're going to an ice hockey game at an arena on the other side of town at 9 pm. What a strange time. Apparently the older kids play later. They're 14 so a 9 pm start is ok. (??) After we dropped my nephew off at the arena we went to Tim Hortons for a cup of decaf coffee and a Honey Cruller donut. The game was good and the final score was 4-1 to the home team. The temperature outside when we left the arena was about 12ºC at 10 pm!

Sunday, 6 January 2008

Another warmer day - it went up above 5ºC today. The snow has started to melt on the rooftops, plants and trees. There was also thick mist everywhere.

Frozen Lake Huron

Today we drove to Bayfield on Lake Huron, one of central North America's Great Lakes about 70 km from here . The family takes their caravan out there in the summer. Despite the snow lying about 20cm thick on the ground it's a very pleasant place and I can imagine it a hive of activity and all lush and green in summer. It was just one mass of snow and bare trees now.

We drove down to the small harbour which is used to load grain on ocean-going cargo ships. One ship was tied up at the wharf surrounded by broken icy water. Lake Huron was just a mass of frozen ice and snow as far as one could see with the mist still around.

We had brunch at a very pleasant restaurant in town - eat as much as you like breakfast buffet for C$10.

We drove back home for coffee and cookies and relaxed in front of the TV. It's getting dark now and the mist is still hanging around and almost all the snow has gone form the roofs. Even the green lawns are starting to show through in places. The warm weather (well relatively warm weather for this time of the year) is going to be around for a few more days, then another cold snap is forecast. Brrrr!

Saturday, 5 January 2008

When I walked outside this morning I noticed a definite increase in temperature. It was zero.

My brother in law took their son to play ice hockey at about 6:30 am. My sister took my other nephew and I a bit later. I did some videoing of the game and he particularly enjoyed seeing himself scoring a goal when I played the tape back to him later. My nephew's in the yellow jersey hitting the puck into the net. After the game we joined the neighbours whose son was also playing, for breakfast at Dave's Diner, another tradition.

Our plan was to go snow tubing at a place called River Valley. It was about a 20 minute drive south west of Stratford. I was a bit nervous of uncontrolled tubing down a snow slope, but it turned out to be rather tame, and enjoyable. We had 2 options of getting to the top of the slope; by cable lift or walking up the short slope.

We chose the lift for the first time, just because it was there. The attendant attached the rope to the hook and motorised winch system took you seated in your inflated tube up the slope.

Then there was a rather long wait in the 4 queues at the start of each of the 4 rides down the hill. The attendants are very safety conscious and wait until the last person and others are completely clear at the end before allowing you to proceed. Then you just kick off and slide uncontrollably down the channelled rides. Quite fun.

We had a break after the 2nd ride and headed for the little restaurant for lunch. Then back to the slope for some filming and by this time it had started to snow. We only did one ride as our 2 hour time limit was almost up. Another first.

The rest of the afternoon we rested at home and got Google Talk working on the computer. Hopefully we can chat when I get home. That should save on phone bills.

Friday, 4 January 2008

A hazy day today at -10ºC. I've just been outside in my shorts (typical Sou'african) and no glubs (what my chiropractor's neice calls gloves) to take a pic or two.
Sparrows sitting in a conifer outside the window, all fluffed up totally at home in the cold. My sister has a bird feeder near the front door, so they're always around after the food. When cars park anywhere, they hop to the warmth under. Resourceful little things.
And having the feeder so close to the house provides hours of interest for the cat that sits on the window sill and looks longingly at them. I'm sure she'd love the feel of a warm fluffy bird in her mouth!! Apparently she manages to catch the odd one in summer, but she doesn't usually go out as she catches birds in the neighbour's yard and they don't take too kindly to that.

I went through the garage which is not insulated or connected to the heating system and found my sister's car there still covered with a thin layer of ice.

Out the back are my nephew's bikes - I see they don't get used much in winter. The newspapers my nephew has to deliver were dumped on the sidewalk last night. He has to include these supplements with the other papers he delivers to subscribers. That we'll do later.

Talking about the boys, as usual they're down in the basement lounge playing computer games. That keeps them occupied for hours in winter. I think rather that than watching mindless TV. At least there's some sort of mental stimulation with a video game. My eldest nephew has an ice hockey match on Saturday, so uncle will be going to watch that. Will report on that later.
While out yesterday I saw some lovely flat open farm lands which would be wonderful to fly my microlight trike over. Pity it's not portable.

Thursday, 3 January 2008

Thursday is chilly again, with a bit of sun at times. Had a lovely chat with Jill and Reneé at the office in Durban and my sister explained a bit about Canadian winter life when it's -15ºC outside. Reneé told us someone had been eaten by a lion in South Africa. The quote from Mail & Guardian:

A LION killed a Mozambican illegal immigrant and dragged his body through the town of Phalaborwa, Limpopo Province, said the police on Sunday. Inspector James Ngoepe said the lion had since disappeared and the police and SA National Defence Force (SANDF) were still searching for the animal. Ngoepe said the immigrant, aged around 35, illegally crossed the border to South Africa and then hiked through the Kruger National Park, where he sat down for a rest and apparently fell asleep. Ngoepe said police believed the lion attacked him while he was sleeping and then dragged his body into town. - Sapa

That's why visitors to the Kruger National Park aren't allowed out their cars except in the camp sites!

Anyway, back to today...

We went to fetch the dog from the parlour then went down to the Avon River which runs through Stratford (Stratford on Avon, where Shakespeare was born - this is the home sick British immigrant's Stratford). While walking along the partly frozen bank it started to snow. We got in the car and went to see the Mallard ducks which live near the river. They didn't seem to mind the cold.
Not a very active day today, but then I am on holiday after all.
I like this.
On the other hand, with the sun out for the first time in a few weeks, the children in the neighbourhood turned the road into an ice hockey pitch and played for a bit until clouds rolled in later.

Wednesday, 2 January, 2008

Today was the first day since I arrived here last Friday that the sky was clear and the sun shone. There was still about 2 feet of snow around and the temperature hovered between -19 and -2ºC. While writing this at about 4:15 pm it was -15ºC.

I ventured outside to take some pictures and as usual had to dress up with boots, longs and a coat. I left the gloves off and wished I hadn't. I didn't stay outside longer than I had to. This is something I'm not accustomed to - when it's cold here it's cold, and it stays cold! Inside the heater keeps the temp at a pleasant 19ºC and we walk around in shorts and tee shirts.

At about 4:30 I joined my nephew on his newspaper route. He delivers to 3 apartment blocks around the corner. A brisk walk outside was what I needed after being inside virtually all day.

Tuesday, 1 January 2008 - New Year's Day

Hello, and a very happy New Year.

I started the day blowing the 15 cm of snow which fell last night off the driveway and side walk. My brother in law thought I'd like to try my hand at using the petrol driven snow blower - I didn't refuse. A neighbour and I cleared the snow of our elderly next door neighbour's drive just because it's a good thing to do and if they should need to get out for any reason. How thoughtful some Canadians are. I say 'some' because another guy here parked his pickup in the little circle and it was in the way when the snow plough came through to clear the road, and he didn't even come out to move it despite the driver hooting and revving the plough engine. You always get one!

We had a delayed Christmas lunch at home today. Delayed because I couldn't make it out before Christmas because of my stomach bug and my sister worked the 24th, 25th and 26th. I made another trifle. Getting a bit sick of trifle now. :-)
After lunch we went for a drive to a nearby village St. Mary's just for the hell of it and went for a walk (also for the hell of it I think) along an old railway bridge over the Thames River which has been converted to a walking trail. The wind blowing down the river made the temp at least -10. It was freezing, but we all had boots, hats, gloves and coats so our bodies were warm, but faces frozen. They said they wouldn't normally go out in such cold. It snowed quite a bit last night and this morning. Everything looks very pretty, but with it comes hard work, like blowing the snow from the driveway, pavement and some people even do the road outside their houses. I was shown again how to use the petrol snow blower to do outside their place. I suppose to get the feeling??!!?? I was sweating after I'd finished.  

Most people have Christmas lights on their porches and shrubs. The little conifer in the pic on the right is outside the front door. The lights glowing through the snow makes it look quite ethereal. I've seen some little sparrows in the shrubs outside our house. The cat stands at the window looking at them with great interest. We're going snow tubing one of these days, and skating again because I have to master it before I leave here. What's so strange about the snow to a tropical inhabitant like myself is that it's always around in winter, and it's always cold. Not like home when it snows in the Berg or other high lying areas once in a while then melts a few days later. THIS IS EVERY DAY for about 5 months. It does warm up (warm up???) a bit apparently, but not far above 0ºC and some of the snow melts, but there's always some around. I'm looking forward to bed tonight. Had a busy day - snow blowing, and walking in the cold...