A Cold Front Is Expected.

A wintry tale...

The gossip mill has foretold a temperature of minus 19 this weekend. Bob's in a panic and making me wash all his long johns and other warm undies while I'm rather looking forward to a cozy bit of reading in front of the oven after possibly braving a walk, but this time with ear muffs.

Minus 19 is more Denmark's territory but in a way rather exciting too. These sort of temperatures make it worthwhile, you know, the extra few layers of winter fat we've accumulated. Constant pecking seems to be the order of the day and everything does taste nicer too.

So far we've not had any snow except for a sprinkling once before Christmas and as odd as it sounds, it is too cold for snow. Some icy layers on the lawns tend to emulate a layer of snow, but as soon as the sun's awake, it melts away. There are the odd puddles on the lanes which are now of course mini ice rinks.

Driving and parking a car in these cold times is rather fun and who'd have thought, not for the faint of heart. Handbrakes tend to freeze when it's so cold and trying to pull or take it off can give you a scare...it feels like the cable is made of rubber. So, we ( at least one of us! ) just don't use it.

Easy when you can find a level parking space but yikes when you can't. We travel with bricks and logs to put under our tyres, just in case. Hill starts sans handbrake...yes, flash back to getting my driver's license. Those inspectors do have a way of finding the only traffic light in town that has a steep incline in front of it.

As this is a long weekend again, make sure that you've got a good book to read, a cozy couch and enough food in your larder. For us southern hemisphere types, a minus 19 cold spell is the most exciting adventure out.

Biggi