The Snow Caught All Of Us By Surprise,

A white weekend.

Friday morning started off rather warmish, that being about zero, and not a bit of snow in sight. The all knowing Bob did suggest that I take a raincoat with me, but it didn't look like rain to me.

I should have known better as he is usually right ( psst, don't tell him ) and not even ten minutes into my walk the first drops started to change the colour of my jacket. Often that is the only way one notices rain. Anyway, I wasn't so much worried about the rain itself as more about what it would do to the lanes, coupled with wintry temperatures. Slippery slopes.

When Bob walked with me on Thursday he chose a walk in the forest and I thought, that I'd do the same to avoid the rain. Sans breadcrumbs I found my way home and am rather proud of it. Before you scoff, remember that Burgenland would be much better named Forestland. Forests everywhere and even on my short walk in it, a herd of deer gracefully crossed in front of me.

As I came out of the forest I met a local man tending to his beehives and as is normal, I stopped and chatted. The universe tends to send the little reminders rather promptly and timely. Lately yours truly had been shortening the distance walked not to mention the days.

Well, this local octogenarian walks 10 km each and every day, usually at 5 in the morning. He has done it most of his life, having been on border patrol way back when. By the way, his health is akin to a man thirty years his junior. No more excuses.

From the time I got home, it had continued to rain and when the temperature dropped a bit, the rain turned white and literally within two hours, the village was covered in snow...

It just kept falling and turning a dull wintry landscape into a magical winter wonderland. Later in the afternoon I had an appointment in Deutsch Schützen and braved driving in the snow. The roads were treacherous and hadn't been ploughed at all which had me inch along the main road in second gear and still feel the odd slip and slide.

When I got home it took me two attempts to get our chariot back into its garage as the little slope in front of our house didn't provide much grip. Talk about a wheel spin...

Biggi