Eldest asked me the other day which of our seasons was the longest. I told him that the four seasons are split up into three months each (please tell me where in the world that actually applies. I remember one "Spring" in Ottawa when we had a 30C heatwave in May and Summer began). Then I had him count the months in this Winter season. The snow started in November and it is now April. He decided that Winter must be our longest season and I would have to agree on him. Despite the fact that March and April are hard because I am longing for more warmish sunshine (this year we had some gorgeous bright blue days with diamond snow and the best sliding in our back yard that we've ever had so this wasn't a bad year sun wise) and spring green on the grass, I don't think I could live somewhere full-time that doesn't actually experience clear seasons.
In 1996 DH and I went to Barbados for our honeymoon (pre-honeymooon actually as we went in May and got married in July. We were posted to Cold Lake, AB three weeks after our wedding, I was starting the field placement of my Masters program in September in St. John's; there was really no other time to go on a honeymoon. Mudder thought a honeymoon before the wedding was eminently sensible. She said something to the effect of going and having a good time and, if you didn't like the guy, you had time to dump him before it was official. Such a sensible woman! Considering what a witch I am in heat and humidity and that Barbados experienced both during our two week visit, it's a wonder that her plan didn't backfire and he dumped me on the way home instead! But, I digress…). Each morning one of us would get of bed, throw open the curtains and announce the weather with satisfaction during the initial few days.
Day one: "Blue sky, one cloud on the horizon."
Day two: "Blue sky, one cloud on the horizon."
Day three: "Blue sky, one cloud on the horizon."
Day four…and so on.
Frankly, it got a little boring. Don't get me wrong. Barbados is an island paradise and I hope to return some day. Warm aquamarine waters, lush foliage, white sandy beaches, the 'Highland' area reminiscent of the Scottish highlands plus palm trees, you get the idea. It is an idyllic place. But when you're used to living somewhere where if you don't like the weather you can wait a minute for it to change, the Barbadian weather was a wee bit, dare I say, monotonous?
Back to the reality of weather in our fair area of province of Newfoundland and Labrador during the Winter of 2013-2014 where we scored very high in snow fall (loved that!), the white stuff has officially taken a beating.
The melt had already started by the time I took these pictures, believe it or not.
It took one and a half days for the majority of the snow to go. There are likely a few small patches of snow underneath the shaded areas of thick trees but out in the open, the earth is once more exposed.
One fantastic thing about a heavy winter snow is that all that white stuff offers such a wonderful insulated layer for the plants underneath. That has been a worry for me the previous winters as our lawn especially gets harsh treatment from the salty winter gales. These leaves introduce our first batch of tulips, a rather pitiful bunch of 15 or so but still...
In 1996 DH and I went to Barbados for our honeymoon (pre-honeymooon actually as we went in May and got married in July. We were posted to Cold Lake, AB three weeks after our wedding, I was starting the field placement of my Masters program in September in St. John's; there was really no other time to go on a honeymoon. Mudder thought a honeymoon before the wedding was eminently sensible. She said something to the effect of going and having a good time and, if you didn't like the guy, you had time to dump him before it was official. Such a sensible woman! Considering what a witch I am in heat and humidity and that Barbados experienced both during our two week visit, it's a wonder that her plan didn't backfire and he dumped me on the way home instead! But, I digress…). Each morning one of us would get of bed, throw open the curtains and announce the weather with satisfaction during the initial few days.
Day one: "Blue sky, one cloud on the horizon."
Day two: "Blue sky, one cloud on the horizon."
Day three: "Blue sky, one cloud on the horizon."
Day four…and so on.
Frankly, it got a little boring. Don't get me wrong. Barbados is an island paradise and I hope to return some day. Warm aquamarine waters, lush foliage, white sandy beaches, the 'Highland' area reminiscent of the Scottish highlands plus palm trees, you get the idea. It is an idyllic place. But when you're used to living somewhere where if you don't like the weather you can wait a minute for it to change, the Barbadian weather was a wee bit, dare I say, monotonous?
Back to the reality of weather in our fair area of province of Newfoundland and Labrador during the Winter of 2013-2014 where we scored very high in snow fall (loved that!), the white stuff has officially taken a beating.
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One fantastic thing about a heavy winter snow is that all that white stuff offers such a wonderful insulated layer for the plants underneath. That has been a worry for me the previous winters as our lawn especially gets harsh treatment from the salty winter gales. These leaves introduce our first batch of tulips, a rather pitiful bunch of 15 or so but still...
We are heavy into the RDF (that's 'Rain Drizzle and Fog' for you CFAs) portion of the early Spring season here now and that's okay by all of us. No more snowsuits. We have moved into winter coats and rubber boot season with the occasional reality smack down from Mother Nature like this past week when we had flurries and freezing rain. No spring in this province would be complete without them!
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