Tuesday, January 30

Red polls have been visiting our feeders -- and can they eat! Apparently they have a very small volume in relation to their surface area and have to eat all the time.

Other less welcome visitors are squirrels who have discovered how to get at the food. They swing the feeder dislodging seed which makes a huge mess on the deck underneath. The tiny red ones are cute, but not the fat black one. Ivan the cat is dispatched outside to deal with the problem, but soon wants in. He prefers to watch the birds from the comfort of an easy chair --"Chickadee TV" as Bill calls it.

Last week the weather was lovely -- sunny and bright but cool enough that the snow did not melt. This week there is a change -- yesterday a warm front with freezing rain and rain, today a cold front has sprinted through bringing high winds and some snow. Tomorrow is to be sunny again -- good as we have to go to Ottawa for my cast to be removed. I am looking forward to actually experiencing the lovely winter, and not just looking at it out of the window.

Wednesday, January 16 4 pm

Here is a view of the pristine new snow -- with the road and the apple tree in the background. The steps lead off our deck.

Wednesday, January 16

Here is a view from my study window during the fog and rain.

Tuesday, January 15

A nice sunny day today -- I would love to go for a walk, but not for a while. Long, long talk with Eleanor -- it was like she had come over for a cup of tea. The modern phone service is wonderful -- and very very cheap.

Excitement at the feeder. A small red squirrel found it and did a reconnoitre, first slipping and sliding along the top snowy rail supporting the roof structure -- and the feeder. He could not figure out how to get to the feeder from up above, so went down the maple tree beside the deck to the equally snowy lower railing and leapt deftly up to the feeder. I opened the french door a crack -- frightening Squirrel who threw himself at the trunk of the maple tree and landed spreadeagled but safe...

Monday, January 14

We had several days of semi-bare land, with the roads, laneways and some fields -- especially towards Perth -- almost free of snow. Apparently it was not quite as clear up in the Laurentians, as Aidan reported that his driveway is still icy.

The construction debris was starting to show through the snow here on our property, so it was a good thing that it snowed all today! Bill went down to Ferguson Falls with Andrew to cut out dead trees for sale as firewood. They have hired a skidder for the day, so got a lot done. Bill seemed fine after a full day's work, but sore!

With my cast still on my foot, I was not going anywhere, and sat at home looking out of the window. Finally the birds have discovered the feeders, and are munching away enthusiastically. Lots of chicakees and a couple of white-breasted nuthatchs. Ivan the cat is very excited and rushs from window to window stalking them all. Not keen to go out in the snow however, but at least he is getting some exercise.

Wednesday, January 9

Gale force winds blew today -- adding to the great variety of weather we are having.

The winds averaged about 60 km/h, with gusts up to 90 km/h -- caused by a rapidly intense low pressure system that brought rain -- and a short period of thunder and lightning! We have sure had it all lately. The winds were caused by a cold front coming in to displace all the warmish weather we have been having.

I would certainly be nervous about walking in the woods today -- and Bill sensibly decided to stay home and not go out cutting trees down for firewood, when he could not be sure where the tree might fall, as well as danger from falling limbs and indeed whole trees.

I have actually watched a tree fall -- on a canoe trip in Algonguin Park. I was ambling along a portage, with Bill striding ahead carrying the canoe. I heard an ominous creak and looked around. About 25 m off in the bush, I could see a tree swaying in the calm, still forest, noticing that it was not swaying my way. I watched it fall with great interest...

"Are you OK?" shouted Bill when he heard the crash. According to him, I should have run away as soon as I saw the tree start swaying. "I was in no danger," I argued, "and it was absolutely fascinating". We started back down the trail to collect the rest of our gear from the lake head. Round the corner, about 20 m from where I had been standing watching, we came across the tree -- lying right acros the pathway. Maybe Bill has a point...

Tuesday January 8

The temperature has soared, with periods of rain, and there has been a dense fog for two days -- almost all flights cancelled at Ottawa Airport. The driveway is reappearing and bacteria are hard at work in the septic system -- which has a bare patch over it. There are more birds about -- a blue jay just flew past, and hope Bill can get my bird feeders up today.

Sunday, January 7

We stayed over at Irenes and went to church this morning at our old parish, St. Lukes. I do enjoy our new parish, St. James in Perth, but realized also how much I miss the fellowship of the much smaller parish in Ottawa, especially the choir, of which I was a member. I lived 50 yards from St. Lukes and was always late for practice -- now I live 30 km from St. James, I am always early! Go figure!

The temperature is on the rise, and on the way home earth melded with sky as billions upon billions of minute water droplets escaped their snowy grave and flew heavenwards, forming a blanket of mist, which was becoming denser and foggier by the time we got home.

Saturday January 6

Off to Ottawa again, this time to a party at Irene's. The forecast was for flurries, but no snow at all until I was putting on my eye liner. It started snowing gently and by the time we set off it was snowing quite briskly, which it continued to do all the way in. So much for flurries, the roads were slippery, the snow relentless, and Bill questioned what we were doing out in it -- but had no intention of turning back - he is a Canadian after all!

The party was fun and the cooling of beer and wine innovative -- as we would have said in the government. A large drift came half-way up Irene's patio door, so you opened it to find various drinks sticking out of the snow.

Friday, January 4

The total snowfall this winter -- and this is early January -- is 193.2 cm, 223 per cent more than normal and not far from the average of 235.7cm. In a normal year, almost two-thirds of the annual winter snowfall comes after the first of January. Thus if we have had only two-thirds of our snow, we could beat the record snowfall of 1970-71 -- 435.36cm. (Information from the Ottawa Citizen).

In other words it is very snowy, even by Canadian standards. And snowy winters are becoming rarer, due to climate change, and many people are happily enjoying this "good old-fashioned winter" .

Thursday, January 3

Bill and I went off to Ottawa on a cold, crisp, brilliant day with snow that crunched under my cast boot, and stil hung in the fir trees and temperatures 20 below. The doctor pronounced my bunion operation to have resulted in a perfect foot -- and only four weeks before the cast can come off.

Driving back Bill remarked that it was just like driving in the sunken lanes of England -- we could hardly see anything in many places, due to the high snow banks along the road -- all pushed back onto the wide shoulders characteristic of Canadian highways.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Not content with giving us the snowiest December ever, Mother Nature is dumping more on us today -- all day it has been snowing! The view is from my window -- wild!