The days have been getting longer, the sun a bit warmer and several times over the past month the snow has all vanished. But winter is not yet over; not by a long shot! Intense flurries on Thursday and Friday dropped about 12 centimetres of snow and then the really cold winds came late Friday. Early Saturday morning the temperature dropped to minus 28 degrees C, a record for the date here, and then to minus 29 degrees C this morning, also a record for the date. Last year was colder in February but not on these particular days.
It was the kind of cold which makes the snow squeak as you walk on it and your nose feel sticky as you breeze. But it has been sunny which makes it much easer to take. The cold made it difficult to take pictures when outdoors, but here are a few:
The latest snow was a blessing in disguise because it added a bit of protection to the bonsai, bulbs, fruit trees and other plants that we are overwintering outside in pots under a bed of leaves.
If you look carefully, you can see what appears to be steam rising above the water in the bay in the distance. It was a result of the bitterly cold winds on Saturday morning passing over the relatively warm water. At several points in the day you could observe snow clouds on the other side of the bay where the wind drove the moisture. By this morning (Sunday), the bay was fully ice covered.
Saturday morning, when the wind was strong, it was not wise to spend much time outdoors. But a 5 year old and his grandpa really wanted to get outside so we did after the winds lessened in the afternoon.
After the walk way was cleared of snow we ventured out to the pond which was now frozen solid. Charlie, although a house dog in Toronto, loved being out in the cold
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