Friday, January 22, 2010

Concise Description of Winter ( an email sent around)

We've most likely seen this one before,but it's a Concise Description & Feeling of Winter ......as someone writing home about their new homeland, Something we all can relate too,I'm sure:  " Comic Relief" from our recent topics......

December 20th:- Its started to SNOW! The first of the season & the first we've seen for years. The wife & I took our hot toddies & sat on the porch watching the fluffy soft flakes drift gently down clinging to the trees and covering the ground. Its so beautiful & peaceful. How lucky we are to have moved from the south to the Highlands of Scotland .

December 24th:-We awoke to a lovely blanket of crystal white glistening snow covering the fabulous landscape. Just what we always dreamed Scotland would be like. What a fantastic sight, every tree and bush covered with a beautiful white mantle. I shovelled snow for the first time ever and loved it! I did both our driveway and our pavement. Later a snowplough came along and accidentally covered up our driveway with compacted snow from the street. The driver smiled & waved. I waved back and shovelled it away again.

December 26th:-It snowed an additional 5 inches last night and the temperature dropped to around -8c.Several branches on our trees & bushes snapped off due to the weight of snow. I shovelled our driveway again. Shortly afterwards the snowplough came by & did his trick again, much of the snow is brownish-grey with yellow patches!

January 1st:- Warmed up enough during the day to create some slush, which soon became ice when the temperature dropped again. Bought snow tyres for both our cars. Fell on my arse in the drive, nothing broken but £100 to a Physio. More snow & ice expected.

January 5th:-Still cold. Sold the wifes car and bought her a Landrover to get her to her work.. She slid into a wall and did considerable damage to the right wing. Had another 8 inches of the white shit last night. Both vehicles are covered in salt, iced up slush, locks are frozen solid and wiper blades are stuck to the screens. More shovelling in store for now. The bastard snowplough came by twice today.

January 9th:-More f----ing snow! Not a bush or tree on our property that has not been damaged. Power was off for most of the night. Tried to keep from freezing to death with candles and a paraffin heater which tipped over and nearly burnt the house down.. I managed to put the flames out but lost all my eyelashes and eyebrows and suffered second degree burns to my hands. (Car hit a f----ing deer on the way to the hospital and was written off.)

January 13th:-F----ing bastard white sh-- keeps on coming down. Have to but on all the clothes we own just to get to the post box. If I ever catch that arsehole that drives the f----ing snowplough Ill chew open his chest and rip out his heart with my teeth. I think he hides round the corner and waits for me to finish shovelling and then comes down the road at 100mph and buries the f----ing driveway again.

January 17th:-16 more f----ing inches of f----ing snow and f----ing sleet and f----ing ice and god knows what other kind of white sh-- fell last night.. I managed to wound that bastard of a snowplough driver with an ice-axe but he got away. F----ing car wont start. I think Im going snow-blind. I cant move my f----ing toes, I think its frostbite. Havent seen the sun in weeks. More f----ing snow forecast. Temperature -20 degrees C.

F--- this Im moving to A ustralia !

12 comments:

john allison said...

I would comment, but can hardly see thru the tears. It gets funnier, the more I read it...As the saying goes; Been there, done that!"

Les F said...

Yup, I agree Winston, & I do not miss it one bit........ hahahahaha HF&RV Been ther done that ,got the winter coat.

john allison said...

Amen to that!!!!!

Diane Roberts said...

It was sure great when we were kids though! Remember sliding down the staircase on a piece of cardboard and plowing into the snowbank at the bottom. Digging tunnels in the snowbanks, following the snowplough and skating, hanging on to the back of buses on Verdun Ave to get a quick skating trip to the parks. Snowball fights, shovelling the balcony...especially good if someone was on the lower level! Yes, I was a little devil at times, but I loved every minute of it and I bet all of you did too!...Diane

john allison said...

Great childhood memories indeed. Did all that and more!!!! Can't complain, that is for sure.

Robin Turner said...

Back in the late 40s and early 50s the snow banks didn't get taken away as quickly as they do today. I can remember walking along the tops of the snowbanks on Willibrord as I walked to school. It was a lot more fun than walking on the plowed sidewalk. Also, when the sidewalks were plowed, it never got right down to the pavement. In the spring all of the kids would be out with their father's axes chopping up the ice and throwing the chunks out into the street. Miss all the snow now that I'm in southern Ontario. Right now the grass in tha yard is green.

Brian Gearey said...

Diane Is that why you moved to Australia to get away from the snow ? Brian

Diane Roberts said...

No Brian, it was to get away from the political problems of the time. We made the "big" move in Sept 1974 with a 10 & 12 year old, 4 suitcases & adventure in our hearts. Loved Montreal and knew we had to move away as far as possible to avoid the temptation to move back! Did that once to Toronto and headed back home 18 months later!. We visit every 2 or 3 years and have noticed big changes over the years. Still get tears in my eyes & a lump in my throat standing on Ste Catherine looking up University St at the Cross on the mountain...just a sentimental ole gal!....Diane

Les F said...

Another good view of the Cross on the mountain is from McGill College & Saint Catherine .......an easy image to remember when thinking of Montreal..Good recall Diane........thanks for the memory prompt...
HF&RV

Brian Gearey said...

We left in February 76 for a lot of the same reasons.I had been Chief of Security at Sidbec Dosco and was laid off due to fininacal reasons Company lost 10 million dollars.Had to find a job so we moved to Saskatoon Sk,we were thinking of Australia but I didn't have the guts to do it.we eventually moved to Winnipeg and if we had the money in the first couple of years we would have moved back to Montreal.I love Montreal and am so heartbroken at how they ruined the beautiful place and made me move from there. Brian

Diane Roberts said...

Richard returned to Montreal to visit his parents after 6 years in Australia ( could only afford his ticket) and we all went back as a family after 8 years. Life has been good to us in Australia and we've been fortunate to have travelled the world...South America, Africa, Asia, Europe, Scandanavia and of course, regular trips to Montreal, the rest of Canada & the States. Bit of a dream come true for a girl from Third Ave Verdun! I know what you mean about having the guts, as we often can't believe we ever found the courage to make such a big move....guess it was just crazy and impulsive youth! That said, Montreal still carries a special place in my thoughts and you'll never take the Verdun out of this ole gal!....Diane

Les F said...

I agree . it's a great place to be from. and the memory's are fun to recall,but the Westcoast is my home & it's been fairly good to this kid from Verdun. HF&RV