Entering the Ice Age

I got an email today saying “soon you will be posting snow photos”. Help. Yes, most likely I will. But I don’t want to think about it. Not just yet…

Frosty morning lawn in the park

Not that one is allowed to forget. We’ve had frost at least five nights in a row now. Sunny days in between, but still... It’s getting cold.

Sunrise over frosty football field

I’ve been having an inefficient and indecisive kind of weekend, or at least so it feels. Haven’t really been in the mood for “doing” much, and on top of that, the things that most need “doing” are indoor things, while we’re still having the kind of weather that says: “A day like this should not be wasted indoors! You should be outside!” On the other hand there is only so much one can do outdoors this time of year, except  keep walking; because it’s too cold to sit still. And there is a limit to how long I can keep walking, as well!

Yesterday I thought I’d combine the walking with some potential shopping. So I walked to a shopping mall that I don’t visit all that often. I kind of regretted the idea when I got there, because this is what I found:

Christmas decorations! Please. We still have three weeks to go to Halloween!!!

I did walk around for a while but ended up buying nothing, except a packet of paper tissues which I could just as well have bought anywhere. And a hot dog and diet coke to give me the energy to get myself back home (by bus). I should have known. Big shopping malls usually do that to me.

After deciding yesterday that there was nothing I wanted to buy; today I found myself walking into town and buying a pair of knee high leather boots.

There are persistent rumours lately (last repeated to me by the shop assistant who sold me these) that this is going to be the coldest winter in one thousand years.

How can anyone possibly know that? And how does that fit in with the global warming?

When I got home, I followed instructions and gave the new boots a recommended dose of spray-on waterproofing, out on the balcony. Maybe that will help adjust nature’s balance...

Defrosting

They say that when there are lots of Rowan berries, it is going to be a cold and snowy winter...

Today, however, Nature and I are defrosting. There was no frost when I looked out of my window this morning. But at noon it was still just around 7-8°C outside and cloudy, and I decided to tick one thing off my to-do-list: Defrost the freezer.

So right now, all my frozen food is packed tightly together in bags on the balcony, while I'm listening anxiously to the sounds of cracking melting ice inside my freezer. Or rather, I'm waiting for those sounds to stop. I daren't open the door to check until it's gone quiet, because I'm counting on a kind of defrosting diaper thingy to do the worst part of the job for me. I've used it (a similar one) before and it was like a miracle. So I'm hoping for a repeated miracle, and no flood on the kitchen floor.

But of course, as soon as I put my food outside, the sun decided to come out of the clouds again and shine on my balcony. Which I normally would not object to, this time of year - but right now I kind of wish it would go and hide again, just for a couple of hours longer...

Now if you'll excuse me... I think I'll have to go out into the kitchen and put my ear against that door...

First Frost

This morning I woke up and found that we had had the first really frosty night. My camera-dog started barking (if you did not understand that, you have not read yesterday's post) and we went for an early walk, about 8.15 a.m. Half an hour and 30 pictures... This one is a straight-from-the-camera shot.

Today at DawnTreader's Picture Book I signed up for Wordless Wednesday, and am showing a series of pictures from the autumn market last Friday.