These Boots Are Made For Walking

 

It's been a week of weather warnings here. Temperatures up and down around 0'C (freezing point). Strong winds and precipitation varying between snow and rain (and sometimes both at the same time). Streets and walkways covered with a treacherous mix of snow, slush and ice. Cancelled trains and various traffic problems and accidents.

Monday through Wednesday I just stayed in (and was thankful to be able to do so - thinking of all working people who don't have that option). Wednesday was laundry day for me anyway, but while my last load was in the drying cabinet (3-4 pm) I had hoped to perhaps manage a short walk to the nearest postbox (someone's birthday coming up...) I actually gave it a try and dressed to go out - but changed my mind almost immediately after turning round the corner of my building... The winds were more capricious than it had seemed from indoors, and the streets also too icy/slushy.

On Thursday I had a delivery of groceries coming around noon. Three weeks since my last delivery, so quite a lot to unpack and store. I'm still thankful every time for the possibility to order online and just have things delivered, though. (Ten years since this service was introduced here by "my" supermarket; and I've been a regular customer ever since.)

In the afternoon, I did manage that walk to the postbox, though. Still not a very enjoyable one (streets still icy and slushy), but the wind had subsided, the streets were more wet than slippery, and it was neither raining nor slowing.

During the night to today it snowed again. I ventured out for a short walk in the cemetery before noon. I do walk a lot slower in snow, so turned round by the chapel in the middle of the grounds. Still took me about the same time as a full lap round the whole enclosure does in normal weather.

"These boots are made for walking..." ♫

(Winter footwear has been discussed on more than one blog lately...)

Winter Again

Winter this year seems to be having an identity crisis: It keeps jumping back and forth between grey and rainy - sunny and bare - dramatic snowstorms - sunny and white... 

Thursday: No snow, and the river like a mirror...

Friday: Snowstorm

Yesterday (Friday) we had a proper snowstorm going on. I woke up to a message from my supermarket saying that "if you have ordered a home delivery from us today, you may expect delays due to the weather". However, I turned out to be among the first customers in my "time slot" (10-13), and received my goods shortly after 10 am. (As I live rather close to the supermarket from where I order, I tend to be either at the top or the bottom of the list.) So personally I could just let myself be snowed in for the rest of the day quite comfortably. But messages from the local newspaper kept popping in all day about various kinds of traffic chaos. For at least half the day, all the buses within the city were also cancelled. (What people did who really had to get across town, for work or whatever, I don't know!)

It seems to me that in spite of all our modern technology, we keep getting worse rather than better at dealing with the white stuff inevitably falling from the sky sometimes in winter...

Saturday

 

Today, with the sun shining, the snow just lay there, fresh and innocent-looking, like saying: "Really, I don't know what you're all getting so frazzled about..." (Photos from a midday slow walk around the nearby cemetery.)

Afternoon photo from my balcony. According to the weather forecasts, more snow on its way for tomorrow...

 

Snowstorm

 

The first week of 2023 has offered very tricky winter weather, causing trouble for both drivers and pedestrians. Snow-rain-slush-ice-snow etc in a never-ending loop... While I normally try to get out daily for at least a short walk, there have been days lately when I've chosen to stay in all day (some days not even venturing out as far as the garbage bins at the corner of the building). Today was one of those days. The photo above was zoomed in from one of my windows at 11:24 am - and HDR-edited a bit to try and bring out the fact that there was a very dense snowfall going on. What's harder to show is that it was also snowing "horizontally" rather than vertically... i.e. combined with very strong winds...

After having kept on snowing all afternoon, it seems to have stopped now, but still no snowplough has been round (in my street, which is a side street). I suppose they've been busy enough on the main roads... Tomorrow it's supposed to turn to rain - which probably means icy slush, and another day of just staying in. 

Although I sigh a little about being snowed in - in the sense of not getting out for my daily exercise - I'm at the same time thankful to be in the fortunate position of not having to go out in weather like this. Since several years I'm in the habit of ordering groceries online with home delivery every fortnight (or so). This week, with Thursday being Twelfth Night, and today, Friday, the "Thirteenth Day of Christmas" and a holiday (Epiphany), I had scheduled my grocery delivery for Wednesday, and got everything then that I need for a week or two. Before New Year I  also stocked up on my usual medicines etc. Moreover: Heating, electricity, water, WiFi, phone, TV, computer etc are all working where I live... And, living in a rented flat, it's also not my job to get rid of the snow outside. So personally, I really haven't got much to make a fuss about!!