OK, so again, this is a bit out of time sequence (only by about 4 weeks!) but I just HAD to write about this now.... today was my first day of REAL snowfall. And it was magical... truly.
When I was six and we lived in Canada for a bit I remember snow on the ground but I don't really have memories of it falling (I'm sure I was in it at some point but there's no clear memories) but today... today will stick in my mind forever!
I was sitting in class, having come in from a light icing-sugar dusting of what I was told was snow but really wasn't satisfying enough... looking out the window at the leaf-less trees and then, more suddenly than I'd expected it started snowing HARD! Bigger flakes were falling, like there was a wind pushing them to the ground, and then they started swirling in all directions and I was mesmerised. I paid very little attention to the class for about 10 minutes and instead just stared out the window with a big stupid grin on my face! Eventually, some classmates noticed and started laughing at me, telling me "its only snow" or "you'll get sick of it soon enough" ... and they're probably right, it will be hell to cycle in, its freezing cold and it will turn from this glorious white powder to black sludge before I know it... but for now, all I want to do is marvel.
I couldn't wait to get outside after class and I reckon it took me about 45 minutes to get home (not the usual 15) as I stopped every few seconds to take picture after picture of the same white landscape. I was also cycling at about 2m an hour because I didn't want to slip (there isn't a lot of grip left on the old girl's tyres :s). Although, for the uninitiated, I learned some valuable lessons today ... 1) cycling around with your mouth gaping open while its snowing will get you a gob full of condensation and 2) snow actually hurts when it gets in your eye! like rain, but more solid... so I'll be wearing sunnies or a cap or something from now on.
But this afternoon, nothing could dampen my spirits... not the uphill ride home, not the loss of feeling from cold in my fingers and toes, not the realisation that if the snow is starting this early its going to be a looooong winter. Today was just for enjoying.
So as soon as I got home I ran down the hall to find som friends and we ventured out for a walk. Stop: picture. Stop: snowball fight. Stop: pick snow up and throw in the air like a 5 year old! I was honeslty like a kid in a candy store... a frozen marshmallow candy store! And to top it off, before we came back inside we dare to drop on our backsides in the frozen ice and make snow angels :) like something out of a movie I tell ya! And in fact, that's what its felt like ... unreal, like I've just stepped inside the ice arena at home for a bit, or I'm on some reality TV show and there's a giant snow machine behind our guesthouse... but, if thats the case, I'm happy to play my part for now :)
Dutch I've learned: "Het is sneeuwing" = "It's snowing"
"Het sneeuwd" = "It snowed"
"Ik hou van sneeuw" = "I love snow!"
... you get the point!
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