Monday, February 17, 2014

ROBBLOG #528

So, this dastardly winter continues.
 
Almost March and no break from the piles of snow along our street or the streets throughout Orillia. Driving is still treacherous and walking not much better. On days when one is able to venture outdoors, the wind chill relentlessly bites at your nose and cheeks.
It’s no fun.
 
This winter weather has such extremes. Biggest floods in decades in Britain. Snow in Hong Kong and Japan. Drought in California and South America.
What gives?
 
Yesterday I read it’s the warming of the Arctic causing all this cold. I don’t profess to understand it all. Apparently the Arctic is feeling the effects of global warming faster than the rest of us and consequently it’s affecting our weather driving huge and winter storms and cold temperatures our way. However, I am not blaming it all on the Arctic. Many of our storms this winter have come from Texas. Yes, the Texans shall not go blameless. They have caused some of this snow accumulation and they’ve even has had their share of snow.
Payback.
 
So, what have I been doing to pass the winter days?
I’ve been dreaming of warmer climes- even a few degrees warmer.
Recently, I have been checking out Sidney, British Columbia. A community just a bit north- 20 minutes or so, of Victoria BC on the southern tip of Vancouver Island. Actually, Victoria International Airport is right in Sidney’s back yard.
How convenient!
The small downtown is charming with a gaggle of shops and services.
The ocean with its Orcas and Dolphins is magical and weather-wise the chance of snow is very slim. Plus, it’s still Canada so we don’t have to live amongst American propaganda- if we choose not to which is a good thing no matter where you live in Canada.
 
 
So, what’s not to like about Sidney?
It’s a smallish community with a lot of retirees.
The winters are short.
There can be a lot of cloud and rain but rarely any snow. I’ll bet they keep a plow in mothballs- just in case.
 
Years ago, I remember hearing that Victoria- the capital, had only one snowplow and on the odd occasion when they had to deal with a few centimetres of the white stuff they threw off the canvas tarp, gassed it up and took it for a spin around a few downtown streets.
 
Recently, I chatted with a Bell Mobility employee about the weather when I was switching my mobile account to Rogers. Bell was doing a good job, it’s just that a corporate family plan was available from Rogers so, my husband wanted me to switch companies. Anyway, the personable young lady was very helpful at Bell. As she closed my account, I had the opportunity to ask where she was located.
She told me Victoria.
This was a day after we had received mega snow and our temperatures were less than warming.
I told her what our weather was like that particular day.
She seemed surprized.
She told me she had to scrape some frost off her car windshield one morning recently- before she drove to work.
It sounded like a bit of a hardship.
How do Victorians get through a winter like that?
My heart ached for her.
Such a hardship.
 
So, with this awful, relentless winter I have been looking at western climes as I am sure many other Eastern Canadians have been doing. I am ready to pull up stakes and leave our hard winters behind. Now, I just have to convince my Tom, who hasn’t completely warmed to the idea when I speak of it- although he looks at the photos and the real estate pages with me.
He’s still needs to be defrosted.
 
That reminds me.
I need to pick up some more de-icing salt for the walkways.
 
Happy shovelling!