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!
