Six icicles

Taken in an Ottawa ice storm in early December. Here are more from the same storm posted in December.

Frost Bite(s)

There are advantages to having old-fashioned unsealed windows. On really cold mornings you wake up to a display of fractal art on your window. These patterns appeared on this typist's window on Saturday morning when the temperature was a chilly -17C.

Red Dawn III

Because it's there.

Does snow glow?

It seemed to under the street light the other night. Used a tripod here and shot slow (1 sec f4).

The shiny bits are a thin sheen of ice caused by sun warming the snow's surface enough to melt it slightly before nightfall when temperatures plummeted, leaving the shiny patches.

Cluster berries II

Think of them as therapy for SAD

More fun with frost

We know that no two snowflakes are alike but all have six sides or points. So why is frost so inconsistent? You have lines and streaks, then a thick covering like snow, clusters of broccoli florets and tiny flakes all on their own. There are bubbles, amoebas, continental land masses and Florida.

And all of this appeared in one small patch of window.

Baby, it's cold outside!

Here is a shot of my front window this morning after the temperature took a nose dive into real winter. With the windchill, it was reported to be -30C. But the frost on the window tells the story better the numbers. It almost has the appearance of a mountain peak shrouded in cloud.

Shovelling and shovellers

A recent snowfall sent the typist out to shovel. And as she bullied the slushy sludge into submission, she got to thinking about shovelling and shovellers. Here are some thoughts on the different types of shoveller.

1. The civil engineer shoveller.
Approaches a snow-filled driveway with a mental blue print. Assesses depth, width and length of snow-to-be-shovelled and then calculates most efficient effort-to-snow removal ratio.

2. The why-didn't-I-buy-that-snow blower-when-it-was-on-sale-last-winter shoveller.
Lapses into seasonal denial about the existence of winter and naively spends money on barbeques, lawn care products and flowers, only to rue the day when the snow arrives. Full of self-loathing.

3. Protestant work ethic shoveller. Sees snow, finds shovel and gets to work. No complaints or moaning here. No enjoyment either.

4. Catholic guilt shoveller. Performs as fastidiously as Protestant brethren, but is motivated by worries about what will happen if they don't shovel. After all, someone could slip and hurt themselves.

5. The woe-is-me shoveller. Takes the snow storm personally. Regards shovelling as yet another cross to bear. Always overestimates the amount of snow which has fallen. Sighs heavily and often.

6. The clean freak shoveller Makes sure every last flake is obliterated no matter how severe the storm. Judgmental of slobs who fail to live up to these standards.

7. Trailer Park Boy shoveller. Like Rickey, they swear while shovelling "I effin' hate effin' winter. I effin' hate snow and I really effin' hate shovelling."

8. The Sergeant Major shoveller. Sees a snowstorm as an opportunity to teach the adolescent offspring a little something about the value of hard work. Provides rolling commentary on how much snow "we" used to get in the good old days and how kids back then weren't afraid of work.

9. Snow rage shoveller. Has propensity to throw beer bottles at plow just before it fills in mouth of a freshly shovelled driveway.

10. Cardio shoveller. Views a snowed-in driveway as an opportunity for endorphin release. Only stops to take heart rate. Does plenty of stretching before and after shovelling.

11. Snow blower envy shoveller. Covets neighbours' winter machines. Thinks size matters.

12. Smug snow blower owner shoveller. Occasionally gets shovel out to dust off front step and to feel like member of the snow-removing proletariat. Has no problem making friends with non-snow blowing neighbours.

Warm winter gets algae in mood

This typist is reliably informed by a phycologist that this algae is also being fooled by the wacky winter. It was spotted in an inland waterway on the South Shore of Nova Scotia early in January. Apparently algae should not be getting "in the mood" in January, but this bloom is showing reproductive signs such as its colour and swelling of pods which contain spores necessary for reproduction.

January? In Nova Scotia? Canada?

These shots were taken in Halifax, Nova Scotia on 11 January 2007. The typist who took the shots swears that Photoshop was not used to alter, enhance or advance the natural life cycle of these plants. It is the strange winter that has done this.

A rhododendron bud bursting into bloom?

Weeds blooming into flower?

Another shrub showing the it's first shoots of green?

Buds on trees?

More buds on trees?

Winter in bud

This rhododendron is coming out in full bud on 7 January 2007. It was spotted in Hubbards on the South Shore of Nova Scotia, a place not known for its January blossoms. But who knows what this warm winter bring?

Typist braves ice storm

A brutal ice storm moved into the Ottawa area last Friday, swathing nature in a frozen lacquer that trapped berries and branches in time, like precious amber. This typist did not dress warmly enough to go out and capture the moment, but it was worth the frozen fingers. Twigs, trees, automobiles and power lines also suffered at the hand of the cold, but if you got close it was other-worldly.