The snow flies and it is playtime! Even when it is flying sideways…
Brisk breeze
Monday was one of those days where venturing out required an extra layer or two and a scarf over the face. Icy needles. I wore sunglasses, not to look cool (that’s a given, I agree, sunglasses or no) but ‘cos I couldn’t find my snow goggles.
Scout was impatient to get out, seemed she was looking for something:
“Somewhere just around here…”“Nope! Gosh darn… let’s come back tomorrow?”
Ok. Tuesday was a bright blue sky and deep freeze day, very much the calm after the storm. We tracked into the woods, and we’d have probably done better with snowshoes, but made do breaking new trails and admiring small tracks.
Tracking a perfect wave
We’ve been more than happy to while away an hour or two most days in the woods. The blanket of sound-absorbing snow is comforting without being constraining, and the blasts of crisp air certainly refresh. We’re happily ensconced in the heart of a real winter, sometimes bitter, maybe (to some) bleak, but certainly beautiful. We will continue to enjoy it, in calm and/or storms and all, before looking forward to spring. As Scout always reminds us, winter, it’s perfect for playtime!
“Can’t find it, whatever it is, so we’ll keep coming back – ok?”
Ok! Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Not that much. Certainly not on Monday. An alleged billionaire started a new job, a second attempt at a position he has held before but mostly failed at. Maybe he’ll do better this time? I’m not sure he really wants it, since he keeps going on about Canada, something about wanting to join? I can understand that, as it’s pretty great here for all sorts of reasons. Maybe he can apply for citizenship after he’s finished/washed up once more? Don’t tell him – he’ll pout – but I doubt he’d get the warmest welcome…
Pretty great
Speaking of warm – what’s so great about the True North that causes the tangerine hued chap to cast covetous eyes on it? Could it be our wonderful winter? Maybe! We certainly have real winter at last – woo-hoo! Cue a Scout-like jump for joy – the end photo this week, one of our favourites!
A wolf in real winter (Scout, but you knew that)
Last Monday was quite cold, the sort of day that could frighten a wannabe strongman, send him scurrying indoors. (It takes more than a bit of chill to keep a real Canadian from heading out, so if he’s so keen to be a part of Canada, he’s going to have to toughen up…)
Troll hideout
Anyway, enough of avaricious/needy populists, wherever they might be lurking. On to more pleasant things. We enjoyed our Monday excursion into the woods, the first properly cold day of the year. Other than pausing for a photograph or two, we kept perfectly warm by keeping moving. It helped that the sun was out, with the winds fairly calm, so we could concentrate on admiring a sparkling white and blue day.
Winter! Woo-hoo!
The cold snap, or real winter, has stuck around and promises to be with us through the weekend and beyond. The windchills will diminish enough to make xc skiing a comfortable prospect – I like the cold, but didn’t want to let winter scour a layer of skin from my face as would have happened if we’d tried to ski this week. I’d end up looking like I’d had work done, some sort of weird face peel requiring orange makeup to plaster over the cracks. I don’t know about you, but I can’t quite imagine the necessary vanity to attempt that failed strongman look… Perhaps I could ski later today, another cold one, see what happens? Nah, we’ll stick to hiking speed for now, and embrace the bracing conditions.
The peeled look – ouch!
A big thank you to Jet for reminding me of the woo-hoo feeling winter can provide – it’s more than a simple distraction from what’s (not) going on more widely in the world – it’s actually the real stuff, the everyday delight that is there when I look for it, right where we are, right now. Shall we say it one more time? Why not – woo-hoo!
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Well, we did go xc skiing earlier this week, but I wouldn’t say we were brave…
Black diamond 55? Not that brave (not yet!)
A touch wobbly perhaps, given the course hadn’t been track set very recently, leading to a somewhat uncertain feel underfoot. Or is that under-ski?
Looks dangerous…
Other than the lack of reassuringly recent tracks to follow, we were very happy to be out on skis at last! Compared to our efforts at the start of last winter, we surprised ourselves and the (imaginary) watching hordes with our overall fitness and technique. Yup, we completed a couple of loops and didn’t fall over. A very low bar on very flat terrain, but one we cleared!
Flat, grey, chilly – but fun!
It was fun to be out and active on a chilly day where it could have been easy to take one look at the grey skies and think of something else to do… and anyway, doesn’t the beer taste better after? Maybe!
Maybe? Definitely!
We’re looking forward to getting out on skis a few more times, and, if the current medium term forecast is accurate, that shouldn’t be a problem from a snowfall perspective. Ne vous inquiétez pas, mes braves, nous reviendrons bientôt! Or something.
Ready to go again
Swift and brief this week, almost like an OldPlaidCamper on skis – thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Yeah, it’s definitely out there, it just took us a little while to find! Fortunately, with Scout and her reliable ability and enthusiasm to find most things, we tracked down the good stuff:
“Looking for winter? Follow me…”
After a mild period into the new year, temperatures have dropped, some snow has fallen – and there is a promise of more snow in the forecast – so winter might have arrived!
It might be getting wintry outside?
We checked on the snow conditions for xc skiing earlier in the week, aiming for a gentle start on the Plains of Abraham. We think it is almost good to go, likely Thursday (yesterday) or Friday (today – hooray!)
As we were right outside, we popped into the MNBAQ gallery to take another look at the Inuit exhibits on the top floor. Talk about finding winter! There are numerous wonderful creations on display, carved from basalt, serpentinite, bone, antlers and other materials. Each piece offers insight into a unique culture and community full of myths and stories situated in an amazing and challenging landscape. I particularly love the sculptures where animal/human identities are in transformation from one to another. So fluid, with such skill in their creation.
Bear shaman (by David Ruben Piqtoukun)
All the searching for winter can make a person hungry (and thirsty) so we simply had to have a late lunch at Le Billig, a Breton influenced crêperie located a steep and slippery walk down from the plains on Rue St. Jean. I wish I liked cider as much as I like beer or pancakes, because they offer an amazing range of Québécois ciders. Mrs. PC did her best, and I’m always happy with the Boréale IPA du Nord-Est!
Yum
And after that light(!) lunch, it was off to catch the fast bus home and get into the woods once more with Scout. If winter sticks around, we could get used to this!
Trolls live here – but we don’t feed ‘em!
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful winter weekend!
I hope you have enjoyed the festive season if that’s your thing. Now let’s extend a warm welcome to 2025 – and dream of a good year?! Nothing wrong with hoping so…
We’ve (I’ve) eaten more mince pies than is recommended, but as they contain fruit, it can’t be that bad, can it? Almost healthy! We’ve tried to get out and about in the rain and slush, but the rain and slush, sigh. Yes, slush more than snow, so our start to xc skiing this winter has been delayed…(although, as I write this, the sleet appears to be turning to snow?)
A slight delay to winter!
Ok, instead of skiing or snowshoeing, we’ve been making plans for the spring while we wait. Not much of a plan in terms of detail – it’s mostly, if spring is early, or even if it isn’t, the moment there is a proper thaw (assuming we get a proper winter) shall we, and how soon shall we, hit the road? We shall! As soon as possible! Yes! And will we be tenting along the way? No! We will not!
What’s that? No?! Not tenting? What’s going on, OldPlaidCamper? Good question. You’ll have (not) noticed the lack of tent photographs since late July 2024 and there’s a good – and shiny – reason for that. I’ve been meaning to tell you about our 2024 festive gift to ourselves, one we unwrapped many, many months ago. Why couldn’t we wait?! Here is why:
That’s not a tent!
Yes, we now have a tiny teardrop trailer. A bed on wheels with a small kitchen tucked in the back. The trailer body footprint is smaller than our last tent, yet it sleeps two adults and one medium dog in great comfort. Oh, the comfort. I like tenting, but I love waking up without the cold hard ground seeping into a sleeping bag even more. Turns out we quite like a little extra padding in our early middle age. That’s the mattress, not us. Well, mostly the mattress.
For comfort eating
So looking ahead, and once roads and high passes are clear, our plan is to set off with no specific destination in mind – but heading west to start – and see where we might go and what we might find. I’m guessing, in no particular order of preference but determined by geography, open roads, quiet rivers, pristine lakes, mighty mountains, woods and forests, rolling prairies, and some coastline – rocky beaches and sandy stretches. My mince pie beach body is ready. Oh, Canada – watch out, here we come!
Watch out, here we come!
Do you have any particular plans for the great outdoors, near or far, for the coming year? Would love to hear about them!
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
OldPlaidCamper 