To spring! There have been one or two days this past week where the air has felt almost warm, with a softness or mildness that is more than just strong sunshine on a cold winter day. Yes, I think spring might be right around the corner! (Let’s ignore the forecast for tomorrow – Thursday, at the time of writing – where it’s likely we’ll delight in a high of 1C and somewhere between 5-10 cm of snow. Nothing more than a seasonal blip…)
Seasonal (luckily, the maple wasnt too strong a flavour)
In recent days we’ve enjoyed a cup of coffee or two on the deck, wavering between do we need a jacket – yes we do – and/or we don’t really need a jacket, do we – yes, you really do. Give it another week or three, and maybe then lose the jackets.
There has been a steady increase in birdsong, along with the almost ceaseless sound of snowmelt and surface water dripping from roof tops and gurgling into drains. The edges of gradually reappearing grassy areas are showing just a hint or two of green as the sunshine melts the last of the ice banks.
Seasonal blip, maple drip
Goodness, have we time to finish the Easter chocolate before finding time to start cutting the lawn? (Lawn? Steady on, OldPlaidCamper – I think small patch of grass is closer to the mark. Lawn…)
What grass?
I’ll leave it here for now, feeling optimistic about spring as we look past the next few days towards a weekend and beyond that promises something positively balmy. In the meantime, where’s that jacket? And, oh no, the snow shovels?
What snow?
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Yup, we’ve been spring breakers, if by that, we are taking a break from spring. Or spring is taking a break – or yet to arrive – in Quebec!
I do like to say how much I like snow, so at the risk of sounding as if he doth protest too much, we’ve had plenty of snow and I doth like it!
Snow? It hath snowed!
We – I – was delighted to see the latest large dump of snow stick around this time. For most of March it has snowed on and off and melted almost as fast as it fell. This made walking in the woods somewhat challenging, with a thin topping of slush over another thin layer of ice, with a large layer of mud lurking underneath. Sounds like a spring break drinks order at a dubious beach bar.
Is the beach this way?
My Dad would have liked that. He used to drink whiskey and coke (yuck), always ordering it in a tall glass, lots of ice. I thought of him enjoying that slushy delight a few times when my foot post holed into the muck. Raised a smile as I wondered if my feet would stay dry…
So no spring break style weather for us, but at least the last round of snow fell through a colder patch. It stuck around on top of ground that was more frozen, making travel into the woods much easier. Hard to say who was happiest, me or Scout? Probably Scout by a nose!
“Not sinking in? I like it!”
If you’re on a spring break, I hope it’s going great for you, whatever the weather. Maybe order yourself a glass of something good? Tall glass, lots of ice?
I got the tall glass part right…
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
“Yeah, yeah, yeah – whatever! Let’s go – I think I can hear the sea!”
Like winter, I’ll be taking a break, but, unlike winter, I will return more fully next week. We’re away for a short while, off to celebrate a friend’s 60th (huh?!) birthday.
The on and then off winter continues, with recent days being bright, cold and sunny after a limited snowfall.
Bright, cold and sunny
On falls, I had one myself recently, and I wish I could report it was dramatic, high tension, and high speed stuff. Sadly, it wasn’t. I was stood (almost) still on skis on a slight upslope, didn’t compensate enough and fell backward! Ouch! Was what I didn’t say. I won’t repeat that here…
Before the fall! (What slope, OldPlaidCamper?)
One sprained wrist later, I’m easing off both skiing and typing, so a brief post this week, and possibly next week as well, until both the dented ego and the sore wrist are restored.
If you tilt the camera, there’s quite a steep slope?
In the meantime, we’ll be enjoying the last remnants of winter this coming weekend with sedate and low risk walks in the woods. Looking ahead, I see another thaw in the forecast and very little snow. How and when will I get back on that horse— I mean skis?! No snow woe? Good thing I have a sunny disposition…
Cool
Thanks for reading and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Rascal! I like saying this word. It’s one where, with repetition, meaning fades and the sounds emerge, so you hear the language without engagement – like listening to a song or piece of music that isn’t in your mother tongue but you enjoy anyway. You’re engaged, but not concerned with the literal.
Rascal!
We met this rascal last week, along with a few others. Why not be a (good natured) rascal through carnaval? The Carnaval de Québec is a high spirited event that celebrates winter, good times and good people sharing those good times. If the number of pop up bars are anything to go by, plenty of good spirits are downed to keep the cold at bay and cover up that you might not know any of the words to the drinking songs. Are we back to being engaged without worrying about the literal? Just let it wash over you…
Polar? Almost…
We enjoyed the upbeat atmosphere – yup, it is winter, so why not celebrate it?! Even if it was unseasonably mild to the point where the ice sculptures were struggling to maintain shape. Maintaining shape a struggle? I know how that feels after a carnival beer or three. Or I would if I did…
A good man, so he is!
Rascals? Yup! Bonhomme? Yup – everywhere! He’s a good fellow, a busy fellow and popular too. So many people wanted to be seen with him that he had to have a minder or two to see him safe. No, really!
He gets around
Pis sors! My inner grade 8 could not get enough of seeing the posters around town with pis sors all over them. As it were. I sent an image to my brother to confirm pronunciation (he understands French about as well as I do – so not that well) and he assured me it is p*ss sauce, and, in this particular case, not to let it wash over you. Sound advice! (I think it’s a genetic thing, us both being stuck in grade 8?)
Hehehe…
We didn’t stick around for the late night parties, but I do hope those that were there had a good time. I’m fairly sure I’d fail the drink a yard of ale test, and what a waste of beer that would be. Still, there’s always next year and the twelve months to train for it.
Two rascally fellows, and so very well maintained
Let’s finish with another phrase I like to repeat. Soyez doux – be gentle! I think I read it in relation to the ice sculptures, but maybe it was a nudge as to how to behave in general? Soyez doux, soyez doux, soyez doux – I like the sounds and the meaning. Given the state of the world right now, I’m all for a bit more soyez doux, and a laugh and a drink or two with good natured rascals and bonhommes. Seems quite sensible.
Déguédine pis sors! Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Hidden dangers? Sounds exciting – they could be anywhere and everywhere. Goodness, let’s explore this some more – follow me into PlaidCamper dangerous daydream territory…
Lose yourself here? No…
I’ve rarely found outdoor places to be overly intimidating, preferring instead to enjoy and be amazed by the beauty of the natural world, at least as I’ve experienced it. I’m sure if I was ever truly lost in the woods, or really caught outside in an immediately life threatening situation, then I’d certainly feel trepidation, and be afraid. I don’t leave home unprepared, but perhaps I’m getting complacent? I should snap out of it, because maybe it’s not so safe out there…
Mostly though, I’ve been outdoors in relative safety, often due to the company of more experienced fellow travellers, people who’ve taught me, as necessary, how to safely navigate the genuinely wild and remote places we’ve found ourselves. I count myself very fortunate to have been taught and trained by so many tremendous individuals.
A touch sinister? Follow me, it’ll be fine!
But what about those hidden or unexpected dangers? Do you ever wonder how you’d truly fare if you found yourself in a serious and dangerous wild situation? I think about this quite often, although I don’t go out of my way to seek danger. It’s just… suppose danger finds you? There’s always something lurking in the woods, isn’t there?
Recently, I’ve noticed that sometimes I’ll wander along and daydream, somewhat inattentive, almost complacent because I’m walking in woods mere minutes from our current home. I’ve yet to see bear or wolf tracks, so it’s all good – isn’t it?
Calm down, imagination – just shapes in the snow, they aren’t creatures…
A little while back, I fell behind Mrs. PC and Scout, mostly because I’d been dawdling, stopping to take a photograph or to look at a particular tree up close. Distracted, I stepped off the trail in a spot a bit more overgrown than the surrounding area. It was heavily blanketed by recent snow and my snowshoe went down and then down some more.
Deeper snow off the trail
Struggling to extract myself, something on the far side of the nearest tree positively exploded into motion, up, off and away. You should have seen me jump up, out and back on the trail, heart hammering. In this place I’ve never seen tracks for anything larger than a deer or another person, so I’ll assume it was a deer. I didn’t see what it was – too busy waiting for my overactive imagination (everything ran through my mind, so many possibilities – fortunately, nothing ran out of my undershorts) and my pulse to calm down…
Yup, deeper snow – anything over the edge?
Once I’d steadied myself and caught up with Mrs. PC and Scout, (my outdoor cool and nonchalance restored, acting like I’d never been, you know, even slightly startled) it was back to daydreaming, asking how I’d cope in a dangerous or unexpected situation?
Seems like being taught and actually learning might be two different things. As for what might really get me out there? Well, why worry about a bear when a deer combined with an overactive imagination might do for me. How would I really cope? Hmm…
Daydream territory
PlaidCamper caught daydreaming – I’ll say I had a wake up call! Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
It’s been an on and off sort of winter, and speaking for myself, I prefer a steady seasonally appropriate winter rather than a surprise thaw followed by a freeze followed by a thaw. Mud season can wait! Those lumpy with slush to ice sidewalks can wait! It’s a thaw point for me.
Winter
We did get into the local woods fairly recently, a decent snowfall providing some fun snowshoe conditions. We plodded and Scout scampered – I really do think snow is her favourite substance (or second favourite, just behind anything a dog can safely eat. Or unsafely. Fortunately, not too many incidents like that…)
“It’s not edible?! Now you tell me…”
We’ve heard a bit more bird song on our recent outings, and last week a woodpecker flew across the path ahead of us, landed high and crept up and down a tree trunk looking for good things. A red head! Was it a pileated woodpecker? I honestly don’t know, but it was lovely to see.
Quiet
The silver bark, green needles and a light dusting of early morning snow made what could have been a monochrome morning somewhat brighter than that. It was cold, but not so cold we couldn’t stop and sit to enjoy the quiet and a dusty muesli-style bar. Sort of healthy, but maybe go back to carrying chocolate? Just a (sensible) thought…
Who brought snacks?
No amazing glass trees, and no graceful gliding, but the silvers and greens and our steady snowshoe plodding after a fresh fall worked a different sort of wonder for us! The latest thaw is behind us, and I believe both more snow and appropriately steady seasonal temperatures are in the forecast…
Portrait of a plodder
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
A short post this week, a mini-celebration of winter, with something of a dog’s eye view on embracing the season! At least, she would if she could get out there…
“Looks great out there. Why am I stuck in here?”
Scout likes to get outside whatever the weather, and, when I wasn’t feeling too well not so long ago, we still had to go out – one of us needed to burn off some energy.
“I’m bored. You look fine. Can we go now? Can we? You’ll feel better – please, please, please…”“I knew that would work! Yeah! Let’s go!”“Whoa… it’s deep!”“Might not be doing that headlong no look thing again…““Free at la— oh…”
Eventually we managed to go a little further afield, and Scout was even happier than her normal state of happy!
“This is more like it!”
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
A (medicinal) glass half full? Of course, and half at the very least…“Are you forgetting someone, PlaidCamper?”
That’s the idea when xc skiing, isn’t it? Kick and glide! Yup, we got out for our first xc skiing trip this winter. Our first time on skis for many years, and, just like riding a bike, it’s perfectly possible to fall off.
Not that either of us did, but only because we were sensible enough to stop when we found ourselves tiring. I’m often told I’m tiring…
The ghost of ski trips past…
Muscle memory, or the memory of once having leg muscles went some way towards keeping us on track. We went to the flattest part of the Plains of Abraham to test ourselves. It wasn’t too much of a trial, the morning being bright, the sky shining blue, and the sun bouncing off brilliant white snow. A crisp and sharp winter morning where it feels so good to be alive.
Flat – good choice
On brilliant, I’m happy to share that I invented a new “kick and glide” technique that isn’t in any of the instruction manuals or guides to xc skiing. It involved a complicated and (un)coordinated set of movements likely missing both a kick and a glide, and yet it still somehow propelled me forward. Remarkable!
She knew her stuff! Unlike a certain someone else…
I suspect the gradual lowering of my centre of gravity in recent years, certainly those years since our last ski trip, coupled with a possibly stylish and rakish into-the-wind lean (mostly the first stage of the ever present possibility of a fall – never happened) was what provoked gasps of amazement from our fellow skiers. I think they were gasps, might have been curses, but I couldn’t be too sure, as I didn’t dare break my concentration…
Still flat!
Anyway, having survived this first outing, and managing almost an hour of high speed circuits, we’re looking forward to getting out there again soon. We might even take on a gentle downhill or two, and then see how we do on the uphill parts! Kick and glide, huff and puff, and how about coffee and cake after?
Finished – where to for coffee?!
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
A short post this week, because if we take even a ten minute break from snow shovelling, it’s like we never even tried. Who was it complaining about no snow? Hmm…
“I remember this stuff – it’s snow, isn’t it?!”
Before the heavy snow arrived Tuesday overnight and all day Wednesday, we had enjoyed a couple of lighter snowfalls. Scout and I went out to play in the woods, happy to be there in less muddy and more wintry conditions.
Happy place
Mrs. PC has been getting over a cold (she’s much better now) and was happy to have the children out from under her feet for a while. Reminded me of when I was younger, and we were sent out to play. I think the instructions were along the lines of “Look after each other, be back before dark, and don’t get arrested!” Instructions from my mother, not Mrs. PC, although my woolly hat, her scratchy voice, and Scout’s eagerness to get out the door muffled clear directions… Anyway, off we went, looking for trouble.
Looking for trouble
We scrambled up a few snowy slopes, mostly because Scout wanted to visit the troll house, throw a few snowballs, and see if they were hibernating. Trouble is her middle name. I think she also wanted to see if I’d slip over climbing the inclines to the troll house. Trouble, I tell you. When we get home, I’m telling mum…
Stayed on my feet. Mostly.
We didn’t wake the trolls and I didn’t fall over – it was a controlled slide, Scout. We argued over what constitutes a fall, and we argued over if trolls really hibernate. On the second point, my clinching argument was asking Scout if she’d ever seen one in winter? Ha! Case closed.
The troll house – shh, they’re sleeping…
No trolls spotted, no bad falls, playing outside without supervision or needing the long arm of the law – not too bad. If we include this past weekend along with the many previous decades of playtime, speaking for all four brothers, and also for Scout, I think it’s so far so good on the not getting arrested front. That’s possibly, like a Tory setting targets you can’t miss (but still screwing everything up), a low bar? Scout made me say that. I’m telling mum.
Scrambled up, didn’t fall down
Right, on that “what story this week?” note, let’s leave it here, get back outside, and see if we can locate the shovels to restart digging operations!
I thought we’d finished, but the universe said no…
Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
OldPlaidCamper 