Friday it began to warm up (finally the thermometer remembered there were numbers higher than -10 C). When I looked out into the darkness before I went to bed, I could see that there was a layer of new snow on the ground.  That’s the way it works – cold temperatures equal clear skies and no snow – or maybe the clear skies come first.  Warmer weather means clouds and precipitation.  After almost a month of very cold, sunny weather, I was about ready to exchange some sunshine for a bit of warmth.

Saturday morning I awoke to a white world again – not thick frost this time, but snow on the ground. I wondered if I would need to clear the icy snow from the driveway, but decided that I would give nature a chance to do the job, as the forecast was for above freezing temperatures. Not there yet, but -5 C was a darn sight warmer than -16 C.

When Snoopy and I went out for out morning walk, the ground was crunchy, and it wasn’t long before we were peering through a haze of snowflakes. At 9 am it was only beginning to get light outside, and so my photos all have a blue, early morning cast to them.  I hate going out in the dark in the morning – bad enough that it’s dark by 5 pm and our evening walk is necessarily under the lights. Snoopy was glad to be out early, as I’m afraid all too often I sleep in and he sits with his legs crossed at the front door, waiting for me to take him out. We weren’t the first ones out, but traffic is light in the park on Saturday mornings.

There was still ice on the rocks in the little waterfall,

and snow on the duck steps by the stream.

Someone had been out using the exercise equipment in the Trimparken in the cold.

In Western Canada, when I was growing up, bicycles were a mode of transportation and recreation in the summer time.  I can remember as a child how exciting it was to be able to get out my bike in the spring, and head up the gravel road just for the sheer joy of it.  I guess now there are a few hardy souls that use them all year…… but nothing like here. These Norwegians are a tough lot…… just as we arrived at the park a troupe of cyclists surged down the path, warm riding gear and studded tires making this an all-weather sport now.   Farther along, we were over taken by another lot – here you see a shaky iPhone photo of them as they head.

Thank you very much, but I’ll stick to summer cycling.

The duck pond was about half-frozen over, but the ducks and lone cormorant seemed to enjoy having the ice to perch on out of the water.

I’ve been stalking this heron, who seems to always be somewhere along the stream.  Here, I tried to get a photo of him.  I still plan to get a better one before I move, and hopefully will, as I often see him on both our morning and evening walks.

The snow was coming down fairly heavy by now, sitting on the rhododendron leaves where only a few days ago they were covered with frost.

By the time I went out to the shops, my car was coated with a lot more snow than this…… but the streets were already melting, and I could put my snow shovel away for another time.

And at the end of the day – a bit of clearing. almost as good as Northern Lights.