Snow
As I’ve been cycling to work each day I decided not to bring my lap top home – I don’t need to haul the extra weight! So I wrote this last week, but didn’t post it until now …
With low temperatures and icy winds, winter is definitely here. Snow was forecast for our cottage last night and today and has been falling in higher areas all around the city. As in the past, my immediate reaction was “let’s go!”, but once again it was only I who was able to and this time I wanted to share the experience.
I love being at the cottage when it snows. The atmosphere is so different, other-worldly and the already beautiful landscape is transformed. Watching the flakes swirl and fall, densely and lightly, blanketing all in an unspoilt layer is wonderful and being cozy inside with the fire and candlelight only amplifies the wonder. My darling couldn’t come and he has never been able to enjoy these times, so consequently I felt uncomfortable with the thought of leaving him to miss out again.
Last week we spent a number of days there. Snow was already on the mountains opposite and the increased ski traffic was noticeable. Although the days were lovely, the nights were freezing but we slept well, snug in our little nest. My darling took the opportunity of transferring the kiwi fruit vines which weren’t too happy on the northern fence, to our southern boundary. This is where our land abuts the general store’s out-buildings, the back wall of one of the buildings being the barrier. These buildings are old by Australian standards as the store has supplied the community with their provisions for many years (and I recall reading it was the last one to be held up by a bushranger).
Once the new site for the kiwi fruit was chosen he started to dig and found the hole to be full of bottles and old leather lace-up boots and shoes. After a little research on ‘Clement’s tonic’, I found these items could be about 100 years old, but why boots and bottles? Did all other refuse get burned or rot? Was it from the shop or the family at our place?
We’ve put in a number of fruit trees over the years, as well as many other shrubs and bushes, without this sort of discovery. I know that before the days of garbage collections, families had a designated spot in their yards as a dumping place and maybe this was the place for our house (or the shop). I guess we’ll never know but I do hope the kiwi don’t mind living side-by-side with old bottles and boot leather – and under snow!
With low temperatures and icy winds, winter is definitely here. Snow was forecast for our cottage last night and today and has been falling in higher areas all around the city. As in the past, my immediate reaction was “let’s go!”, but once again it was only I who was able to and this time I wanted to share the experience.
I love being at the cottage when it snows. The atmosphere is so different, other-worldly and the already beautiful landscape is transformed. Watching the flakes swirl and fall, densely and lightly, blanketing all in an unspoilt layer is wonderful and being cozy inside with the fire and candlelight only amplifies the wonder. My darling couldn’t come and he has never been able to enjoy these times, so consequently I felt uncomfortable with the thought of leaving him to miss out again.
Last week we spent a number of days there. Snow was already on the mountains opposite and the increased ski traffic was noticeable. Although the days were lovely, the nights were freezing but we slept well, snug in our little nest. My darling took the opportunity of transferring the kiwi fruit vines which weren’t too happy on the northern fence, to our southern boundary. This is where our land abuts the general store’s out-buildings, the back wall of one of the buildings being the barrier. These buildings are old by Australian standards as the store has supplied the community with their provisions for many years (and I recall reading it was the last one to be held up by a bushranger).
Once the new site for the kiwi fruit was chosen he started to dig and found the hole to be full of bottles and old leather lace-up boots and shoes. After a little research on ‘Clement’s tonic’, I found these items could be about 100 years old, but why boots and bottles? Did all other refuse get burned or rot? Was it from the shop or the family at our place?
We’ve put in a number of fruit trees over the years, as well as many other shrubs and bushes, without this sort of discovery. I know that before the days of garbage collections, families had a designated spot in their yards as a dumping place and maybe this was the place for our house (or the shop). I guess we’ll never know but I do hope the kiwi don’t mind living side-by-side with old bottles and boot leather – and under snow!
posted by Kathy at 3:41 pm
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