You Can't Vacuum Snow

Today we had a cold snap that reminded us that Winter is just around the corner. I'm rather fond of Winter. All in all I think its my fourth favourite season. Although it's only May the signs of Winter have been gathering over the last few weeks. The days have been getting shorter, various aches and pains have been getting more pronounced and Muffy is shedding her Summer coat. In fact it doesn't seem to matter what season we're heading into, that cat changes its coat more frequently than Imelda Marcos at a garden party. At the moment she's sporting a bulky, fluffy number that makes her look like an overstuffed cushion with eyes.

In deference to the changing season I have slain a doona and laid its hide over my bed. For added insulation I have been stuffing my slippers with surplus to requirements cat fur. It may only be a Summer coat but my feet are toasty warm.

Getting out of bed is always fun as one gets to see which appendages shrivel and drop off on the mad dash to the shower. Also a suit and tie goes from being an intolerable imposition to the bare minimum necessary to ward off frostbite. I've even started cooking, largely so I can spend more time in the kitchen with the stove. Sleeping in, wearing a dressing gown in the middle of the day and designing ways to turn the cat into a fur lined footwarmer are some of the other little delights of Winter. Actually I do all those things in Summer too but they gain a little more credibility in Winter.

There is nothing better than standing outside on a cold Winter's night in the Blue Mountains and staring up at the sky. The stars seem to shine a little brighter and the air is like crystal. At least that's what I was told while I was sitting in the lounge room beside the fire. Winter in Sydney is a bit of a disappointment really. Yes, its cold and yes its dark but its nothing like a northern European Winter when its cold and dark at midday plus you get snow and ice on the ponds. If we had snow storms I would have a legitimate excuse for not going to work. As it is I just have to ring up and say, "I can't make it in, its a little nippy out." As excuses go this doesn't really impress anyone. It must be admitted that CityRail does try, generating rail chaos due to the "cold weather" that would have folk in England reaching for their bikinis.

Having experienced a single Winter in the northern hemisphere I must admit I don't know why they are bent out of shape about global warming. Personally I think the drowning or forced evacuation of two thirds of the worlds population would be a small price to pay for a temperate Christmas. As we flee inland to avoid the encroaching waters we can at least take comfort in the knowledge that the stuff won't be freezing over any time soon.

Still I have a fondness for snow. Admittedly it is a fondness created largely by my lack of experience with it. I can't help thinking how nice it would be to stand in my flat and look out on swirling whiteness as it blankets everything in a picturesque layer. Actually I am standing in my flat looking on to swirling whiteness blanketing everything but my delight is tempered by the fact that I have to vacuum the damn stuff up.