Yesterday, after a weekend of the boys being really sick, we managed to get outside for a family walk. Usually through the winter we are out at least each weekend, romping through the fields and blowing away the cobwebs. But this year, what with the polar vortex running rampant and trying to deep freeze us all, it’s been a case of not so much.
Stephen ran the tractor through the snow when he was ploughing the driveway so that we could get out into the fields a little bit. The snow in places is several feet deep and that really isn’t fun to slog through. We are seriously going to have to get snow shoes for next year!
With Neirin being pulled along and Huwyl doing his usual gazelle running back and forth we made good progress. I hung back, snapping photos and watching my chaps all enjoying the fresh air. It was gorgeous to be outside without the painfully bitter cold we’ve experienced for these last months.
It was just heading for twilight as we rounded back and headed for home. After the sub -30 temperatures the mere -10 or so felt positively balmy. The plump snow all around us gave everything a soft and comforting look, the glittering hardness of the bitter arctic ice replaced by rounded contours of fresh powder, dropped the previous day as we hunkered down in the house.
Even if this is just a brief respite from the winter deep freeze I’m grateful for it. The chance to be outside without the body shock of such bitter cold and wind feels wonderful, relaxing even. It’s the kind of winter weather us Canadian dwellers dream of, not warm enough to thaw but not so cold as to keep us inside. Soft, snowy loveliness.
Emmalina and Her Unfeasibly Large Bonnet 
The expansive, softly colored skies up your way are just beautiful. It is nice to get outside, especially after battling sickness. We’re in the midst of that now, at our little homestead. My son has taken up permanent residence on the couch with his box of tissues. With snow arriving tomorrow, I guess it is just as well!
Enjoy your warmer temps.
The open skies here are one of my great joys : ) There is not a day goes by where something doesn’t strike me as beautiful, even when the sky is burdened with snow it is still beautiful. I hope you guys are feeling well again, this winter seems to have been a hard one for sickness all round.