6 am...still dark outside...but wait, look, there's a sprinkling of snow on the ground!! I wanted to wake Nick and the boys but had to contain my excitement (I really felt like a kid at Christmas) until 7 am when the household was stirring.
By then it was actually snowing again, little flakes mixed with tiny hailstones. Way cool. The boys were all set to have a day at home but we waited and watched...by 8.15 there was still only a patchy whiteness, and nothing on the roads so we were good to go. School attendance was at about 50%; we were one of only about three or four schools left open in Timaru and my school morning was spent largely fielding calls. There really was no need for panic though; by mid-morning the snow had entirely disappeared and the sun was shining. And did it stay that way? No no, the pattern of the day was heavy cloud, blizzard-like conditions with heavy snowfalls for about 10 minutes, a clearing of the skies, sunshine. Start up again - clouds roll in, strong cold winds, snow, hail, clouds dry up and the sun shines. So I guess we had about 8 or 10 blizzards during the course of the day; disappointingly not enough to settle and make things white, but certainly enough to walk about in and experience the wonder of snow - the gentle plopping of a flake is far different to the harsh splat of a raindrop as its fall is ended on a bush or tree.
During the next sunny spell the boys went outside to play with the tiny bits of snow that remained - Aaron put together a tiny little fellow.
It had gotten pretty cold during the day too; by tea-time we were disinclined to be anywhere except the lounge. Nick and the boys sat civilly around the coffee table, but I huddled next to the window staring at the flurry which was pretty mesmerizing! Finally...my Very First Snowman. In my maturity of years, this is the first time I have ever had the joy of packing snow together to form a body and head. I see there is some measure of skill involved :)
By then it was actually snowing again, little flakes mixed with tiny hailstones. Way cool. The boys were all set to have a day at home but we waited and watched...by 8.15 there was still only a patchy whiteness, and nothing on the roads so we were good to go. School attendance was at about 50%; we were one of only about three or four schools left open in Timaru and my school morning was spent largely fielding calls. There really was no need for panic though; by mid-morning the snow had entirely disappeared and the sun was shining. And did it stay that way? No no, the pattern of the day was heavy cloud, blizzard-like conditions with heavy snowfalls for about 10 minutes, a clearing of the skies, sunshine. Start up again - clouds roll in, strong cold winds, snow, hail, clouds dry up and the sun shines. So I guess we had about 8 or 10 blizzards during the course of the day; disappointingly not enough to settle and make things white, but certainly enough to walk about in and experience the wonder of snow - the gentle plopping of a flake is far different to the harsh splat of a raindrop as its fall is ended on a bush or tree. 
During the next sunny spell the boys went outside to play with the tiny bits of snow that remained - Aaron put together a tiny little fellow. 
It had gotten pretty cold during the day too; by tea-time we were disinclined to be anywhere except the lounge. Nick and the boys sat civilly around the coffee table, but I huddled next to the window staring at the flurry which was pretty mesmerizing! Finally...my Very First Snowman. In my maturity of years, this is the first time I have ever had the joy of packing snow together to form a body and head. I see there is some measure of skill involved :)
2 comments:
Soooo cool :) wow wat a lovely experience. I myself have only just recently experienced snow for the first time in Iceland :P but not snow fall! Your picture looks so magical :D
Winter wonderland!
Ok, so now do you see the the idea of a "wet' snow or a "dry" snow? Dry snow is fluffy - beautiful - but it will not make a good snowman. Wet snow is a mess (on roads, sidewalks) but it packs together very well and creates its own outer ice layer.
(apparently I think I am a snow expert ;-)
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