The last leaves are falling, the sky is moody, the days are getting shorter and it’s a bit colder everyday. Almost winter, I guess.
To non-initiated people, it’s hard to explain what is going inside a Canadian’s head right before winter. It’s a mix of fear and pride, a mix of apprehension and excitement.
Winter can be fun, at first. The first snow fall is usually beautiful: a pure white blanket covering the city, covering the dirtiness (and the potholes). The following storm is stronger and next thing you know, you are shoveling two feet deep of snow to get out of the house. Daily tasks can be a pain: getting up in the cold, getting dressed, getting around — all that takes longer.
But the slow descent into winter is also somewhat soothing. We are like animals: we eat more, we stay home and we (try to) sleep longer. After all the excitement of the summer and the long days, it’s somewhat comforting. So let’s all grab a cup of hot chocolate and snuggle in layers of thick sweaters.
I’d like winter/snow/cold for about a week (at Christmas time of course) but that’s all. But I do love Fall!
Lovely pictures Zhu.
.-= Agnes´s last blog .."The whole universe was in a hot dense state…" =-.
I like the way you described the end of fall and the beginning of winter. I miss the Canadian winter. Seriously! Oh by the way, I’m planning to come back to Canada next year. But I’m still deciding whether I’m coming around June or maybe in winter for the holidays.
Yes, Canadians do hunker down and make the best of our winters. That hibernating bit (the hot chocolate & being cozy) is good but the tackling the mounds of snow gets wearisome after a while.
It was so much more enjoyable when I was a child!
.-= Beth´s last blog ..Odds and Sods =-.
Hi Zhu
I am one of those crazy ones who loves the Canadian winters (Maybe because I knew I will be experiencing it only for 4 years)
I miss the snow, iceskating on the Canal, Skiing, eating beaver tails with hot chocolate, tobagonning with the kids, and even the shoveling 😉
Enjoy the Winter
Sharon
.-= Sharon´s last blog ..expat retirement =-.
Doesn’t winter ‘officially’ start from Dec 22?
But Beijing is already blanketed in snow…
.-= Khengsiong´s last blog ..Malaysia’s Broadband War =-.
The colour of the corn is wacky! What’s with the black, yellow, and orange, LOL!
.-= kyh´s last blog ..Dying… And resurrected =-.
Snow is something I like to look at from inside the house. Outside it is all scraping and shoveling. I like my summers hot and my winters short.
The way you post multiple photos is better than my ‘one at a time’ style. I will figure this out eventually.
.-= Tulsa Gentleman´s last blog ..Take Time to Smell the Roses =-.
Your photos are great! They really remind me of the excitement in the air that I miss this time of year. Everything happens so fast, from the end of the hot days to the first snow, that it’s just an exciting time of year.
.-= Kirsten´s last blog ..On The Internet #5 =-.
Salut Zhu,
I’m happy to be catching up with you here. I’m doing better and just working on the positive. I have to think of my happiness !!
In France, we are also descending towards winter. But, no snow where I’am. It’s through rain and cold that we go down to the winter season. Quite a different feeling than with snow. I have the feeling that you are living with snow like a Canandian ! Though an occasional P*****N Or other voice from the old country might scream through !! Hey; I still say “shit” now & then, so some things stay the same !
Bises XX
Beautiful pictures Zhu..:) Looking forward to winter?
.-= Nigel Babu´s last blog ..Pushing 150 kg =-.
Oh, it’s that time of the year again. This past weekend, the leaves on the trees that are planted on my street just decided to fall. The week before, they were this bright yellow and orange, and suddenly, in one Saturday, they decided that they were done for the year. Well, autumn and winter passes, and after that, we get spring and summer again!
.-= Linguist-in-Waiting´s last blog ..Numbers and Graphs =-.
I love the leaves. But I know what you mean with those feelings, I had somewhat similar feelings when I lived in Chicago. I always looked forward to taking hot baths to de-ice myself.
.-= Seb´s last blog ..Star Bear! =-.
I’m having just the opposite kind of winter this time – as I’m in Seville. Instead of orange pumpkins everywhere and crisp, cold nights we’ve got orange – well, oranges and it’s still 30 degrees.
Quite a change from growing up in cold and wet England…
.-= Abi´s last blog ..Oranges in Seville =-.
Indeed I can’t never understand the feeling coming from a place that is hot and humid whole year round, still in my opinion with the four seasons with mood changing it ‘slow’ ones down and appreciate the season change 😉
Yo..nice beautiful photos Zhu 😀
i used to live in snow country. i plugged my car in. for some magical reason, it always snowed on christmas eve. january was always too cold. february was my favorite part of winter, because we got a fair amount of sunshine and that was the best skiing. the snow melted by april; i hated all the dirt left by the snowplows, and the dirty slush.
i don’t miss it.
ok, i miss it a tiny bit.
.-= Seraphine´s last blog ..Waiting for Forever to Happen =-.
@Agnes – Fall is becoming my favorite season. It’s nice in Canada, not so in France because of all the rain.
@Angele – It definitely worth it to be in Canada for the winter. Just not every single year for a lifetime 😆
@Beth – I bet it was! I must admit I don’t do much in the winter, since I don’t ski. I’d skate though.
@Sharon – Oh, are you in Ottawa? Ice skating on the Canal (and eating a beaver tail after that!) is a great winter activity. But I’m still a summer person 😉
@Khengsiong – In Canada, it’s a bit earlier… but hopefully Fall will linger a bit longer.
@kyh – Halloween corn, a special one I guess!
@Tulsa Gentleman – I feel the same!
I liked the way you posted your pictures, you did a great job documenting Route 66.
@Kirsten – Thank you! Not having winter would be weird… yet I feel we get more than our share of it over there!
@barbara -I hated Fall in France. Damp, cold, windy, especially in Brittany. I’m glad to know you are feeling more positive — life is too short to worry too much! People change, things change, and hopefully all turn good. 😉
@Nigel Babu – Er… nope! 😆
@Linguist-in-Waiting – Same here, they fell really fast, within a day here. Quite a drastic change of scenery. On the bright side, the tree doesn’t block the view to back up from the driveway anymore 😆
@Seb – Aahhh… hot baths… I heard Chicago was crazy cold during winters.
@Abi – Oh, lucky you! It’s hard for me to imagine right now.
Yep, I know the feeling! Time to break out the snow boots and the shovel and hope we don’t get too much snow this year. Great pictures, as usual.
.-= Soleil´s last blog ..Pediatric Hospital – Free Stuff! And some good news! =-.
Hi Zhu :D!
Aaah, Autumn is arriving to Portugal only now: even though until the end of this week we will still have 24ºC temperatures.
But I can smell the Autumn already: chestnuts, hot chocolate, hot tea, apple pie, and then the Portuguese traditional sweets and cakes Mmmm….oh my God!
About Canada and snow: I still remember it! But since I was a kid (and had no idea of the work snow involved) I had fun and loved it when it snowed!
I loved the pictures: you should be a professional photographer!
Cheers
.-= Max Coutinho´s last blog ..Irresponsibility Sexism and Violence =-.
I love that shy/grinning pumpkin face. Makes me want to pinch its cheeks, lol.
And that dollar pumpkin shot? Stunning.
.-= Lizz´s last blog ..Holy Crap, An Ebay For Free Stuff?? =-.
Definitely some beautiful shots! Fall looks so beautiful. I just wished I had more time to get out and enjoy it all! Oh well, next year! 🙂
@Seraphine – That’s how I feel! I actually don’t mind the cold and snow too much till Xmas. It’s part of the season, really. But Januray is tough, February is often brutally cold and March is the worse, as we are still deep in snow while the rest of the world has some kind of Spring. Plus, I was born on Spring Day and blizzard that day feels depressing.
@Soleil – I hope so too… I’m not in the shoveling mode yet!
@Max Coutinho – I really had no idea it was still so warm over there. I can’t even imagine it… I already look like a snowwomen in my big winter coat!
Lucky sunshine girl 😉
@Lizz – Thank you! I barely got any pumpkin shot this year, somehow I didn’t realize it was Halloween till the end of the month.
@expatraveler – Thank you!
Yo, what did you dressup as?
.-= Priyank´s last blog ..Toronto Tuesday 01.41 =-.