A Long Winter

A welcome sight on a snowy day.  We are fortunate that we get our drive ploughed after a storm, which cuts down on the amount of snow clearing that’s left, though we’ve had so many storms that the piles of snow are growing.  The photo above was taken a month ago...

And this is how it looks at dusk this evening.  The weather has been so cold that I haven’t been able to go for walks outdoors.  It was minus 17 C this morning, with a wind chill of minus 27 C.

Winter Light

The sky at dusk, viewed through the icicles on the front of our house.

All is calm...

Well, the New Year has seen quite a bit of snow and tomorrow, we are expecting severe cold with a risk of frostbite (minus 28 C wind chill is forecast).  Yet another winter storm is on its way on Sunday, so it will be a good day to stay indoors and keep warm...except for the fact that someone has to do the snow clearing and Mr C is still not mobile after his surgery in November.  Now where did I leave the snow shovel?

First Snow

We travelled home from Halifax yesterday evening and the weather turned decidedly wintry.  The snow started as we approached the Cobequid Pass and we saw the first snow plough out salting the road.  I may not feel ready for winter, but it has arrived regardless.

Thrift Shop Find

Well, I didn’t intend to be gone for so long but I haven’t been idle during my absence.  I’ve been having all kinds of problems with Blogger - the main one being unable to comment on any blog posts - including my own!  I haven’t resolved this with any degree of satisfaction, but it does appear to be an issue using Blogger with my iPad.

It has been a very nasty winter here so far.  We’ve had extreme cold for weeks and winter storm after winter storm - another one is forecast for tomorrow.  We’ve had snow on the ground since November and now it is so icy outdoors that it is almost impossible to stand up.  Mr Candytuft fell on the drive this morning, then fell again when he was trying to get up - I fell under the car on Monday and couldn’t get up without assistance - my second fall this winter.  How we haven’t broken anything is a miracle.  It is too cold to use salt to melt the ice, which is so thick that it is impossible to move - even after our drive has been ploughed following every storm.

Today, we had to go into Charlottetown, so I took the opportunity this presented to visit a thrift shop, where I found this pretty china mug.  It is from the Victoria & Albert Museum collection and cost me 50 cents.  What a bargain.

As some of you know, I have now published my book and you can see more information about it here.

Winter Storm

The winter storm started on Wednesday night and continued throughout Thursday.  The snow amounted to about 25 centimetres and the winds reached 100 km/hour, bringing down power lines and resulting in the entire island being without power. 

Our power went off shortly after 6 a.m. and we were without power for fourteen plus hours.  The house got very cold and we were not adequately prepared for such an emergency, but at least we had storm chips!

Autumn turns to Winter

This is the last colour in our garden for this year.  It is sedum Autumn Joy and it has been a joy to behold for the last few weeks.  I've watched as the colour changed from a pale pinkish-green to the deep pink of its last flush before it goes into winter hibernation.

The temperature dropped dramatically on Sunday and it felt like winter had arrived as we headed out to the Remembrance Day service.  With a temperature of minus 1 C, but a strong wind, it felt like minus 9 C.  The water in our birdbath has frozen, so we need to rescue it before it cracks.  The poor birds are left to fend for themselves - they have been visiting for water, but have left disappointed.  We had hoped to put our winter bird bath outdoors, but we don't have anywhere to run an electric cable.  I've seen birds massing and a huge flock of geese flew overhead, so I think most of them are now migrating.  Winter has definitely arrived.

Mr Fox

  Here comes Mr Fox, minding his own business. 

  

He stops in the middle of our garden.  We’ve seen him before, but he has never come this close.   

          

   

The neighbours’ dog is out in their garden and is going crazy - barking and tugging on its leash, trying to go after it.

Mr Fox lowers his head then has a look around.  He knows that the dog is no threat.

This is the only time that I’ve managed to get close enough to the window with the camera and now I dare not move in case I startle him.

He looks right at me before sauntering off, back in the direction from which he came.

Mr Fox could be Mrs - I’m don’t know how to tell the difference but, for the record, he is a silver fox.

Winter Skies

This was the second part of our journey home from our recent trip to Moncton.

Once we were back on the Island, we turned west towards home, just as the sun was starting to set. 

The empty fields and dark landscape were silhouetted against the setting sun.

We passed a frozen bay, where the sun was just disappearing behind the headland.

The sky was changing by the minute as the sunset unfolded and I was kept busy with the camera (Mr Candytuft was doing the driving).

We haven’t been out and about at sunset much during the winter, preferring to be tucked up safely at home, so it was lovely to share this sunset.

We turned off the highway towards home just as the sun was setting.  

The perfect ending to a beautiful day.

 

Ice Floes In The Strait

A winter crossing of the Confederation Bridge - our first since arriving on Prince Edward Island last summer.

 

Although not completely frozen, the Northumberland Strait still had quite a lot of ice floes, which move with the tides.

The cloud formations were dramatic, too.

Looking back towards the PEI shore.

 

 

It may be March, but winter isn’t letting go of its icy grip yet. 

 

   

These photos were taken on the return crossing, close to dusk. 

 

 

 I loved the colours of the pinks and purples as the sun was setting behind us.  For me, these are the colours of PEI.

     

 

The sunset photos continued, but I will save the rest for another post. 

       

Winter Sunset

There was an evening last week when the sky looked absolutely stunning.  

I didn’t want to take photos through the windows, as they are not that clean after weeks of bad weather, so I braved the cold and stood in the open doorway (and it was cold!)

I had to go back several times, as the sky was changing by the minute.

But it was worth the effort to see this beautiful sunset.

Be Prepared

We seem to have been having storm after storm lately.   I’ve been stuck indoors because I strained my back and I’ve got cabin fever.  I’ve hardly been out in a week and a half, as it is so icy and I don’t want to aggravate my back further by slipping and/or falling.

Yesterday was Groundhog Day - marked both here and in the United States with a ‘weather prediction’ based on whether the groundhog sees its shadow.  According to legend, if the groundhog emerges from its den and sees its shadow, we can expect another six weeks of winter.

Nova Scotia’s Schubenacadie Sam predicted a faster onset of spring than his ‘cousin’ Wiarton Willie, in Wiarton, Ontario, who saw his shadow.  This agreed with Punxsutawney Phil of Pennsylvania when he saw his shadow.

When you think about it, it isn’t much of a prediction, as we are actually at the mid-point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.  I’d be happy if winter could be over in six weeks, but I suspect that it will be longer than this.

And in case you are wondering about the relevance of the photo, Storm Chips have become the phenomenon of the Maritime provinces.  It seems that Maritimers are huge consumers of potato chips/crisps and they like to stockpile their supplies whenever bad weather is forecast.  We hadn’t come across these before so, purely in the interest of research, I bought a bag and I have to admit that they are really rather good.

Red Sky In The Morning

I’m not sure that these photos do it justice but, earlier in the week, I woke to see the reddest sky that I can ever remember.

The saying, ‘Red sky at night, sailors’ delight, Red sky in the morning, sailors’ warning’ came to mind.  It seems that the red is caused by haze or clouds relating to storms in the region.  I suppose this explains why it wasn’t long before the snow started once again.

After The Storm

We woke to another 20-30 cm of snow yesterday.  It already seems like a long winter.

This was our car on the drive.  Just in case you wondered, there are no front number plates here in PEI.

 

Digging out actually wasn’t that difficult because the snow was the light, fluffy (though slightly wet) sort, as opposed to that heavy lead-like stuff we got last time.

The day was extremely overcast, verging on misty, so not ideal for photos.

But it still looked pretty on the trees. 

 This is me, outdoors in waterproof trousers and boots, all ready to start digging.

And finally, the view from our back deck.  I know that it looks pretty, but I would be quite happy if it all melted overnight (not that that is going to happen, as there is more forecast for tomorrow).

When Life Gives You Lemons...

Just before Christmas, I found Meyer lemons for sale.  As they make the most delicious lemon curd, I bought a bag.  

The taste of lemon curd transports me back to childhood, as my Mum used to give me toast and lemon curd.

This recipe didn’t make much, but it was certainly worth the effort.

Winter Drive

Our trip to Cavendish before New Year involved an interesting drive.  Once we left the main highway, we passed through New London and stopped briefly near St John’s Presbyterian Churh.  It is certainly an imposing building.  As it was cold, we didn’t get out of the car for a closer look.

We passed a frozen bay with houses dotted along the shore.

The roads were icy, as I mentioned in my previous post.  Driving in such conditions is challenging, to say the least.

 They were also snow-covered in places.

We were looking for Green Gables, but somehow managed to miss the turning, as it was not well signed. 

Instead, we headed down into North Rustico, with the intention of finding somewhere safe to turn before retracing our steps.

 

We discovered fishermen’s huts adjacent to the shore.

 Neatly stacked lobster pots lined up outside.

One hut stood out with its bright red door and fishing buoy decorations.

This is the fish market.

 

And all of the boats hauled out for the winter.

Back on the highway, I snapped a photo of this church, but I’m not exactly sure where it is.

 Looking out across the ice.

 

And snow-covered fields in a winter landscape.

It was lovely to get out and see something of the countryside, but we were glad to return home to the warm and a cup of Yorkshire Gold.