How was your Christmas this year? We had the most wonderful time with family. Catching up and making new friends.
Now as the new year gets going, life is piling in again. Two books planned for this year, three short stories in note form and at last someone to translate my books into German. Holiday house cleaning season. More English students and my 60th birthday party to plan. I’m feeling snowed over mentally and physically already!
How’s your new decade showing up?
December 15th, St Margarethen, only -3!!!!
I always have fun guessing what the season will be like, most times wrong, but after last year’s extremes, I have ideas!
The seasonal early snow and rain in November were EXTREME! So, I’m pluming for a mildly white Christmas day here in Lungau. Then heavy, heavy, heavy snow which will be gone by Easter and we’ll have an early warm spring with no frosts to ruin the fruit.
I can hope! What about the winter where you are?
This is a shot I took last Tuesday.
And this is what we woke up to.
A low-pressure system had come up from Italy, bringing heavy wet snow. We had 30 cm here by lunchtime and it snowed until the late evening.
As I walked the dog, I could hear branches cracking and trees falling. Many trees drooped as if in agony.
The road to Tamsweg was closed, mostly due to lorries without winter tyres, but also fallen trees.
Eventually, it was cleared, but there were power cuts all day and by the evening we lost all power until the following lunchtime.
I took these shots by moonlight only!
It took the area by surprise, being so early in the year for heavy snow. We’ve since had heavy rain, the Mur is up 20cm, and tonight (Saturday) another low is due to sweep through, but it’s not certain that it will be rain or snow. Of course, the ski resorts are thrilled, plenty of snow to piste!
My guess that this will be either the nastiest winter in our 12 years here; the plague of mice maybe really was a forewarning. Or this will all blow away and we’ll have hardly any snow at all. Guess which option I’d prefer!!!!
We’re still getting the snowmelt in the river Mur, it’s been high for weeks and as it kept snowing into May, some places may never thaw completely by autumn! I think this must be the first year that the first hay has been cut and the cows are still at home because the grass hasn’t grown enough on the alms.
Not unusual, but only the second time I have ever seen my cherry blossom covered with snow!
How is your spring going? Last week we had 6 inches of snow, but its all gone now. The first crocuses are in the fields, around the corner of our house, violets are dazzling with their scent, and I have seen one pink/blue Lungwort poking through some dead grass. The chiffchaffs have arrived, I saw some swallows in Tamsweg, I hope they’re not freezing and today I heard the crunching chat of the black redstart, always a symbol of spring,
Swingle is eating anything dead coming out of the thawing snow, if not rolling in it. But best is still rolling in the snow and eating it like ice cream.
Shropshire-based Writer - supporting the short story
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