03 January 2010

Winter again

In December, we had autumn weather at the beginning, winter weather in the middle, and then spring weather toward the end. We even had a taste of summer, looking at blogs like Leon and Sue's Melbourne — our home.

So now, what season is it? Winter has come roaring back. You'll tell me that isn't surprising when the date is January 3. But my head is spinning. And I'm shivering.

I like these old-fashioned logos on French shopping bags
and the papers meat and cheeses are wrapped in.


I'll tell you something I think is strange. It's snowing to the south of us. They're predicting several inches of snow in places like the Dordogne, the Charente, and the Limousin — all more southern than Saint-Aignan. Here in the Loire Valley, it's cold but we aren't expecting snow.

I have very little experience of living in a place where it snows to the south. It didn't happen that way in North Carolina or California. It takes some getting used to. I know it has to do, at least partly, with altitude and elevation. Still, it seems strange.

Maybe I'm jealous. A good snowfall would make winter at least picturesque.

13 comments:

  1. Ken,
    The weather report just came on TV when I was reading your blog. We will be having 36 to 39 degrees this week.
    Thanks for mentioning our blog too.

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  2. Bill in Very White NH03 January, 2010 11:54

    I watched "Julie and Julia" last night...probably the last person in the world to do so.

    Julie's struggles to write a daily blog, of course, made me think of you and Walt. It made me even more grateful for your constancy. We daily readers so look forward to your musings and gastronomical enlightenments to brighten our day. Thank you!

    BTW,I thought that the movie, and especially Meryl Streep's peformance, was fantastic!

    ps

    Northern New England Blizzard; Winds Whipping Entire Northeast

    A blizzard will rage across northern New England and the St. Lawrence Valley tonight into Sunday, severely hindering travel. At the same time, strong winds will whip across the entire Northeast. The winds will not only create bitterly cold temperatures, but will lead to more lake-effect snow and potential power outages and travel disruptions. Residents of the Northeast will have to endure more chilly wind through the middle of next week.

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  3. Bill Buried in NH03 January, 2010 12:21

    I forgot to mention that, in keeping with your expressed wishes, I am sending you today via FedEx collect overnight delivery, all of the snow which I will soon be removing from my driveway and sidewalks.

    You will be pleased to know that the plows have significantly augmented the natural snowfall and drifts thus adding to your delight at the quantity recieved.

    No thank you necessary or expected.

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  4. I can't stop...is "Save the liver" a gastrocomical exclamation?

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  5. LOL Bill! Down here in the heart of Dixie it is windy and cold- in the twenties at night.

    Ken, be careful what you wish for...

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  6. We are now freezing -- below freezing -- in Nags Head. Back home tomorrow where it won't be warmer. Happy New Year!

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  7. My compliments, too, a tes photos! Throughout.

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  8. Strange, you bet

    When I was complaining about the cold last month , it was balmy in Iqaluit , up near Baffin Island.
    This WE , there is blowing snow and freezing cold here and it is slushy with light snow or flurries there.

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  9. Hi Eleanor, yes, I talked to my mother today and she told me it is pretty cold in Morehead too. Hope you've enjoyed your time on the Banks.

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  10. It's 76 F in Manhattan Beach and very happy about that. I don't like cold weather. My ex-husband came back from Oslo yesterday where it was 14 F; now that is cold! It won't be long before spring comes back in the Northern hemisphere.

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  11. Hello TB, yes, strange weather this winter. Most winters, really, I believe.

    Nadège, MétéoFrance is promising us very cold temperatures (for France; not cold like parts of America) for the rest of the week, with a chance of snow through the Loire Valley on Wednesday. I need a good indoor project to work on.

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  12. Remember the Christmas, moi a Bordeaux, toi en visite? And we went up to Loire Valley? Didn't it snow and we didn't see a sanglier?

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  13. Eleanor, I remember that trip very well. You and I hitchhiked from Tours over to Chambord to see the château, remember? We were brave (and poor) in those days. And yes, it snowed.

    I don't remember seeing a sanglier (wild boar), although I have seen them around Saint-Aignan since I moved here. The couple that picked us up and drove us around the Parc de Chambord kept talking about the sangliers and tried very hard to show us one, but I don't think one ever appeared.

    36 years ago...

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