Blizzards

I am writing this in a blizzard. Mr. Tokeloshe and son are both at home, it is another snow-day and everything is closed.




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Ice Rain: When it rains, it ices as it runs down, so that the walls of the houses (sidings) are frozen sheets of ice. The mailboxes freeze, the car-locks, boot, pondsside-mirrors, windows etc. all freeze, icicles hang from the cars, houses and rocks. We carry a de-icer with us. It isn’t too cold. We do not have gutters, as I think they will freeze up.

Portugal cove overlooks Bell Island, where people live and go to by ferry. In spring we can expect ice-flows here. There are lovely hikes, lakes, ponds and hills. Our house is close to Nearie’s pond, which is frozen over at the moment, but Mr. Tokeleoshe took photographs of it when he was here before. Newfoundland radio plays Irish music all day. We listen to Oz, the local radio station, which gives local weather forecasts, driving conditions, closures etc. St John's has the Mile One stadium where they have junior national and international ice skating competitions on at the moment; tickets are $6 p.p. If I didn’t have so much to do, I would have gone. The Juno awards are on there in March or April, but they are already sold out.

The blizzard has stopped, so now we go shovel, it is the calm before the storm. The Cherokee can’t go through the drift in our driveway, even in 4 wheel drive. We can sled in the yard. The Drifts are over three feet deep. Even the front door has to be dug out. We have put up meter high markers with reflectors, to show where our driveway and steps to the front door are.