Alan's Feet

These are Alan's slippers. Well, actually, they were his girlfriend's but he stole them. I know, it's ridiculous- Teddy Slippers; whatever next? Anyway, Alan says he likes them because they are "practical".
By which he means he likes them because they have a hard sole, suitable for pottering about outside. Which he does. In the slippers. Out the front.
You can see why I thought they deserved a post of their own, can't you?
It is particularly interesting to see Alan sporting this fabulous footwear when performing odd jobs around the house. Up and down to the basement, carrying a hammer or similarly butch accessory with the little teddy feet nodding along. Then, up the ladder, frowning knowingly at some light fixture, hole or crack, the teddies perched atop the rungs. "Pass me the screwdriver, Big Teddy", he'll say. It is very hard to take such a request seriously. As for the slippers, who knows what they think of the whole thing. Certainly, their lives have become more exciting, more dangerous and decidedly more smelly since they have been comandeered.

Quebec

Friday 16th PM: This is Alan and me, en route to Quebec, in winds of up to 110 kmph. As you can see, Alan is concentrating very hard.


Saturday 17th AM: The scene from our hotel bedroom window. I think you can actually see how cold it was (a 'high' of -17 degrees celsius, seeing as you are asking)
And then, we went dog-sledding. This was really great fun and so easy to learn; instinctive really. The place had 210 dogs; mostly huskys. We were out for an hour or so. At first, I drove and Alan sat in the sled and then we switched places. It was only when I stopped driving and was sitting in the sled that I noticed how cold it was. Still, excellent and highl;y recommended to anyone.

Freezing Rain & Pigeons

These pictures don't really go together but whatever. I may have mentioned that, from time to time a few pigeons visit the backyard buffet. Managed to take the picture though, to prove the point. Voila!
The shot below was taken tonight, 16th February and features freezing rain. We had a big snowfall today, a few inches or so, followed by this freezing rain. Freezing rain is not something I ever encountered in Ireland. It is a rather odd expression in fact, as one might be forgiven for thinking that freezing rain is just a strange way of saying 'snow'. However, having encountered substantial amounts of both, I can say with some authority that they are decidedly different. Freezing rain is like little ice chips and it tinkles as it falls. If you are out walking in it, your shoulders get covered completely in a thin layer of ice that cracks when you take off your coat. It can hurt too as it hits your face. Finally and most importantly, if freezing rain falls on a dry footpath, it basically turns it into glass; completely lethal to the pedestrian. Tonight, of course, it is falling on deep snow, so it's all good. (Actually, I see now that the photo looks pathetically like snow...if only our photos had sound..)
I'm going to Quebec city tommorrow, for the weekend, so hopefully I'll have some news and nice photos of that next week...

Nuit Blanche

Here's me after spending the night on the couch, complete with silly headgear...A 'nuit blanche' is what Montrealers call a night out where you don't go to bed at all. So, what was I up to? Just hangin' out with Heffly, Bunny Bear and Alan. Good Times...

Happy Valentine's Day!

So Happy Valentine's Day! This sculpture is outside the Museum of Fine Art (Beaux Arts) on Sherbrooke. The sculpture on the other side of the building is this beautiful, lifesize cow who is lying down. She is just perfect. No photo this time, I'm afraid, maybe in the summer.
So Alan said we should just stay in tonighth and he'd make us dinner; the restaurants would all be mobbed. I asked him did he not want to spend the evening with his girlfriend. He said of course she was invited....I dunno...bit weird isnt it? Dont want her to feel like the third wheel...

Downtown

We walked to downtown yesterday. Really cold, despite my fur. Still, a lovely day, very sunny and almost a touch of spring in the air.
We saw one of the hotels put in an ice bar; called "Garcon!" How witty (not). Still, great sculpture, just sitting in the sun, not melting much.

Not much to report...

Haven't had my camera out with me recently so here are some shots of last winter.
The first one is nicely Narnia-ish I think. The second one is just of some benches, but it makes me laugh.
The weather has gotten pretty cold this week, between -8 and -12...peanuts by your average February temperatures, but a bit of a shock this year, after weeks hovering between -1 and +5.
So the sparrows have their feathers all extra puffed up as they strut about, rubbing their wings and stamping their claws...well, not quite, but they are very fluffy. So yes, it's hot chocolate time here in Montreal. Hard to believe that the "Fete des Neiges" (Snow Festival) was cancelled last weekend due to the days of rain, leading to a distinct lack of snow at the festival site. Tres bizarre!