Now I'm back online I have so much writing running through my head so here's another topic I've thought of.
As you all know, Bulgaria is now covered in snow (except for bgbzz in Plovdiv) and it looks beautiful. It transforms the whole landscape. Yes I know there are downsides and there can be severe problems of all sorts but this topic is in celebration of snow.
Today I put on my boots complete with rubber studded clampons sent by my concerned family back in flooded Britain. I donned layes of clothing topped off by my snowjacket (thanks for the bargain TKmax on my UK trip) and finally left the house with my new, as yet unused, walking stick. I went the short walk up into the village square to do some last minute shopping gazing around at the beauty of the snow covered houses and mountains all around in the distance. The air was fresh and the sky clear. What beauty. On entering the square several villagers were also out and about doing the last minute shop ready for the Christmas Eve feast which is celebrated more than the day itself, and which falls on Monday this year.
Inside the shop were more villagers, some with kiddies sipping pop and eating biscuits with their mothers and a couple of lads having a beer. More were sitting outside in the chill air and all quite happy even with the temperature in the minuses.
So lets be positive about beautiful snow and forget the chore of donning loads of clothing to keep warm and chopping the wood for the cosy woodburner. It brings out the community spirit because we all have to cope and not moan. Enjoyed a coffee with a slug of brandy on my return and was also welcomed by my dog and cats who just get on with it snow or no snow.

It's nice to find someone who likes snow..it's pretty to look at, fun to play in if that's your thing and actually triggers some forms in nature to get up and get on with things. The downside is the disruption it brings to travel, transport, provision of services and the cost of living for some folk. I grew up in a country that sees snow in very few localities (in fact, many people are surprised to hear that we get any at all), so I actually find snow quite a treat..so long as there's not too much of it. That's why I chose Plovdiv.

Snow and winter are very nice, chiefly because unlike the heat, you can always suit yourself up to alleviate the cold, whereas you can only strip down to your skin (e.g. swimsuits) to alleviate the heat (and of course you almost always can't socially do that). In all but the worst winter weather, you can remain quite comfortable in warm clothes, whereas in heat, if you get above maybe 100-110°F, which I gather is very common in many places, you're just miserable unless you're indoors or underwater. Also a nice side effect of it, when it gets really clean like it does here, is that it's "
sterile"
- there are many, many kinds of insect/etc pests that we simply do not have here at all, because they cannot survive the winter. I've always found that snow is nice to look at, annoying to live with. Picture of snowy scenes are often quite attractive, but you wouldn't want to be there in person, freezing half to death. Same for the way heavy snowfall in an area you know well can make a landscape both familiar and alien. It's interesting to look at and take pictures so you can compare them against a "
normal"
or "
sunny"
day, but as you trudge through the snow, wearing 3 layers and still cold as you scrape the ice off your car windows...It's harder to appreciate the visual aspect. In a nutshell: It looks pretty and does some interesting things, but the actual effects it has on your environment and day to day life are all negative. Except snowball fights