I know there are many out there who do not like the cold and snow, but I love it. I find being out in the snow so exhilarating. It makes me feel alive. The dogs are always happy to join me on a walk, so we wrap up and off we go.
Snow sharpens the senses, makes things look different. Everything is brighter and sharper. My Norwegian friends hate winters without snow. they say it makes everywhere too dark.
The trees look stark and bare against the white, little puffs of snow sitting on seedheads make them stand out, accentuate the shape of them. The sharp air against your skin. Smells are sharper, the dogs have their noses to the ground, lots of frantic sniffing. The silence of snow, how it deadens many sounds, I love the way you walk through snow, it crunches underfoot. You don’t realise how loud that crunch is, until you stand still. Listen to the silence.
Snow lets you know what has been about. Pawprints and birdprints are everywhere. It is amazing just how much wildlife is around us, snow shows us where they walk. Little patterns betraying the footpaths they use. Fox, rabbit, duck, blackbird. All within a few fee of each other.
Snow gives us dramatic landscapes, the mountains rise stark and bleak. from dark valleys. It isn’t just countryside. Towns and cities, that often look drab, and uninspiring, have a moment of glory as they don a coat of white. Sparkling and glittering. Again showing us things we don’t always see. So yes, now and again we can really enjoy snow.
