It's cold out

Almost the end of February and I am looking forward to some warmer days.  For the past two months the temperatures have been in the minus twenties and thirties so our time outside is short.  It certainly doesn't stop the boys from being outside and they are so good at gearing up now which makes it a lot easier for me compared to last year.  The past two weekends have been lovely because the temperatures swung up to about -8 degC which is perfect for playing outside.  Last Friday we spent two whole hours playing on the snow fort (as the boys call it) in our front yard!

On the weekend just gone Steve took the boys for a ride on the snow mobile to a friends cabin.  Cooper sat on the seat at the back and hung onto the handwarmers while Ryder sat in front of Steve.  This was the first time both boys had been on a long snow mobile ride and they loved it!

Our driveway

I often get asked about driving on the ice and snow.  We have winter tyres on the car and the speed limit in town is 40 km/h and you rarely see anyone doing more than 50 km/h.  The ice forms a lovely pavement over the top of the road which is often smoother than the potholed road below.  The roads get a workout due to the deep frost and thaw cycle so there are plenty of road repairs for the town once the ice melts.  The town sands the roads continuously to avoid slippery conditions.  Sand is used because it is too cold for salt here apparently.  This means our car is so dirty and we can't clean it until summer time because it's too cold and of course the hose does not work.  The worst road conditions are during snow fall or just after a snow fall because the snow lays on top of the ice making a slippery layer.  I am now used to taking corners very slowly, not darting out into traffic and applying the brakes gently and well in advance of the intersection.  It can be very unnerving when you have your foot flat to the floor on the brake and you just continue to slide.  This has happened to me several times when I have least expected it, my car slowly movong towards the rear end of the car in front, my foot pressed on the brake and the tyres crunching on the snow.

Looking down our street

We park our car in the garage, which is uncommon here, snow mobiles and quad bikes are parked in the garage with the car out front.  This keeps the car warm and we don't have to plug it in.  Both of our work cars are plugged in though and yes I have driven off with my car still plugged in!  I drove all the way to Walmart with people waving and pointing at my car, half way there I realised "Oh, shit! The extension lead."