Day 2 and 1/2: Fool Me Twice

Okay, so, despite my great blog post earlier today and subsequent lessons learned, I still ventured forth hoping for the best when asked to do an engagement shoot in the snow.  I wasn't sure whether we would have a blizzard on our hands or not and I thought, 'Surely the bitterness of too much snow is past'.  (Rough quote from I Samuel 15.32, in case you think I don't like snow! I do!)

At 2.15 the sun was shining brightly on the snow.  At 2.30, when I walked out the door, it was really coming down!!  Fortunately everything came together for our shoot and we got both 'snowing pictures' and 'snowy pictures', to the happiness of all.

And another hour's walk for me!  The thing is, it doesn't count for two days.  You don't get to walk 6 times in a day and take the day off for the next six days.  But hey - I'm a sucker for taking photos in the snow!

The walk was good.  The sun goes down a little before 4pm here, so I walked home in the dark.  People were still cheerful everywhere I went: or perhaps it was just me.  It's amazing how friendly everyone else is when I'm in a happy mood!  Every house that I passed looked like a little gingerbread cottage.  The train tracks were smooth and clean; every car a little heap of white; and the streetlights sparkled on the snow like glitter.  I smelled the crisp burning of a wood fire.  Mmmmmm.  Winter nights!

Well, as they say, fool me twice, shame on me.  But I don't regret it.  I'd do it again!

Day 2: Fool Me Once

Classic schoolgirl error, as one of my friends would put it.  I looked out the window at snow softly falling, and as it slowed down I thought, 'Beautiful time for a walk!'  I layered up, suited up, booted up (wellied up?), and launched forth.  I even took my camera bag with me in case I saw some beautiful scenery on my walk.

The first minute and a half were lovely.  The sun shone through on a tree with red berries, and I stopped to take a photo.  The sky was blue.  There is almost a foot of snow on the ground.  My wellies made that muffled crunching sound that is peculiar to snow.  Ah, walking in all weathers.  This isn't so bad!

Five minutes later, it had begun to snow lightly.  Still lovely; still a nice morning walk. I passed a shop with laughter floating out as everyone discussed the unusual weather for Airdrie in November.  An old woman passed me on the bridge and we smiled and said 'Good morning', and wasn't it a lovely day?  I could see the sun rising against the mountains and snow-covered trees everywhere.  The fresh air made me feel alive, brisk, alert.
  
Ten minutes after that I had my head down, snow pellets attacking me from all round, and not a beautiful scenic photo in sight.  I took refuge underneath an old bridge, gave thanks for my Lowepro Slingshot camera bag (which has a handy little weather-jacket to pull up and around the bag to protect it in all weathers), pulled my hat down and my scarf up, and tramped on.  Now I was passing the effects of difficult weather.  A man with a flat tyre, pumping a jack in the driving snow. A man carrying a small child, being pelted not only by snow but by the interminable "why's" of a three year old.  Cars who were driving more slowly than I was walking.  Countless cars stuck in snow and ice and muck, and drivers still attempting to dig themselves out.  (Obviously heading for places or events of critical importance).

I took a 40-minute walk today, not because I intended to, but because that's how long a 15 minute walk took today!   Fool me once, weather, shame on you....

The snow is still coming down, in huge flakes now instead of pellets.  I'm warm and comfortable and very thankful that I took my walk at the start of the day - because the snow is a foot high, and more is still falling!

Excelsior, indeed!

Day 1: Quoth The Potato, Nevermore

My life can tend towards the sedentary.  I work from home, I live in a small town, I have what is called chronic fatigue or M.E., and it is easy to order anything I need online.  Whilst I enjoy the fresh air and re-awakening of the mind by a good walk, some days the CBB syndrome kicks in (Can't Be Bothered).  And in the past I have found it difficult to determine whether this is a day to rest and not do too much, or a day to push myself a bit and be glad I did.

And what is the difference between rest and too much lying around?  Some people call that a couch potato, when you lie about rather than being active.  Me, I have more of a tendency to become a bed potato. I like my comfy, warm, everything-I-need-around-me bedroom, with two duvets for the winter cold, and I can sit there with my laptop or a good book and while the hours away quite comfortably. 

Lately, though, I'm learning that there is rarely a day on which going for a walk is a bad idea. It doesn't have to be a long walk - some days I do 5 or 10 minutes, other days several hours.  But consistency is the key.  You can achieve great things in life not by starting them, but by starting them and then continuing to do them day after day after day after long, cold, dark day.  I can feel a quote at the edges of my mind about how the difference between good work and excellence, or between genius and invention, is hard work. 

So I'm starting this blog because I don't want to tend towards the potato, no matter what kind.  For the past few weeks I've been making a real effort to go out walking regardless of where I am or what's going on in the sky.  In Arizona, where I was visiting my family a few weeks ago, it was a little easier.  Last week it started snowing in Airdrie.  We have a half a foot already and it's still coming down.  Getting ready for a walk has become complicated.  Layer upon layer upon layer, and I look more like the abominable snowman than anything else!

But this potato saith, nevermore.  And excelsior, and all those feel-good words.  I looked up excelsior for the exact meaning, and it means 'ever higher', which isn't quite my motto.  'Ever onwards' would be more accurate.  I'm not climing Everest (or even Ben Nevis), I'm just walking.  Every day, six days a week, for 90 days.  (God took a day of rest from creating the universe, so I figure I will do the same in my walking-in-all-weathers. I fully expect most Sundays from now on to have beautiful, easy, want-to-walk-in-it weather.  But no matter!)

So today I began my walk of intent.  I suited up and sallied forth, not daunted by the fact that a huge fence has been erected around one of my favourite walking paths.  I found a way around it and had a good 40-minute walk in the driving snow.  It was fairly light, but little snow pieces dashed at my cold face whenever I was walking into the wind.  Snow pieces, not snowflakes.  Snowflakes are much more kind, and appear when there is no wind.  My wellies were legendary, though.  Like walking in snow with socks on, and yet never getting cold.  Highly recommended.

Now I'm cosied up inside, and I can be a bed potato all I want.  Until tomorrow!