Thursday 28 June 2007

Yes and snow

I don't want to overdramatize things, but the fact is that my nexts of kin are teetering on the verge of world domination. Ma & Pa Harlot are currently plotting the agricultural coup of the millennium: nine guava saplings are due to arrive at Chateau Harlot in Bright next week, and mum has already drawn up plans for Harlot & Sons Guava Jelly Enterprises Inc. My father has mastered the internet in a burst of late-onset techno-genius. Wilbur has urinated on every lamp-post in the entire greater Bright region. My brother has supervised. I mention all this by way of explaining why it is very important that I visit Bright regularly. I am a moderating influence. "Wilbur", I say, "Why not save up some of that urine for the guavas? Give the other dogs a chance." "Dad", I say, "What happened to ginger and apple conserve? You used to love ginger and apple conserve." "Brother", I say, "What do you think of all this guava business?"

Knowing, then, that it's my intermittent presence that holds things together (a service I perform not just for the sake of my family, but for the sake of the global jam-manufacturing community), you will look leniently on the fact that while I was "working at home" yesterday, I was in fact, er, working at Bright. You'll think none the less of me when you hear that I decided that my overall productivity would be enhanced by nothing so much as a quick trot up the local knoll (let's call her Mount Buffalo) during my lunch break. And now, with your sympathy guaranteed and my manifest commitment to hard work and family unconvincingly reconciled, I'll get to the point, which is that I SAW SNOW! I saw it, and I sniffed it, and I ate it, and I pranced around in it, and - whaddayaknow? - I even photographed it.



Lovely lovely stuff! It has reaffirmed my enthusiasm for weather, helped reconcile me to the trauma of not living in Sydney, and thoroughly permeated yesterday's shoes. Did I mention the snow? It snowed! On me!

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

No dollar for you, Dr Lexicon. You'll be pleased to hear we saw more of the white stuff today at Falls Creek. Very exciting.

JahTeh said...

I hate snow, it's cold but did you make a snow angel?

Alexis, Baron von Harlot said...

Eh? What? Hate snow? I don't think I could love it more, even if it were a herd of banana slugs. Unfortunately didn't have time for snow angels. Had to get back to, ahem, work.

Cistern, that's very pleasing -- although makes me a bit sad I missed it. Did little K see it?

Anonymous said...

The snow was a bit sad to miss you too. Alas no, little k was again asleep, dosed up on antibiotics.

Torshy said...

I hate snow, but only the city kind, which falls when you're riding your bike so you can't see and gathers itself in big, dirty piles on street corners making you fall off aforementioned bike. In the country or on a mountain snow: love it.
Thankfully it's summer in Kiel which means that it rains, rather than snows. Hurrah.

Anonymous said...

Ah, snow! I still remember my first sighting and snow fight at the not-so-tender age of 23. It isn't nice in a city, though, in the evening, when it's generally turned into that black slush.

In Montreal they take the preschoolers walking on leads, with a belt around each kid's waist- so, if one kid goes down in the snow, they all go down! I'm allowed to find this amusing, because I was on a lead as a child too.

Alexis, Baron von Harlot said...

You snow-ingrates, you! "Oh, no, city snow's so inferior." I tell you what, if there were city snow round here I'll be squealing like an 8-year-old on glucose tablets.

Hannana, I sympathise on the bike front. It's slippery stuff. But maybe you could get training wheels? Or extra sturdy treads?

Anonymous said...

All the spaniel pups are wildly envious of the snow exploits of Cistern and Lexicon! Meanwhile Hansel and Gretel are enjoying plenty of excessively cute and fluffy time on the doona and in front of the heater for this, their first winter. Not sure what they would make of snow?

Anonymous said...

Even if an SUV splashed all that lovely, pollution-soaked ice in your face, Alexis?

Of course I would overlook the momentary discomforts and squeal with delight too, but there is a crack in everything, you know... Glass half empty, etc.

Torshy said...

Actually it seems to be able to ride in the snow you just need to be someone other than me, like, say, the sixty year old woman who sailed past me on the first snowy morning last year as I lay in a drift. I think I'm missing something in my DNA.

Alexis, Baron von Harlot said...

I'd be wildly envious too, Woolly! Hope the kitties are keeping warm.

Torshy, you've got myriad other skills and talents. I bet the sixty year old ain't got a black belt ... though maybe she does. They make em tough up in Germanville.

Karen, yes! SUV's hurling snow into my face: bring - them - on.