Snow Day

On Friday the 1st, we finally received our first snow fall of the season here in Oxfordshire. I awoke to find the world outside my window was blanketed in 12cm of pristine white snow, and was getting deeper by the minute, which naturally put me in a good mood because I bloody love snow! We don't get snow often where I live- a couple of times each winter if we're lucky, every few years if we're not- so I still find it magical whenever it arrives.

I sat at my bedroom window and watched the snow fall for a while, and once it was light enough, I threw on some clothes, and headed out in to the garden to take a few photos and have a play with my new Instax camera. I had hoped to make it outside and get photos of the unspoiled snow before my dog, Rosie, returned home from her morning walk with my Dad and blemished it with her paw prints, but I wasn't fast enough. They came through the door just as I made it down the stairs. There went any chance I had of snapping pictures of flawless untouched snow.

Rosie adores snow, as we found out the first time she experienced snow on the ground just over a year ago, and dashed out in to the garden with me with a full blown attack of the zoomies, brought on by sheer joy. I could not have stopped her from joining me if I'd tried. (Not that I would've). She was rapturously leaping around after her ball in the snow like a spring lamb, sinking up to the top of her legs in the deepest spots, and launching snow-caked tennis balls in my direction for me to throw for her again and again. Rosie either throws her ball down at you from her mouth with dramatic emphasis (here's your fucking tennis ball!), or demands a game of tug of war with it before she'll consider letting go (which is what she's asking for in the photos where she's pressed up against my polka dotted legs); there is no inbetween. She couldn't always find the ball under all that snow, leaving me to sink my hands in to the icy wet slush and freeze my fingers off to retrieve a few for her (note to self: must buy waterproof gloves!), but my clever girl located most of them. She's come a long way since her last snow-day when she didn't understand where the balls were disappearing to each time they sank in the snow. Rosie's an intelligent little lady, but she can also be kinda dumb sometimes.

I'm not sure who enjoyed playing ball in the snow more; Rosie or myself. It was freezing cold, but I loved standing out in the snow, feeling the chill on my cheeks, and snowflake after snowflake land on my hair and eyelashes, skin and clothes, while I watched her having the time of her life. She gets so much joy from running around after a ball and playing in the snow. It melts my heart seeing her so happy. It's true what they say about the little things in life... they really are the best.



So, my intention to take photos of the snow-draped scenery turned in to a great opportunity to take photos of my dog having fun in the snow, and, let's face it, photos of my cute little snow dog are always going to be better than photos of a snowy but ugly suburban garden minus one snow dog, aren't they? I captured some great shots of Rosie looking cute in the white stuff, along with a few crappy ones of the scenery, too, and I know which ones I prefer.

Once I'd reached my limit, I retreated back to the warmth, and had to bribe Rosie indoors with treats. She was having so much fun being a snow dog, she didn't want to come back inside. I think she would've stayed out there all day if we'd let her, but I was conscious of her getting too cold- even if Tibetan terriers are perfectly equipped for the snow. They were originally bred for the snowy mountains of Tibet, and have a thick double coat to keep them warm, and large, round, flat feet with hair between their toes and pads, providing traction and acting as snowshoes to help them walk in the snow- something most dog breeds don't have. On the downside, they also have hairy little legs that soft, newly fallen snow likes to compact to like dreadlocks, so it can take some work to thaw her out after venturing out in fresh snow. Last time, we had to melt the snow off with a hair dryer because nothing else was working, but this time, Rosie got to work herself and gnawed most of it off with her teeth, leaving melting snow all over the carpet.  And my bare feet. Thanks, pup.



After a rest on the sofa, I went back upstairs, and continued to watch the snow fall from my bedroom window. It continued pirouetting from the sky for most of the day, and by the time it got dark, we had about 18cm on the ground. (Or so the news said). It was like a winter wonderland.

The next morning, I awoke to flawless blue skies and sunshine, and snow still draping the landscape. It had compacted down overnight, but we still had a thick covering on the ground. Of course, Rosie was eager to play in the snow again as soon as we got up, so we had a repeat of the day before, and another opportunity for photos. The last four photos were taken that day.

Two days later, the rain came and washed most of it away. I would usually be gutted that the snow had vanished so quickly, but this time I was relieved there wasn't enough snow left to disrupt my travel plans for some concert adventures that Monday morning.

...but that's another story for another day. Perhaps I'll tell you about it sometime.

Do you enjoy a good snow day, or does the snow leave you longing for hot summer days?