I can't tell you how much I dislike snow in this city. Although I believe I may have gone on and on about it last winter, and into the spring because it just kept on coming back.
It arrived tonight. I feel cheated. It usually leaves us alone until Christmas ...
I have applied a grungy polaroid filter to indicate my displeasure.
I love this thing about New Zealand.
There you are, driving along one of the state highways there and voila, you have exquisiteness!
I took the photograph on 13 March but looking out from my window today, the scene is exactly the same.
March 20, 2013 and it's snowing. As I set out across the city on the school run at 7.20am it was all about the umbrella, the correct amount of layers to protect us from the wet cold rain. On the return, lost in a book on the tram, I looked up and discovered that 'outside' had turned into yet another horrid snowy winter's day.
To try and break the misery that is Antwerp this winter, Gert and I disappeared over to France, to the summer playground of the Parisians ... on a cheap Sunday night deal last weekend. It rained but I was on a roadtrip and has always delighted me.
Although ... he had fallen on ice last week and sprained his wrist. Slowly slowly he is healing. The roads here are lethal in snow and ice, especially the shiny new bricks they've laid on the round-abouts. He fell crossing the one near home. We were talking on the phone at the time, and I was feeling particularly miserable after making a freezing cold, roadwork-infested, cross-city trek.
There's nothing quite like hearing the Belgian bloke crash to the ground and lie groaning while seperated by more than a few kilometres. I arrived home just in time to head off to A&E with him. Oh yes, that was a long day.
I suspect I shall be giddy with delight when the temperature goes up and the snow finally stops because it really is Spring. And rumour has it that these 2 hour city treks will be over as of the Easter holidays. I really need them to be. Antwerp, and its current mania for both roadworks and house improvements that seriously impede any progress along the pathways and tramways I take, is a bit like having my own seriously dark and snow-filled cloud over my head at all times.
And so, on that happy note .... tot straks.
The fish were doing odd things, there in the park.
She thought I was photographing them but no, I was photographing her.
There's always going to be some guy playing a piano on wheels in the snow ...
Or Belgian paratroopers doing their thing in Central Station.
It has been difficult to return to this European winter ... return from swimming and wading at various beaches all over New Zealand. Difficult to return from a country where you squint in the sun ... to a country where the sun makes an occasional appearance.
Difficult ... yes. Very.
But I filled my life with projects, as is my way. And they're all EXCITING.
And there are lots of projects because other people are so interesting however ... there's only one of me and this attempt to not miss New Zealand has become a nightmare of a workload.
I have 5 major projects. These last two days have been spent, head-in-hands oftentimes, as I recognise that I might have over-committed myself, in ways that I seem to specialise in.
Each project is brilliant. Some have been underway for a while. Some involve 1,000s of photographs I have yet to process. Others are future plans that excite the hell out of me.
Anyway, here's a glimpse from the other day when I wandered into the city in search of boots for the snow. I found these boots and they were cheaper than the price listed here ... half price in fact.
And the guy that sold them to me was the nicest guy. We chatted about the countries we come from while I shopped for my boots. A huge thank you has to go to him because shopping in Antwerp isn't always fun and the people aren't always friendly. When I find the receipt, I'll come back and tell you which shop I bought them in ... so you can pop in too.
Snow has arrived here in Antwerp.
It's cold, damn cold. I woke at 3am and padded through the house, trying to work out if I could turn the heating up. It goes way down at night. It was 14 celsius inside ... it didn't feel quite right.
It's snowing again as I write this meanwhile a tram derailed over on the Leftbank here and it's a little messy when it comes to getting past Central Station on Tram 5. But I need more Nespresso coffee capsules, just till a delivery can be made.
Sigh. I'm going to get snowed on.
In good news, my voice recorder arrived in the mail today. Interviews can happen again. I lost mine in New Zealand and was so sad. I am so careful with my equipment, so very careful usually.
Anyway ... outside just now.
So ... Gert tells me, the last time we had more than 14 days without the temperature rising above zero degrees celsius was ... 1-17 January, 1941.
Tomorrow we hit Day 14 under zero celsius.
Back in 1987 and again 1997 there were 12 consecutive days under zero.
Zero celsius = 37 farenheit.
More often we've been down around -10 -14 celsius these mornings (converts to 7- 14 farenheit), and there have even been a couple of -20, when you factor in wind chill factor (-4 farenheit).
Nothing much in the way of snow but, by crikey, it's been cold here in Belgium lately.
Today, meanwhile, is a day of editing. I have 2 big projects and a third smaller project to work through. Miss 7 needs picked up from her new school way across the city and I foolishly just checked out the temperature. It was -10 celsius at 9am. The sky is grey, the ground in the backyard is white ... but more because the snow of a few days ago has frozen and frozen and frozen again. They're talking of more today snow ... we kind of hope so because it pulls the temperature up.
I rarely take off my thermal underwear in these days, and it's all about multiple layers when stepping outside. The only question is whether to wear the leather and sheepskin coat, the one that weighs about as much as an adult polar bear, or the long black boiled-wool coat, with a polarfleece underneath.
And then there's the hat, and scarf, the good gloves, and hiking boots, and woollen socks too. Did I tell you it's cold here? So very cold.
But ... the days are getting longer! We're hanging onto that. The shortest days fell in the mild days of winter. Now it's all down and dirty, weatherwise, but we have more light. It makes things more bearable.
To work.
Wiinter has finally arrived. I've been trying to ignore it, despite preferring that the seasons come and go in a natural way, however ... minus 20 celsius is simply rude.
And I wouldn't know about -20 celsius (reached due to a -11 frost the other day and combined with windchill factor) but I sometimes get to do the 2 hour-round-trip that is getting Miss 7 to school this year. 4 trams and some brisk walking. A trip that involves a leather and sheepskin coat that weighs as much as an adult polar bear (my estimate in terms of weight) and multiple layers, with hiking boots, hat, gloves, and a scarf.
Tomorrow we have to be out the door by 7.30am and this morning, the radio weather people predicted a temp of -20 celsius. I'm not excited about this. I arrive home completely drained by the freezing cold bleak cityscape. As I write this, at 9.31am, I checked in on my old blog and the weather there ... it's still -11.
I phoned Gert. He works in one of the old guild houses in the city ... the pipes are frozen there. They
have no water. He's a bit glum too.
However,the sun is shining. The heaters at home are working. I did pick up my camera in an attempt to ward off thinking of the fact I have to race across the city later this afternoon. I did see some nice light outside. It's the view out the window behind me, here at my desk.
Yes that is snow.
Yes really, many Belgian home owners don't clear snow from the pavements outside their house.
Yes, walking anyplace here at the moment is increasingly treacherous as it freezes and freezes.
Well yes ... Monday is feeling kind of challenging, actually. I'm here trying to write myself into a better mood. It's not working, is it :-)
My very first newsletter is due out tomorrow. If you would like to take a look, leave a comment and I will forward you a copy. The first is going out to Everyone I know ... just that one time, then you are welcome to subscribe if it seems like something you would like to continue receiving.
And now ... to work. Tot ziens.