like a fairytale, only colder

yes, the big snow has descended upon us. so every tiny venturing outside of the house is suddenly raised to the rank of adventure. also it's harder to walk, and one may have to stop and take pictures every 2 minutes, so a simple walk to the park becomes a 2 hour trek. right now it's snowing very very small, like powder falling. the storm came and went on tuesday (right on time to act as a  background for my ultrasound+doctor appointment) - since then, it's just been very cold and pretty. not much to complain about, until you realize your legs have gotten numb.

we had two plans for tina on that day: swaddling her (we've been practising swaddling in my pre-natal class) and, as usual, taking her out to enjoy the season. of course we sort of knew she wouldn't - see the desperate expression on her face

getting out around 4 p.m. : the street lamps are already on, complete with icicles

first business trip after the snow: to sharpen skate blades at Poubelle du ski. this place is a huge warehouse not far from us on st-laurent, which sells everything winter-related.

while b. is doing business, i'm having fun checking out various parts of the store.

huge collection of skis, skates, sports winter coats (good, i.e. light and insulated, but pretty damn expensive)

...and more winter coats on discount, i.e. everything at CAD 50.77. there's no point in buying a coat for myself right now, just to remember to come back next year. (also, everytime i see a happy kid rolling around in snow, i'll just assume their coat comes from Poubelle du ski.)

lo and behold, a morning when b. got to clean the back stairs before our neighbour woke up! bonus view of the landlord's yard.

i feel i'm taking this exact picture every year after the first snow: it's at the same point where i get out of the alley into the street and realize how pretty it looks.

christmas decorations starting strong - i like the skating socks!

then again, sometimes snow is the best decoration.

even this cutie, who let me get pretty close, is totally powdered

our loyal companion for the next...at least 4 months?: the sidewalk-cleaning machine. they are small enough to just fit on the sidewalk (banishing everyone around with their pew-pew sound) and always yellow! i call them the "dirty fellows", from an indian rhyme b. taught me: "yellow yellow/dirty fellow/sitting on a buffalo"

across from the church on jarry, la Maison des grands-parents de Villeray, with its pretty murals

this really made me emotional,  as i'm thinking when and how long my kid will get to spend time with her grandparents

these neighbours always decorate their fir tree with lights - this year's addition is hand-painted papier mache globes.

sunset in the park at 4 p.m. (and -15 degrees C). my winter jacket, thickest hat, proper winter gloves and woollen scarf. the only way i can beat this is by wearing a big woollen sweater (this blue one is pretty lightweight) and, oh! my thicker-insulation boots as opposed to the normal-insulation ones.

we crossed the completely frozen lake, i.e. i walked on ice! (n.b. i weigh almost 90 kg at this point, without counting the layers of clothes.) obviously the ice is covered in snow, otherwise i would've been slipping on my butt. B. is sad that the skating rink is not open yet, even though we've had 1 week of snow and waay below zero temperatures. they promised to open it before the holidays, so...

in the meantime people do what they can in the park: walking, jogging, tobogganing or just pulling their kids around for exercise and fresh air. (i continue to be amazed at how kids are carted around on a simple plastic sheet!)

one more for the light

at least they opened the toboggan lanes...and we do have one of those plastic contraptions, but haven't tried it out yet. i probably shouldn't in any case.

no more fancy blogger belly pics, but this is me at almost 33 weeks, prepared to go out, with scarf optimally tied. also i feel i have to mention that i'm wearing leggings under my pants.

silly in the kitchen: i'm about to start my christmas pastry marathon, but you can take this as an appetizer: traditional romanian whatever (placinta/langos): fried dough filled with feta and herbs.

see you with new snow adventures, and, hopefully, more pastries!