countdown

i'm apparently on the last leg of the race to maternity (38 weeks 4 days today!), though it doesn't feel like that at all. what it feels like is, mostly tedious. i sort-of packed what i could of the hospital bag, and all that's left to do is calculations re: if i do get out of the house, how far can i afford to go, in case something happens? (my mum recently scared me with the thought that my water might break while i'm outside, and then freeze (!!) before i can get somewhere indoors. is that even possible?)

on the plus side: days do go by. since my sleeping at night is very erratic, i try to compensate with daytime naps every time i'm bored during the day, and it works. plus i realized that the closer i get to my due date, the more of winter passes too. not great for people who enjoy skating, lol, but great for seeing more light in the afternoon, for example, and soon, i hope, less extreme weather.

so far this week we've had a partial defrosting (temperatures above zero),  followed in quick succession by some snow, then freezing rain. see below for some of the spectacular results.

5 p.m. in parc jarry. birch trees look so elegant!

a layer of ice on absolutely everything

branches downtown (returning from weekly doctor's appointment). downtown everything turns slushy much faster than in other neighbourhoods, so the main problem is not walking on ice, but navigating sidewalk-climbing so you don't lose your boots in a slush puddle. no lying, i've had 3 people attempting to help me cross the street, over a 2-block distance. (also people stopping me to ask when i'm due!!)

our neighbours can compete for biggest icicles in the city. definitely the biggest i've ever seen so far. it's like a pillar, man!

mandatory shoveling picture. also, we're learning: snow should be thoroughly shoveled before a freezing rain warning, otherwise it will melt then refreeze on the stairs annoyingly, and make them unusable until the next defrosting.

changing room at the lake: the tragedy of a little skate. (it's been there for 3 weeks now)

this picture of how icy an ice field (and alley) can be/look is a good pretext for me to brag about my crampons! yes, after 7 years in montreal, i finally got round to using crampons (english: ice cleats) this week! first to go to the doctor's, when i found i didn't really need them on city streets, although they helped me feel more secure; but also they take getting used to, and make a horrible scraping noise. BUT THEN!! i wore them to the park, and this is really what crampons were made for: they feel as safe on ice as normal shoes on normal surfaces - so i enjoyed doing my tour of the park as if i was doing winter sports. highly recommend.

at some point before it froze, for a couple of hours there, the snow must have been watery enough for snowmen.

the lake is in good condition for skating, on both sides of the mini-island. i like how there are people coming, or staying, to skate after dark - they have lighting, and also some radio in the speakers. parks officially close at 11 p.m., but B. says nobody came to "close" it

families on ice: i saw these people in the changing room: the kid had skates on, but then he declined using them and preferred to just be pulled.

also look at these people with a stroller in the middle of the lake!! (in the mean time, doing research on strollers, i found out that one can buy either mini-skis or cleats for stroller wheels!)

my refuge from the elements: the salvadoran grocery La Providencia, across from the park. here's where I waited for B. while going through their offer of pupusas

warm and sheltered. also, they have a high chair for babies!! (i notice these things nowadays)

another sheltered creature - this plant. we're waiting on her to maximize her potential: 10 flowers this cycle