Shadows on snowy slopes, superb

The shadow cast on the snow doesn't accurately mirror the fence.

I had to go to the hospital Saturday. This may sound odd, but I was in an incredibly good mood. When you are puzzling through a serious heart problem, a blue sky above bright, white snow with cold, crisp, winter air makes one feel oh-so-alive. And that a-l-i-v-e feeling spells happiness.

On the way home from the hospital I saw the shadow featured today. The road home went up a small hill  leaving the university grounds — the hospital is just north of the university. A black iron fence ran beside the roadway. The moment I saw the shadow cast by the fence climbing that small hill, I knew I had a picture.

Saturday was one fine day!

Cold Advisory

It was cold this weekend. Cold enough to cancel some outdoor events. But it wasn't cold enough to stop me from going for my 5 km walk. If your heart is weak, it is important to get out and give it some gentle exercise.

It's funny but I'd have thought beating 50 times every minute all day and all night would be enough exercise. The doctors assure me that it isn't.

There's a little reason posts are sporatic: Fiona

For more than a year this collection of blogs enjoyed regular, almost daily, posts. This activitiy has come to a grinding halt and for that I apologize. With both of us in our early 60s, my wife and I have taken on the quite enjoyable task of babysitting a beautiful little girl, Fiona, our granddaughter.

The kid's awake!

The little tyke can be quite demanding --- in a sweet sorta way. I can't move without having Fiona following along. Working at the computer is completely out, unless I want to visit YouTube and share some videos with the kid. She loves movie trailers like the ones for Tangled or Despicable Me and music videos are always worth a look.

As you can see from today's picture, Fiona arrived asleep. I have just a few moments for an explanatory post; Judy tells me the little girl is starting to stir. I best get ready to share a banana and maybe a crushed and chopped pear with the kid.

Have a great day,
Cheers,
Rockinon!

Snowshoes and snowboards

Springbank Park in London, Ontario, is one of the most popular spots for locals to go to exercise. Usually it is joggers that one sees. But, in winter, one also sees cross-country skiers and sometimes folk traipsing through the deep snow wearing snowshoes for some off-trail exercise.

One sight that one doesn't see too often is a snowboarder on a picnic table. The young man had built a ramp out of snow and was sliding down a nearby slope, zipping up the ramp and leaping onto the snow-covered table, before jumping from the table back to the snow.

Merry Christmas from London, Ontario, Canada

Fiona got lots of gifts and their value ranged widely. But one gift that got lots of attention cost but $2 at the Dollar Store: a simple xylophone. A toy with a history going back a hundred years was easily able to compete with her other favorite toy: Mom's iPhone.

Merry Christmas from London, Ontario, Canada

Merry Christmas

and a 

Happy New Year

to all!

. . . and now to go and watch Fiona unwrap her gifts. Maybe I'll post some pictures. I do hope you are all having as wonderful a Christmas as I am. 

Cheers!

More on the upside to snow

A family enjoying the deep snow on the long, steep hill near Lookout Crt.

Families can often be found taking advantage of the steep neighbourhood hill running for hundreds of yards behind dozens of suburban homes in the Byron subdivision in the southwest of London, Ontario.

It's a bit of a climb back to the summit.

The hill is so long and steep because it is what remains of a very deep gravel pit that was closed and rehabilitated.more than a decade ago.

The runs are fast but the climb back to the top slow can be slow, especially when the snow is deep and fresh.

Although few wear helmets, they would be a good idea, especially here. When the snow gets shoved aside by all the sledding, sometimes a rock will jut out of from the slope.

If you're dressed for it, one can simply rest in the snow.

One thing we learned from the unfortunate death of actor Natasha Richardson was even small falls pose big dangers. Richardson died after taking a tumble on a beginner hill at Mont Tremblant, Quebec.

Every year thousands go to the hospital with injuries sustained playing on slopes. Helmets are a good idea, even if they're not popular.

It can be difficult seeing where you're going with the snow flying.