Merry Christmas Canada

Quite a frost last night has given way to an utterly gorgeous British Columbian morning. Sunrise was like a cauldron of molten gold spilling over a white crisped landscape. Thin surface mist roiling off calm water down at the seafront, and light Turner would be jealous of. This has morphed into a gorgeous blue sky with a fine haze developing overhead and only a few clouds lurking around the horizon like guilty looking teenagers. Fabulous. You couldn't package this if you tried. Bloody cold though.

Mrs S has Skyped me from the other side of the water. She and the girls are in good form and staying in one of the snow free areas of the UK. Youngest has growled that she wanted a white Christmas, but she'll find as a grown up that snow and ice can be over rated. Might look all pretty and picturesque from inside the snug warmth of your home, but when you're trying to shovel your way to work, the white stuff ain't no fun at all.

Despite being on my own apart from the dog, I'm in good spirits. There's plenty to look forward to in the New Year. Not having to faff around with the restrictions of Work Permits for one, which has been a background source of frustration. There's work out there for me that I will be allowed to take on, a fact which I'm sure will make the Canadian tax man happy. A trip back to the UK will be needed to finalise my affairs there; and that, as they say, will be that.

On the weather front, the thought does occur that we're seeing Mother Nature's cluebat for the warmista's in action. So you thought you puny humans controlled the weather huh? Locally, the temperatures are mildly below average, but nothing outside of, well, the normal pattern of things. At least if you bother to look out of the window and not regurgitate peer reviewed propaganda, that is. It may only be weather, but hey, so is the climate. We've also got the coldest part of the year to come, which is a mildly unhappy thought.

Today will be spent (still) cleaning the apartment ready for the move next week. I'm still recovering from that dose of whatever, and taking my own sweet time about things. Will take the dog for a good stiff walk around noon to loosen the sinews and get a few lungfuls of good clean Vancouver Island air. The apartment has too much of an odour of cleaning chemicals for even my tolerant tastes.

Anyway. That's enough mental peregrinations for a wonderful day. Merry Christmas Canada, and all the best for the new year. 2010 could be a truly great one.