Barmy Blue's Bland Blog

A Santa hat that was very difficult to get out.
It snowed today.
First in the early hours but we missed the actual snowfall and it started raining. But there was a tiny bit of snow slowly disappearing. Mum was going to take Yuki out for her night walk (which is actually a very early hours walk) so I put on my boots and coat (over my pyjamas) and went out with them just to the end of the street. Sometimes during that walk Yui will just sniff up and down the street and come home. But as there was a little snow and since I was there I decided to get her to chase me to the end of the street. After that she decided to go off for a proper walk. Mum was not too happy about that because her leg still hurts. That’s clearly not going to go anywhere anytime soon.

So I planned not to stay up too late but I ended up doing just that. I heard the rain and was disappointed that the snow was almost gone.
At about 9am I decided to look out of the back window because I’m about to start thinking about going to bed. But it looks lighter out there. And it somehow wasn’t very clear, kind of distorted. Ah I’ve been looking at a screen for too long I think. Then I wonder. Could it be snow? So I look out of the front window.
Not only has it been snowing but it still is snowing. I go and tell mum, mainly because I’ll be asleep when she actually gets up so this gives her forewarning and told her my plan to get dressed and take the dog out for a walk around the street.
Now I’m pretty darn tired at this point but I’ll throw on several layers of clothing and take the dog out for a little run. It wouldn’t be fair to let her miss this wonderful fresh snow. She is a husky after all. She was born for this. Her name even means snow.
I put on one of my long sleeved t-shirts, a jumper, thermal leggings, a pair of trousers I hate, a pair of jeans too big for me (mum ordered them for herself a few years ago but got a size too small so she gave them to me, they’re good for layering), a pair of thermal socks and a pair of thick socks. On top of all that I put on my thick coat (which I hate but it was a Christmas gift from mum a few years ago and I do wear it when the conditions are right, it’s just a bit troublesome to put on and off), my gloves, my wellington boots that I rarely wear and now seem to have little holes in and my snow treads that we got a few years ago. I rarely wear them because it so rarely snows around here but they’re brilliant when it does.
By the time I’d finally gotten all this on my hopes of a quiet run in the snow were dashed when I heard the children come out. But never mind. I put her on one of the extendable leads (which I would never do for a street walk but on a Sunday in the morning in the snow I didn’t need to worry about cars and people as much. ) first she was excited to be having this bonus walk and when she saw the snow she jumped out ahead of me and wanted to go running off.
After a bit of bounding and considerable sniffing she decided to pee and then we were off again.
I was only going to go up and down the street but decided that wasn’t enough for her so we walked around a couple of streets. The treads worked perfectly because the snow was about an inch deep and freshly fallen. I couldn’t run much so I had to keep pulling her back to a shorter lead and then letting her run the length of it again.
Her little face was so happy and she kept wanting to explore. She wanted to go to the park but there was no way I was doing that without having slept beforehand. So she had to make do with bounding around the streets.
I ran…well kind of jogged really, up and down the street with her. She wanted to stay out and explore more but I had to bring her in because it was getting clos trop 10am by this point. I noticed how much fluffier her fur looked in the snow. I wonder if she understands that she was bread for snow or if it just speaks to her on some unknown level that she doesn’t understand and just accepts.
When we got in I had to get my gloves off because my fingers were burning. Oddly enough, despite the two socks my toes were still cold.
Then I dried her, particularly the paws, because we don’t want her being too wet.

Just before bed I decided to look at our old Christmas tree to see how he looked in the snow. Because he’s kind of slumped over it just looked like the snow was dumped on him but never mind.
I was pleased to see the birds eating. I fed them a couple of days ago. Good thing I did. I worry they might have struggled in the snow. Don’t get me wrong, I know they can survive in the snow but they’re used to being fed and we have an flock of sparrows so that’s a lot of beaks to feed. I also saw a wood pigeon and a magpie.

When it was time for mum’s morning walk (which is actually an afternoon walk when she doesn’t have work) she put on my snow treads but the thinks she put them on wrong. We got two pairs but she doesn’t know where hers are. I keep mine in my boots so I’ll always know where they are. She said it was still a bit slippy but it would’ve been worse without the treads.
There’s still snow out there now but it’ll be slippery now, what with all the foot traffic. So once I’ve taken the dog out, which I have to do now, I think I’ll clear the path and put down rock salt. I don’t want mum slipping tomorrow.