Deep freeze

I know I've been raving about Vancouver's great temperate weather. Okay, ignore everything I've told you. We've returned to the ice age here. We had almost a foot of snow (almost unheard of in this city) which would be okay if it did what it usually does - warms up, melts, floods the streets so we know what to do with it. But it didn't.

It's freezing today and the sun is shining. A very bad sign.

And we're expecting even more snow. No one has snow tires, the city only has a very few snow plows and sand trucks, and yesterday especially, the city basically came to a halt. There were big trees falling onto streets with the weight of the snow, cars slipping and sliding up and down hills. In one section of the freeway into downtown, there were dozens of cars off the road. Now, some of that is our fault - but not most of it.

There's no point in owing too much equipment for an event that happens only once in 20 years. And every store in the city has sold out of salt and snow shovels. And a snow blower? Please. I'm not sure anyone here knows what it is.

I have to say it's not a real problem for me. I live downtown, I can take the bus or walk almost anywhere I want to go. I'm meeting a friend for dinner tonight and I can get within half a block by bus - can't complain about that. But I think, depending on the wind chill, I might just walk. Half an hour along the snowy beach? Can't complain about that.

I have a perfect rest of the day planned. I'm going home now (I'm still doing this at the internet cafe and will probably do so for another week), reading the first three chapters of the book I'm working on (The Twisted Sisters) and then working on the book before going out to one of my favorite restaurants (Cafe de Paris) for roasted chicken, frites, wine and creme caramel. It can't get better than that.

Kate