Winter goes out with a bang

12/3/13
Last night I watched the French news channel - it's a good way to practise my listening comprehension, especially when it's news readers and politicians who speak more slowly and clearly, so as to be understood by the common (wo)man ;-) - and there's been a big dump of snow in Normandy, with "orange alerts" for some communities. Winter is definitely going down kicking and screaming in France!
This morning it's -3 degrees C at 6.30am so I reluctantly get the thermals out again. I really dislike them, they're so uncomfortable. It reminds me of when I was in primary school and I hated my school uniform - stiff shirt, tunic and tie (what's with that?) - and I used to have "tanties" about having to wear it (stop laughing Mum!).
At 7am I look out the window and it's snowing and the snow is settling in the courtyard and on my windowsill!

It looks beautiful (even the bins look pretty when they're covered in snow!) but somehow it's not quite so magical when you have to walk to school in it!!! This is the heaviest snowfall I've seen since I got here :-)

It's an icy and slippery walk to the Metro this morning, and I take it slowly; the last thing I need is a broken bone! Some vendors are sprinkling salt or sand outside their shops and with good reason. The Metro is fairly busy this morning and I make the mistake of taking the first train that comes along - BIG mistake in fact. By the time we've gone 3 more stations we're packed in like sardines, to the point that I can barely move. I think this must be one of the more ridiculous things we humans do - see a full carriage and stuff ourselves in anyway! When I manage to extricate myself from the train and exit Grands Boulevards station it's still snowing and I enjoy the short walk to school in this flurry of snowflakes. It truly is beautiful as it settles thickly in pristine drifts on the parked cars.
All morning, as we review our homework, learn how to express quantity (une question, deux problèmes, du café, des champignons) and learn some new vocabulary (le lait, les oeufs, une pomme de terre, un poulet, une saucisse........) we can see the snow continuing to fall steadily outside. By lunch time the cars that have been there all morning are covered in several centimetres of gorgeous white snow :-)

For the first time I forego a walk home in favour of the Metro. It's still snowing and it's freezing and the ground is slushy underfoot. It's so good to get back to my warm apartment and Skype my lovely husband, who is envying me the snow and hoping there will be more when he gets here - who knows, it just might happen! As for me, I'm just hoping that things will clear up so flights can land with no problem! Only 4 more sleeps now......... :-)