Day 3 of shovelling...and we made it down to the barrier...only to find that the rest of the drive was the same. So we walked and kicked the snow the rest of the way, Stu in one car track and I in the other. This will help to crush the snow and expedite the big melt! Later that afternoon we set off to town on foot and will again walk out today...
Yesterday I was enraptured with the snow. Today, I am slightly less enraptured, having spent the last two hours throwing snow around with a snow shovel.
Before we ventured out of the house, we had dreams of clearing right down the driveway...but there was so much of it that after two hours we were still doing around the house, just enough to create two tracks for the car to turn around in. Then, when Stu tried moving the car, the bottom of the car scraped on the snow and the whole car slid sideways anyway!
So, despite our best efforts, we appear to be quite snowed in...
A few days ago, the weather forecast threatened half a metre of snow! Anticipating that we might be snowed in for a few days, we spent the morning buying up at the market and grocery store. With the fridge and cupboard well stocked, we waited. When the snow started, it continued all day but stopped overnight. The next morning, it started again and continued all day again. Watching snow fall is something that this Australian will never tire of...although looking out of the window during all of one's daylight hours does tend to waste a day...
There is nothing quite like being in a train that comes to a stop somewhere deep under the alps. That is where we found ourselves yesterday. We had made a quick trip to Switzerland and were on our way back through the Gotthard tunnel when there was a sudden flash of bright light outside my window. There followed a loud boom before the train slowed to a halt and the lights dimmed. After a minute or so, the driver announced that "we have technical problems". A few minutes later "we are waiting for an electrician". I found myself having unwelcome thoughts. The first focused on the likelihood that one of my fellow passengers was an opportunistic murderer. It wasn't long before I progressed to the probability that the tonnes of rock above us would crumble. Thus I spent a good 30 minutes of my life before the train moved off again. While the delay had given me precious time in which to contemplate life, it also meant that we missed 2 other train connections and the trip home (which normally involves 3 trains and 5 hours) involved 6 trains and 10 hours!
Many apologies for being decidedly "absent" over the last month. I have spent a very busy and joyful time with my older sister and her family who came to stay! While there were many highlights, the single most memorable one for my two nephews simply must be the heavy snowfall they experienced a few days before they left.
The white vineyards near our place
The white roofs in Canelli
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