Ice ice baby

Greetings & Happy New Year from beautiful yet icy Canada. Today (Sunday) there has been a wind chill warning in force as the maximum temp with wind chill today was a rather refreshing minus 40 degrees. Yes, that is centigrade and yes, that was the top / maximum / highest temperature reached. So I did what any warm blooded Aussie girl would do in the circumstances - sat on the couch & read a book in my pajamas all day :-) And no, no pj photos will be published here! Throw in the 10cm of snow which fell on Friday night & the weather gods seem to be showing me their best work before I leave on Tuesday. My brain still has some trouble processing just how cold it is here. While looking out the window at the sun beating down on a clear & still day, a few times I have caught myself thinking, 'gee what a beautiful day it is outside'. Beautiful yes, but freaking cold. As the wind chill warning noted, frostbite can start to occur within 10 mins of being outside in these temperatures. Ouch ! 

I had a fantastic NY period. We spent NYE and the night of the 1st in a cabin at a resort just outside a national park we visited during my visit here in 2007. Aside from going on my first sleigh ride (pulled by horses) - which was freaking cold I might add - we basically spent our time curled up either reading or watching tv / movies in front of a roaring fire while watching the snow fall outside. The occasional glass of red wine or Baileys-laced coffee may also have been consumed ;-) I had plans to go snow shoeing but a bad head cold put an end to that. However after spending 3 months on the road, the 'vegging out' was seriously needed. Our NYE was also rather unique & special for me. It snowed all night. We stood at the (open) door to the balcony (it was far too cold to go out!) watching the snow fall as the clock struck midnight. As I said, unique! 

Earlier in the evening, we watched Canada S-M-A-S-H the USA in a hockey game (that's ice hockey for those who don't speak Canadian) in the World Youth Championships. Hockey is HUGE here in Canada. Imagine the combined popularity of rugby union, rugby league, AFL, cricket and soccer in Australia and multiply it by a factor of 100. Throw in the fact that Canada has won the tournament many times and that it is being held here in Canada, and its a HUGE thing. It was a fantastic game; fast, furious & emotional as games between long standing rivals tend to be. Some have said that it was one of the best hockey games ever played. What a fantastic night to choose to watch it. Canada is playing Sweden in the final of the Championships tomorrow & I will certainly be watching.  GO CANADA !!!

Well all good things must come to an end & tomorrow I must pack. I fly out of here on Tuesday and arrive back home in Sydney on Thursday morning. I hear it was 37 out west today. Holy moly. A 60+ degree temperature change is going to be interesting. At least I won't have to dress like the Michelin (wo)man in my down jacket, mitts, touque (ie beanie), neck sock & balaclava every time I leave the house.

Photos coming shortly, I promise !

Edit: Watched the final of the World Junior Hockey Champs tonight wearing my red & while Canada t-shirt from my wonderful 'Canada Survival Pack' which Matt & Erin put together and gave to me when I first arrived. Canada 5 - Sweden 1 :-D