The first blackfly of spring!

Arrgh!

A late snow has covered everything in white, but the bright sun is bringing out early blackflies ANYWAY!

Image: a T-shirt design from a nearby town.

Canals on Mars?

No, runoff in the back field, following paths made by the horses.

Spring treat

It feels like spring here at last, but it was still possible to skate on a runoff pond this morning. I'll bet the sap is running fast today.

Inner Norwegian? Nay, real Canadian!

A brilliant little report from Toronto, which ten years ago had a mayor disgrace the city by panicking over snow.

If you are wondering, it's a lot less snowy up here in the Near North.

Life in the Snowy South

It's been a snowy year in Toronto and southern Ontario generally, much snowier than in my area. A family member sent me this spooky photo of emergency snow removal on the Toronto streets. His camera just gives a hint -- there was a huge line of trucks being filled.

More from English Russia

The amateur photojournalists (meant as a compliment) of English Russia continue to present us with great images of "1/6 of the Earth's surface." Today I went back to the site and found two treasures: a portfolio of views of Northern Russia (region unspecified) and a group of pictures from Nazi-occupied Russia.

In connection with the first, I was struck by how little this cold landscape looks like my cold part of Canada (though we had clear blue skies today). In connection with the second, I found it interesting to see how many people used the German presence as an opportunity to hold religious processions.

Winter wonderland

Snow falls in Baghdad. (From the Associated Press via Yahoo.)

Winter solstice

It's coming back!

Image: Nguyen Vo photographs snow skiing.

Here it is again

We had a mild, warm fall until about a week or so ago. If your eyes were well trained, you could still see green in the grass. (After a decade and a half, my eyes can see the slightest speck of green in the landscape; but it wasn't just me, horses were still grazing.)

Now it is really wintry and supposed to stay that way for a long, long time.

Image: This is not our area, but Minnesota, but close enough, close enough.

Tewkesbury: a medieval town's layout revealed by floodwaters

The town of Tewkesbury in England was built around its Abbey and abbey church. Yes, it's rained a lot in England, and not just in Tewkesbury.

From the Guardian, with thanks to Paul Halsall who said the poster-sized printed version was even more impressive. Indeed, the electronic version accessible from the above link is better than what Blogger can show.