A few days after the fall, but there’s still plenty around. I am exercising perpetual vigilance as I walk around my neighbourhood to avoid slipping, but my snow boots are a great help, and I feel more secure if I lean slightly forward. It’s the first day I’ve really been out for two weeks, and despite somewhat grim air quality I enjoy walking. I don’t find what I’m looking for: a key cutter and “How to draw 101 sea creatures”. But I do find birds fluffed out against the cold; a ladder of snow up a grand old tree; my favourite jester partly clothed in snow; didgeridoos for sale; a battered mural of a fish on a coral reef; statues wrapped against the cold; a delicate snow pattern on a desiccated leaf; snowmen and a snow bear; and a glass panel installation repaired after being squashed by a falling tree; . My breath is visible in the cold air and I have that lovely warm-cold feeling generated by, in my case mild, exertion on a chilly day. (Click on the images to enlarge them.)
As I’m writing this I discover a collection of classic Polish winter scenes by different painters in Culture.pl, a web portal for all things cultural in Poland which has enriched my knowledge since I discovered it on one of those unfocused rambles around cyberspace that I excel at.
You can read the article I snaffled these images from here if you want to dentify artists and the names of paintings.
12monthsinwarsaw 
Good one M very informative.
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That after-snow mood so well captured here, Meg. It looks v. shivery. Love the Polish winter scenes, especially the huddling partridge – if that’s what they are.
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Partridges indeed. One of my favourite paintings in the National Gallery.
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This does look cold. I love looking at the snowy scenes, not so keen walking or driving in it. Hope you are feeling much better now. Not many weeks left for you are there? You must surely be dreaming about hot sun on bare skin, and the sound of the waves.
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Home comes here this week – son on Wednesday, granddaughter on Saturday. Time is running out: I’m dreaming about packing, cleaning up, and, last night, whizzing back for a weekend! 20° sounds inviting although 2° felt warmish today. Am I acclimatising?
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I hope they bring you some warmth! Do the Polish grandparents help out with the childcare? Seems that you do an awful lot of toing and froing and taking care of the sick.
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They usually do, half and half, but babcia has been very sick herself for the last three weeks, and Dziadek isn’t well. Fortunately “to and fro” is only half a block.
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So sorry to hear of their illnesses, the extreme cold weather can’t be helpful, though probably helps in killing off a lot of germs. How’s young Jas? Some kiddies suffer badly with chicken-pox. My youngest had them in his ears and was very poorly.
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It’s good to know you’re out and about again, it’s been a bit grim lately hasn’t it? Now, how is it possible to ride a bike in snow? I can hardly stay on one normally. I love the glass installation, glad they fixed it. Happy Sunday Meg 🙂
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It has been a bit grim: I realised I hadn’t been malingering once I experienced “well” again! I don’t know about bike in the snow, but my daughter’s friend ran a half-marathon in at least a foot of snow – he took as long to run it as he usually does to run a full marathon. R was planning to run but couldn’t get out to train, and then couldn’t take the kids on the plane anyway. Happy Sunday to you too, my friend.
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My favourite one is the leaves, with ribs picked out by a hint of remaining snow. Very delicate and subtle.
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I may possibly have predicted this preference! You’ve no idea how good it was to be out again. I’m off again in a few minutes.
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I almost added that you would have predicted my preference. How well we know one another. Very sorry to hear about R’s in-laws and I hope that they improve soon. They are such loving and generous people who give of themselves unstintingly. I am glad that you are feeling better and I hope that the twins are also improving.
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Bliss to have you rambling again (in more ways than one 🙂 🙂 Ooh, I’m so cheeky!) I did fall about laughing at the 6 reasons to learn Polish article, which provoked another coughing fit. I mean, is ‘because it’s easier than Belorussian’ a valid reason? And the likelihood of enjoying Polish classics in the original seems remote, somehow. Nice to know there are aspirational people out there. I’ll just settle for being an old crock 🙂
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Great that you are walking again, Meg, I love to ‘accompany’ you in the warmth of my apartment!! Th culture.pl was interesting – when I saw th Hutsul funeral I thought Romania…and it did turn out to be in the Carpathians….
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