Welcome Winter! (At Last!)

On Monday, it snowed. A lot. Or, at least, a lot for here. I believe that the last time London received this much snowfall was eighteen years ago. As I cycled through Kensington Gardens on my way into work, folks were taking walks, taking pictures, building snow-people, et cetera. Tuesday and Wednesday were perfectly clear -- and cold -- days... and now it is snowing again, with four to six inches on the ground from overnight!

This is more like it! Tis what Winter should be like! Winter should be cold and snowy and dark -- but not too dark. Thus far, I have lived in and around New York City[1a,1b]; Amherst, Massachusetts[2a,2b]; Kamioka, Japan[3a,3b]; Phoenix, Arizona[4a,4b]; Chicago[5a,5b]; and Oxford, England[6a,6b]. Oxford is, by far, the furthest North that I have ever lived. As such, Winters here are far too dark... but generally not very cold -- I regularly go out sans coat -- and nearly no snow. In 2007, my first Winter here, we had exactly one snowfall that stuck. It was such a momentous occasion that the Oxford University Society of Change Ringers declared a snowball fight (photos here, including some of Yours Truly) in the University Park! In 2008, there was no snow whatsoever in the Winter. The only snow that we had fell after the Spring Equinox... and the one snowfall with any accumulation fell on April 6^th! Even then, it only lasted for a few hours before melting away.

In short, my Winters in Oxford have been, until now, completely wrong: Too much dark, nearly no cold and snow. Hence, this week is a great relief! It has been cold, it is snowing as I type this entry... and the dark is finally abating! As of the day before yesterday, February 3^rd, Oxford now receives more sunlight than New York City does on the Winter Solstice. This may sound like an odd measure, but I am a native New Yorker and, thus, my sunlight standards are set by where I grew up. In contrast, Oxford receives less sunlight than the shortest day in New York City on each day from November 8^th through February 2^nd! That is eighty-seven days where we get less light than the minimum that I am accustomed to! Eeep! Thankfully, I have gone South for part of this time -- two weeks in the States and one in Japan -- to break up the period of Great Darkness. Still, it is very much something that needs to be endured and I, for one, am happy that it is over once more.

Thus, for now, we have finally achieved what I believe Winter should be. It is cold. It is snowing. It is dark... but not too dark. My only regret is that I will be in London this afternoon, when the follow-up to the 2007 OUSCR snowball fight happens. Other than that, all is well. So... huzzah! And welcome, Winter!!

( Footnotes )

Welcome Winter! (At Last!)

On Monday, it snowed. A lot. Or, at least, a lot for here. I believe that the last time London received this much snowfall was eighteen years ago. As I cycled through Kensington Gardens on my way into work, folks were taking walks, taking pictures, building snow-people, et cetera. Tuesday and Wednesday were perfectly clear -- and cold -- days... and now it is snowing again, with four to six inches on the ground from overnight!

This is more like it! Tis what Winter should be like! Winter should be cold and snowy and dark -- but not too dark. Thus far, I have lived in and around New York City[1a,1b]; Amherst, Massachusetts[2a,2b]; Kamioka, Japan[3a,3b]; Phoenix, Arizona[4a,4b]; Chicago[5a,5b]; and Oxford, England[6a,6b]. Oxford is, by far, the furthest North that I have ever lived. As such, Winters here are far too dark... but generally not very cold -- I regularly go out sans coat -- and nearly no snow. In 2007, my first Winter here, we had exactly one snowfall that stuck. It was such a momentous occasion that the Oxford University Society of Change Ringers declared a snowball fight (photos here, including some of Yours Truly) in the University Park! In 2008, there was no snow whatsoever in the Winter. The only snow that we had fell after the Spring Equinox... and the one snowfall with any accumulation fell on April 6^th! Even then, it only lasted for a few hours before melting away.

In short, my Winters in Oxford have been, until now, completely wrong: Too much dark, nearly no cold and snow. Hence, this week is a great relief! It has been cold, it is snowing as I type this entry... and the dark is finally abating! As of the day before yesterday, February 3^rd, Oxford now receives more sunlight than New York City does on the Winter Solstice. This may sound like an odd measure, but I am a native New Yorker and, thus, my sunlight standards are set by where I grew up. In contrast, Oxford receives less sunlight than the shortest day in New York City on each day from November 8^th through February 2^nd! That is eighty-seven days where we get less light than the minimum that I am accustomed to! Eeep! Thankfully, I have gone South for part of this time -- two weeks in the States and one in Japan -- to break up the period of Great Darkness. Still, it is very much something that needs to be endured and I, for one, am happy that it is over once more.

Thus, for now, we have finally achieved what I believe Winter should be. It is cold. It is snowing. It is dark... but not too dark. My only regret is that I will be in London this afternoon, when the follow-up to the 2007 OUSCR snowball fight happens. Other than that, all is well. So... huzzah! And welcome, Winter!!

( Footnotes )