My Canadian Winter

I am on my third Winter season since moving to Canada and boy, does each one get colder. You would think that I would be used to the cold by now, but the third layer of socks I am wearing today begs to differ. 

When one thinks of a Canadian Winter, I picture sliding down snow covered ski slopes, gliding across frozen lakes or speeding in a snowmobile up a mountain. Its pulling your outfit together by wearing that perfect toque and fluffy snow boots and not having a winter jacket that makes you look like a hefalump. 

My Canadian winter is not like that. I always have fluff on my trousers from my snow boots that I can never get off, and while I leave the house thinking I look cute in my toque, I catch myself later with it lopsided or on backwards and look a bit of an idiot if I do say so. 

I cannot ski, snowboard or ice skate, and I have never had a Smore. (I can hear the gasps already). It’s not that I haven’t tried however. I tried ice skating as soon as I moved here where it wasn’t as much gliding as it was hurtling to the ground. I have also taken a lesson in skiing but too traumatized to go back. 

Having a blog title named Clumsy Lorr, are any of you surprised I was not good at these activities? Baring in mind I spend most of winter picking myself off the floor or clinging onto the sides of my car while I de-ice it. 

So what do I do in Winter to keep myself occupied while most of my friends are at the ski slopes? (Me at the bottom of the slopes, at the bar) After 3 seasons I have found some things I do enjoy, that does not put my (or others) life in danger.

I love going for snowy walks, some longer than others. Plonk me anywhere in the mountains and I will sit and gaze at the view forever.

Sometimes I go and explore a frozen waterfall or two, and pretend I am Elsa from Frozen

I often take road trips with no real purpose just so I can see the white capped mountains and snow covered trees. I am blessed with having friends that will want to take a trip at a moments notice. We often choose a general direction and sit at a junction wondering if we should turn left or right, and choose wherever it pulls us. We should study a map like sensible people, but we do not. 

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I do not ski or snowboard. But I have snowshoed. Does that have the same cool factor? I mean have still fallen over and got stuck in the snow, but I didn’t go full speed into a tree and break my neck. Which would have happened if I continued trying to ski. 

This is why I do not date in Winter. The risk of someone asking me to meet them on the slopes? Can you imagine the horror, worst date in history. At least in Summer I can pretend I’m fit enough to go on a hike.

So while I do not live the most dare devil life, I feel blessed to have been able to experience the winters that I have, something I would have never been able to do while still living in the UK. I say not living a dare devil life, but you have not seen me crossing the road on an icy day.

I have found enjoyment in the things that I do take part in, safely keeping my two feet on the ground. Except when they are up in the air from falling over. 

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