La Neige

Today is the first snowfall in Toronto. It is beautiful. I have always thought that the seasons in Ontario make it one of the best places to live. You get the crisp, cool, colourful days of fall, then the sunny yet frightfully cold winters that leave you to appreciate the dawning of  bright spring and the hot hot heat of summer.
Yes, the winters aren't all fun and games making snow angels, tobogganing and skiing. There's also the freeze-your-eyelids-shut wait for the streetcar, the necessity for toques, mitts and gigantic coats. But still a subzero winter is something that's only experienced by a handful of countries residents.

Even in England, when it snows, which is an exceptionally rare occurrence, the parks are packed with people trying to toboggan. Which makes you wonder where all these Brits got their wooden sleighs (and how they store them in tiny London flats?) - but it turns out it used to snow lots more in London ten years ago. And, when I think about wearing a snowsuit under my Halloween costume as a little kid, I realize that is true in Toronto as well. The minus 20 everyday winters of the past have been reduced to much milder temperatures, with a few crazy storms thrown in for good measure.

Culprit? You guessed it, global warming. But no, I'm not all doom and gloom today. Right now the Durban climate talks need some people power to get leaders to think (I was going to continue that sentence but 'think' sums it up nicely). So, please go onto avaaz and sign the petition to get global leaders to use their brains.