The extra day of this leap year turned out to be a day of contrasts. A cold and clear morning turned into a snowy, windy evening. Blue skies dissolved into gray. What little melting had taken place was buried in the new snowstorm that blasted the city.

The month leaves the same way it started: with snow!

In the morning, the sun peers over the horizon.

The bench emerges!

A beautiful knot.

The clearest of skies.

In the late afternoon the snow begins. Gray replaces blue.

A long road.

Stillness and snow.

Many people express surprise that I walk 4 miles to work every day, even in the winter time. I tell them it’s all about dressing for the weather. Fashion goes out the window! Dress for warmth. My winter gear consists of the following: hiking boots, leg warmers for my calves, a men’s large parka (I prefer men’s parkas because they have lots of pockets and the sleeves are long enough to cover my hands. This way I don’t have to wear mittens unless it’s really cold! So far this year, I haven’t worn mittens while wearing this parka yet), and a shawl/scarf around my neck. Optional accessories include a fur hat with ear flaps, very warm and Russian looking. I alternate between that hat and the parka’s hood. Others scarves come out, depending on how cold it gets.

Speaking of cold, I have another accessory that I made. I call it my hockey thigh warmers. It is two pieces of fleece sewn together with velco on the ends. I wrap them around my thighs and velco them closed. At the top and bottom, I have elastic to tighten them so they stay up. When I wear them, I look like a cross between a hockey player with pads or the Michelin man! They make walking a bit more interesting as I have to waddle more than walk. But when I need them, boy are they warm!

However, because they are so warm I only warm them a couple of times a year. It just isn’t worth wearing them on cold days, it has to be freezing. This morning, it was getting close. My thighs were cold after half an hour of walking. This is getting within the parameters of the hockey thigh warmer weather. I’ll be keeping an eye out on tomorrow’s forecast to see if it’s time to pull them out. If it is, it will be the first time this winter!

Another morning of snow. This time it falls gently, coating everything in white. Ice hides under the path, making it a challenging walk but I remember where most of the ice lies. I follow another’s footsteps and marvel at the sleeping world.

A flurry of branches can’t fight the snow.

Snow obscures the green of the shrubs but can’t cover it completely.

The path ahead. I follow where others have already traveled.

The gazebo, hiding in the snow, seems to hold secrets it will never share.

As always, the evergreen remains unbowed by the snow. It stands smug and self-assured.

We’ve had record cold temperatures in Toronto which has turned the snow to ice. Rain last Sunday melted some of the snow then the temperature drop froze everything in place. The sidewalks are mostly clear with a few treacherous spots to test the nerves. The sun has returned but brought no warmth. Beneath its chilly glare, breath turns to mist. One good thing about the cold; it’s too cold to snow.

Sun on the bridge.

The trees seem even more eager to escape their fence.

Sun burst through the trees. I love the play of shadows on the snow.

The sunshine reveals the bench, slowly emerging from the snow.

One day there will be leaves. But not today.

The giant is still trying to escape the ravine. His tree fingers reach to the sky.

The giant must have a pet bird equally giant to make this nest.

I love the different elements in this photo. The bridge, the evergreens, the house, the office buildings. A blending of city highrises, home and nature.

The shape of snow: a remembrance of snow banks from my childhood.

A dream of the future from the past. Winter will not last forever, witness this summer vision from 2006.

After weeks of drab, dull days, the sun makes an appearance! Hooray!

After so long, blue sky.

The sun reveals the path between the trees.

Sun burst!

Undisturbed.

A tiny dab of colour amidst the drab. Can you see it?

The bench has succumbed.

The path ahead.

The evergreen, triumphant.

This tree is not faring so well.

Here in Toronto, Canada we are experiencing a harsher than normal winter. Snow fall is higher than usual and we expect another blast early next week. It reminds me of my childhood winters growing up in the snowbelt of Southwestern Ontario. I often had to wade through knee high snow with the drifts piled above my head along the road. Of course, I was shorter then.

The garden is completely submerged.

Snow bridge.

Everything slumbers under a blanket of snow. Even ghosts.

I love how everything looks suspended.

No fence can keep out the snow. Or keep it in.