Snow Day

“All Heaven and Earth
Flowered white obliterate…
Snow…unceasing snow”
~ Hashin

I took this image back in the middle of December when we had proper, beautiful, thick, snow Usually in this country, even if it snows, it stays for a day or so. Rarely longer and very rarely for the best part of a week. But this time it did exactly that. It was bitterly cold both day and night. Not ever getting about 0 degrees in the middle on the day even when there was some sunshine.

I took this image the day after the snow fell. I thought it would be my only chance because my experience told me the snow would be gone in a day or so. Michael tried to talk me out of it. “It’s too cold, you are going to freeze” he grumbled but I refused to be dissuaded.

I am completely naked in this image. When I slipped off my socks standing on the snow was almost unbearable and so what you can’t see is that i sacrificed my t-shirt so I had something to stand on. Even with that my the time I struggled back into my socks and walking boots my feet were so cold that they burned.

For a moment as I stood there shivering trying to get dressed again I nearly agreed that Michael had been right and I shouldn’t have done it but then as we set off for home I found myself laughing out loud and whooping really loudly in celebration. The buzz of it, the risk, the cold, the element of endurance. I was a little high on it all and despite still being frozen I bounced along happily all the way.

It was only when we finally got in that I realised how cold I was and straight off into the shower to warm up. My skin stung under the hot water and burned a hot pink as the warmth returned to my body.

Later, once I had eaten my lunch and drink an indulgent hot chocolate that Michael made me I looked at the pictures I took and I knew that even thought it might have been a bit mental to strip off in that cold, especially that far from home, I had absolutely no regrets because this image, well I am damn proud of this one!

Oh and bonus, this one also fits in the A Girl and her Dog Category. Sensibly Hudson kept his coat on though.