It's snowing!

After frankly an embarrassing fortnight in which London has seen more snow than Toronto (and we’d made such a fuss at home about needing down-filled jackets), we’re experiencing our first proper Canadian snowfall. Persistent flurries throughout the afternoon have turned the city white; footpaths are crisp and crunchy underfoot.

Around colleagues, who are now in the third month of a long winter, we’re working hard to contain our excitement. Snowflakes dancing and whirling in the wind, leaving a silvery carpet below, are captivating, beautiful. Admittedly our delight was mitigated a little as we emerged from our workplaces to facefuls of ice, and our journeys home were more slippery and busy than usual, but a snow-covered Toronto is a magical sight.

In our first couple of weeks at least, the weather generally has been more manageable than we’d feared. Yes, ten degrees (Celsius) below freezing is common (and with the wind chill that’s closer to -15), but the blizzards we watched on the news at the start of January are thankfully reasonably rare. (We’ve heard that temperatures of -30 tend to happen only every five years or so.) So far, with our jackets, snoods, gloves and woolly hats, we’ve negotiated Toronto largely without feeling the chill – and a snug pair of snow boots is truly a wonderful thing. (Harriet’s winter fashion post is coming soon!)