Snow over

Matthias in the blizzard

The snowstorm is finally over. Today we celebrate the Baptism of Christ in the River Jordan ... so everyone is going to the River Jordan for the solemn Mass. The weather will be fine, sunny and cool so that'll be a perfect pilgrimage. I'm staying at home though. My slipped-disc is making walking very painful and difficult.

But talking about the snowstorm ... it wasn't as bad as last year's. There were sporadic intense blizzards but other than that it was mainly rain and sleet. But it was definitely colder than last year .... 4 degrees below zero was the lowest.

Friday afternoon seemed as if the snow was over so I promised some students a warm meal at Mandarin's. Unfortunately there was the worse blizzard of this snowstorm and it was minus 3 degrees at evening. But a promise is a promise ... so despite the cold, snow and slipped-disc we went to Mandarin's. And being students ... they couldn't resist throwing snowballs and other taking selfies ...

The 3 stooges

The birds have all survived ... and so too the flowers. I had placed most of the pots I could carry under the stairs so they were not frostbitten. The sun's up and it's 4 degrees above zero now so I guess I'll put them back out on the terrace. But I'll have to do it slowly as my slipped-disc hurts very much when I carry things. Hopefully things will go back to normal soon and winter will pass smoothly into Spirng.