Now is the winter of our discontent�

We�re back from the symphony, a concert of music from sunnier climes. The name of the programme was �Couleurs de l�Espagne�, and the music was in that vein. The soloist was a beautiful young man who played the violin in Lalo�s Rhapsodie espagnole beautifully. He�s very tall, at least 6'4", and the violin looked like a toy in his grasp. But it was absolutely gorgeous. Talking with him afterwards I found out it�s a 17th-century Italian instrument, perfect for chamber music and concertos. Even though it�s not particularly loud, it sings to the back of the hall with the sweetest of tones.

We arrived too late to get a good parking spot, and walking from the lot across the road without my Kanuk coat and a hat was one of the stupider things I�ve done this winter. The wind was like a knife cutting across, and I missed my warm, fur-trimmed hood. Hubby had a headband he loaned me, which helped with my ears and forehead. Thank the gourd it was not that long a walk. After the reception I waited in the vestibule while he got the car. I wasn�t risking that wind again. The car thermometer read -25�C.

I read today in the paper that global warming is actually responsible for our colder winter. As the polar ice caps melt, the cold water travels equatorward and cools off temperate zones. There is a possiblity that the Gulf Stream will slow down and eventually disappear, which will plunge Europe into much colder temperatures. In the Arctic itself, animals are showing up who never frequented those latitudes before: robins, grizzly bears, ants and other insects. Apparently Inuit children are terrified of dragonflies, which they�ve never seen before. Inuit hunters are falling through the ice as they hunt for seal. The habitat of the polar bear is disappearing. I suppose I should feel guilty for driving a car with an internal combustion engine that�s gas powered. I do, but only marginally. It�s simply too cold for me to get excited about anything but sitting by the woodstove, drinking a warm cuppa.

|

<~~~ * ~~~>