Nova Scotia Comes Alive in 2011!

I Know It’s Cold, But Get Outside!

I recently returned from the Caribbean where I took my first cruise ever. I felt like such an amateur because my wife and I met throngs of people who take one  or more cruises a year.

After a few days out on the ocean we took a tour of Antigua. It is a pretty poor country but the people were friendly and we saw a lot of nice scenery. However, as I looked at this northern hemisphere country in the winter I shuddered to think how hot it would be in the summer.

One of the many great things about Canada is that we have four distinct seasons. People in Nova Scotia joke that we have three: winter, summer and fall because spring is so slow in coming that it seems like July before it gets here. However, that is just a folk tale.

This winter we have been hit with very cold weather, more frosty than we have seen it in years. The usually-welcome warm spells have not materialized and and the -10 Celsius and lower temperatures keep droning on. Yes, I do long for the beach in St. Maarten’s but as I look out my window and see the skaters on Banook Lake I begin to warm up. “Hey, it’s winter, stupid!” I say to myself. “Get out and enjoy it!”

Winter Sports

In other parts pf Canada the ponds freeze up in late October but Nova Scotia never gets those temperatures until January. This year we joined the ranks of the cold provinces and people have been skating since well before Christmas. In addition, the packed snow on the hills means that the kids have shed their video games and are out with their snow-speeders and other slippery surfaces. I even saw an old-fashioned toboggan.

The ski hills have never been so packed and a day at Martok or Wentworth does not break the bank even with rentals and a ski lesson thrown in. In some ways people are glad we have a fourth season called winter instead of “Spr-inter,” the name given to the winter-spring months.

Another way to welcome winter is to go for a walk and take in the natural beauty. Rather than the soggy, slushy trails it’s nice to walk on solid ground and reminisce about being a kid.

The point is we spend too much time inside when Nova Scotia is an outdoors province and shows it in all four seasons. Better yet, make a point fo going to Sheffield Mills this wekend and watch the eagles!