Groundhog Day here-he saw his shadow, so 6 more weeks of winter. (I had my class count on the calendar-hey! It's 6 weeks and a couple days until March 21st anyway!)

And a happy birthday to my sister. Our dad always teased her about being a groundhog baby.

Jankin, hello. good to hear from you. Since you read "Austerlitz", did you find any other works by W.G. Sebald? He is my favorite post-modern author. I recommend "The Rings of Saturn" and "The Emmigrants" also by Sebald. I also liked "The Reader" very much.

Yesterday I saw shoots of green daffodils pushing up, as well as paperwhite narcissus in bloom, and a lone pink cherry tree in blossom. Yet today, snow is falling, here in Tidewater.

Carolyn, I've been hearing a lot on the news about Kentucky ice storms. Did you lose power? How are you faring?

We didn't lose power or tree limbs, but people all over the city and the state did. One of my stepdaughters is still sleeping at our house, and my brother in the country said power was restored to his neighbors yesterday so that he can see light but still doesn't have any. It was beautiful to look out at with all the tree limbs covered with thick ice and sparkling like diamonds when the sun finally came out.

People's stories of coping are pretty amazing. That brother has a wood-burning stove and has heated coffee water and soup on it. My other brother and SIL have a couple of kerosene heaters, one with a flat top so they could heat soup. My sister didn't have any problems at all.

The western part of the state was hardest hit. It's mainly rural with REA power lines, and the ice has taken out not only whole trees but power poles, as well. Some people don't have water, and some don't even have phone service. Country brother said he usually goes around in the spring picking up debris from the winter, but this year he will need to use a bulldozer.

Sunday felt like a spring day with temps here up to the mid-50s. Yesterday almost everything was clear, and then this morning we woke up to another couple of inches of snow. At least this is soft and dry, not icy.

Thanks for asking. I did go on and on, didn't I? You know how people love to tell their horror stories.

Hello Jankin! How have you been? London is covered with snow? I am behind on my world affairs. The weather certainly has been unusual as of late. Spring is still a distant hope here in Massachusetts, USA. We just got 4 more inches of white stuff. I can't wait to see leaves on the trees again, and have fresh herbs growing outside my window, and maybe some roses too.

We definitely had a taste of spring here in the Sacramento, Calif. area. It got up to 74F here today, and it's just now dropped to 48 at 10pm. It was great to feel the sunshine again. But they're forecasting rain on Thursday. Ah well. It was fun while it lasted. We're usually blessed with a pretty short winter compared to many places. This year we could really, really use some rain.

Those pictures of a snow-covered London were pretty amazing.

With all this talk of 'global warming' the pundits seem to have presumed we would never see snow again. A few inches of the white stuff and England grinds to a halt and the BBC uses 20 minutes of its half-hour news bulletin to cover this unusual winter event.
Despite the cold we have a few feeble crocuses out plus one very misguided primrose. I see, as I write, an over-eager sparrow collecting nesting material, but then the egg-laying instinct is led by light rather warmth. :-)

Misery loves company - the Kentucky black-out sounds horrendous - we;'ve not lost any power here in the UK -YET - but battery torches, lamps and candles are at the ready.
More snow forecast - I never cared for that damp white stuff myself - even as a kid I was a wimp!
I have been getting used to being 70 since last february and another birthday coming up soon! For some reason I have found it the most difficult birthday to come to terms with possibly the realisation that it is exactly the 'three score years and ten' promise that confounds.
Anyway it's good to be back and to say Hello to everyone again.
Are you still flying Siobhan?
Woodnymph -It took us 8 weeks to 'read' Austerlitz - although I'm pretty sure it would take several months if we checked all references and allusions - most of us found it a fascinating piece of literature - how we were kept waiting, wandering about the fortifications etc., very well worth the time spent. And Sebald was a writer 'out of the ordinary' that's why I find him so appealing.
The Reader is another oblique angle on the holocaust a beautifully constructed novel - how interesting that they are both in translation.
Veer - we have lots of primroses despite the snow and cheeky magpies prepared to dive beneath the depths in search of worms!