Hands up who has missed seeing snow this year! Definitely me! Here in Newark, I estimate that we have seen around 17 grains of the stuff since the beginning of Winter. I was quite excited last week when weather forecasters predicted at least a couple of showers passing over our region, but what a big fib that was! Not a single flake. Admittedly, I do have quite strict parameters where snowfall is concerned. I like it to start on Friday night, create an icy weekend world for walks before conveniently thawing overnight on Sunday ready for the week ahead. This winter, when I've even had hardy geraniums in flower in January (how wrong is that?), I'd have settled for any snow, any amount, any time. Crisp bright cold winters are most definitely my thing.
Amidst all the grey sogginess, I did read a fantastic book which provided a bit of a 'snow fix'. I thought I'd tell you about it, as I know I have many friends who share my love of reading. It's a novel by Rosamund Lupton, called The Quality of Silence, first published in 2015. The paperback edition is new this year, published by Piatkus, ISBN: 978-0-349-40815-6.
Now, you'll want a steaming cafetiere & a fireside if you're planning on tucking yourself up with this one. This is one seriously icy story. It is also a book I found difficult to put down, so I read it in a couple of sittings. I really detest reviews which contain spoilers, so I'm going to do my best to give a flavour, without revealing plot details:
The story begins on November 24th, when Yasmin & her 10-year old daughter, Ruby, fly out from England to Alaska. They are supposed to meet Ruby's father at the airport, but he isn't there. Instead, they are met by a policeman who says, 'Can't tell you anything yet, I'm sorry'. Information is hard to come by, but there has clearly been some disaster, now shrouded in secrecy. Yasmin won't accept the 'official line' & decides to journey into the depths of Alaska to find her wildlife photographer/film maker husband. It is winter time, & his last known whereabouts so close to the Arctic, that there is no daylight. This is a perilous journey that must be made in darkness in treacherous snow & ice, with a storm on its way. Although afraid for her small daughter's life, Yasmin refuses to leave her behind, for Ruby is profoundly deaf & they communicate through signing & a screen to voice computer programme. Much of the story is told through the voice of Ruby, & the relationship between her & her mother is one of the most enduring features of the story.
Another unforgettable feature is the cold. This is a story of endurance across a frozen landscape of eyeball-freezing temperatures. So strong is Rosamund Lupton's prose, I found I was at one point shivering with cold, willing Yasmin & Ruby to improvise some extra layers to keep them alive, while at the same time, having to pull a blanket around my own shoulders. For this IS a story about endurance. It is also a story about a mother/child bond, which has a strong environmental theme. Ruby's deafness is handled sensitively, & she is such a 'real' & positive character, that on finishing the novel, I felt I'd spent actual physical time in her company - the mark of a good writer, I think.
Without resorting to spoilers, I should add that the novel has many hallmarks of a thriller, for while Yasmin pushes herself to the limits of human endurance to find out what has happened to her husband, there is someone who is working just as hard to prevent this from happening.
I hadn't read any other novels by this author, but will be adding them to my (endless!) reading list.
Don't miss this one! I can guarantee that once you have read it, you won't moan about having to walk to 'Spar' in the snow to fetch a pint of milk ever again! You may also find yourself signing petitions! I am highly recommending this novel. Beautifully written. I borrowed it from the library, read it, then purchased my own copy, as I knew it would be one I'd want to read again.
Sadly, 3 months of Soggy Grey has meant that I have no interestingly icy garden photos to share from this winter. I've had a root through our files, though, & found some old ones.
You can just make out all the cat paw prints in this one. It's from 2008. Our Resident Fur Friend back then was Willow - my beautiful grey tabby - another adult rescue cat with attitude, & still much missed.
He didn't rate snow, but it had to be endured, as there were boundaries to check, neighbouring cats to monitor, old scores to settle, so he'd take a deep breath & push himself out through the cat flap into the snowy garden.
Not much snow in this picture, so chilly paws only. He was much less keen when greater snowfall meant it came up to his undercarriage, but he would still venture out. Willow was never someone to let his territory be enjoyed by other felines, even in the worst of weather.
Oh well.......the colder months are about done, so I'm unlikely to get any snowy walks now until next winter. We did manage a bit of one at Rufford Park last month, before it quickly melted away. The gardening season is almost upon me (5 aubergine seedlings up today!) so I shall have to concentrate on enjoying Spring.
Yours Snowlessly,
C x
