Not the usual Victoria weather... reflecting back...

So... the winter has come and gone. It was here two weeks ago. It arrived suddenly, and unexpectedly.

One moment, the pink blossoms had started emerging on the Rhododendron outside my window, the next, huge snowflakes were tumbling through the sky.

Perfect weather for Alex to take Kiwi for a walk!

It may not look like tons of snow to the rest of you Canadians, but it was enough to grind things to a halt...most of the kids here stayed home for two days (mostly to have the chance to play in the snow...)

The glass on the backporch, however, did pose a bit of a hazard to wildlife: Fania pointed out a bird had crashed into the glass, and was lying there dead.

But Alex (the bird whisperer) was not ready to abandon the little thing to the elements, so he went outside and (over his mother's objections) brought it inside to warm up and find solace.

So... with a bit of time and love from Alex, the bird regained its bearings.

And then (as Alex's mother had predicted) decided to fly away. so... we spent 15 minutes chasing it around the inside of the house, trying to re-catch it to send it back OUTSIDE! ... a bit of an adventure!As predicted, within the week, the rains returned, and the snows are gone again...as you can see in the "after" photo (Duncan standing on the front lawn showing off his birthday present of the new Pokemon Black game)....in the background, you can see my favourite tree.

It is called a 'weeping sequoia', but I think of it as a Dr. Seuss tree.

Last two photos for today? The 'before' and 'after' on Duncan's hair.

First is the 'before'(Duncan's mother trying to hunt him down so she can spend 20 minutes trying to work a brush through the bird's nest that is his hair.

It is not fun for him (as he says, it feels like I am splitting his skull open!!!), thus his incentive to try to escape.

And here are the results 'after' all that work.... done in celebration of his birthday which was on March 5.

A decade deserves at least on day with his hair done up well! p.s. if we straighten out the curl at the very crown of his hair, it measures 22cm long.

Can you tell?!