Footy in the snow

To follow up from yesterday's article about the weather we have been experiencing, it turns out that Marty did have to play his football game in the snow. And usually where there's snow, the temperature is in the negatives.

For this round of the competition, the Limoux Grizzlies travelled north to take on Lescure. They were notified on the way up that it was snowing, but a decision was made to go ahead with the game anyway.

I got a text message from Marty two hours before the game to let me know that it was -1 and snowing. 

It was only just Saturday that we were talking about the incredibly unique experiences that we have had here, so I told him to try to take this experience in, as it may never happen again. 

He was quick to point out that it was an easy thing for me to say from the warmth of our home, and suggested perhaps it is an experience I would like to try...

But at the end of the day, the cold and the snow didn't slow him down. The Grizzlies won their game 62 points to 18, with Marty scoring five of his team's tries.

The snow is still falling today, so we will once again be braving the cold to enjoy this experience.

Four seasons in a week

In the last seven days we have experienced all four seasons in Limoux. We have enjoyed the warmth of the sun, and the bitter cold that comes with more snow!

Last Saturday we woke up to a gorgeous clear sky, sunshine and mid- to high-teen temperatures. For us Aussies who have struggled and snuggled our way through the somewhat mild French Winter, it was a much needed relief from the grey skies and rain of the previous three weeks.

We soaked up as much of the sun's rays as we could, venturing into town to enjoy a cold drink at a cafe in the sun. The town was alive with people out and about, no doubt getting their dose of vitamin D while they could.

Marty soaking up the sun

Roses blooming in our garden

We spent a good couple of hours, just sitting and enjoying what we had been missing for months. It felt like Summer to us. I even managed to get a little bit of colour on my now very pale face.

The sunshine continued during the week, although the temperatures dropped slightly in the days following.  We felt a hint of Spring in the air as beautiful yellow roses bloomed in our garden. I assumed they too had enjoyed the sun, and come out to brighten up our barren garden.

Clear skies make for a nice view at the field

The temperature was bearable, much more so than previous weeks, so I enjoyed getting out for a long stroll around town, and even a run on a couple of days. I run around the playing field, and was captured by the colour of the sky on Thursday; it was so clear.

Friday brought another clear day, albeit a much cooler one. We ventured out again, after all we have to take advantage of these sunny days while they last. We headed up to the top of a mountain near town, that plays host to wind turbines.

The journey was interesting, and the view amazing. But the wind was unbearable for us. We struggled to keep our eyes open long enough to see the snow-capped mountains in the distance; a view that proved worthy of the sting in our eyes.

Wind turbines lining the mountain

Our best photo in the wind!

Saturday rolled around again, but was quite different. I woke and pulled back the blackout curtains to  see white falling from the sky! Around a month ago I wrote about the experience of our first snow; how it was beautiful, but brief, and we were hoping for more. Well, we got it!

I layered up and ventured out in to the bitter cold (-3) to experience the magic of the snow falling from above. Our garden was pretty, but the streets of the town were prettier. There was white as far as I could see, in every direction.  

The streets of Limoux in the snow

A magical scene!

Despite the cold, we decided to go out for a drive, which was a very strange experience in itself; I could see the snow coming at us, but it wasn't sticking to the windscreen, or making it wet.

We woke today to find that it had continued to lightly snow overnight, with more of the ground covered in the white stuff. The temperature is still in the negatives, a fact I gently advised Marty of as he packed his bag and put on his layers in preparation for his football game today.

While I am loving watching the snow from the warm comfort of our home, I do hope that it's not snowing in the part of France that Marty is playing in today.

First snow!

Growing up in Central Queensland, we are accustomed to hot Summers and mild Winters. We may get some frost on the grass in the middle of winter, but have to breathe out really hard to see our warm breath on the coldest of days.

There are opportunities to see the snow further south, but with the football season running through Winter, this has never been an option for us. We came to France excited at the prospect that we will finally get to see and experience snow.

Among the first questions we asked veteran players and residents here was 'does it snow in Limoux?' To our delight, we were told early on that we may get snow here this year, as they had done in recent years. If not, we could always go up to the Pyrenees, as they are close by.

We could feel the temperatures cool in December, and had hoped to have a 'white Christmas' in London. But apparently, to my amazement, it wasn't quite cold enough yet. At the time I couldn't comprehend how 'colder' felt; the temperature was in the low single digits and we were covered in layers from head to toe.

When we returned from Paris we were told that snow might be a couple of weeks away. And since then, we have experienced 'colder'. The temperature has again dropped, going into the negatives on occasion.

Then on Monday, as we sat Skyping the Hatfield family from Brisbane, Marty looked out the window and questioned: "is that snow?" As we both ran outside to investigate, I danced around enjoying the light flakes that were falling from above, before Marty cleared up that this wasn't quite the snow we had been waiting for; it was in fact sleet.

We came back inside before we got wet and cold from the drops melting as they landed on us, and watched the white mist fall from above and melt on the ground. It was a very pretty sight, but not our first snow.

A few days passed as the weather remained cold. Then on Thursday morning, I woke to the sound of a leaf blower outside. As I got up out of bed and opened our thick black-out curtain, I was instantly excited by the beautiful sight of our snow-covered garden. What an amazing and pretty sight! 

I quickly got dressed and ran outside to investigate, yelling to Marty to come check out the snow. While it had stopped falling, there had been enough to put a thin layer on everything. I touched it, felt how soft it was and picked it up in my hands.

It was the coldest morning I had experienced yet, but I walked outside our courtyard to see the streets lined with snow-covered cars and the trees pretty in white. It was just as I had seen in photos; a postcard image of a small French town in winter.

Marty joined me outside and was equally as excited; only he channelled his excitement into making a tightly-packed little snowball, which he then proceeded to throw hard at me from a very close distance. Turns out we have a lot to learn about making and throwing snowballs!

Unfortunately the snow didn't last long; within an hour it was raining and the snow had melted away. The cold weather and rain has remained with us, but no more snow...yet.

It appears to be snowing in towns all around us, so we are hopeful to experience this amazing natural wonder again soon. Somehow the thoughts of snow - how beautiful it is and the fun to be had in it - makes the cold weather worthwhile.