Snow

It's the most popular topic of conversation - will there, or won't there, be snow? The country is waiting with baited breath. Will the skies bring forth the white stuff? I kid you not, snow is on the national collective-mind at the moment. The days are cold. The winds are fierce. The rains are persistant (thank G-d). And we wait.

Coming from Melbourne, snow isn't exactly a part of my background. It has never snowed in Melbourne during all my years there - excepting for one cold morning on the way to school when there was evidence on the ground of something resembling a very light overnight snow fall. That aside, we never built snowmen in our front yard or threw snowballs at each other or had "snow days" at home when we couldn't get to school. The only weather-related time off was when we got to go home early from school when the temperature reached over 38 degrees.

A friend at work told me of the "snow dance" which one does to bring snow - much like a rain dance. When the weather looks promising, you gotta do the snow dance. "But wait", he said, "I have nightmares of the roads icing over before we have a chance to get home and I'll be stuck here! Better that we do the slow-snow-dance: the snow-waltz." Well, if you want it that bad...

Each week for the last few weeks the weather reports have promised snow and everyone got all excited - but they were wrong. No snow. This week, the weather predictions sound much more confident - SNOW IS GOING TO FALL! I know it will fall because the country wills it - and this is a democracy, remember?

But there are those who don't wish the snow to come. Those who grew up in snow areas recall the constant shovelling of snow, the way your car gets iced over and how the snow gets everywhere. "No to snow", they say. They are in the no-snow camp. I am firmly in the yes-snow camp "Yes snow!" (sounds a bit indecisive, doesn't it).

So let's hope for snow. The no-snowers have the rest of the year, all I want is one or two days. But, hey, if it doesn't snow this year, it's only a sign that I'd better brush up on my dancing skills before next winter. Waltz, anyone?