The picture is of our house in the snow of June 2006. It was the first snow we had had since moving here. At our place it was only 10 inches, but up the valley it was a metre. Still small by some standards, but enough to disrupt travel, work, school and many normal activities.
Our windows look out over the main street, and i watched with amusement as tractors, loaders and all manner of farm vehicles came into town to pick up milk and supplies from the shops. Not everyone has 4-wheel-drives here. It took days for my husband to dig enough driveway to get a vehicle out to the road, and dig our way to the wood supply.
The snow was worse up the valley of course, with homes without power for weeks. One family with little children went to Timaru and stayed in a motel as they had no power and had to melt snow for water.
I went for a walk down the street and saw some precious sights. A dad, complete in rabbit-skin hat, towing his little girl around on a sled. People up on verandahs shovelling snow off. (One verandah had already collapsed overnight from the snow.)
And a red rose bravely reaching up out of the pure white snow. Reminded me of the song i like to sing... The Rose... "far beneath the bitter snows, lies the seed that with the suns warmth, in the spring becomes the rose"
Blessings
MotherGosling
