On Monday the 11th I had to go to work on the bicycle. I missed the bus and had to be at work a bit earlier. The weekend before snow had arrived and filled the landscape with a shower of white flowers from the sky. The cold was not the worst thing about it. You can prepare for the cold and dress appropriately.

Every year when December comes I hear the whispers of people wishing for a white Christmas. They say it looks pretty and you can almost see them dreaming away into that imagined landscape of whiteness. Yeah I can understand that longing. Thing is, trying to get from A to B in the snow on a slowly forming layer of ice is terrible.

Some years back I had a job which usually took half an hour of cycling to get there. Mid-December and almost there the skies opened and within fifteen minutes the region was covered in a thick layer or soft snow, fresh from the cold heavens. I was covered in snow, grinding almost crawling through the snow on two skinny bicycle tires because I had a job to do. For that particular job everybody was late. Ever since I stopped appreciating the snow landscapes for their bleak beauty. I value my warm feet over cold weather.

Back to last Monday, after work I had to bike back home. If there is one thing you learn from driving from snow it is this: when it no longer crackles under your feet or tires you have no grip. Facing the discomfort of a road to home without grip to move forward makes you choose between facing the cold or giving up. Biking back home took a bit longer.

White Christmas on two wheels is like walking on a freshly mopped floor and the cleaner did not tell you about it. If you are not careful you can have a nasty fall and curse the person who did not warn you (that actually happened).

May your holidays be pleasant. Please stay warm.