We were shocked last night to receive hail and dry pellets of snow, then wet snow for about four or five hours. A few stunning flashes of lightning highlit the whiteness into a ghostlike eery world. Then it all froze overnight.

This morning we see the heavy weight of the snow has spread open many shrubs, some of them in flower like the camellias and the red rhododendron. Large cedar branches are leaning down to the ground and I see some have split. Most sadly, a huge branch has broken off in the center of our magnificent magnolia tree, just beginning to bloom. This is situated along the back border of our yard, lined with trees and so very private. Now there’s a huge gap and we can see the neighbours. I grieve.

I’m almost afraid to go outside to check the damage to the tulips and other new growth in the garden. In the 35 years we’ve lived in Vancouver, I don’t remember ever having had snow in April that stayed on the ground. And we may be getting more this weekend. I love snow but not in April.

Added later: Here’s a photo of a bruised magnolia flower, picked off the broken branch on the ground.

I was going to repeat the old cliché about March coming in like a lamb and going out like a lion (or vice-versa). The last two or three weeks have been unusually cold here, with locally variable and sometimes freaky storms of lightning and thunder, hail and snow. Saturday evening’s last blast of hail and snow was quite bad in some areas.

We’ve truly enjoyed yesterday and today’s sunshine. I finally sowed tomato and basil seeds, potted up some new dahlia and stargazer lily tubers and repotted some of my rooted geranium cuttings. It’s still freezing overnight but is forecast to be 12C (54F) tomorrow. At last it feels like spring. And March squeaked by like a lamb after all. April Fool’s Day tomorrow – hope the weather plays no more bad jokes on us!

UPDATE April 3, 2008 The news is in: March stormed out like a lion — a very chilly lion — with the last seven days of the month likely the coldest in recorded history.

snowing all night, snowing this morning
schools and colleges closed, commuting chaos
garden under heavy white blanket, tree branches weighed down
silence punctuated with soft thuds, scrape of shovel
glad I can stay home today, like the happy kids

We have had several days of sunshine at long last. As often happens here when the cloud cover is gone, it gets quite cold. At night it’s been as cold as -5C (23F) so there’s frost on the skylights in our unheated solarium, and a thick layer building up on the shady areas of the lawn, looking like snow. Each night the full moon has been a brilliant platinum disc creating patterns of light on the floors indoors so I have no need of lights in my night crawls, just a mythical feeling. What a difference a clear sky makes.

Granddaughter Lael thought these frost fractals on her window look like birds. (Photo by Elisa Rathje)

We did not have frost art this time, just solid white, but the morning thaws created interesting patterns.

Frozen puddles are irresistible to children – and photographers.

I love the sun shining into the kitchen in the morning.
This morning’s cloud in the east gave a brief and glorious show of colour.
And the sun is back now.
There’s a chance of snow this weekend – I hope so!

My, have I been lazy this past week, not even blogging! The preparations and the holidays themselves seem to have tired me out a bit. I’m enjoying these quiet days to replenish body and soul. It’s now Twelfth Night, the eve of twelfth day of Christmas, signaling the time to put away the tree and all the decorations, but I’m not ready.

I’m still looking through old photos as I sort my photo files. Shown here are a few of the numerous photos my husband took two years ago during our Danish friends’ visit and trip to our favourite retreat on the west coast of Vancouver Island. Husband and I thought of going for a few days again this week, but decided we’ll go a little later this winter or early spring. It’s so nice to just enjoy the warm comforts of our pleasant home, punctuated with walks in the damp outdoors. We are true homebodies!