Risk!

I used to have a hobby, although I have not done it in a while. My husband taught me how to rockclimb, and I really enjoy it. You have to be very fit - that's why I haven't done it in a while.

A lot of people think that rock climbing is risky, but really it isn't if you follow the rules and you don't try to do things that are too difficult for your level. Also, you absolutely have to have the correct equipment. You have to wear a helmet and a good quality harness. Also, you have to have good ropes, and you have to take care of your ropes and keep them in good condition.

Rock climbing can be really challenging, and a lot of fun. You can wear special shoes that help you to climb the rock more easily. If you rock climb, you can see a lot of beautiful things from up high. You don't have to be brave, but it's good if you are willing to do some scary things!

The picture above is me! It was taken in South Africa about 3 years ago.

Snow storm!

When I was a little girl (long long ago!), we used to get a lot of snow in my hometown. When it snowed too much, school was cancelled and all the kids stayed home from school. This used to happen 2 or 3 times per year. When it happened, we used to play in the snow all day long. It was awesome.

Nowadays, it isn't so common to get big snow storms. I think the weather is changing. Maybe it's global warming?

Last week, my parents got a huge snow storm. While it was snowing, my dad took a photo of my brother. You can see it above. In the photo, he is "snowblowing" - using a special machine to blow the snow off of our neighbour's driveway. You can see that the snow is up to his elbows - and my brother is very tall so that is a lot of snow.

Below you can see a picture that my dad took of their suburbans. I used to hate scraping the ice and snow off of windshields during the winter. That was the worst part of going to work in the morning. It was too cold!

These pictures make me feel a little bit homesick! I would love to see that snow and hear it falling. Wouldn't you?