For those approaching their first winter
 

A useful thread from last time...(not just for Toronto)

http://britishexpats.com/forum/canad...oronto-866945/

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

I doubt the people in Regina and Winnipeg would find it useful :rofl:

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

Don't they need snow shovels and winter coats there? ;)

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

This where all those in the prairies laugh at Toronto for being wimps
and where Toronto laughs back because if the shit hits the fan the army will come :)

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

If you're as lazy as I am then there's still a half bag if salt by the front porch and the snow shovels are resting against the shed.

Easy peasy

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

Flippin' heck Bristol I'm still ankle deep in blimmin' leaves, don't start on the 'w' word :thumbdown: :lol:

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

We have leaves on the trees, a panorama of reds, oranges, yellows and still some greens. I considered wearing some sort of jumper today but decided it would be excessively warm.

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

I know the feeling. The colours here are a joy. I did get rid of the shorts last week (minus numbers and shorts don't go well together) but I may well get back into them today and tomorrow.

It should not be like this in mid-October!

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

Yep the trees are just exquisite this year. So beautiful it makes your heart full.

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Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

This morning, as we drove into Guelph, we passed a man who was naked to the waist and dancing about, "ah" I thought "he's celebrating the unseasonal weather".

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

Lovely here too. Really lovely:thumbup:

I don't think it's ever going to change:thumbup:

It's going to though isn't it:blink:

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

Yes it will. It already is. The loveliness is being affected by gravity. Makes for a pretty lawn, though.

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

Here too...couple of overnight frost 'advisories' but I believe someone somewhere had snow. :nod:

We have a big fir tree - or whatever it is - in our back garden. There's one little patch where the needles are sort of yellow among the green. Never seen that before. I hope this doesn't mean the tree is dying and will fall on the house. :eek:

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

Winter is coming...

Canada winter forecast: Snowy season to yield best ski conditions in years; Arctic blasts to freeze the Prairies

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

The Arctic blasts have started, snow over thanksgiving, Friday saw freezing rain (I really hate that) and today fog and more fog. The high today is supposed to be something like 2. The forecast mentioned 8 degrees by Wednesday, there may be trouble if they are wrong!

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

So if it is dying, will you wait for it to fall on the house and then do something about it? Better to get an Arborist to examine it. I had a large Fir tree removed some years ago. Cost close to $1,000.

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

With a level of sunspots similar to the Little Ice Age, and the El Nino over, this is likely to be a really interesting winter.

Certainly the hamster looks like he's not planning to come out of his igloo until spring.

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

Lovely and warm here still
Long may it last

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

We haven't had a good snow/cold winter in a few years now, I hope we get some cold and snow this year, I don't mind cold or snow.

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

You need to make friends with the guys who work for your local hydro company who manage the lines and pay them on the side ... we have a guy we found on Kijiji who works for Hydro One and takes down trees for us for peanuts. He took down a dead spruce yesterday >100ft tall for $100! Previous quotes from specialist companies to take down 3 trees ran to $000s, he did the job for $300.

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

I think your right. It's been a very strange summer, maybe the sun will shine for us during the next couple of months.

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

I think you've been away from the UK too long and are not recognising Brit humour...faux angst and all that ;)

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

Odd weather here at the moment. The forecast today is 25 (humidex 31). On Sunday it is forecast to snow.

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

Above average snow fall in southern Ontario! great news!! plenty of skiing and it may just push me into making that snowmobile purchase!! :thumbsup:

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

Climate varies a lot across Canada so preparing for winter differs quite a bit depending on where you are Winter here on coastal BC is wet, often windy but seldom any snow Just had another storm front come in last night with high winds and lot of rain but temperatures well above zero c.f. interior parts of Canada - winters very cold, dry on prairies. tons of snow.

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

Well, differs a bit...I'm not sure about quite a bit but maybe that depends on your definition.
So that small part differs from the rest but how much does the rest differ within the rest?

Everywhere else is very cold with a ton of snow isn't it? Of course a ton of snow to one person in one part of Canada might not be a ton of snow to another in another part and sometimes you might even get two different people disagreeing in the same bit.

The idea of moving from here and getting away from our winter snow is appealing. Much of southern Ontario gets half to two-thirds what we get here and to me that would be a significant reduction. But people there will doubtless complain about it. :unsure:

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

Winter in Canada is rubbish. It might a bit less rubbish in some parts but it is generally awful anywhere you live. If you don't like terrible winter weather, go somewhere else. There's a practical reason nearly all the Canadians live near the US border.

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

Does the north of the US have markedly different weather to the south of Canada? :p

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

:goodpost:


My mom lives in the Palm Springs area and when I go visit in winter, seems every other car has a BC or Alberta plate. :lol:

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

That's coz they've been nicked. :lol:

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

The less diplomatic version of what I said. :rofl:

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

Actually yes.
In the most southerly part of Canada where I live, we are south of all or part of Pennsylvania,New York, New Hampshire, Maine, Michigan, Wyoming, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Idaho,Washington, Oregon and the northern extremity of California.

Colchester Ontario Canada 41.58.94N
Yreka California USA 41.73.54N

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

It should be noted that California isn't usually subject to the 'polar vortex' effect that Ontario (and a number of the other states listed) experience during winters :)

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

I haven't turned the heating on yet.

I have closed, & reopened, windows.

Forecast predicted snow for today & next couple of days. So far, it's pissing down rain. And warm; for Cdn values of "warm".

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

Great example of how you don't need to break the bank for a winter jacket.

My jacket is fantastic. It's an inner one that can be worn alone (Fall/early Winter) and an outer one that can be worn alone (it's lost a bit of its waterproofness on its own) and together they are great for winter.

The zip is a bit frayed and I'm a bit concerned that when it's most inconvenient it won't undo or do up, so I've been on the look out for something spare and adequate should the need arise.

Giant Tiger has the very thing for a mere $45. Brown or Black.
http://b.dam-img.rfdcontent.com/offe...80x180_pad.jpg
I didn't get one as - sorry to say - I already appear to have reached my winter weight :o and I might find that when I need it it'll be too tight.

Anyway, other than standing at the bus stop when the wind chill makes it feels like -30 I think it would do the same job as my current one.

They also had some thick hoodies (and I mean thick and heavy rather than fluffy and light) for $35 which combined with a $20-$30 waterproof jacket from Walmart may well perform similarly.

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

It's raining today, not cold, and window open for fresh air.

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

Winter tires going on tomorrow morning.

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

There were a couple of practical things that nobody told me (and that possibly might be evident to some of you, but weren't to me)....no Vancouverites...I'm talking Eastern Canada here...:thumbup:

Stick the long sticks in the ground up your driveway, to help you know where the drive is, about now - if you leave it till the snow comes, like I did, the ground will be rock solid and won't thaw before the end of April.

When the snow falls and you see everybody out shoveling, go out and do it! I decided it was too depressing to do it instantly, and had a sulk for a few hours...by then the snow had hardened to the consistency of concrete and it took me Hours and Hours to chip away at it with an ice pick.

Re: For those approaching their first winter
 

And shovel the snow back much further than you need to because by the time you've shovelled a few times you'll run out of driveway.