Vladivostok

22/February/12

A few days ago, a newsreader  making a joke said: we are living like in Vladivostok.
Vladivostok? Why? Moscow and St. Petersburg were too trivial?
Perhaps our talking head wanted to be different, counting on the general  ignorance. In fact, proving that ignorance is especially of those who make “information”, Vladivostok is a city in southern Russia, overlooking the Pacific Ocean in front of Japan. I only spent three minutes to control. its name means The Lord of the East. Although the average annual temperature of that city is about five degrees and shares  both latitude and climate of Toronto, is not the right example to emphasize that in the last days there was a Siberian weather. It would be better say Norilsk, another unknown city but at least it is in Siberia.
Or, why not use a typical Piacenza’s cliché? Bobbio for example.
A Bobbiese ( a lady form Bobbio) told me that she was nearly to fight with a city woman that she used to annoy  her with cryptic questions on how it could be hard and difficult the Bobbio  winter life. The solution would be to please her and play the game, perhaps telling about  porcupines that descend from the mountains, foxes raid chickens, deer drinking at Trebbia river and road crossing boars… which otherwise corresponds roughly to the truth. After all, why explain that the more you move away from the lowlands, the air is more clear and the cold more bearable. Ah, I forgot the howling wolves during a full moon.

In short, with almost two months late, more or less like last summer, the winter has arrived. Strange to say but it’s cold and snowing. No matter that when  I was a child my family and I were used to skate on Lake Comabbio (obviously frozen). Maybe someone has already got used to global warming, at least until this phenomenon has not displaced the characteristic European air flows. Now, instead of a west-east axis, we are on a north-south axis. The other night I left the horses well below zero after defrosteing water drums, shoveled snow in the horse arena  and clean the road. The day after a sea nasty hot wind pulled back the snow on the road, then it melted it and compacted until it becomes marble (waiting for the mud). Fifteen degrees of difference from one day to another. Et voila.
It is obvious that the way to dress has changed: Caribbean style underwear, outside Norway style. It can happen an icy morning followed by a desert storm in the afternoon. Who does not care details may end up with the moon boots and a wool hat on the beach or, worse, in a bathing suit on a ski slope.
Obviously some people asked me how were the horses and if they had been taken away to protect them. Protected from what? By human trend to domesticate everything?
The horses are fine thanks. When there is snow thei like to roll over. Waterloo makes it all the time. Hector however has never been so clean as in these days, its white is even whiter than you can do. Amelie race off down the paddock ending with great slides. Bruno, when the sun shines, it goes in the shade. Cheyenne is now doing some trials to become an equestrian monument and you can notice it only during feed time. Imanol does not seem to want to play with his mates, but it misses it when it is alone. Jerry, however, as a boss is a nuisance, watches over all, rarely it grants itself a rest and when it is feeding time firmly pushes away the other.

Yesterday there was the last snowfall at all. Guys, still a month and will be springtime!

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