Saturday 7 February 2009

There's SNOW business like...


It is a truth universally acknowledged (in the UK at least) that a single day in position of a snow fall must be in want of a photographer.

I have very mixed feelings about snow - I still have the child-like delight and desire to caper in the snow, but this motivation is combined with awful balance (I fall over most days putting on my socks. This is true.) No 90 year old could creep along the pavements as slowly as I - pensioners were comfortably outstripping me. But, still, pretty photographs...

In the hope of dragging this back to literature - portrayals of snow in books? The Tenderness of Wolves by Stef Penney is brilliant at this. Someone here or elsewhere, possibly my friend Barbara-from-Ludlow, suggested a Jack London story for being similarly good at putting across the feeling of snow. Any other suggestions?








We built a snowman called Bernard. In the dark. Mel named him Bernard, but I like to think of him as named after the character in The Waves.






13 comments:

  1. gorgeous photos, Simon ... I love snow and have awful balance as well

    "Snow Falling on Cedars" by David Guterson (sp)

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  2. Wow, those pictures came out really well! I personally love snow. I ski as much as I can, so snow is never a bad thing for me.

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  3. Simon, I cannot tell you how much pleasure these lovely photos of snowy England give me! Thanks for taking them and posting them.

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  4. White Fang by Jack London
    Moominland Midwinter Tove Jansson

    I love hill walking in snow and indeed walking in falling snow as long as the temperature is somewhat below zero so that it isn't coming down all soggy.

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  5. Orhan Pamuk, Snow? You remind me I really want to read that Stef Penney, and I love the snowman. My son and his friends couldn't quite get together enough snow for a really good snowman (several hours of snowballing having depleted supplies) so I'll show him this picture to admire.

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  6. The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier

    http://www.randomhouse.com/kvpa/brockmeier/

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  7. I like snow...Nie pics !!

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  8. Great photos.
    Ultimate snow book: 'Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow' by Peter Hoeg - absolutely fantastic!

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  9. It's suddenly struck me that Bernard looks rather like you. I suspect that's just cos he's wearing your glasses.
    (And credit where credit's due; I think Hannah named him.)

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  10. What about snow falls on cedars - the only novel I read last year.

    Great pics - good to see Bernard.

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  11. I think Dickens is nice to read when there is snow on the ground...even though I'm not sure if he ever portrays snow. Hmm.

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  12. I did a post about snowy books here:

    http://read-warbler.blogspot.com/2009/02/nice-bookish-day-today.html

    I managed 31 with a little help, but I'm sure there must be more.

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  13. Bernard has a belt! Such realism. I love it. And Ginny herself would be proud...

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