We’re having our first serious snow of the year today. Now anyone who knows me knows I love a bit of snow, but it definitely has its downs as well as the ups.

Walking through Murray Hill Park was the best part of the walk today; the snow was lying thick on the grass, the workers were out erecting the toboggan barriers, the dogs were frolicking in the snow but hadn’t started turning it yellow yet. Even the ice pellets falling from the sky eased up a bit as I walked through that Winter Wonderland.

Walking past Selwyn House School and the International School consisted mostly of dodging icy missiles as the kids enjoyed their first real snowball fight of the season. They were nice enough not to aim at me.

Getting onto Sherbrooke Street was the start of the downs. The slush on the pavements made walking very treacherous, and the slush on the roads was always threatening to come flying in my direction whenever a large vehicle went by. The Sherbrooke Street wind tunnel effect was also in full force, driving the ice pellets into my face so it felt like they were ripping the skin off. From Guy onward it became a matter of endurance to make it to work.

But make it I did, and I didn’t have to fight my way onto crowded metro trains or buses or try to figure out if it was worth taking my coat and gloves off for the short but sweltering metro journeys.