Sunday 15 January 2012

Bog people


minus 27 - no need to say anything else

Here's a photo - I tried to capture what minus 27 looks like....but it actually looks a lot like minus 2. I couldn't quite get the ice fog - when the air itself actually freezes - hanging over the mountain...bitterly cold days are actually slightly misty. But God, as a reward, are they ever beautiful. All shiny, and silver.

Thanks to our friend Nancy, Michael and I have discovered a new piece of winter wear...at least, new to us. They're called (for reasons I can't be bothered to understand) Bogs...and are boots. They look like rubber boots but seem to be made from the same material as thermal scuba suits. They're also very comfortable - soft and squishy underfoot (perhaps that's where 'bog' comes from). And - best of all - they're warm to minus 40. We didn't really believe that, but I can say for sure, after the walk this morning, they're good to minus 27. Absolutely perfectly comfortable - while the rest of me, bundled and thermalled up, still shivered. If they made a Bogs body suit I'd buy it for Michael and me. Then we would, indeed, all look like creatures from the Black lagoon. And loving it.

Kirk and Walter dropped by this morning - had a fun visit. We're having dinner with them in Knowlton later this week. And had dinner last night with Louise, before getting together with other friends.

And Michael and I have decided we need to get away. having finished the line edits on The Beautiful Mystery (which will almost certainly come out in early Sept) and doing other pieces of work, we realize we cannot be at home and completely unplug - we need to actually go away.

So we looked for last minute deals in the caribbean.... all the things people complained about in resorts, we take as positives. No nightlife, no live entertainment after 9pm, no children's programme, no big pool with different bars. No beach volleyball, no waterskiing.

That's for us!

All we want it to be warm, and private...to lie on a beach, sip fruit drinks and swim and read. We don't want to be entertained.

To everything there really is a season, and in this season of our lives we'd love to do next to nothing....and that includes cooking. So a self catering villa or condo was out.

We finally found what seems the perfect place. Will be leaving in a few weeks...yay! I've already been auditioning books....making a pile of the nominees....will choose three or four.

We are so lucky that we can do this. And part of the fun is in the anticipation. Bring on minus 27. Bring on the Bogs. The chapped lips, the hot water bottles in bed...because I have the caribbean in my head. You know, I do have to say, I wasn't raised with this sort of privilege....and no part of me ever expected to be living a life where we could make this choice. And so it just amazed and thrills me.

13 comments:

Nancy said...

My son needs boots. I'll look Bogs up. Thanks!
It's lovely to read that you are heading to the Caribbean and that you appreciate the opportunity.

Karen said...

Dear Louise, I am so happy that you can now choose a quiet warm place for you and Michael to go relax and enjoy life, peace and one another without having to fret. Have a lovely trip! Must look up Bogs: though we live in a theoretical "desert", it does snow and get quite cold sometimes, and warm toes are so important to having a pleasant walk. Excited about the new book coming out! Bless you both!

Nancy said...

Love my bogs!! Bought them last year for me, only bought ankle ones, wished I'd bought the ones to the knee....next year. Bought the to the knee ones for our daughter, so practical in southern Ontario where we get more slush than snow, yet they are so warm! Glad yo are enjoying them. Cheers to the Caribbean, we just got back and loved doing absolutely NOTHING!

Louise Butler said...

Would that be C or F?

Anne said...

I also have Hunters (rubber boots) because not only can I muck stalls, like the Bogs, I can also hose the Hunters off and hop on and ride. They have a heel. But not in -27 temps.

Kath P said...

I just can't imagine minus 27! I think I prefer the 36°C we are having here in Adelaide!
And your kind of holiday sounds like my kind of holiday :) I hope you find somewhere nice.

Dana said...

The best vacations, for me, always begin with that feeling of being relaxed so immediately that it seems I have been away a week already. Much to my surprise I achieved this feeling of a cruise with the entire family. It might have something to do with leaving my phone and iPad home.
Hope you and Michael find a perfect place, with no wind.

Jan J. said...

Have a wonderful well-deserved sunny trip! If you haven't read the Preston & Child Pendergast books, I think you would like those - starting with Relic!

genagirl said...

And here in Missouri it was almost 50 degrees F today! Now, this is a winter I can enjoy. Minus 27 is not my idea of fun but those Bogs sound great!

darlene said...

Enjoy anticipating that holiday in the tropics, then living it. Exchange the Bogs for sandals.

A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to be able to do that. Now when it's minus whatever I dream of the trade winds kissing my face in Hawaii, my favourite mental escape. Paradise!

danielle-momo said...

To Louise Butler: living in Quebec, I can answer that one:-27C

Daryl said...

It never gets quite that cold here in the Big Apple but I am joining in and going to look at those Bogs .. I can highly recommend Ann Patchett's State of Wonder ..

Carl Whitehouse said...

Dear Louise,

I don’t think I have ever written a fan letter in 60 years, but I would like to compliment you on your work.

Until 2006 I lived most of my adult life in Vermont just 6 miles south of the border, and I remember hearing you on CBC and being impressed before you ever took pen (or word processor) in hand. I imagine everyone who reads your books is impressed by the complexity and unique nature of your plots, but what impresses me most with your stories is your true love and understanding of the characters and settings that make up the Quebec culture.

Being married to a Canadian and having lived so close to Quebec, I’ve been motivated to try to understand the interaction of the French and English communities there as well as and how and why things are the way they are. This has stimulated me to read Canadian literature, and I think I got a good general idea of the history and reasons for the cultural stress from Hugh McLennan’s novels as well as others. Your stories capture all the dynamics of both populations with a loving understanding and a sweet sense of humor that makes an old Yank from south of the border want to put his arms around them and share some coffee and a croissant by the fire. My wife and I have dined in small inns like Gabri’s, and we can tell you’ve tasted the food, felt the snowflakes, and walked in the woods yourself. Your books magically transport us back to drives through fall foliage and evenings we spent in Dunham, Bedford, or West Brome with people who could well be a part of your next story.

Thank you for enabling us to enjoy those experiences all over again. We look forward to more.

With best wishes,


Carl E. Whitehouse