My atavism for wild weather has faded somewhat: I didn't venture into the white-out, but waited for the grey, the gusts and swirling. It was still pretty fierce out there. My gloves weren't warm enough, my glasses frosted over, and for once, I was glad of the mask. I think I may be the last person on earth to wear a low-tech Luddite overcoat. At least, a young woman I encountered last month gazed at me in wonderment: "It looks like something from a movie." I felt myself receding in her eyes to black and white.
The figures in the snow looked Breugelish. I would have taken more pictures, but the camera on my phone froze.
Nine