Last Saturday I sang the new year cantatas from Johann Sebastian Bach’s Christmas Oratorio near Rotterdam and this event marked the start of a period of cold weather.

let it snow

On my way back to Germany it was already starting to snow. At home, everything  was covered with a thin layer of snow. Yesterday the sun was shining but temperatures didn’t rise above 0⁰ C (32⁰F).  In shady parts of the garden, leaves were still covered with powdery snow.  I strolled through the Tank Garden to see the evergreen shrubs and plants. The white outline, especially on the fronts of ferns, emphasizes its texture and form. This spectacle lasts only for a short period of time. When the sun rises and the temperature is rising it melt away rapidly.