• UK, Christmas 1980: Very pleasant weather of about 15C on Christmas Day visiting my uncle and aunt on the way back from a work term in Germany. The grass was green, and my cousin Frances coasted up and down the road riding his bicycle, grinning at the gorgeous sunny weather.
• Mountain View, California, 1987: I think it dipped down to 33F one day in January, and all my co-workers came in wearing their ski jackets. I laughed and talked about driving to work with the window open and the heater on.
• Whistler, British Columbia, 1985, 1987 and 1989: Idyllic vacations spend getting up at 9am, having some quick breakfast, getting dressed for a day's skiing at one of the best slopes in North America, lunching at the top of the hill, finishing the day at 4pm at the bottom of the slope with a Kokanee, wandering by to the condo to get into bathing trunks and to pick up another beer, ending up in the hot tub for an hour before wandering back to the condo to get dressed for a fabulous restaurant meal, some dancing, only to collapse into bed at midnight .. and do it all over again the next day.
• Toronto, 2004: Last week it was -24C, -36C with the wind chill. Starting the car in the mornings was quite exciting, and the normally soft seats were rock hard it was so cold. Today, -1, and snow was melting everywhere in the bright sunshine.

Winter? It comes every year, folks. Yes, it's cold. Yes, we get snow. Accept it, deal with it, embrace it.