Unusual extremes of temperature and rare winter sun and cold

On our rainy coastline, sunlight is especially welcome in winter, when low cloud blots out the mountains that surround us. Winter skies are blurred and gloomy, and our challenge is to tough out the light deprivation.

The past couple of years have been different. The summer 2015 (when this pic was taken in Vancouver Harbour) brought extreme drought and wildfires. Only last fall did the dried out bird marshes recover.

For the past three winters, the Serpentine and Trout Lake, Jericho pond. Even Lost Lagoon froze solid for the first time since 1996. Here in Surrey, the welcome winter sun still shines on snow that has lasted an entire month -- remarkable.