The Snowfall 

First there was a silence, then the birds began fluttering from tree to tree and then the neighbours started appearing to try and trudge through snow that was knee high and see what they could do about it.

It was the third day, a Sunday, the sun had come out, the sky was clearing and everybody set to work after the luxury of a weekend of snow like we had never seen before.

On the second day, a Saturday, snow lovers in Madrid were able to take out their skis, their snowboards their sleighs even huskies because many people in Madrid are well equipped for the snow. (Spain has a family of Olympic skiing champions who live in a town in the nearby sierra.) Others ploughed through the snow falling clumsily but enjoying every minute.

Instead of visiting the snow in the sierra, the snow had come to visit the city dwellers at a time when there were many restrictions of movement because of COVID, on the weekend after the muted visit of the Reyes Magos. It was a beautiful compensation and indeed it felt like a gift.

On the first day of snow, Friday the 8^th young people were out having fun in the snow but that night it was clear that the city would be covered in a blanket of snow. It snowed all night and we had half a metre of snow on Saturday the 9^th. The pictures of La Puerta Del Sol looked like a picture by Breughel.

Now it all has to be cleared up but in the meantime robins, sparrows, wagtails, pigeons, magpies, hoopoes and other birds appear out of nowhere to keep us company and  sing merrily probably looking for food and make the workload lighter.

Madrid is also a paradise for birdwatchers.