Photos

Snow is warm

If I were to do a ranking of all the different kinds of weather, snow would probably be right up there at the very top.

William Watson

07 Jan 2026 — 4 min read

Dark snow with a golden sky. Denmark

Snow is warm

Or: the first post of this blog.

This is the first post on this blog, but I think that all the intro stuff can be a bit boring if you already have the information so I'm just gonna send you to this other page where I've introduced myself somewhat. That way I can just kinda launch into this.

So if you wanna know what this is, click below on that button that says "What is this"

What is this

Snow and light, warm colours paired with cold conditions.

If I were to do a ranking of all the different kinds of weather, snow would probably be right up there at the very top. Generally the ranking would place weather types higher as an inverse of the temperature, with the coldest and cloudiest being the best, and the hottest and brightest relegated to the bottom. ¹

We had that dream weather this last few days here in Copenhagen, and I had an opportunity to take some lovely photos in what felt like a blizzard. All the conditions were perfect: when lifted, the snow easily formed into a ball that was firm but deceptively light. We didn't throw them, but I did manage to form what looked something like a duck, which my wife thought was the cutest form of snow-creature.

Snow formed into the shape of a duck — Snow-duck. *Denmark*

Our favourite route crosses the river, over a movable bridge that allows small boats to reach open waters. Tyres protect them as they pass through this lock on their way to their adventures. I love the way the snow hugged the top of them, and the almost-clear reflections in the water meant for some rather purposeful lines for the eye to follow in this image.

Black and white photo of tyres on the side of a lock. Snow sits atop the tyres. — Tyres. *Denmark*

The winds were high and the snowfall was dense, which led to some ripe opportunities for photos. The sun was quite low in the sky as well, so the colours available were brilliant. Something about the rusty warmth pairs so well with the blankets of snow. Here's one I think came out great:

The sun peeks through, a silhouette of the vegetation in the foreground, and the snow falling appears black against the golden sky. — Dark snow with a golden sky. *Denmark*

Usually our walks lead us to climb the hill, but it seemed a bit risky with how slippery things were, so we took our walk around the low path. The stairs looked ideallic, but with a threat of glat ² looming over us.

A wooden staircase, with a blanket of snow around, and rust-coloured vegetation surrounding it. — A dangerous climb. *Denmark*

One of my favourite parts of any walk when it's Baltic ³ out is that moment when the cold really starts biting at your nose, cheeks, and ears. It's a sting that makes the sofa that much cosier and a warm drink that much tastier. You step inside and the warmth begins to flood into your body, your extremities tingling with the memory of that frigid air.

The warm and the cold seem at odds, but they go together better than anything.

You can stop reading here if you just wanted to read about the photography, but there's also a recipe below if you wanna make something comforting. Great for when you've got the cold in ya, physically or health-wise.

For those who would then suggest that I ought to live in the cold, dark regions of deep space far from any star, I will concede that there is some boundary beyond which low temperature and lack of light become unfavourable.
Danish for "slippery".
Northern Irish for "cold".

Chicken Soup

This week, we made an excellent chicken soup, with a bit of a South Asian twist that makes it all the warmer.

You need:

Chicken with bones (legs, thighs, etc)
Carrots (grated)
Sweet corn (from the freezer)
Cabbage (shredded)
Any other veggies you like in your soup
1 red onion, peeled
1 root fresh ginger
1 bulb fresh garlic
Soy sauce
Corn flour
1 cinnamon stick
1 tbsp Cumin seeds
1 green cardamom pod
1 egg

Do this:

Separate the chicken meat from the bones, chuck the bones in a pot with a good amount of water, the whole spices, the onion, the ginger, and the garlic. Let that simmer for a while. We're going for a nice mild broth, not too deep a colour.

While that's going, chop the meat pretty small, and marinate it with some soy sauce, corn flour, salt, black pepper, and olive oil.

When you're happy with your broth, strain it and get it back in the pot at a simmer. Add your vegetables and let them cook in the broth. Sautee your chicken separately, then shred it finely. Add it only when the vegetables are cooked.

Give it a taste, add salt, pepper, and white vinegar to your taste.

Then whisk an egg and drop it in, stirring well.

I find this soup really satisfying. The spices only give a mild flavour, but they lend a proper cosy feel.

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