【明報專訊】This morning I went to the backyard to throw out the compost. I never imagined that a 200-metre walk could be so arduous. The temperature has been consistently in the sub-zero territory, reaching -16C at one point; snow, once a rare and almost miraculous sight, is now a daily occurrence and relentlessly so. Since it never quite gets warm enough for the snow to thaw, it accumulates over time and becomes a thick blanket that softly smothers every shape you can make out.