By European standards, Israeli winter is a joke. Temperatures in the Central district never drop below zero, we get some rain but most of the time it’s sunny and warm, and snow is a rarity, reserved for the northern parts and the mountains. Even there, it’s never too dramatic.

Still, a storm came in last night, and it’s expected to stick around for a few days. It was freaking cold in the morning (around 7 degrees Celsius, and it felt like a lot less), there was a freezing wind and bursts of rain. No day for riding, naturally. Still, I dropped by the stables, freezing my ass and hands off, groomed Talo and took him for a short stroll outside, before the rain hit really hard. The wind was blowing, it was grey and dramatic, and Talo was obviously very excited (which didn’t prevent him from eating some grass). I didn’t really want to take my hands out of my pockets, but I needed to snap a photo of him. All I got is this one, but it really encapsulates Talo in the winter: wide-eyed, super alert, and oh-so-pretty with his mane whirling in the wind.

I wonder if we’ll be able to ride tomorrow…