Fresh snow

image via Trix0r

I love old movies.  I have since I used to watch them on tv as a kid. This week I watched Swing Time with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.  It's a miracle I haven't already seen it, but it was new to me.

There was a scene in the movie that took me out of time and sent a chill up my spine.  It was snowing and they were out in the country.  Their faces young and glowing.  Maybe it was more beautiful because it was that soft gleaming black and white of old film. Romance was afoot.  Or at least Ginger Rogers was hoping it was, while Fred Astaire was doing his darndest to keep it from happening (if you're wondering why, you'll just have to watch the movie).  Bemoaning Fred's resistance to her charms, Ginger burst out into song, singing "A fine romance, with no kisses, a fine romance, my friend, this is..." (If you want to hear Ginger sing it for yourself, watch this video.  I wanted to embed it, but no luck.)

The scene stuck in my head.  I had trouble falling asleep that night and found myself imagining a whole story, with different characters and a different place in time, inspired only by that budding romance in fresh snow. Which is how I found myself up at an indecent hour, scribbling down a plot while my husband slept.  Maybe I'll have to write a little over the holidays.