the view from here

It's a cold, white world. For us the snow arrived last Tuesday; yesterday it was showing signs of melting, and our road was traversible once more. It has since snowed over night and we awoke to sounds of chaos outside: skidding tyres, vigorous shovelling, jump starting. Since then the road is slightly improved but we certainly won't be taking the car out. Someone had to abandon their car earlier in front of our drive, leaving an apologetic note, but we wouldn't have wanted to try it ourselves anyway. We have been going as much on foot as we can.

That has been interesting in itself; tentative cautious stepping through compacted, frozen snow - trying to find the snow that still has some crunch, and therefore some grip. Andy tells me it's not too bad today - the previous snow had begun to go slushy and is still not as solid underneath this new layer - less likelihood of losing your footing.

Last week, when they heralded the 'coldest night in Britain since 1981', was about the time our boiler broke down. It was a frozen condensate pipe of course (since lagged, after the boiler repair man went out with his hairdryer. He picks them up at jumble sales and charity shops, apparently.) We were without heating overnight and a good proportion of the next day, but coped by keeping ourselves contained to as smaller space as possible (it was Andy's day off, so we endured the cold together). We braved the road to borrow some heaters stored in the loft at church. The car got stuck at the top of the road and we needed three people to push us out of it. Next day, when walking to the shop, we returned the favour to someone else in the same predicament.

This picture was one taken by satellite last week (I don't claim credit; I don't currently possess a satellite of my own - NASA, however, do.)

I've not been able to get out to anywhere particularly picturesque; most of the photos I've snapped are close ups in the garden or of birds on feeders, as you can see.
To really get out and take some true 'landscapes', I need a 4 x 4. Oh, and a full driver's license.

don't ask me to predict the weather

After all my springtime comments, today it is snowing. The ground is too wet for it to settle here, although there is thin layer of slush forming on the patio. The plants, flower beds and lawns are all sprinkled with white. (Other places have been more strongly effected with blizzards.)

Charlie disapproves.

Today:3/10, medium high (v.high last night)

melting snow

Well, the snow is gone now from my neck of the woods, but finally here are some photographs for you. I wasn't able to get out and capture glorious vistas as I'm sure many did, but enjoyed some close up camera moments as the sun bore down and the snow slowly melted. This gave more interest as contrasts were highlighted between the snow and other objects / plants.


grass

aglow

emerging

dormant

milk bottles

melting snow

Thank goodness I can compress the files...the A350 photos are huge compared to those of our old digital camera. It would take forever otherwise!!

the Big Freeze

Weather chaos in our fair isles this week. My poor sister was stranded all night yesterday in a service station with two other women - thankfully home now, after traversing hazardous conditions this morning with no sleep. The Severn Bridges are closed due to slabs of ice smashing into car windscreens; supplies of salt and grit are having to be rationed:
'Plenty of British grit,' quipped one reporter on tonight's news, 'but not the right kind!'

We Brits seem to have a phrase when confronted with life's unpredictability - after explaining the difficulty of our circumstances and our frustration with it, somehow we feel obliged to add: 'ah well, never mind; we'll get there eventually,' or something similar. (Even when stuck in a car for 6 hours on a freezing night in the middle of a blizzard.) You've got to love us, haven't you?!!

Will post some snow pics eventually. Since I'm having a 'rest' I don't have to deal with the elements in the way some people are having to.

Dartmoor looks like the Alps tonight.

For those of you used to this kind of weather, remember we are not, particularly in the Southern areas of England and Wales, and the Westcountry. It's the speed, amount and spread of it that has caused so much trouble. And our heavily populated country has lots of little villages and narrow country lanes and hills and valleys...it can get very treacherous when suffering this kind of weather. A lot of vulnerable people are stranded, and power lines have been down in various places.

I have to say it does make a change from all the political headlines and intricate analysis on the news, and the sense of camaraderie is rather nice.

The 'Big Freeze' continues....