Wednesday 4 February 2009

Snow!

The last few days have seen the country under a blanket of snow. Obviously if you live in the UK you are well aware of this. If you live outside of the UK you have probably been laughing helplessly at how a few inches of white, fluffy stuff can bring a city the size of London to a halt. Six inches of snow in many cities would barely count as a light dusting. Here buses failed to run, roads became ski runs, stations froze and schools closed. Pathetic. Or is it?

The last time London had so much snow in such a short period of time was 18 years ago. I'm sure it's perfectly possible for us to be totally ready for the next blizzard. We could install under-road heating, have snow ploughs and gritters on every corner, import salt from wherever you import salt from to cover every pavement throughout the winter, and employ people with little hammers to break up any ice that forms. It shouldn't add more than a few thousand pounds to everybody's council tax. Or we could face the fact that it's going to happen once in a while and grin and bare a couple of days of disruption once in a blue moon.

My boys spent their unexpected days off school playing with friends, sledging and having snowball fights. With snow a relative rarity in London I'm sure these last few days will stay with them forever. A couple of days off school is a small price to pay for priceless memories.

People keep asking me how I'm coping with the snow. Truth be told, I've stayed inside. Snow and wheelchairs don't mix well. Besides, it's cold, and I hate the cold. It's pretty though.

On another matter entirely, Polly has engaged in a new (previously) secret project. How many times can she get her name in print this year. So far she's made the local paper, commenting on changes to flight paths to Heathrow airport. Then she appears in the Lakeland catalogue, endorsing a heated clothes dryer. Now she has won £50 worth of vouchers in a draw rewarding people providing feedback for council services. They want a picture for another local paper of her collecting them. It gives her something to do.

7 comments:

  1. I was thinking of you and the family when I saw the news on the telly. Stay warm and I hope the boys keep on having a blast outside in the snow.

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  2. ha ha ha on getting in the local papers. Ha, ha on the snow in swedens southern parts we seemed to be suprised EVERY year, when the snow stil. Now, sadly, thanks to climatechange or what ever I haven´t seen any snow for some time, or my mistake I THINK IT HAS ARRIVED TONIGHT from england possibly.
    Take care do wear mittens.
    anna

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  3. stil? must be snow in my head sorry

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  4. Hya Buddy,

    We have just has the biggest snowfall in Bristol since we were kids. It reminded me of when you me and Bassbin went for a wander over Dundry in very heavy snow....and we nearly got lost as everything was white.....thankfully we took the common sense of just heading down. I can remember being extremely cold.
    Nothing as bad as that now though...even so, the city has come to a grinding halt.

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  5. herein Israel it takes less than six inches to bring Jerusalem to a standstill. 4 cm will do it.....

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  6. Nice article, really enjoy it reading, still snowing out there? God must be so cold, always keep safe for your family, i recommend heated clothes for you guys, its comfy and warm even if you go playing snow outside, i've try one before and it works real good... Keep in touch..

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