So, snow.
You'd think it never snowed in England from the reactions to it. On Monday it was very cute to see all the FaceBook squee from my postgrad friends who had never seen it before. At the writing session there were three for whom it was a first - and, I have to admit, it was very touching to see the wonder on their faces.
Monday's snow had pretty much gone in most places by Tuesday. However, increasingly hysterical weather broadcasts warned us of serious falls today. Again, to be fair, in parts of South Wales, ten inches fell in about twelve hours, which is non-trivial. Here, though? About four-five inches.
This is the front of our house. You can see the road.
The back garden - we clearly need a bonsai snowman. But you can see the depth is not exactly blizzard standard.
And by the front door:
And from the dining-room window:
Yet it took me well over an hour to drive the five miles into Coventry to collect R from the station and return home with her. Most of the schools in the county closed at lunchtime because most of the buses stopped running, and all the train services were delayed. Grr. Even the university campus is effectively closed.
I know the arguments. We only have this sort of weather for a few days every year, so it makes little sense to invest huge sums in really efficient snow blowers and snowploughs, or even in super-powerful gritting trucks. But WTF? Honestly? Does the entire country really have to grind to a halt?
Still, snow pretty.
Monday's snow had pretty much gone in most places by Tuesday. However, increasingly hysterical weather broadcasts warned us of serious falls today. Again, to be fair, in parts of South Wales, ten inches fell in about twelve hours, which is non-trivial. Here, though? About four-five inches.
This is the front of our house. You can see the road.
The back garden - we clearly need a bonsai snowman. But you can see the depth is not exactly blizzard standard.
And by the front door:
And from the dining-room window:
Yet it took me well over an hour to drive the five miles into Coventry to collect R from the station and return home with her. Most of the schools in the county closed at lunchtime because most of the buses stopped running, and all the train services were delayed. Grr. Even the university campus is effectively closed.
I know the arguments. We only have this sort of weather for a few days every year, so it makes little sense to invest huge sums in really efficient snow blowers and snowploughs, or even in super-powerful gritting trucks. But WTF? Honestly? Does the entire country really have to grind to a halt?
Still, snow pretty.