I'll see your field mice, and raise you a red robin:

Thanks, Zipp, that's so kind! But I want to go through them and select the best shots. I may as well resize them as I'm doing that. I'm probably going to do them later tonight.....though it may end up being Boxing Day lol. Depends what time I get back from Our Kid's house.

Oh, Dana! thanks!! Post more! it's so lovely!!!

It is 70 degrees and raining. I could do without the rain.

And.....it's snowing again.

We've had light snow (a couple of inches) for the last few days. Now we've had another heavy snowfall. And it's still snowing. Airports in Yorkshire and Greater Manchester are closed; about 250 schools across West Yorkshire are closed, and we have a national grit shortage. Only the big roads are being gritted now, and even those with limited success.

Thank Goodness my Bro and his family came home yesterday. They'd have been stuck if they'd been travelling back today.

Pretty much the whole of the North of England is covered, along with Wales. It's moving into the midlands now, and expected to head south across the day. They're predicting 10 inches in some places. I'd say we're currently at around 6-8 inches in my village and the snow is falling thick.

A few days before Christmas our council ordered more salt, it never arrived. We've used over twelve and half tonnes since the beginning of December; 8,600 tonnes across the Christmas period alone. That's more than we used across the whole winter last year and that was itself a record year.

Apparently Government may step in and organise salt for the worst hit councils.

How we have managed to run out so comprehensively I'll never know: we have a salt mine less than ten minutes drive away from my home! has the mine itself run out? I have no idea.

Really hoping this is over by the 11th. I booked non-refundable rooms at the travelodge in order to get the discount (took it down to £29 a night, which for London is ridiculously low). If I can't get down there because of trains being disrupted I'll lose £150! I think. I may check, it maybe that they only count it as non-refundable if it's a choice to cancel, as opposed to being prevented by adverse weather.

Done did snow last night. two hour delays and the TV weather people are having gasms. In a near-hysterical cheery voice they LOOOOOOVE to talk about the various ways the snow will eff up your day.

I'm a bit crap at judging measurements...but having stepped out to let Pil in the garden I'd say we may be at 10 inches already. It's not snowing quite as heavily now, but still fairly consistently.

ten inches overnight? you lucky, lucky woman.

Yup, kids had a 2 hour delay. Fortunately my 1st class is at 10:30 and it doesn't bother me.

What I wanna know, though, is this: why is it that when the kids have a delay like this, they're always running late, when on a normal day they're on time?

FINALLY!
We've been waiting all day, watching the window and watching the weather reports that show snow in just about every other damned place in the UK...

Just checked and we finally have some of our own!
Tiny, weeny flakes. But it's settling. A dusting right now, but some parts of the county will get up to 20cms! We won't (protected by the Chiltern Hills) but I'd settle for 10...

I know, I know, everyone moans about it. But I don't. I've never complained about snow, only the lack of it.
What have I got to worry about? I'm here, warm, have nowhere I particularly need to go, all bills paid up already, have pies for tomorrow night's tea. Sorted.

And regardless of snowfall, our local shop will be open, so even emergency items can be purchased (for us and Grandad, whose idea of an emergency item is a packet of Jaffa Cakes). It's a brisk 5 minute walk, and Mr Shah would open even in the event of a nuclear winter.

This is probably the last snowfall(s) I don't have to worry about getting to work, the cost of heating, having enough food in, general house maintenance issues like frozen pipes etc. So I'm going to enjoy myself!

Just occurred to me ... I probably meant 10 cm not 10 inches... wtf do I know. I never was much cop at measurements.

Just got back from Ma's. The road down to her house (very steep and only tarmac halfway down after that it's cobbles) is strewn with abandoned cars. Slewed to a halt at odd angles at the sides of the road. Three of them appear to have crunched into each other.

I like snow until I have to leave my house. Particularly when I have to leave it with Pilau :P It's cold on this hill at the best of times, add snow and an icy wind it leaves your cheeks feeling like you've been at them with a brillo pad.

There is still though, even with all this conscious dislike, a little part of me that rejoices when I wake up and see white through my window. before my brain has caught up and done the maths (dog-walk-cold etc) the ten year old that's hiding in my head shouts out excitedly.

Well, that note from my doctor excusing me from snow meant bugga all in the great scheme of things.

I'm looking after a load of horses for just over two weeks and, pausing only to strap tennis racquets to my feet, I struggled up the road to minister to my equine charges for the final time today at 8pm. Frozen pipes, taps and troughs coupled with heavy rugs, cold and hungry horses and the general embuggerance factor brought about by snow, does not make me warm to my task......... if you see what I mean.
Chap that usually looks after them departed these shores with his wife yesterday morning for warmer climes.

I am not 'appy.:(

Carruthers

That sounds rotten Carruthers.

On a much smaller scale, my bro and his family spent the past week in sunny climes leaving Mum to ensure ferrets and assorted other wildlife were ok. She scrambled up wooden steps into the back garden (everything round here is on a hill) the day before yesterday to discover that the baby ferrets were out of food and all the water bottles (for young and old ferrets) had frozen solid. Cue:multiple trips up and down slippy iced up wooden steps in the dark with torch

Oh, and apparently they all came back yesterday to discover three of the five fish had pegged it. Mart forgot to leave the central heating on a timer, and they'd frozen to death. Or so Mart thinks. Thank God he left the tortoises' basking lamp on a timer.

Amble-Scramble and Sally the greyhound are still at the kennels, because they couldn't there to pick then up. Got so far and the roads became too dangerous (somewhere up on the moors), and the woman who runs the kennel appears to have lost her mobile phone. So haven't been able to check on them. They got the cats back, but only just. The road they had to drive to get to the cattery was closed about half an hour after they pulled off it.

Poor Amber, I hope they're keeping her warm. She has very bad joints these days.

Weather service says 7 to 9 inches of snow will arrive on Thursday. :eek:

I've given up trying to assess depth of snow. All I know is it's really fucking deep.