Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things, but just look at what they can do when they stick together.

It snowed again on Sunday and by lunch time the roads were grim, so once again the snow dictated that we would not be going very far. My son and daughters decided to get the sledge out and enjoy the snow. They spent a happy but very cold afternoon at our local park going up and down the hills on their sledge as they have done so many times before during their childhood. In fact my brother and I enjoyed sledging in the park when we were young and probably many generations before us did so too.

Robbie and I occupied ourselves with more mundane tasks, clearing snow, sorting the car out and putting more grit down in a vain attempt to keep the path and the driveway clear. We took the car for a short drive to keep it going (I don't want a flat battery again!) but at least we managed to enjoy a quick coffee while we  were out. 

“Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow.” - Jeff Valdez

Despite being my day off, Friday has been rather stressful. More snow fell in the night, just enough to cover the roads and the cars. They had been cleared after the previous snow fall a couple of days ago but the roads were slushy and reluctant drivers had to spend time clearing snow from their cars before taking to the road. It was very cold, the sort of day when you want to stay at home in front of the fire. In fact Dave the cat made sure that he had the warmest spot in the house all day and he made it quite clear that he had no intention of moving. 

Robbie was working from home, so we didn't need to go far, but my daughters had to drive to work and my son had to brave the elements to walk to school. I hoped there would be no more snow because I had to take David (my step father) to a hospital appointment in the afternoon. The snow continued falling all morning and the roads became more dangerous, so we took the decision to postpone his appointment. He is frail due to his kidney cancer and he walks with two sticks (he has had two hip replacements), so I was very worried about him falling and hurting himself. I think he was quite relieved not to have to go out in the snow.

By early afternoon the buses had stopped running and reports of traffic chaos filled the news broadcasts. One daughter was already home, but she was worried about her boyfriend who had to drive back from Cranfield and I was worried about my other daughter who would not be able to drive home from her teaching placement at Corby until her school closed. Eventually both arrived home safely, apparently it took three hours to get back from Cranfield and my daughter took almost as long to get back from Corby. 

We need to get our local planning sorted out, the world shouldn't grind to a halt every time we have a couple of inches of snow, but that is a problem for another day. At least all my family are home safely for the weekend.