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. 

I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me - Noel Coward

Robbie and I had planned to go out for the day today, but the snow dictated otherwise. It would have been madness to try to go very far today, but I wanted to get as far as the supermarket because we needed supplies and I didn't fancy trying to carry everything home. Robbie went out and cleared all the snow off the car, it proved to be a long and exhausting job. Then when I got in the car and attempted to start it, there was a tiny splutter and then nothing. That dratted car is definitely male - high maintenance and totally unreliable!

We had to jump start the car with the help of my daughter and her Yaris. Then I thought it would be best to take the car for a drive before going to the supermarket. It wasn't a very fast journey but at least we stayed safe. By the time we got to the supermarket Robbie was in a foul mood, I tried to ignore it and keep things pleasant, but it was hopeless. He was in the sort of mood where nothing was right, every item of food that I selected was wrong in some way and as we progressed around the store our trolley remained ominously empty. When we got to the pet food section he even criticised my choice of cat food - apparently he had appointed himself as spokesman for the cat! Having provided a detailed explanation of the cat's likes and dislikes he chose a selection of food that was more in keeping with the cat's (expensive) tastes! At least the trolley was filling up so we were making progress of sorts.

We got to the meat section and it seemed that nothing pleased him so I asked if he would like some gammon for a change. I suggested that it would be nice with new potatoes and vegetables but he said that he only likes gammon with egg and chips, so I said that we would have that instead. I went over to choose the gammon and he turned his nose up. That was the last straw, I abandoned the trolley and left him to have his strop on his own while I regained my composure in the magazine section. That is his favourite part of the shop so I knew he would turn up eventually. He appeared surprisingly quickly still with a face like thunder so I left him there looking at the railway magazines while I went off unhindered to pick up a few essentials.

The calming effect of railway magazines should not be underestimated. When I returned to collect Robbie he was 'mellowing' and by the time we got home he was keen to find a way back into my good books. It took me a little longer to 'thaw' but before long harmony was restored. The snow on the other hand showed no sign of thawing, in fact it looked as if there was plenty more to come.

“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.

Silently, like thoughts that come and go, the snowflakes fall, each one a gem. ~ William Hamilton Gibson

We woke to find that a dusting of snow had covered our world during the night. By the time I looked out and noticed the snow it was almost 7am and the morning traffic had already reclaimed the road which had a slushy grey appearance in contrast with the white pavements and gardens. The parked cars were still swathed in blankets of white, the snow gave the street a gentler magical appearance but it would not last. Soon the world would be awake and the unspoilt snow would be crushed underfoot and reality would chase away the magic. 

I thought about my daughter who was just leaving the house to drive to her teaching placement in Corby I hoped that she would have a safe journey. My other daughter did not have very far to drive so I was less worried about her and thankfully Robbie was working at home today so I could keep an eye on him and hopefully make sure that he stayed safe. He fell over in the snow just before Christmas when he was working in Darlington and he hurt himself quite badly so I can't help worrying about him.

At about 11am snow began falling again, at first it was not very much but before long it was snowing heavily and it looked as if it had come to stay. I had an earlier start at work than usual,so I had to get all my errands done despite the snow. The roads were a bit slippery but not too bad and I managed to get everything done. The snow seemed to give Robbie a wanderlust and he asked if I could drop him at the station on my way to work. He said he wanted to mix business with pleasure and spend a few hours 'out and about' on the railways. I couldn't say no, I just hoped that he would stay safe and not fall over. He returned safe and sound with some lovely photos.

The first fall of snow is not only an event, it is a magical event.  You go to bed in one kind of world and wake up in another quite different, and if this is not enchantment then where is it to be found?  
                                                        J.B. Priestley

Storms batter South West coast as 'monsoon' weather hits Britain - The Telegraph

My younger daughter had spent weeks planning a long weekend in Cornwall with her brother and a friend from university. She really isn't the camping type, but they had arranged to spend the first couple of nights 'under canvas' before moving to more civilised surroundings for the remainder of their stay. She is a confident driver and she has made the journey a couple of times before, but I'm her mum and I can't help worrying especially as she planned to make the journey during the night - and that was before I saw the weather forecast!

"Strong winds, possibly up to gale force, are expected from the afternoon onwards in south-west England particularly Devon and Cornwall," forecaster Mark Seltzer from the Met Office.

When I saw the warnings from the Met Office yesterday I was seriously worried, I wouldn't have enjoyed driving to Cornwall in those conditions and I really wanted her to postpone her journey until the morning.

"Winds will increase this afternoon in Devon and Cornwall and there could be gusts of 60 to 65mph, or even 70mph on exposed coasts and headlands......"

My daughter is as stubborn and determined as her mother and she wasn't going let a little matter of the weather spoil her plans. She is also half Cornish and the call of the sea is very strong - it took her dad years to adapt to living so far from the sea. So soon after midnight they set off on their journey - and I began to worry! I had made sure that they were as well prepared as possible, but I was still worried. It was a very long night but thankfully they got to Padstow in time for breakfast. My daughter said that the journey had been very wet and very windy, so it was a challenging driving experience.

I really wish that they could have had better weather, it sounds as if they had a nice day despite the rain and according to my daughter the sun came out later on. Padstow holds so many happy memories for our family and it is nice to be there whatever the weather. However camping is a different story, I doubt my daughter would have enjoyed it even in perfect summer weather. She wrote on facebook that "Camping is most certainly not for me" and she went on to inform the world that she will be sleeping in the car tonight! Perhaps she will appreciate the comforts of home after this. I hope they stay safe and have a lovely day tomorrow.

“Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain”

It seems that I was wrong, 'monsoon season' is not over. After a perfect week of sunshine last week a very hot weekend and a hot sunny days at the beginning of the week the rain came back with a vengeance yesterday evening. It was uncomfortably hot and late afternoon we had a brief shower which cane as a relief, it was so hot that I wanted to go and stand in the rain to cool down, but unfortunately I was busy at work so I couldn't do that . At about twenty past eight I was at the station waiting for Robbie because he was having a bad day and struggling to cope with the pain in his legs. The sky darkened and the heavens opened, it only lasted for about twenty minutes but it came down so hard that many roads including those in the station car park flooded (the water soon soaked away afterwards). By the time Robbie came out of the station the rain had more or less stopped. I thought his pain and the bad weather would have put him in a bad mood, but I was wrong. He was very happy, because lots of people had admired his new and rather splendid pink Lego brick cuff-links. 


As we drove home we encountered huge puddles and several flooded roads. The road where we live is quite high up and not prone to flooding but the drains couldn't cope and when we got home the road was flooded just beyond our house. The people from the houses opposite were all out trying to stop the traffic because the water from the road was flooding down into their houses. Thankfully our side of the road was fine.

Every now and then go away and have a little relaxation. To remain constantly at work will diminish your judgement. - Leonardo DaVinci

Robbie had a plan to get up early and drive to North Walsham to catch the train to Sherringham to spend another day on the North Norfolk Railway. All this rushing around to catch trains is getting suspiciously like our normal routine, I would have liked our holiday to have been less 'timetabled' but I guess that life with Robbie means that almost everything is timetabled! I was very pleased when late on Saturday evening he decided that he would rather go out for Sunday lunch than go to the railway. Like Scooby Doo he will do almost anything for food..

It was a lovely sunny day and we had a leisurely morning listening to the Archers and enjoying the luxury of time. By midday we were at a restaurant in Mundsley having Sunday lunch. The vegetables were served in a dish, cabbage, peas, carrots and leeks, but Robbie rejected all of them and tucked into roast pork, apple sauce, roast potatoes, mashed potatoes and lashings of gravy. Oh well, at least I enjoyed the vegetables!

After lunch we decided to go for a drive and I surprised Robbie by driving him to Weybourne so that he could visit the station bookshop. I let the sat nav guide me to Weybourne, it was a lovely journey but there were lots of twists and turns and it was scarily narrow in places. We got a lovely view of a windmill and there were beautiful costal views.

Robbie spent an eternity choosing books and magazines and he darted around taking photos of the trains. He was like a kid in a sweet shop, books, magazines and trains, he didn't know what to do first! We came home with a bag of magazines, books, maps and catalogues, and Robbie has spent most of the evening reading.

Home Again

We said a sad goodbye to the caravan and headed home this morning. I was reluctant to leave because it has been a lovely week, but Laura has an A Level exam on Monday so we had to drag ourselves back to reality. The journey back was OK, it was busy and the M5 was running very slowly, but once we got past the cone storage area (otherwise known as Bristol) the roads were better. We got home safely, but I left the others to unpack the car because I was exhausted after the long drive. Unpacking when you get home is so depressing! My holiday has left me with with one unanswered question, each time I went to the beach the same question came to my mind - why do old men wear Speedos?

That Monday Feeling

On Sunday night it snowed again, then it froze and this morning the roads were white with ice and frozen snow. I had promised to get Robbie to the station one way or another because he thought the buses would not run. It was the journey from hell, I was sliding everywhere and the state of the roads around the station car park was terrifying. I was thankful to get back in one piece and I was determined not to go out again until it was safe to drive. Laura was overjoyed because her school was closed again due to the icy roads, Sam was devastated because his school was open and he had to walk there, he made me feel so guilty.

As the day went on the roads improved and by late this afternoon it rained a sort of sleet type of rain, there was water on the roads, but it wasn't taking the snow away, it was hanging on as if it was waiting for more snow. By the time I left work it was snowing heavily and settling, the roads were already dangerous and rapidly becoming worse. Robbie was beside himself with frustration, he said he absolutely has to get to work tomorrow, but I don't think he will get very far. I have just been outside and taken these photos, we are back to square one with deep snow on top of ice again. It really isn't funny any more!

Snow Joke!

Robbie can be so annoying, especially when it comes to time. He deals with everything the way he deals with a train timetable, always in the 24hr clock and always timed to the second. This in especially annoying when he phones me asking for a lift, a simple ten to, or quarter past (or whatever) would be so much easier to deal with. He rang me yesterday to tell me that heavy snow was expected at 04.00 the following morning, I wasn't keen to know that more snow was coming our way, but it his use of the 24hr clock that irritated me and I told him sharply that you can't time nature. When I got home from work he told me that the timing for the snow had been revised to 03.00, and he got an even sharper answer from me. So it was infuriating when I got up to visit the bathroom during the night and found that his prediction had been spot in and we had several inches of snow! The roads have not been gritted and traffic has more or less ground to a halt, so there was no chance of going anywhere safely this morning. Robbie is working from home and Sam and Laura are out playing in the snow because their schools are closed. The previous snow had become compacted and turned to a sheet of ice on the pavements and minor roads, so the new snow is deceptively dangerous to walk on or drive on and I dread to think what will happen tonight when this lot freezes!

Double Trouble

Double Trouble Tuesday 21st August 2007

It was cold last night but by morning it was warmer and calmer, not pleasant but tolerable. It was one of those damp grey days that refuse to brighten up, but it was good enough to go to Cromer. As usual we sat in the car for ages waiting for Robbie, his lateness really frustrates me, I can't imagine why it takes him so much longer than anyone else to get ready.

It was nice to have a look at Cromer again. Robbie wanted to look in Jarrolds, they sell books, very nice jigsaws, stationary and art and craft materials, in fact it is just the sort of shop that could tempt me to spend a fortune. I restrained myself and just bought a couple of Christmas presents after that we wandered through the side streets towards the restaurant that we like and we treated ourselves to a welcome lunch. Usually we would have wandered down to the sea front to have a look at the pier and enjoy the view, but we gave it a miss yesterday, fearing that we would probably blow away if we ventured down to the front. Anyway Robbie had another goal in mind - his favourite book shop. As usual it didn't disappoint, Robbie was thrilled to find a book about Walsall's engine sheds, another about British Railway's Workshops and yet another called London Midland Then and Now. I was equally thrilled - because that lot would almost certainly guarantee me an evening of peace and quiet!! Cromer is quite a pleasant little town, but it is let down by three issues that impact significantly on visitors. The public toilets are grim, the car parks are not well designed or well signposted and road layout is dangerously chaotic and it appears to have been designed by a toddler or a lunatic!

We had a nice quiet evening, Robbie was happily reading his books and doing his second jigsaw, Sam watched something gruesome on DVD leaving me to get on with my writing and to enjoy the peace and quiet. Unfortunately the peace was short lived, as the evening went on Robbie and Sam managed to lower the town of the conversation until they were rolling around convulsed in laughter like little boys at primary school! I don't understand those two, one minute they are competing for my attention and arguing about the most ridiculous things, then all of a sudden they are allies, giggling at rather dubious jokes and encouraging each other in further wickedness. I guess it is true, little boys never really grow up!