View up our suburban street five minutes ago at 11.05pm on Sunday night
Here in northern England, it had been an exceptionally mild autumn until this past weekend. I got up very early on Saturday morning - disturbed by an infuriating ticklish cough. I looked out on our back garden and noticed that there had been a light dusting of snow - like icing sugar sprinkled on a sponge cake.
I made a mug of tea and sat down in the study with the desktop computer in front of me. I am sure you know yourself how easy it is to fritter away time when online. An hour later, I got up and went into the kitchen to check out the back garden once more. In that hour a couple of inches of snow had fallen - associated with Storm Arwen - the first named winter storm.
The decking furniture was thickly covered in the white stuff and so was the bird table. It was six thirty in the morning and snow was still whipping down. I went back to bed and with Radio 4 playing on the side, I managed to return to slumberland for two more hours. When I woke for the second time, I looked out of the bedroom window and in the risen morning light revealed a veritable whiteout though by this time the feathery snow was no longer falling.
Clint was supposed to be driving me over to the city of Kingston-upon-Hull later in the morning - sixty miles from our house. I was meant to join Hull City's small army of supporters that cheered the lads on to victory against Millwall from south east London. In the event, I decided not to go. Our street was snowy, I would have had to dig Clint out and with the ticklish cough and the broken night's sleep I was not in top form. So I stayed at home in the warm.
It's been the same today (Sunday). I have been housebound. The most I have achieved is making Sunday dinner for Frances and Stew who came over with the little princess in spite of yet more falling snow. Snow upon snow. They loved my dauphinoise potatoes. Maybe one day I will post my special recipe in this blog.
Little Phoebe's development is motoring along. When I managed to sit down in the front room for five minutes, she crawled over to me and pulled herself up to a standing position using my trousers to grip upon. Then I read her "The Three Billy Goats Gruff" for the umpteenth time before returning to my Sunday dinner preparations.
According to our digital thermometer, it's minus 1C now and I just popped out to take a photo looking up our suburban street. Brrrr!
I spent a housebound weekend too. Well, I wasn't REALLY housebound, but I puttered around the house doing puttery house jobs, and made a big pot of soup. I also read a lot. We've got about 6 inches of snow, with more to come. Our temperature is almost exactly the same. 'Tis the season, I suppose. Brew a bit of ginger root with a bit of lemon for your annoying cough. Keep adding hot water and sipping for a day or so. Never fails me.
ReplyDeleteI have had a few mugs of hot lemon water with honey and some powdered ginger but now we have run out of honey. We have booked to visit London tomorrow. Shirley has also got the ticklish cough.
DeleteI thought of you this morning as I read the reports of Storm Arwen and the possibility of snow and ice for another 10 days. Meanwhile I tucked into my bowl of home grown strawberries and contemplated another 24 deg day out in the garden. Hopefully our Spring storms are behind us now.
ReplyDeleteYou will be like a caged bear if the forecasts are correct. How will you occupy yourself? Revisit some more of your exploits perhaps? Write a book for Phoebe for Christmas?
Wish I could send you some of the beautiful lemons from my tree and some manuka honey to fix that tickly cough.
Keep warm, Adele
Effectively, you are rubbing salts in my wounds Adele! I thought you were a nice lass! By the way, it is scheduled to melt away tonight.
DeleteNo snow here and it's plus 10 C. However these conditions are far from the normal.
ReplyDeleteAye - when it comes to weather, you Albertans have got it easy Red.
DeleteLove the Billy's. One of my favorite but I must have read it myself because, being the 5th out of six, I don't have a single memory of Mom reading to me.
ReplyDeleteI must have read that book a hundred times or more - to my son, my daughter and now the beloved granddaughter. I have begun to feel sorry for the troll. After all, it was his bridge! Damned goats!
DeleteI thought you were a Yorkshire man. -1C is nothing. I heard they were an exceptionaly tough lot, given to beating their shirtless chests while watching men chase a ball around.
ReplyDeleteThe snow is lovely. It does make life harder but it is so beautiful.
We are not as tough as Canadian Mounties and lumberjacks...
DeleteI'm a lumberjack and I'm OK
I sleep all night and I work all day
I cut down trees, I wear high heels
Suspendies and a bra
I wish I'd been a girlie, just like my dear Papa
My friend in Bramcote sent me a photo. She was having a Christmas party and was devastated.
ReplyDeleteFrom this side of the world it looks pretty!
Well - it does look pretty and it's nice to walk in snow in the countryside. Everything looks so different.
DeleteBetter you than me. I hope you are cozy inside.
ReplyDeleteDo you mean psychologically cosy?
DeleteOooh, pretty stuff. Did you build a snowman for Phoebe and play snowballs?
ReplyDeleteNo, because I was slaving away in the kitchen.
DeleteWho doesn't love 'Billy Goat Gruff'. I have a small pottery ornament made by a very young son, it features a bridge and blobs, but sacred;) I presume you did not have any power cuts, some people are of course still cut off here.
ReplyDeleteNo power cuts here - except in my own body - caused by the ticklish cough and the broken sleep.
DeleteNo snow in O.K.'s village, but a nasty cold wind and rain, sometimes turning into hail, did not lend itself for nice long walks. We did spot a dusting of snow on the higher Black Forest hills rising behind the village on Saturday.
ReplyDeleteMy sister sent me a link to a German news site that mentioned Tan Hill Inn where 60 visitors were forced to spend two nights there after a concert, because of the heavy snowfall. Apparently, 2/3 of them had booked an overnight stay anyway, but to host 30 extra people in provisorial sleeping quarters (and feed them!) sounds rather adventurous!
One woman who was snowed in said, "I don't want to leave!" That made me laugh. I have visited "The Tan Hill Inn" - the highest pub in The British Isles. See https://beefgravy.blogspot.com/2017/08/fourteenth.html
DeleteThe snow is pretty. I'd love to see a little snow this year, it's been a long time since we've had any.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear about your cold. Rest, stay hydrated, and feel better soon!
I am not used to being unwell. Thanks for your kind wishes Jennifer.
DeleteProbably best you didn't go. Could have spooked the winning run.
ReplyDeleteYou may have a point there. I might have hexed them. Four wins in a row now!
DeleteHello YP, thanks for your comment. Things are changing here with Tom unable to get out due to his breathing being so bad. They have upped his oxygen and we are not in possession of a 'box of tricks' for end of life should we need them. But still, life is okay, we are still able to laugh and enjoy the things we love.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately Tom contracted the tickly cough cold and that I think is what has hastened things on.
I hope yours turns out to be a mild cold.
Briony
x
Poor Tom! I know he is not one to moan. Thank heavens he has you in his life. Chin up girl!
DeleteIt's (I just checked) about 7 degrees C here. Which, as you can imagine, is pretty chilly for us. It's a beautiful morning though, sun coming up in a blue sky. It will warm up.
ReplyDeleteI think we are due for more pictures of darling Phoebe soon.
Yes. Dauphinois potatoes. Tell us how you make them.
Next time I make them I must remember to take photos at different stages.
DeleteWe've not had a fun time in Scotland, lost power on Friday about 6pm till 2pm the following afternoon but some areas still have no power. Also had a huge tree fall into the garden demolishing the shed and fence and causing a lot of mess and clearing up to do, but we are fortunate compared to some.
ReplyDeleteGood job nobody was in the shed when the tree came down Jo.
DeleteWhen I lived in the north I used to dread snow for it usually meant an end to going out walking or climbing, often for day... And yet now I live in West Wales and we almost never have snow, I rather miss it. What's that they say about the grass being greener ... or the snow being whiter...?
ReplyDelete...or the manure being browner? Sheffield is so hilly. When snow falls it can be tricky to drive anywhere. You must have gone rock climbing on Stanage Edge?
DeleteAt least everyone's garden looks the same when it snows.
ReplyDeleteThat's true Dave. Not a weed in sight.
DeleteBrrrr is right! And we don't even have snow.
ReplyDeleteI understand that Tuesday will be very mild so our snow will disappear but we will be in London when that happens. Coming down to see a play.
DeleteSnow! It was 63 degrees here yesterday which was unseasonably warm. And the Atmospheric River is back. I think I prefer cold and clear to the torrential rain. Glad you are taking care of yourself and staying warm.
ReplyDeleteWithout winter how could we truly enjoy the spring and the summer?
DeleteMy willpower to do things goes down exponentially with an increase in snow and decrease in temperatures.
ReplyDeleteGood job you got the new building finished relatively quickly - apart from the cladding of course!
DeleteTickly cough do a covid test!
ReplyDeleteWe are not daft "Unknown". I have done two lateral flow tests this past weekend - both negative. It's just a normal winter virus.
DeleteLooks a bit parky out there!
ReplyDeleteShame you weren't here Carol! We could have gone sledging down our street. Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! SPLAT!
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