The snow fell quietly and insistently when most citizens were sound asleep. God was shaking out his eiderdown. He is a big guy so his quilt is exceptionally large - filled to bursting with little white feathers.
Both of my photos were taken this morning. At the front there's a little family with their huge dog that just did a Scooby Doo-sized poo (American: shit) on our verge. Fortunately, the mother picked up the steaming pile in a handy XXXL plastic poo bag. Good boy Goliath!
Meanwhile out back - the view is from our bedroom window. The sheep are called Beau and Peep. Beau and Peep wherefore art thou? They are my snow gauges. Upon their backs they had over six inches today which for the odious Elon Musk would appear incredible.
Now it's half past one in the afternoon and outside there is the drip-drip-drip of a slow thaw.
There will be no Sunday roast today. Instead, I am constructing a big stew in a huge glass casserole dish. The beef chunks are already bubbling in seasoned gravy and sliced onions on the hob. Later there'll be chunks of swede (American: rutabaga), sliced carrots, leeks, lentils and homemade dumplings. There will also be freshly baked baguettes - using a supermarket part-baked pack.
It will be delicious and wholesome - just the thing for a snowy day. Over the Christmas period we have tucked into no less than five roasts and so this will be a bit different.
Shirley has already baked a Bakewell tart using a traditional recipe she acquired from the late mother of one of her best friends. She was called Mary and via that mouth-watering traditional pie she has hereby gained a degree of immortality. It will be enjoyed with vanilla custard.
Little Phoebe went out sledging with her father earlier. I saw the amateur phone video footage. She was having so much fun and laughing all the way. Sheffield has many hills and so it's a great place for sledging. They were in nearby Bingham Park.
At two in the afternoon, your intrepid correspondent had only been out to feed the birds and to put a few items in our recycling bins.
My snow's bigger than your snow! We've been having a true blizzard here in my part of the world, starting last night. It's hard to tell because the wind has drifted the snow but there's probably at least 12 inches here. That's on top of a layer of ice that happened first. All is well as long as my power stays on, usually not a problem. Unnecessary travel is strongly discouraged, I'm happy to comply. Frigid temps are accompanying the snow, no real melting for a couple of weeks. Kudos to the highway crews and the power company crews and those who must get out in this for essential jobs.
ReplyDeleteI cannot remember exactly where you are Deb. Is it The North Pole?
DeleteI later thought I should have specified.... Kansas City, Missouri metro area.
DeleteToronto was about minus 14C when I headed out this morning but Lake Ontario protects us from snow a lot of the time - we have none. However, my sister lives about 2 hours east and they have about 6 inched while my stepmom is a bit more north and they have over a foot already. Your photos look lovely - but be careful driving as I don't believe you folks use Snow Tyres.
ReplyDeleteTyres made from snow? What a wacky idea!
DeleteI can't believe that you didn't go out sliding with Phoebe! You're a young guy so if you fell off the sled you would roll easily and not get hurt!!!
ReplyDeleteThere would also be plenty of (natural) padding.
DeleteThey are very pretty scenes.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you will be immortalised for your fine Sunday stew. But rutabaga? I may have said this before but it sounds like a rugby tackle, and not a nice tackle.
Who the hell came up with the name "rutabaga"? I bet it was that daft wazzock - Elon Musk.
DeleteWe have five inches. My puppy, Walter was horrified when I opened the door and wouldn't go out. My husband took him out later to the park. There were lots of dogs running around having fun. Walter eventually joined in but I don't think it's his favourite thing. It's not mine either. I am scared stiff of breaking a leg!
ReplyDeleteNice to see children enjoying it instead of being indoors on computer games.
Walter is a good name for a puppy. You could also call him Wally and scour the mean streets of Blackburn asking, "Where's Wally?"
DeleteYes, that has been pointed out! I named him after my lovely grandad. I miss him every day.
DeleteI trust that your puppy dog is of a noble breed in memory of your granddad. Preferably a Yorkshire terrier.
DeleteI wish i could send you a photo. He's handsome!
DeleteThat's more snow than what we've had, and ours only lasted for a few hours anyway. We're experiencing quite some up and down in temperatures right now. For instance, the night from Saturday to Sunday was below freezing, but yesterday (Sunday) afternoon it was as mild as 11 Celsius - we were out for a walk late afternoon, and it felt a lot more like spring than like early January.
ReplyDeleteAnother snowfall last night and the public buses are not running this morning.
DeleteNo snow here but flippin' freezing.
ReplyDeleteGet your Winnie the Pooh onesie on!
DeleteYesterday we had a beautiful sunny day. Very much a change after the dullest December here on record.
ReplyDeleteSoon they will be advertising holidays to Scotland's tropical isle.
DeleteThere's snow over on the Caha mountains range on Beara but no snow here.
ReplyDeleteI can send you a few lorry loads for a very reasonable fee.
DeleteWe had a sprinkling of snow on Saturday night which covered cars, but not the roads, with about half a centimetre,. By Sunday morning, the rain had washed it all away. It looks quite impressive from your photos.
ReplyDeleteUsually we get it worse Up North. It is amazing the difference that 200 miles can make.
DeleteI made beef stew this weekend too. Never occurred to me to put lentils in it, but perhaps next time?
ReplyDeleteLentils add some extra texture and thickening - plus they are nutritious in their own right.
DeleteI know it's a mess to shovel and drive or even walk through, but it sure is pretty!
ReplyDeleteYes. When the snow is newly fallen and you don't have to travel anywhere.
DeleteIt's warm and humid here in North Florida but in two day's time it will be down into the 20's.
ReplyDeleteWe don't say "sledging" here. We say "sledding." Where did the extra g come from?
Stay cozy.
The question is - how did that middle g get replaced with a d?
DeleteIt's true of the noun form, too. The British say "sledge," Americans say "sled." Go figure!
DeleteIt snowed here in central Virginia overnight too. Though it is a pain, it is also beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI love the quietness of newly fallen snow.
DeleteIf you could get to your recycling bin, you did not have much snow.
ReplyDeleteAs with Wilson, Scott, Oates, Evans and Bowers - I made it to the recycling bins and survived. But then I had to turn back!
DeleteWe still have our snow, although it's set to warm up tomorrow and I don't know how much will melt. I love it when it snows, the world becomes quiet, which is something I love. When I used to downhill ski (very poorly and always on the beginner slope) I loved it when it snowed. The light got flat and it was so quiet. There also were less people on the hill for some reason. It was lovely.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your snow and sledding for now:)
You could have lied about the downhill skiing - making out that you were almost up to Olympic standard.
DeleteDo you pronounce the "g" in sledging? The snow is pretty but I am glad it is there and not here! Cold and a bit icy out today here in Naperville, Illinois, USA...
ReplyDeleteYes we do pronounce that "g" Ellen - as in "hedging".
DeleteIt's been snowy here too over the weekend - and especially today!
ReplyDeleteSnow in Sweden? Never!
DeleteJust curious: what is that vertical circular pipe-like thing in your backyard. Perhaps a vent pipe from your bomb shelter?
ReplyDeleteThat is our rotary washing line in its protective coat.
DeleteSome days are "indoor" days, and that definitely looks like one. I would say that the American equivalent of "poo" is "poop" -- not "shit," which is our equivalent of "shite" and carries extra degree of offensiveness. Which you probably already know. :)
ReplyDeleteYes I did know Steve. I was just poking some of your country folk with a jester's stick.
DeleteIs a sledge the same as a toboggan? I like the idea of snow but know I wouldn't like the reality, though it does look pretty.
ReplyDeleteI've enjoyed seeing the snow scenes and reading everyone's stories of extremely low temperatures. We've just suffered a 39 degree day (centigrade!) in Perth when it was just too hot to go out. I lived in Sheffield years ago at Lodgemoor and worked in the Central Library; my husband in the Museum. Your photos should have brought back memories but there have been so many changes. I once wrote an Archive Teaching Unit (aka a Jackdaw) about the Sheffield Canal.
ReplyDelete