Winter Wonderland

Well it seems that I was wrong. That snow turned up and being London - well, being the UK, actually - everything has ground to a halt. By that I mean EVERYTHING. The Northern Line is suspended between High Barnet and Finchley Central and ALL London buses have been suspended for at least the morning due to adverse weather.

That means that we have been stopped dead by an amount of snow that wouldn't warrant comment in most parts of the world.

Of course, it happens so rarely in the UK and England especially, that apart from gritters, the equipment isn't there. I remember seeing a snow plough when I still lived in Shropshire, but not down here in London. The reality is, of course, that snow-clearing equipment is expensive and it's actually more cost effective to have the place to close down for a day or two every thirty years than it is to buy the sort of equipment that the Swedes and Germans take for granted. They get this every year; we don't. Since there is no public transport today and we don't have a car, Furtle and I will be nipping out for a wander later, I think. I shall take my camera.

In the meantime, here is the view from the living room window and door of the Carpathia:

Winter Wonderland

Well it seems that I was wrong. That snow turned up and being London - well, being the UK, actually - everything has ground to a halt. By that I mean EVERYTHING. The Northern Line is suspended between High Barnet and Finchley Central and ALL London buses have been suspended for at least the morning due to adverse weather.

That means that we have been stopped dead by an amount of snow that wouldn't warrant comment in most parts of the world.

Of course, it happens so rarely in the UK and England especially, that apart from gritters, the equipment isn't there. I remember seeing a snow plough when I still lived in Shropshire, but not down here in London. The reality is, of course, that snow-clearing equipment is expensive and it's actually more cost effective to have the place to close down for a day or two every thirty years than it is to buy the sort of equipment that the Swedes and Germans take for granted. They get this every year; we don't. Since there is no public transport today and we don't have a car, Furtle and I will be nipping out for a wander later, I think. I shall take my camera.

In the meantime, here is the view from the living room window and door of the Carpathia:

Unscheduled day off

On account of there being no Tube (though now there is, but with severe delays) and no buses to get us to where the Tube system was working at the time, Furtle and I have taken the opportunity to not bother. We're staying at home; we've stayed at home. Naughty but nice; especially as it is now snowing again and nothing is melting.

We took the opportunity to have a cooked breakfast - toasted bagels, scrambled eggs and beans, with fresh orange juice and fresh coffee and then ventured out with the camera. A quickish saunter down the High Road to record the astonishing lack of traffic and then a more leisurely walk through the park where the snow was largely untrampled, before too many kids started tobogganing and spoiling the vista. Don't get me wrong, I don't begrudge them their fun, I just wanted to be among the first to crump, crump, crump through the snow. I am, after all, 5 going on 50.

Here is a picture of the High Road in all its winter glory.



( Below the Cut, I have placed a selection of pictures from the park. )

Unscheduled day off

On account of there being no Tube (though now there is, but with severe delays) and no buses to get us to where the Tube system was working at the time, Furtle and I have taken the opportunity to not bother. We're staying at home; we've stayed at home. Naughty but nice; especially as it is now snowing again and nothing is melting.

We took the opportunity to have a cooked breakfast - toasted bagels, scrambled eggs and beans, with fresh orange juice and fresh coffee and then ventured out with the camera. A quickish saunter down the High Road to record the astonishing lack of traffic and then a more leisurely walk through the park where the snow was largely untrampled, before too many kids started tobogganing and spoiling the vista. Don't get me wrong, I don't begrudge them their fun, I just wanted to be among the first to crump, crump, crump through the snow. I am, after all, 5 going on 50.

Here is a picture of the High Road in all its winter glory.



( Below the Cut, I have placed a selection of pictures from the park. )