Monday, February 2, 2009

Snow Time

As an unusual wintery weather pattern rolls across south east England it's reassuring to see the country grind to a halt once more. That's right, it's snowing again in London and it's considered to be the "worst" flurry since 1991, when I remember being in the office pretty much on my own as the permanent staff living in the commuter belt couldn't get to the office.

Today, I couldn't get into the office; according to our fabulous Mayor Boris we've had the right snow, just too much of it! It's a great economic conundrum for this country. After all, the number of days lost to "extreme" weather in the south is, on average, one or two days a year. So businesses and the government don't invest in costly infrastructure using the assumption that disruptive days don't come round very often. This seems the pragmatic option, the stoic British stiff upper lip and carry on regardless.

Mind you, the people of the south are also ill-prepared for such weather. When we were out for a walk today we wore hiking boots, ski-gloves, winter water-proof jackets, scarves and hats. Many of our neighbours were wandering around in sneakers or fashionable shoes not designed for the icy sludge on the footpaths. Quite a few of them stumbled and slid at the merest hint of an ice patch.

It's unlikely there'll be more snow tonight, such a shame. I've enjoyed the day at home throwing snow balls at my kids, taking photos of our yard covered in snow and popping to the supermarket to secure our food supplies for the day.

I consider this to be the best type of day; tomorrow we'll be back at work.

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