Reclaim the (Snowy) Streets

I should caveat this post by saying, I don’t like snow. Its cold, wet and EVERYTHING breaks and I really don’t like being cold & wet however pretty it is.

“Its going to snow on Monday”, J said, “Humph” said I.

When I got up yesterday morning, I looked out my window to see a sprinkling of snow – bah! I thought, no problems getting to work. If the bus doesn’t arrive, I’ll come home. I bustled around making tea, grumbling at the girl reading the shipping forecast who I thought was rubbish. She put punctuation in ALL the wrong places! And while I forgive a lot of things, the shipping forecast is sacred.

However, as we got inside the M25 the snow looked quite deep but still pretty. Then then my team at work started calling saying they couldn’t come in to work from places like Fulham and Baker Street. “Really?” I said, “no buses, no tubes, that’s a bit strange” and sat tight.

J called “South Eastern Trains website has broken and I’m going to work by boat”, a little extreme I thought.

Bus slowed to snails pace, ho hum, I started to regret not having any knitting with me. 

8.30 am – my boss calls, “Don’t bother coming in, its really deep in London and you don’t want to be stranded”, “I’m at Marble Arch…” I replied and still I ventured on.

Finally I arrived at Victoria, very deep snow had drifted across pavements, train station closed. Behold the snowy wonderland – roads empty of traffic, a strange muffled sound and people passing each other smiling. It was a like a strange parallel universe where everywhere was blissfully empty to tramp about. I did get slightly wet feet, apparently my boots need fixing. My legwarmers however rocked.

9am. Got to work and I was the only person in my department of about 70 people. Everyone I called is snowed in, and I decided that I didn’t want to get stranded so decided to pick work up and get back on a bus before they stopped running too. I think three cheers should be given for Oxford Express bus drivers who managed so well with the horrible conditions and also all the men who were shovelling snow and ice and gritting pavements as fast as they could.

But, I may have got sidetracked with my camera on the way back to the bus. Look Big Ben, icicles, snow, hurrah!  

Coming back was fun – I saw some lovely snowy countryside with red kites circling looking for food. And now, feeling stoic and smug I’m writing some marketing plans, wrapped in a blanket and wearing my newly finished selbu modern hat.

And I have to admit it was quite fun even though I don’t like snow, usually.

More of my snowy pictures can be found in my flickr set here.

Comments

[alice Bell]

I decided it was a good thing I didn't take my camera on my walk half-way to work yesterday - I'd have never got in.

I do wish I'd had it to take photos of the back streets of Peckham - stranded cars in the middle of the road had blocked all hope of traffic flow (the 1-way system around there is pretty complex as it is) and kids had actually built snowmen in the middle of the road. Roads where, when I'm cycling, I often have to swerve to avoid speeding and non-signally cars.

Reclaim the streets was exactly what I was thinking.

[Kate]

Hurrah! I am feeling quite left out north of the border.

[Angie]

I heard about this snow, but couldn't picture it from our summer visits. You're pictures capture the beauty and some of the juxtaposition. Our Canadian relatives enjoyed it.