Snow Laughing Matter...

For the best part of my first 22 years I lived in England, where the chances of a White Christmas, or indeed any snow in the Christmas season were next to nil. Every year, people would place bets on whether it would snow on Christmas Day and every year various newsreaders would let us know that it's been X years since the last time it did.

I can't remember ever having a White Christmas, so whenever (usually in January) Mother Nature decided to dump a few measly millimetres of snow on our Island, it was greeted with shrieks of delight by children, who wanted nothing more than to be outside either building a snowman, or chucking snowballs at anything that moved. As a nation, we have to make the most of these days, because soon the rain will come and it will all be gone.

I grew up with this childlike love of snow, loving the way it blanketed the landscape in white and the way that girls at school would scream when you chucked a few handfuls of snow on them from the bridge over the level crossing where we lived.

Then I moved to Utah.

The first winter in Utah was fun. Usually they measure snowfall in feet there, to give you an idea of how much they get. It was an embarrassment of riches to be honest and I remember getting giddy and taking as many pictures as I could, but then the winter just kept going... and going... and going... Until after 4 of them, it had beaten the love of snow right out of me. Whenever I was there around the end of November and the first proper snowfall came, I greeted it with a groan, knowing that this was it until about April.

Hopefully, I've painted an adequate picture of my relationship with snow throughout my life, because after I moved home 2 years ago I hated the sight of it, especially since I started to drive around for a living.

Thanks, Utah.

As I look out my window right now here in Lichfield, the whole earth it seems is blanketed in white. Harriet and I have been out in it and taken some pictures and for a brief moment, my severe hatred of all things snow has abated and I actually enjoyed myself. I was wearing adequate footwear (for once) and I was walking, rather than driving too. We caught sight of Lichfield Cathedral, enshrouded in snow and again, I started to re-think my whole snow paradigm. It was actually really nice to be out in it and to look at it for a change!

Old Lichfield is pretty (I lose man points for using that word...) all of the time, but covered in snow, it was amazing. As Harriet and I zig-zagged through rows of cars, spinning their wheels while not actually going anywhere, we could see the people out in the park and hear the familiar sound of children shrieking as another one of their snowy hand grenades hit their targets.

So for a moment, I re-kindled my love for snow.


It will last until Monday morning, when I have to drive in it again...

Harriet, doing her best Cosette impersonation..

She's quite pretty, isn't she?

We found this building, hiding in plain sight...

Aaaaand home for Hot Chocolate!