So the UK is blanketed in snow and suffering freezing temperatures more extreme than normal. Or at least the South of the country is, and where I live in Bristol we've had the worse conditions for 30 years. There's 6 inches of frozen snow outside my front door and with sub zero temperatures and more snow due in the next few days I'm not venturing out, mainly because ironically just making the 400 yards to the main road is extremely difficult on sheet ice and once there I'd encounter a lot of drivers who don't know how to drive in bad weather, especially snow, so I'd probably end up involved with a hedge/ditch/other vehicle.
This is not to make light of the winter weather, it is quite serious, having driven from Wiltshire to Bristol yesterday I can vouch for how dangerous it was, and with all my meetings for this week now cancelled I can work from home and not have to venture out. On the down side there is only one onion in the fridge and a small jar of pesto sauce.
It is interesting to see how the snowy weather dominates our National and Regional news. All bulletins focus on the problems, difficulties, British pluck and dire forecasts for the next few days and as a result other news has been dropped from sight. It was only a passing comment at the end of the local news last night that Lady Scott, wife of Sir Peter Scott who founded the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust at Slimbridge in Gloucestershire had died. Her husband Sir Peter was the son of the ill fated explorer Scott of the Antarctic. After his father's death Sir Peter developed a great interest in birds and nature, resulting in Slimbridge being set up and eventually spawning other sites around the UK. After Sir Peter's death, Lady Scott continued to live at Slimbridge and held the position of Honorary Director. As an aside, my grandfather looked after the farms at Slimbridge during WW2 (before the area was leased by Sir Peter), as part of his job with the "War Ag" and could never see the point in "wasting farmland on a bird sanctuary"!
But back to the bad weather. there is criticism about lack of salt and grit for roads and complaints about the disruption to public transport and calls for more snowploughs etc to cope. But this is a very British thing. We're complaining about not having the tools for coping with an event that hasn't happened on this scale for 30 years. The cost to have all the equipment to cope with this weather, bought by councils and local authorities, sitting there doing nothing for most of the time, would generate even more criticism during our more normal and milder winters.
Personally I'm looking on the weather conditions as exciting, photogenic and a bit of an adventure - and wishing I still had my Land Rover from many years ago. Interesting to note too that the usual vitriol aimed at 4 x 4 users has been suspended while they help to get brides to the church on time, deliver milk and other supplies plus rescue stranded motorists of 2 x4 cars etc
Anyway, I'll enjoy the winter of discontent, safe in the knowledge that it will be made glorious summer, eventually, with the news concentrating utterly on the forthcoming General Election. I think by then we'll be looking back at the snow with some fondness and nostalgia.
Although I have to say, nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
No comments:
Post a Comment