snow etc

I haven't blogged for over a month - bad me - mainly because work has been way more busy than 24 hours in the day really allows for. We have just held our annual Volunteers Conference which was really good - and finished just before the snow really hit bad. The night before the conference the snow started to fall and the kids had fun snowball fighting. Come Monday and the deep freeze was well underway. I got into work on Monday although getting back home was a bit of a struggle.

I was snowed in Tuesday and Wednesday and while I got in on Thursday I did not enjoy the three hour wait in Queen Street for a train home. Being a seasoned commuter I am usually good at rolling with it - but at -13 my fingers and toes were not too happy. Mind you, I had a good chat with one of the staff - upbeat woman who wasn't a jobsworth type - and she said I was one of the cheeriest people she had spoken to! Probably it is because unlike others I have heard I don't take the view that the train staff caused the snow - and if there are issues around how we handle the weather I think that that responsibility might be above the ticket collectors pay grade.

Shopping has taken on a new dimension - the supermarket was out of eggs and bread and while we are not in seige mode we did stock up on comfort food to keep us warm and fueled up.The weather makes me want to cook stews and casseroles and hearty pies.

Of course, as the weather continues the stories of people having fun building snowmen and kids enjoying a couple of snow days begins to turn to more upsetting stories. Older people left stranded, people dying in the cold, and the traffic accidents caused by bad road conditions. The snow may look white and pure but it can have a dark side. But there are also positive stories of people helping each other out and looking out for each other.


So - with night time temps plummeting to -20 and icicles hanging from the trees in the garden, my aim over the weekend is to hibernate and, due to the bread shortage, tackle making some bread for the first time in quite a while.