More snow

The snow just keeps on coming. We have had quite thick snow outside for 3 weeks now. I’ve never known anything like it. More is forecast so we’re just trying to get on with things.
That isn’t so easy however when the council has run out of grit. None of the main roads are now being gritted and we live down in a valley in the middle of the Pennines. Since we are relying on benefits at the moment we are entitled to a £25 cold weather payment when the average temperature is recorded as, or forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below over seven consecutive days. Today has seen a 3rd payment of £25 be triggered. That means that for 3 consecutive weeks the temperature here has been an average of below freezing. That is a long time to be cold!

Our car broke down the day after Boxing Day anyway so we’re reliant on public transport and good old Shank’s pony. Yesterday I thought I’d stick an Asda home delivery order in to come later on this evening. I ordered all the heavy stuff on there so we wouldn’t have to lug it back from the shop ourselves.
This morning, 12 hours before our shopping was due to be delivered we got a phone call from Asda to tell us that because of the untreated roads all deliveries for our little town and the next one along have been cancelled. Next available slot is Friday. We need the stuff before that so we cancelled and tomorrow will walk down to our little supermarket and get a taxi home… if there are taxis running in the snow that is.

Katie was supposed to have an appointment at the hospital tomorrow but we have had to cancel. We were all set to get the train and then taxi to get us there but the snow has made us rethink. Public transport is being cancelled all over the place. The appointment has been cancelled and we will get a chance to rebook soon. Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long!

My sister has had no hot water or heating since her boiler broke down on Christmas day. She rents the house and it needs a new boiler. It was supposed to have been fitted yesterday but because of the snow it couldn’t be done. It was rescheduled for today but yes, you guessed it, couldn’t be done because of the snow. BT have managed to get out to install her new phone line though, it is being done at the moment. She should have internet by this evening lol.

Schools all over the country are closed. Robyns remains open thank goodness. They pride themselves on keeping open in all weathers. If we chose not to send Robyn in that wouldn’t be a problem. They stay open for the kids that want to go/have no choice. Some working parents are very glad of the school’s policy, I’m not sure all the children are lol. Robyn loves school though, she would rather be there with her friends than stuck at home.

When will things get back to normal?! It is rather good fun to play in though!

And still the snow falls…

The snow started on Thursday evening. It is now Tuesday morning and it is still snowing! Ok, so it hasn’t been constant but it has snowed at least a little bit every day. Sunday was the heaviest day but today is looking likely to match it. The sky is absolutely full of snow. It is coming down thick and fast and the snow that had already fallen hasn’t had a chance to melt.

Christmas is 3 days away! It all feels very festive, like we are living in a picture from a Christmas card. When I was a child I remember having to sing “In the bleak midwinter” over and over again in hymn practice at school. The last line in the last verse is tricky to sing… Yet what I can I give him: Give my heart. This is the line we had to sing and sing and sing until we got it right. Funny how something like that never leaves your memory. Whenever I sing it now as an adult I smile and think about Mrs May. I wonder where she is and I wonder whether she is still forcing children to get it right. I guess she is retired now though lol.

The first verse in that carol is this:

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

That is what is is like here at the moment. I never really thought about the 3rd line before this week. Now I understand. Snow falling on top of snow, on top of snow makes the earth as hard as iron, it is true! When the wind blows it does moan. I can’t say I envy poor Mary giving birth in a stable at any time of year, let alone if the weather was like this!

I’m off for a hot chocolate and to crank the heating up!