Snowmaggedon

In our house we listen to the radio a lot, mostly Radio 4 which is suitably middle class. We call it the wireless of course. Not really. Anyway, it means that the kids get a good selection of comedy and current affairs. So in addition to being fans of various long-running series like "I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue" and "The News Quiz", they are also up to speed with all the unfortunate things happening in the world, know all about Trump, ISIS and other tragedies. And they also get the weather.

So it did not escape their attention when, with increasing urgency, the weather forecasters began talking about storm surges, travel disruption, flight cancellations, danger, amber warnings, carnage etc etc. Her eyes full of hope, my youngest daughter looked up at me on the way out of the house on Thursday morning. "Daddy, I haven't made a snowman since I was five". 

Well what can I say? This is what we woke up to on Friday morning. As you can see, chaos.

Why is it that in this country we frequently predict the end of times when nothing of the sort ever happens? It is a national past-time to obsess about no weather at all. Perhaps it is because when we do get the tiniest bit of bad weather that we experience a collective collapse, weather that most normal countries wouldn't even notice brings us to a complete standstill. Despite the intensity of the band of snow said to be crossing the country, last week was so pitiful that public transport continued to run without any problems at all, and the nice cozy day I had envisaged working from home turned into the usual schlep to Canary Wharf. And needless to say we did not get to build a snow man..... I'd estimate there was just about enough of the white stuff in our garden to build something, oooh I don't know, an inch high and about half and inch wide. Pitiful. 

Here's an old photo from a few years back instead. I haven't shown it to the kids...

My garden, circa 1852