Snow in 2010

January 2010

We had a lot of snow in the winter of 2010 - a lot for this part of the world, anyway. At that time, we had four dogs – two Dalmatians, Frodo the Faller and Buddy Liver Spots, and two working Labradors, Jenna and baby Gus. 

Buddy Liver Spots and Jenna

They loved the snow. The air was crisp, the smells enhanced, the sensation under their paws different – soft and cold – but they didn’t stay out long enough to get chilled. It was cold, but there was no wind to pinch their ears and noses.

 Gus in a drift

Where the snow had drifted, it was easy for the Labradors almost to disappear, especially Gus, as he was only a few months old and still smaller than tiny Jenna, the little dog with the enormous paws.

 Gus checks . . .

Jenna retrieving, plumy tail waving as ever.

'Follow my leader'

The ball almost luminesces

Frodo often sniffed and licked Buddy's face. He was very fond of him.

Frodo, my Velcro dog, always kept close to me, but also adored Buddy, who was almost blind by then, having recovered from meningitis. Buddy enjoyed his walks but was kept on a long lead as he had a habit of wandering off at speed in the wrong direction, and then worrying because he had no idea where he was. The more he worried, the faster he trotted.

January 2026

This is the snow we've had so far this year. There may be more later on. 

We have had some very heavy frosts and a little fog. Heavy rain is forecast but will probably pass us by.

The North Wind

 

The North Wind

The North Wind doth blow
And we shall have snow,
And what will poor robin do then, poor thing?
He’ll sit in the barn
To keep himself warm
And hide his head under his wing, poor thing!

This little rhyme originated in 16^th century Britain and was first published two centuries later in collections of nursery rhymes. It has three additional verses, not regularly taught, which build on feelings of sympathy and compassion for those less fortunate.

The second verse is about the swallow.

The North Wind doth blow
And we shall have snow,
And what will the swallow do then, poor thing?
Oh, do you not know
That he’s off long ago
To a country where he will find spring, poor thing?

Swallows migrate to warmer countries for the winter. Any that attempt to remain usually do not survive. This is made clear in Oscar Wilde’s heartbreaking tale of the Happy Prince, a story I can never read aloud to children.

In the third verse, the children learn about the tiny dormouse.

The North Wind doth blow
And we shall have snow,
And what will the dormouse to then, poor thing?
Rolled up like a ball
In his nest snug and small,
He'll sleep till warm weather comes in, poor thing!

Verse four tells of the honey bee.

The North Wind doth blow
And we shall have snow,
And what will the honey bee do then, poor thing?
In his hive he will stay
Till the cold is away
And then he’ll come out in the spring, poor thing!

Referred to as ‘he’ in the rhyme, it is only the females, who are the Queen and the worker bees, who survive the winter. The workers cluster round the Queen to keep her warm and alive. The drones are only of use for mating and as there is no mating in the cold months they are pushed out of the hive and either starve or freeze to death.

A fifth verse was added later.

The North Wind doth blow
And we shall have snow,
And what will the children do then, poor things?
When lessons are done
They’ll jump, skip, and run,
And that’s how they’ll keep themselves warm, poor things.

We woke up to snow this morning, which settled briefly on the roofs and trees. At present, we have a north wind blowing. The forecast tonight is -3˚Celsius (26.6˚ Fahrenheit)

Winter, fifteen years ago

 

Winter, fifteen years ago

Frodo the Faller

We haven’t had an appreciable snowfall in Berkshire for many years, Occasionally, we have had enough to shut the schools, for health and safety reasons, whereupon families dig out their sledges and skis and head for the nearest hills. It’s bonkers!

 Jenna 

It used to be the case that snow fell and covered everything in a thick blanket of deadening white. Crunching through the snow was almost musical, boots squeaking against the crystals. The air burnt one’s nose and throat with cold, and exposed ears tingled. After the snow, the ground remained hard for months in the winter, resounding like a huge drum to footfalls.

It’s always a pleasure to walk with dogs, and see their enthusiasm as they read the landscape. Snow brings fresh excitement and smells. They plunge and leap and nose the unfamiliar white stuff, sometimes eating a mouthful, or finding small mammals underneath, which skitter away as fast as they can from questing muzzles.

Puppy Gus, Jenna, Frodo the Faller, Janice, Buddy Liver Spots, January 2010

Fifteen years ago in January, we had a substantial snowfall. We had at that time two Dalmatians, Buddy Liver Spots, who was blind by then, following an almost fatal attack of meningitis, and Frodo the Faller, and two black Labradors, Jenna and her half-brother, puppy Gus. We kept Buddy on a long lead, as he would otherwise set off purposefully at speed in the wrong direction. The lead allowed him a measure of independence if he wanted it, but he didn’t stray far.

How many dogs can you see?

There are two - Jenna on the left and puppy Gus almost completely covered!

Buddy Liver Spots and puppy Gus

Frodo the Faller and Buddy Liver Spots

They had such fun in the snow!

This year, we have had one paltry snow shower, with heavy frosts most mornings recently, and some fog. I’m not wishing for terrible weather conditions, but it does seem that there is a developing trend for the seasons to become more or less bland. I could live to regret my words!

Frodo the Faller

The North wind doth blow . . .

 

The North wind doth blow . . .

 . . . except that it dothn’t. True, the wind was ‘from the North’ at one mile per hour or something ridiculous. That was fine by me. It was quite cold enough without it being shunted along at speed, and I was indoors, for goodness’ sake. The house isn’t hermetically sealed but most of the draughts have been denied access.

. . . and we shall have snow

Well, yes, we have had snow, not enough to write home about, but snow nonetheless. It came down in big, soft flakes, quite impressively, for a while. I noticed from my Reolink camera that it was settling abjectly and rather sulkily on the cars on the drive, as though it would rather be somewhere else.

 . . . and what will the robin do then, poor thing?

He’ll sit in a barn

To keep himself warm . . .

. . . well, he would, if he could find one that hasn’t been snapped up and converted at vast expense to make a desirable property for a human, but if he manages to find a vacant barn being used for its original purpose . . .

He’ll sit in a barn

To keep himself warm

 And hide his head under his wing, poor thing.

There are four more verses to this rhyme. The second one asks,

And what will the swallow do then, poor thing?

Oh, do you not know

That he’s off long ago,

To a country where he will find spring, poor thing.

The third and fourth verses speak of the dormouse and honey bee, both of which hibernate until the spring, and the final verse refers to children.

When lessons are done

They will skip, jump and run,

Until they have made themselves warm, poor things.

Much is made of the joy to be had in the snow – tobogganing, building snowmen, snowball fights, making snow angels. All such pursuits are great fun, but the cold! Who can forget the frozen fingers and the agony of warmth returning to icy hands and feet, the face flayed by bitter wind, nose pinched and cold, drawing arctic breath into aching lungs?

Snow is lovely, in small amounts, for a short while, for those who do not have to travel.

Today the wind is from the East-North-East at 4 miles per hour. The sun is shining fitfully and blue tits are busy in the garden.

Is there a poem that starts, ‘The East-North-East wind doth blow’?

Snow!

Snow

We have had snow! Not a lot by some standards, just about 2” (5 cms), but enough to make the garden look pretty – or, at least, different. The local schools, along with many across the country, had a Snow Day.

I took photographs with my little Sony just before 8:30 a.m.

 The dogs ruined the pristine layer. They charged out and round the garden then galloped back in again. 

Barry took some photographs later with his superior Canon.

Zula, Susannah’s little Abyssinian, 2 years old today, dashed out and returned immediately. Herschel decided to investigate. He stepped delicately in the snow, flicking it off his paws and sniffing at the funny white stuff.  

Jellicoe went out later and stayed outside for some time, inspecting the scene, but Isambard viewed it all with suspicion from the safety and warmth of the sitting room.

The anemometer and wind vane had more than a dusting of snow but managed to spin in the wind that sprang up. 

The bird feeder (h’mm, should clean and replenish it!) has not had any avian visitors today but there were numbers of gulls wheeling round the tree-tops this morning.

The best barometers in the house are the cats, guaranteed to discover the hot spots. Two of them, the Somalis Solomon and Lenny, spent considerable time in the conservatory (I’m sure they enjoyed watching Le Mans with Frankie). 

Herschel cuddled up with Bertie while Isambard appropriated my chair and didn’t object when I almost sat on him, happy to share and at the same time help me compose my  blog post. 

Jellicoe, however, found the prime spot, on the bookshelf above the radiator. From the photographs you can see that he has a bent for Natural History, particularly Ornithology.

.  

It is snowing again and is forecast to continue for several hours. We are unreliably informed, by someone who knows much better than the Met Office, the AA, the RAC, and all the weather forecasters in the media, that the amber warnings of bad weather are ‘scaremongering’ and the snow is ‘localised’, with none in Wokingham, 4 miles away. This is not true but we shrug and smile – there’s no point in arguing with someone who is always so right, though usually so wrong!

Be Prepared!

Be Prepared!

Except in the far reaches of the British Isles, snow is not a common sight in winter and *if it lasts more than two weeks it’s cause for comment by national media. When snow is forecast a kind of war-time comradeship emerges and a siege mentality sets in as people flock to the shops to stock up on essentials. Everyone gets very excited when it falls and settles. Everything grinds to a halt – schools are closed, electricity supplies are cut, public transport is reduced or abandoned altogether and there are hourly warnings on radio and television not to go out  ‘unless your journey is really necessary.’

This is on Wildmoor Heath. There are many gates separating different areas. Cattle graze in some paddocks. On Sunday we reached a gate with a notice informing us that cattle were grazing in the paddock and dogs should be kept on leads. Barry asked a woman coming through the gate if there were any cattle in there. 'No,' she replied, 'I haven't seen any cattle up here for years.' We went confidently through and lo and behold there were several Charolais cows contentedly munching whatever cows munch. We're quite sure our informant wasn't blind! The dogs were well behaved and took no notice of the cows.

Intrepid reporters are sent to the four corners of the country – at least those that are experiencing the unusual phenomenon. They stand on windswept bridges or in the middle of roads telling their open-mouthed public how extraordinary, almost unprecedented, is the sight before them. Yes, travelling is really difficult when snow falls – could it be anything to do with the hordes of cameramen and journalists clogging up the roads telling the nation how it’s advisable to remain indoors?

Well-trodden and very wet in places . . .

Usually, pedestrians are only seen on the streets when taking their children to and from school and often simply from their cars to the school gates but when snow appears the normally deserted roads are filled with parents pulling children on sledges and families building snowmen and igloos. We even see people on skis! It’s funny how they cannot travel to work or school but can still summon the courage and strength to go out and play in the snow.

The unusual influx of people onto the streets is always rather worrying because some drivers, whose journeys are really necessary, are still attempting to navigate their cautious way across unfamiliar terrain. Being unversed in car handling in adverse conditions they are inclined to skid and slide and swerve unnervingly close to small people engaged in snowy pursuits. Sometimes young hotheads take the opportunity to practise handbrake turns along residential streets. Should such morons ever be allowed on the public highway, regardless of weather conditions?

Three years ago when we had a heavy fall of snow our ‘dog car’ got stuck (yes, our journey was really necessary – large dogs unexercised for any length of time are more perilous to health even than thick snow) and walking on frozen snow, even with pacer poles, was difficult so we decided that in future we would be fully prepared. Accordingly, Barry bought a snow shovel, snow socks for the car and chains for our walking boots. Naturally, the next two winters brought very little snow and absolutely no occasion to use our special equipment.

This year, when around 5”/12½ cms of snow fell on Saturday, the time was ripe to try out our winter paraphernalia. The snow shovel was put to good use and the drive has remained snow-free and safe to walk on (though more snow is forecast overnight – indeed has just started falling!)

The most revelatory things were the Yaktrax. They were difficult to attach to our boots but they make walking so much easier and safer. They are not good indoors on bare wooden floors – in fact, they’re probably quite hazardous unless you fancy practising ice-skating. The only things we haven’t yet tried are the snow socks. Maybe they will come in handy in another three years J (I may live to regret that flippant remark!)

Although I mock and despair over the parlous state of our transport system and the way we just cannot cope with a relatively small amount of snow, I do like to see that fresh, bright white, the most humble objects transformed into things of unutterable beauty, the trees supporting their crystalline burdens in a clear blue sky. I love the smell of the air, the feeling as it slices into my lungs, the crunch of the snow beneath my feet, the sight of my dogs frolicking in delirious delight. I relish looking out from my warm sitting room to an alien landscape and seeing the birds - and a hungry squirrel - feasting on fat cakes and peanuts and seeds. For me, snow is a rare delight and I embrace it – so long as my journey isn’t really necessary – apart from for the dogs, that is. 

*Thank you to all who pointed out my error. What I intended to say and should have made clear is that snow that lasts more than two weeks takes on the significance of an historical event, causing excited reporters and presenters to delve into the record books to identify whether *this* snowfall has exceeded all others in terms of depth and disruption. Already, we are told that serious floods will follow the thaw - the most serious ever? We shall see. I do sympathise with those most severely affected. It's no cause for levity, I know. 

Book Blurb Friday #13

This meme is hosted by Lisa Ricard Claro at ‘Writing in the Buff’ J

 Each week she posts a photo that could be the cover of a book. The aim is to:

‘Write a book jacket blurb (150 words or less) so enticing that potential readers would feel compelled to buy the book.’ 

Below is this week's picture and my offering.

Photo copyright Kathy Matthews

Snowstorms

When snow falls on the night of their 50^th anniversary party Tony and Barbara Brownlow have no inkling that it will have such a profound effect. They have invited all the family – their two daughters and their husbands and children, Tony’s brother and sister-in-law and a few old friends. As the weather worsens it is soon obvious that guests will have to be accommodated overnight.

After three days of being snowed in, with little prospect of escape, the veneer of good manners wears thin and people begin to say what they really think and to reveal secrets that have been hidden for many years.

Bruising revelations threaten the happiness of almost all the guests. What will the future hold for each of them? Will they ever be able to resume their previous way of life?

(136words including the title) 

My World Tuesday

Snow falls, giving everything a starkly stunning aspect. The air is as sharp and crisp as the snow crunching underfoot.

Outside the front door our corkscrew hazel (avellana corylus contorta) wears a thick coat of snow but the catkins hang down, ready to display their glory in a few short months’ time.

In the forest the dogs trot soundlessly, seeming to enjoy the sensation of the soft coldness beneath their paws. The scents are pungent to their sensitive noses.   

The sun breaks through the white-grey clouds to garland the tree tops with a lemon-gold crown. It contrasts strangely with the pure white snow.

Suddenly, we realise that the sun has claimed some trees as its own and covered them in gold.

A little further on it is as though we have chanced upon a magical kingdom, glowing within its icy boundaries. A warm hand has touched this region, a reminder of times past and yet to come.

The sky is huge  . . .

 . . . the trees loom and we are made sensible of our insignificance.

A dog’s –eye view . . .

. . . and Jenna wonders how long it will be before the snow and ice melt and she can swim again. A shrewd Labrador, she knows better than to attempt to walk on the pond’s unusual surface . . .

. . . but she and Gus dive enthusiastically into the undergrowth to retrieve their Kong while Frodo inspects an interesting sniff.

They emerge with a dredging of snow on their backs, looking like reverse Dalmatians before they vigorously shake themselves free.

Thanks go to the My World team who host this weekly meme. Click here to see more views of the world around the globe.