Woke this morning to heavy snowfall, as predicted, winds whipping it into swirls of white fog. Everything still and quiet as it always is in these kinds of conditions. No vehicles going down the lane except for the occasional big 4-wheel drive, making slow headway.
Since then the sun has come out and dominated the day, causing some minor thawing on the hedges and trees but still solid underfoot and slippy. We're staying put for the day, though we walked a few yards from our home to take a couple of photographs.
Local schools seem to be closed as the neighbour's kids were out sledging at midday. It's warmed up a bit since last night but still bitterly cold, (currently minus 2 according to my computer temperature reading.)
I had a flashback to my childhood and the excitement we experienced as kids when the snow began to fall. I remember at my very first school spotting the first fast flakes, spiralling outside the classroom window and the teacher letting us rush to look out through the panes of glass at the rapidly whitening scene outside.
After being collected by my mother and walked through the accumulating snow back home, I couldn't wait to get my tea out of the way and dash out to join the other kids. Snowball fights, sledging, building a snowman and even an igloo in the front garden with my best friend and neighbour, Bronwyn Jackson. Happy times. We'd be allowed to play out until twilight began its turn into night and then ushered inside to take off wellingtons, scarves, balaclavas, gloves and coats to sit in front of the blazing fire with a glass of warm milk and a couple of biscuits, fingers and toes and end of noses tingling with the change of temperature. All that was a long time ago, back in the early 1950s.
Here in 2018 at just after 4pm, the sun has begun to sink and the sky is looking like it may snow again before too long. The bad weather is predicted to last for the next few days.
Had a call from my son Elliot a couple of hours ago. He was driving back to his girlfriend's house in Todmorden. He'd set off from York in sunshine and what he thought would be reasonably clear roads but he said that as soon as he got onto the M62, conditions dramatically worsened and he was currently in a blizzard. I'd suggested he turn back as the B-roads he'd have to navigate, once off the motorway, were bound to be more treacherous... but he said he was about half-way there and wanted to risk going on. I urged him to be extremely careful and asked if he'd packed a shovel and a flask of warm tea in case he got stuck. He said he hadn't as he didn't expect it to be this bad. Hopefully, he'll get there safely. I'll give him a call later to see that he's ok.
Have started work on a new track, possibly to include in my solo performance at the 'Plectronica' event in December. In fact, creating some new pieces to play at the event is my next and ongoing task. Just a basic framework for this one yet, and no title fixed but I'm about to switch on the recording gear and make a start on building it up into something usable. Onward...
