This is Dizzo reporting from under the Duvet ...

[dizzojay]

Many of you may be aware that the UK has been visited by 'the Beast from the East', a weather system that has parked it's chilly arse right on top of us and basically buried the UK in snow.  Some parts of the UK such as Ireland, Scotland, Wales and the west country have suffered terribly thanks to the beast, but it has pretty much left no part of the UK untouched.

Now, the UK is not a hot country, that is an accepted fact, but we are a fairly temperate country, and as a result - with the exception of the northern portions of England and Scotland - we don't tend to see a lot of snow, especially here in the south east, just the odd dusting that might stick around for a day or two.

But the downside of that is that on the thankfully very rare occasions that we do get a shitload of snow here, Sam and Dean would feel right at home because it really is like the apocalypse.

Because heavy snow is such a rare event here in the south, there's no infrastructure to deal with it, and British people (me absolutely included) just can't drive in it to save their life.

I don't know if it is still the case, but it certainly was when Mr D worked on the railway; there were only two rail snowploughs in the whole of the UK and they were both based in Scotland, so in the south, the whole railway system routinely fell apart when snow fell - and it still does!

I've been working from home Thursday and today because I attempted to drive the ten miles to and from work on Wednesday.  It took me almost two hours and I was in a state of near-hysteria by the time I got there.

Mr D, bless him is a hero.  I hate snow with a venomous, icy passion.  Mr D loves it.  So, whereas wild horses can't drag me out of the house, Mr D has been out and about and loving it.

In the two days I've been at home, it's also been lovely to see him looking out for our elderly neighhbours; shovelling their garden paths and seeing if they need anything from the shops.

This is our front garden path from Wednesday, after Mr D cleared it, but before the really heavy stuff came down Thursday and today!



Today, I'd spent the morning working on a fairly mind-numbing spreadsheet, so I actually voluntarily chose to go out with Mr D to walk down to the village for a coffee at lunchtime, and to get a bit of shopping.  Unfortunately, our local supermarket has been picked clean!!  It literally looked like a plague of locusts had descended upon it, so buying food was not a case of menu planning, it was a case of picking up what scraps were available and seeing what we could make of it!




Welcome to winter in south east England!







Thankfully we did manage to buy some nuts for the birds and some dog food for the foxes - all our poor little beasties need all the help they can get in this weather!

Ah, Randall's - at least the coffee's nice and warm!



Rush hour through the village!



Yesterday and today, because I was working, Mr D went for a walk up to our local country park and took a few photos ...



Believe it or not, this is a lake!!


Cute bunny footprints!


A little pond on the edge of a local stable


So yes, I've had enough now, I'm ready for spring.

They're forecasting a thaw to begin tomorrow.  I'm not the praying type, but if I were I'd be praying they're right because I can't justify another day away from the office on Monday.  So until then, it's lockdown for me.  I'll pop my head into our neighbours tomorrow and Sunday, and with the possible exception of Randalls for an excellent cappuccino, that's as far as I'm going!

Stay safe and warm everyone xx

Comments

[jimbobjoe.livejournal.com]

Wow, that is impressive, especially for a place that normally doesn't get snow!

I, like Mr. D., love snow, which works out nicely since I live in Montana. But, I am about at my limit, since we had a near record amount of snow for February: 32 inches (um, over 80 centimeters). Evidently this is the year to get a crap-load of snow!

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

It's a good job you like snow if you're getting 32 inches of the stuff!
I'd probablly be rocking in a corner having a nervous breakdown by now :)

[stir-of-echoes.livejournal.com]

Beautiful pictures, that's how I like snow, seeing the pretty pictures while staying home, we haven't had much choice the past couple of days because the car won't start.

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

Oh bugger, I hope you've got your car sorted now. I agree with you; snow looks pretty on Chriistmas cards, and that's all!

[stir-of-echoes.livejournal.com]

It is, it just seems to be a cold arse.

Christmas cards definitely.

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Our supermarkets in town have been pretty well stocked, so I assume the supply lorries were able to get through ok. Yours looks like something from a zombie movie!

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

It's spectacular, isn't it! I just walked into the place and I had to laugh out loud - I just couldn't help myself!!

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

WOW! We got that storm's annoying baby brother! You got all the pretty snow & we got some flakes enough to leave bits of snow here & there, but it was mostly icy rain. :( My backyard was flooded & the poor birds had to wade through a lil "pond" to get to the seeds the squirrels knocked out of the feeder. XD And when I noticed quite a few doves were sheltering on the dining room window ledge, I opened the window & tossed a ton of seed up there fro them to eat (when they came back as they flew off when I opened the window XD). Going to part 2 of my job was crazy as peeps were either too slow or too fast & a 5-7 minute drive took me closer to 15-20 minutes. Coming home wasn't as bad, despite the high winds.

So I'm enjoying your pretty pix & wishing we got the snow as we had a very mild winter snow-wise. (It snowed only a handful of days, although we did get between 6-10 inches, when it did snow.)

Peeps must have been crazy here yesterday, but I never went near any of them. Any time they predict a big storm, peeps act like the stores will close FOREVER & they need stuff they ordinarily don't buy, cuz they expect to be SNOWED in under 20 plus feet of snow. XD That said, those shelves reminded of the supermarket, when I went food shopping on Super Bowl Sunday. they were pretty much just as empty. XD

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

There is definitely something about severe weather, that seems to send folks a little mad isn't there!
Icy rain is definitely no joke, you're doing the poor little critters out in the cold a good turn by leaving food out for them :)

[kiramaru7.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah! XD

It's not fun at all! I always feel sooo bad for all the lil birds as they always look sooo COLD! We just hit yesterday with a weird storm that started out as rain & as the day went on, dump about 4, 5 inches of snow on us! o.0 And they're saying another storm is heading our way Sunday. XD I'll have dig out my6 snow boots & refill all the feeders, so they can fatten up before it gets here. (They emptied one feeder & 2 are half filled.) My friend says I'm Snow White as I'm always taking care of the lil critters. XD

[supernutjapan.livejournal.com]

Mr. D is wonderful!! Great job on your sidewalk and give him extra kisses from me for helping out your elderly neighbors!

We had a similar snowfall here a couple of weeks ago. We don't get much snow in Tokyo either so for me, it was a pleasant surprise - at first anyway :D


You might enjoy this video of Hana, our Shiba-inu, experiencing her first snow :D

The hard part is when the snow starts melting, then freezes over again... and then makes puddles... you can't really go to the park during that time unfortunately :P Glad it's all melted now. The northern parts of Japan had it even worse, and because the delivery trucks could not make it through, they also had shortages as you seem to be having.

Keep warm, and hope spring comes soon for you too!

We are having cedar pollen season over here, and many are suffering from allergies. Mine start later on :P

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

I will reply properly to everyone's comments when I have a bit of time later, but I just HAD to respond to thee video!
What a little sweetie - she was loving her adventure in the snow, wasn't she! Such a beautiful little girl, she's just like a fox (and believe me, I adore foxes), just a bit chunkier!
I was vaguely aware of Shiba Inu as a breed, but I've never met one in person, so this was lovely to see - thank you :)

[supernutjapan.livejournal.com]

So glad you enjoyed the video😊💕

Yes, she really enjoyed the snow and would purposefully choose the deep rifts to walk in 😍

There are several types of shiba-inu, one looking more round like a raccoon dog, and one that looks more like a fox. Obviously we´ve got the latter 😆

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

Yes, Mr D is a good guy!
I agree with you, the slush and mud that follows snow isn't fun - I hope everything is back to normal for you now :)

[herminekurotowa.livejournal.com]

Hehehehe.

Sorry.

Where I grew up, there's a fair amount of snow every year, so I'm actually used to weeks of it. Though where I live now, no one's used to it. Three flakes are enough to cause a public break down, though they're not a rare thing per se.

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

Aw, you're shattering my illusions - I thought everything was well-organised and clockwork-efficient in Germany!??

[herminekurotowa.livejournal.com]

It's the motorists that don't know how to deal with the few flakes we have every year. It has to be really bad weather until the buses or trams stop working.

[ennisjackdean.livejournal.com]

Dear Mr. D. taking care of the neighbors.
That's a gem you've got there for sure.

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

He's a local lad, so he's known our neighbours since he was a kid. The widowed old lady, Glad, on one side is a long-standing friend of his Mum. We look out for our neighbours on both sides, but particularly Glad because she's on her own. She's got a little dog called Lily and Mr D took Lily out for a couple of walks during the snow.
He is a good guy!

[fanspired]

Meanwhile, in Australia . . .

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

Ok Dean, I can hear you gloating - stop it!

[julchen11.livejournal.com]

Wow! I'm impressed... snow... I like it best when I don't have to go outside (this nearly never happens)...
Stay warm and safe, sweetie. I'm thinking of you.

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

Yes, I agree - snow is best when you're just looking at it, not trying to go about your daily life in it :)
x

[sillie]

Haha, the Netherlands kinda falls appart too if it snows. It doesn't happen often either, so when it does happen, things start going wrong. :P

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

That's the problem with us nations that don't get snow very often!

[jj1564.livejournal.com]

I'm amazed that your local shop was so empty, it looked like locusts had visited! Our local Tesco was a bit less well-stocked than usual but the only thing we needed and couldn't get was bread. I'm pleased your favourite coffee shop was open!

It's good you could work from home, there are too many idiot drivers on the roads going too fast when it snows, so it's better to stay home where it's safe. Your pics are lovely - the snow is a pain but it does look beautiful!

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

I just couldn't believe the Co-op - I walked into it, and just had to laugh out loud. Asyou rightly say, it looked like a plague of locusts had been through it!

Randalls was open, and was the only thing I was prepared to leave the house for - and that's only because it's within walking distance! :)

[milly-gal.livejournal.com]

APOCALYPSE SHOPPING AT IT'S MOST APOCALIKE! O.o ffs, LOL!

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

The Zombie Apocalypse has reached Lightwater!

[be-my-precious.livejournal.com]

snow is pretty, but it f*cks you up! That is why I hate it with a passion.

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

You and me both!

[madebyme-x.livejournal.com]

I'm with you, I hate driving in the snow (in fact I don't, it if I can get away with it. Luckily work is only about a 20 min walk so that's a blessing as I live up a hill!) I live in Cumbria and the snow here has now started to melt and some roads are reopening. Snow is fun for the first few days, then I find the novelty quickly wears off!

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

Oh wow. Cumbria certainly gets its fair share of snow - I'm glad, being a wuss in the snow, that I live down here in the wimpy south!

[mother2012.livejournal.com]

Oh my! I can see how this could be a problem for a country that isn't used to it. TPTB could have just added that amount to our blizzard, thus sparing you, and we wouldn't have known the difference.

It IS pretty though, isn't it? And provides the excuse to sit at home and indulge in your favorite hot drink.

[dizzojay.livejournal.com]

Yes, it's really quite pitiful here. We get six inches of snow, and it's like Hurricane Bill and Typhoon Bob all rolled into one!

Your blizzard doesn't sound like fun :P