Here in Derby, we haven't had the dramatic snowfalls experienced elsewhere, no power cuts, frozen pipes or broken boilers, but it's been a strange week, very lethargic, with an odd holiday atmosphere.
On Monday I was anxiously watching the weather forecast, hoping the threatened snow would stay away just long enough for us to travel up to Manchester with all our youngest daughter's belongings (or at least most of them) ready for her move into a new flat. A couple of short but heavy snowfalls in the morning had us worried but the skies cleared, the motorways were trouble-free, and Manchester actually sunny!
Tuesday morning we woke to a light sprinkling of snow but, taking no chances, we dashed to the supermarket, stocked the cupboards and freezer, and waited...
It was as well that we had.
In five minutes a sudden snow fall took us from this
to this!
And after that it just continued snowing, and snowing ...
Overnight was SO cold and by Wednesday it was definitely not worth trying to move the car - in fact the world seemed oddly quiet as there was barely any traffic moving, despite us being only a few yards from a gritted bus route. I was beginning to worry about spring flowers in the garden - the dwarf irises were standing up to the weather quite well, but snowdrops and daffodils both looked absolutely flattened!
Thursday brought more snow, with it gathering on the windows, and the lawn and flowerbeds disappearing completely.
Fortunately we didn't need to go out, but there's something about snow that makes me either want to go out and play in it, or snooze by the fire; last week, nursing the ends of a cold, was definitely a snoozing week! I spent a lot of time checking weather forecasts, and social media updates from people up and down the country to see if their snow was different to ours, and just looking out the windows at the snow and the icicles that had begun to form by the patio doors.
Friday was windy, blowing snow from bushes and garden furniture, swirling loose leaves and twigs around, and breaking off those icicles.
But eventually we made it to Saturday with the temperature nudging up towards zero, and the snow starting to retreat
I'm still not holding out a lot of hope for a recovery by the daffodils but maybe they'll flower while lying down,
and these floppy snowdrops were supposedly sheltered in the greenhouse!
Overnight we had more snow (!) though only a light covering, and by Sunday lunchtime grass was clearly visible on the front lawn. Maybe now we can move on into Spring with no more weather dramas ...
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