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The Winter showed up early & as usual the UK shut down with alarming ease, you’d think we’d know better but we’re only ever really ready for rain & even then in limited amounts, we’re so used to a temperate climate that anything extreme reduces us to chaos. Don’t get me wrong I know the weather has been awful for anyone attempting to travel & there have been some appalling stories about the trials of some poor passengers it’s just that anyone moaning about snow at Christmas is surely missing the point. We spend most years whinging about rain on Christmas day or it being just damp & miserable, why we’d complain when the weather actually complies with our wishes is beyond me, the kids can go sledging & have snowball fights, everything looks more like Christmas ought to for a change & whilst it may be popular to head for sunnier climes at this time of year it is amusing that the most Christmas like weather in years has disrupted so many plans.

The cold has had a major impact & for those who find it difficult to get out & about in normal circumstances will be finding it hellish at the moment, I can’t say I’m finding it fun having to de-ice the rabbits every morning so that they can have a drink but other than that I like it. I normally loathe Xmas shopping but even on a reduced budget the wintry scenes have made it seem that bit more worth it, the budget is okay too, people are actually having to think about what they’re buying for a change instead of just throwing money away & hoping it works out. Walking all over the place can be a bind but again, if you can manage not to fall over & avoid the skidding cars it’s not so bad, the internet can do so much but as the time gets closer you’ve got to brave the ice & go someplace. I’m hoping that the Winter look keeps up at least until after Boxing Day, a foot of proper snow wouldn’t go amiss but you get what you get & for those of us not requiring the services of Eurostar it will do at a pinch.

The best announcements I’ve heard have been from the various motoring organisations & the police, there’s very little point telling people to undertake essential journeys only at Christmas, they’re all essential one way or the other. No-one wants to miss work if they have a job just in case it affects whether they have a job next year, no-one wants their children to not have something to open on the 25th & you try telling your mother that you’re not visiting over the festive season because it’s a bit icy, she will not be amused. This country has either got to accept that weather can happen & plan accordingly or else accept that we can’t cope with it & shut the place down at the first sign of trouble, I can accept that planes can be grounded but trains have no excuse & the gritting teams should at least try to do all the roads at least once a year. For those of us doing their best to leave the country it’s been a long haul & most of them will be arriving late, given our expertise in these matters they should be thankful to be arriving at all, for the rest of us we shouldn’t be upset that it really is Winter for a change, cheer up, it’s meant to look like this right now.

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