Friday 22 March 2013

Here it comes again.

Just when we thought we had seen the last of it for this year, we woke this morning to another white world - one that is getting whiter by the minute.   And, judging by the weather map at lunch time, we in the North East of England are getting off best for a change.   So far we have had about four inches here and it is still snowing and blowing a gale, so that the fine snow is piling up in drifts.  I suppose the one consolation, as it is already March 22nd, is that once the snow stops actually falling then it will begin to slowly recede.   During this time I am staying indoors, the farmer is taking the dogs for their walks and staying inside at other times.

He has just cleaned both of our dining tables with white spirit and a heavy hand and is now about to polish them both with beeswax polish.  I like when he does that as it makes the whole house smell beautiful.

The poor birds are suffering and the feeders are covered in all the small ones.   As usual,  the blackbirds are falling out over the meal worms; I am sure they waste more energy in their fighting than they need to and so have to find more food.   "Bird-brained" is not a saying for nothing (and yet birds like swallows can navigate from Africa to their old nest sites in our farm barn).  As with humans, I suppose, it takes all sorts.

Friend W and I had expected to go to Kirby Lonsdale today to meet friends P and D for lunch in an Italian Bistro we like.   Any such thing is well off limits in this weather as it entails going over the Pennine watershed which ever way we go and with the strong East wind blowing I am sure the road will be almost impassable.   So that treat must wait for another day.

The wood-burner beckons, although it will be a tussle to find a place in front of it without displacing Tess who is laid out flat like a hearthrug (and with her coat about that length too as she is desperately in need of a trim).  Keep warm all you cold folk out there.  Spring will soon be here - I promise you.   

15 comments:

Em Parkinson said...

Goodness I feel for you! We just have persistent rain and amber flood warnings. They're talking about it being snowy into next week aren't they? When will it end? In a heat wave in early April I imagine.

jill said...

Hi Pat,we haven't got any snow here but it is bitter cold.Think we must just be on the edge of it all,hope it stays there.You stay warm and cosy inside with the log burner its the best place to be.I love the smell of beeswax polish ,when I do my furniture I could just go around sniffing allday its a reminder of when grandma used it when I was a child,a lovely memory.Sorry you din't get out with your friends keep warm my friend.Love Jill xx

Gerry Snape said...

snow here Pat been falling all day!
...the fire sounds great!

Irene said...

There is no snow here in the south of the Netherlands yet, but it would not surprise me if we got some. It is cold enough for it. There is a wind chill factor of quite a few degrees below zero Celsius. My dog needs a trim too, but I am waiting for the warmer weather.

angryparsnip said...

I know your tired of the wind, snow and cold but the photo looking out the window into your yard is so beautiful.
Our high today is 80 with a low of 52.
Sounds nice but the high s about 10 degrees to warm. Weather is so strange this year.

cheers, parsnip

Heather said...

Just wet and windy here, and I have given up listening to the forecast - I'll just deal with whatever arrives! Sorry your trip with friends has been postponed and hope you can rearrange it when things improve. Winter is really dragging on this year - I wonder if Summer will do the same!
I could do with some of the farmer's elbow-grease. Our furniture would benefit from the same treatment - it would really finish off the room after redecorating and a new carpet.

Joanne Noragon said...

This band of snow stretches from Northern Ohio to northern England. I hope it becomes so thin it breaks, soon!

Rachel Phillips said...

I think we in East Anglia are as cold as your friend in The Netherlands above.. The wind chill is yet again at Siberian levels and we are freezing cold here. I have two woodburners goingin the house and I am dressed in many layers; The electric blankets are on; the wind penetrates every nook and cranny.

Gwil W said...

No snow at the moment. Biting wind though. Some small hailstones yesterday. Primroses and snowdrops doing well. Wild garlic too.

Bovey Belle said...

Heavy rain here - our river rose a good four feet whilst we were in town shopping this morning, but we're used to that.

T in Sheffield reports heavy snow and she isn't looking forward to getting to and from work in more of the same tomorrow.

I hope it soon melts and you can start enjoying the spring flowers. Gwil - snowdrops going over in parts, a few primroses and wild daffodils out, celendines and oh - the first Windflowers. They brought a smile to my face this week.

MorningAJ said...

We've got some fairly serious snow here too. I'm glad I don't have to go anywhere till Monday (though they're saying the weather isn't going to change much for the next few days)
Take care and stay warm.

Crafty Green Poet said...

It's wild winds and snow flurries up here at the moment. Very unseasonably cold, though we have been spared the worst

Dave King said...

In defiance of all the forecasts, we too have the white stuff this morning. Now they are warning of gas (and maybe power) rationing two weeks away. Hey, ho!

Gwil W said...

We may get 3 days of "the white splendour" staring tomorrow so went to the farmers market and stocked up. Can stand a siege! Well bot quite, maybe a week or so.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Thanks for answering. That is one good thing about blogging - you don't have to go out into the cold to communicate with one another.