Snowstorm

When the alarm clock radio woke me this morning the news was full of doom-and-gloom. The man-made economic disaster, contrived by the 'licensed bandits' who our elected representatives have allowed to run the world for the last few years, appeared to be getting worse and our lean-'n'-mean, super-efficient 'civilisation' had apparently ground to a halt because of a couple of inches of snow.

When I drew the curtains the aforementioned snow was much in evidence. So, I decided to take the camera over the meadows to take a few snaps. The first thing I noticed, after stepping out the front door, was that a small hand had scooped a chunk of snow off my car, presumably so that it could be chucked at a friend or sibling - naturally - what else is snow for?

There were a few people about, some, like me, carrying cameras. Everyone seemed to have a smile on their face. One man I stopped to speak to had been phoned by his employer, earlier in the morning, and told not to bother coming in to work because of the weather (!) He had gone for a walk instead and had seen a kingfisher, a sparrow hawk, bullfinches and a woodpecker; he seemed very happy. Another man told me of his rock-climbing adventures in Scotland while his two dogs frolicked in the snow like children. Later in the walk I saw a young mother introducing her two toddlers to, what must have been, their very first snow. And to cap it all the cafe attached the MV Visitors' Centre at Sale was open and I was able to enjoy a nice cup of tea. Snow certainly wasn't a disaster for me (sorry if it was for you ...)!

I've put a few of my snow pictures on the webalbum at: http://picasaweb.google.com/friendsofchorltonmeadows/landscapes .

Dave Bishop, 2nd February 2009