Ending a difficult week with great friends

It's been quite an exhausting week with the snow and ice making travelling difficult - the normal journey to work has required a good deal more concentration over the last few days, especially at both ends of the journey where the roads are still covered in ice. And with temperatures towards the end of the week becoming so cold (the lowest I've seen on our thermometer outside was -11C), even getting ready to go out needs more thought with plenty of layers on and a blanket and shovel to go in the car.

Some time ago we'd made plans weeks ago to visit Paul and Bev in Sandbach this weekend, but the weather had put then put doubts in our minds. But on hearing the forecast for the weekend would be OK, we made the effort to drive down to spend the weekend having a relaxing time with them.

We had a great night with fantastic food and plenty of wine, lots of photos to check out and even a viewing of their wedding video to bring back loads of happy memories. Whenever Paul and I drifted into techie talk about photography (it's time your pictures were online, Paul), Bev and Carole had lots of girly stuff to catch up on and the time flew by.

The ice was starting to melt a little by the time we needed to head for home, so much so that I could even get the car up the hill and onto the drive for the first time since Tuesday, and with no serious snow forecast for the next few days, perhaps things are at last starting to get back to normal.

Thanks guys for an excellent weekend!

Snow Joke: Part 2!

Well, all that effort yesterday meant we could at least attempt the journey to work this morning. Despite several little slides on our side roads, we made it on to the main roads and then the motorway, where with care things weren't too bad.

The fun started at work where the car park was still covered with deep snow; fortunately there were fewer cars than normal so it didn't matter that my parking wasn't so precise!

Then when leaving we had the same fun again, with a group of us digging and pushing cars to get ourselves unstuck. And at the other end, back near home, despite the efforts of some of our neighbours, I couldn't make it up the final hill meaning our car is now abandoned (along with many others) on a snowy grass verge.

I've just checked the thermometer outside and it's already -9.5C (15F), so it doesn't seem like tomorrow will be any better!

Snow Joke

The forecast overnight last night was for snow, but not like this! By the time we woke this morning there were a couple of inches on the ground already and the sky was full of huge snowflakes coming down like icy paratroopers on an arctic invasion.






Before long the phone was ringing regularly as colleagues rang in and we rang out, reporting our difficulties in moving the car, checking whether conditions elsewhere were any better and to rate our chances of making it to the office.

These days it's possible via the internet to call up the images from motorway traffic cameras 'live' on the computer, and the M61 and M6 didn't look great. Fortunately I can work from home so leaving the car in the garage was an easy decision, but not many others made it in at all as everywhere ground to a halt.


It took until after lunch before the snowflakes began to reduce in size and then eventually stop altogether, and my this time the lying snow measured 15cm (6"), with the drifts even deeper. Whilst the kids next door began making an igloo in their garden, I started the job of clearing the driveway to give me a chance of making the journey to work tomorrow. Not as much fun as snowballs and sledging it has to be said, and hard work too!


These images are all from either through the windows or from the doorstep - I wasn't going out in that! Clockwise from top left: Tall trees weighed down by the snow; snow clinging to a car aerial; a Christmas card scene from our cul-de-sac; our Christmas tree (which we couldn't take for recycling on Sunday because of the ice and is still in our back garden) gets a covering; another snow-covered tree and (centre) a sign showing where to ride your bike (if you're daft enough!)

The television news reports this is the worst snowfall for many years and the longest sustained cold spell for perhaps 30 years - and there's no sign of it ending yet!

New Years Day 2010

New Years Day was a relaxing day (for most of the time...) with plenty of excellent food served up by Jean followed by what turned out to be a surprisingly contentious game of Scrabble. My 'badger' effort was refused because the 'e' was adjacent to an 'n' to spell 'en', and this was denounced as not being valid*. Later our love of food came to the fore with 'yam', 'loaf' and another of my efforts, 'rosti', which was reluctantly allowed until after I'd won, when it became a bone of contention because it was deemed Italian rather than English. Questa è la vita.

After Scrabble we looked for something else but our attempts at a family game of Cluedo (for ages 8 and above) and even Happy Families (age 3+) on Christmas Day had proved too much of a challenge, so we resorted to good old dominoes. Fortunately this proved to be more like our level, with no major difficulties with the rules, but even so I was still criticised for taking it too seriously (aka trying to win). But maybe this comes from watching some serious gamblers in the snooker club 25 years ago who would regularly play (even back then) for £1 a spot. In our first game today I'd ended up holding nearly 50, so its a good job we didn't play for similar stakes! Of course all this acrimony was only in jest (though I wasn't convinced when Carole up-ended the scrabble board at the end of the game!).

Earlier we'd handed a belated Christmas present to Mum & Dad which had taken longer to be delivered than I'd expected. It was a photobook of pictures from our holiday in Wales back in September and was a lovely surprise for them. They often look at the pictures on the computer, so this will be a great way to remember what was a fantastic week.

* If you're wondering about the word 'en', then it's actually a unit of measurement used in the printing industry, equal to half an 'em' (taken from the letter M). Of course I'd like to say I knew that before, but I can't. But I will remember it next time!

Where to find a Caffeine Rush in Carlisle

If you've stopped off at Carlisle railway station at any point over the past nine years or so then you'll probably have seen John Almond, and possibly you'll have bought a coffee from him too.

John runs a successful business on the station platform serving a range of coffees and hot chocolates to passing commuters and as his reputation has grown he's has built a following for his high quality coffee.



I've known John since we moved next door almost 30 years ago when we used to play football in the street and cricket on Dad's drive. When we got older we shared driving duties to watch the football wherever Liverpool were playing but even that was a long time ago now. Sadly we don't see much of each other these days, so it was great to catch up when we were invited for supper last night.

John is even becoming a local celebrity through the Carlisle-based magazine "Carlisle Living", who ran a two-page article on him earlier in the year (though unfortunately I can't find it online). In the article he talks about his daily drive to work from Blackburn, setting off at 5am each morning. That's dedication for you.

Having fun on Christmas Day

Our arrangements for the Christmas meal this year were a little disrupted by the snow. Kevan and Jean had collected the turkey for us as planned, but because of the weather they couldn't bring it over to us during the week and ended up cooking it themselves! By the day itself the snow had thawed enough so that we could cook the rest of the meal ourselves and serve up a treat.

Will it be a White Christmas?

There's been plenty of snow over the past few days, which although very Christmassy to look at, it's been causing difficulties on the roads, particularly the minor roads near where we live. Whilst the snow has thawed a little after the first band moved through on Sunday, further snow in Monday and again on Tuesday meant several inches had accumulated in the back garden.











Then overnight into the early hours of Christmas Eve the snow came again, this time for a while in a blizzard. Fortunately by morning it was already becoming a little milder and the fresh snow made the roads a little easier to navigate.

So, would it be a white Christmas? It's difficult to see the lying snow disappearing until well after Christmas Day, but the weather forecasters don't think it's likely that fresh snow will fall on the big day itself, no doubt to the relief of the bookies.

England's home is a castle

Earlier today we braved the snow and ice to pop across town to deliver some cards and a present to Helen, one of our colleagues from work, who I've known for getting on 20 years. Helen always takes time off this year beacause her other 'job' is helping her husband on their farm - full time work in itself, but somehow she fits this in with her regular work too.

Anyway, whilst there we got the chance for a sneak preview of their new home which they've recently finished building near the entrance to their farm, and it was amazing! We'd seen Helen's pictures several times during the build, but now it's almost ready it was great to see it for real.

Helen's a true inspiration and we wish them every happiness in their new home.

Cards by Carole's Christmas crescendo

Carole's been busy over the last few weekends...

Travelling in luxury to Edinburgh

For a shared early Christmas present to each other, earlier in the summer we booked ourselves tickets on an exclusive rail trip to the Edinburgh Christmas markets. We'd chosen this trip from a specialist website who offers other similar day trips and even short breaks by rail, many of which are hauled by steam, and we were very much looking forward to the experience. So, despite the early start for a Saturday, by 8:45 we were eagerly waiting on the platform, scanning the horizon down the track for the tell-tale plume of smoke signifying the approach of our train.

At about the time our train was due, a speck appeared far down the line; but as there was no smoke, we concluded it was just a regular service. But as it came closer it became clear it was a spruced-up diesel engine from the 70s and it was indeed pulling our train. Our disappointment soon passed though as we stepped on board our Pullman dining carriage, where we were greeted by immaculately dressed staff who sat us down at a sumptuous breakfast table and served us a glass each of bucks fizz as our journey commenced.

Over the next hour or so, we were treated to a hearty breakfast of cereals, smoked salmon, full English, croissants and toast and marmalade, washed down with plenty of coffee. Suitably stuffed, we relaxed in oversized comfy seats as the train sped northwards. As we crossed the border into Scotland, more coffee and a selection of pastries and biscuits kept us topped up into Waverley station.



We spent the afternoon with the crowds along Princes Street, watching the big wheel and then the skating in Waverley Gardens and enjoyed a gluhwein in the German markets. There were thousands of people in town, so after a while we left the markets behind and walked up George Street and back to the station in plenty of time for our return journey.


The train home was just as special, with a fabulous four course meal washed down with champagne and wine, rounding off a wonderful day.