'Don't come now?'

SNOWED IN!
Our contributor from London tells us that anyone coming to the United Kingdom should read her piece before taking the next available flight 'if you are lucky to get one'

Anyone visiting our shores at the moment might think they had caught the wrong plane (if they were lucky enough to get on one!) and had landed in the North Pole. For over two weeks now the UK has be experiencing the coldest and snowiest winter for over 30 years. Some areas are affected more than others but since last Wednesday (6th January) the whole of the British Isles is blanketed in snow. As you can imagine it has been wreaking havoc with the road and rail systems, not to mention the airports. Many roads are impassable in the Scottish Highlands and Northern England with people being stranded and having to abandon their cars. The temperatures have plummeted to -20 degrees in some parts which is colder than the South Pole! I am sure you are all well aware that the British like nothing better than to talk about, or rather complain about, the weather. Well we sure have something to talk about now!

Unlike some other European countries we are always unprepared for such extreme conditions. To be fair it is quite rare for such widespread bad weather to occur so it takes awhile for the reality to set in. Once we get over the shock I think, as a nation, we cope very well. You have heard of the famous British 'stiff upper lip' I am sure. It is now very evident albeit that it is mainly stiff with the cold. We have witnessed some real ingenuity regarding means of transport. Some people search out their skis which have previously only been used on visits to the Swiss Alps. Others don their mountain boots and risk the icey pavements to walk to work. There was even someone on the television the other day who is using huskies and a sledge!!

In the rural areas especially, anyone with a tractor or 4x4 suddenly becomes the most popular person in the village. There are many sad stories too. Some people take chances on frozen lakes and rivers only to find the ice is much thinner than they thought and pay the price with their lives and the lives of others who go to their rescue. Also our NHS is put under so much pressure because of accidents occuring on the slippery pathways and pavements. Many young people out and about in the evening enjoying the nightlife have ended up in the A&E departments of hospitals after falling over. It has to be said that they are usually the 'authors of their own misfortune', to coin a legal phrase, i.e. DRUNK! We have a term used to describe someone who has had too much to drink. We say that they are 'legless'. A very apt description if they are encased in plaster from thigh to ankle.

So, whilst you are seeking shelter from the mid-day sun and shielding your eyes from its glare, spare a thought for us poor Brits who, although enjoying beautiful scenes which take your breath away if you live like me in the country, are getting slightly fed up with the white stuff and all the havoc and inconvenience that it brings. There is a very old song which has a line in it that goes: "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow". I would like to change that to "Let it go, let it go, let it go"!

Barbara