Brrrr

[Brenna]

Well the winter has not improved as the month went on.  Friday early evening I looked out the window and there was the snow forecast for the coast.  But surprisingly our lovely young nearish neighbours went to the other side of Norwich for a family party at a restaurant.  Our good friend, Betty, was babysitting.  The first time they had an evening out since Freya was born 18 months ago.   Apparently the snow 30+ miles away inland was even deeper.  They arrived home after a nightmare journey at 10 minutes past midnight.  Thankfully Betty is often up reading at that time of night.

But that night, like last night the snow had partially melted and then frozen.  I looked out a sheet of ice in our road this morning.

It does seem to be one of those years where a lot of the world is having weird weather.

I come here everyday and think of you more often, Gloria.  I worry when I do not hear from you but know that it could be something as simple as a computer connection problem.  And, of course, I do pray for you all. 

[Gloria]

Thanks Brenna...yes indeed weird weather here too. We have had big storms and very rough weather...pc going down many times.....tv channels just fuzz....electricity on and off....Huge rain for two days...last night was a rough night indeed. Saturday night we had a tree come down narrowly missing the house...and crashing only a few centimeters from the pig pens...pigs went berserk....but they are ok. All is quiet now at 5.30 a.m. but will have to go out and check for more damage as soon as it gets light...heard a big bang during the night...will check in a moment. Geez...I am not looking forward to working in the clinic today...very tired.

[Brenna]

Thank goodness nothing was harmed in the long term, just short term frights.

I woke up this morning to a very heavy frost, the car had got wet in the rain yesterday and this morning the frost has made pretty patterns on the bonnet.

We used a large amount of our savings this year to install double glazing and it has paid off.  We do not have central heating.  Every winter we have an electric fire on in the kitchen for several hours a day.  This winter, far colder than any we have had for a number of years and it has not been put on once.

Typical of our Govt.  they are giving money to people to help them replace older central heating boilers but for the poorest people there is no grant towards the cost of replacing single glazing with double glazing.  It has made our house so much warmer.  I just wonder how many old people have died in their homes due to them being too cold.  Lives that double glazing might have saved.  But these are old people who are too poor to be able to afford double glazing, yet the richer people who could afford to pay for a new boiler will get a grant towards it.

Makes you wonder where politicians priorities are at times.  But when I hear how much people in Brtain have given to the Haiti appeal then you know there is still goodness here.  Because the main charities join together when there is such a disaster all the money goes into one pot and so it is easy to tell how much has been donated.   

[Brenna]

It is still very cold here.  But I am in the warmer south where we are getting rain.  The North of England and especially, Scotland, are getting snow.  In Scotland it is very severe and the wind blows it back onto the roads as fast as the snow ploughs clear it.

Needless to say when we had the bad snow in the South of the country reporters were sent out to various places, many minutes of the news were devoted to it.  But despite lines down, the Scottish ski resort of Aviemore earlier this week had more snow in one day than any other ski resort in the world.  It has been a little story tacked on to everything else.  Yesterday I heard the news on the radio, we got to the court decision on the former Thai Prime Minister and then what was happening in Scotland.  Yes, Thailand is considered more important than Scotland to our London centric media.

Nothing changes, does it, Gloria.

And I have spent over a day of my life visiting here.

[Brenna]

Well in meteorological terms 1st March is the first day of Spring here.  And Spring has Sprung.  It has been a milder and sunny two days.  At long last.  Not saying the bad weather is over, but I am enjoying these days.