Dreaming of a white Christmas...

Not so much dreaming as guaranteed a white Christmas. At work we had a good 4-5 inches on the ground, not quite so much at home. But it's pretty much been snowing all day, so I think we are catching up.

I've been struck down with a horrible bug, so am wrapped up in my possum and merino jersey and a long skirt. My lovely flatmate has gone out in the snow to the supermarket, so I gave her a list. I'm planning to not leave the house until Thursday if I can help it. I think gallivanting about in the snow over the weekend is probably what turned any old sore throat in to a cough. Blegh.

So London-Midlands have cancelled trains until further notice. They're my main trains to work, but there are others, just not as frequently. And I'm not due in there until Thursday. Heathrow is jammed full of people and won't take anyone in to two of the terminals. The Eurostar is also functioning only slightly better than the airlines, they've stopped selling tickets and are telling people to not even bother coming to the station today.

I'm so pleased I got home last night! I had to take a shift off sick, but still had to cover for a few hours (long, boring story), but when I got to the train station there was only one train on the board delayed, and none cancelled (I was shocked!). And my train's predicted time to arrive varied between "On time" and 2 minutes late. It was on time. It was absolutely freezing on the train though, ice on the inside of the windows, and snow inside the train. Don't ask me how they got snow on the inside of the train. I think they must have left the carriage out in the weather somewhere with all the windows and doors open. Seriously, it wasn't trampled in snow, it was a proper dusting in random little spots! And it didn't melt for the trip, until after we got stuck behind a broken down train in Worcester. Which, I must say I was very impressed with how they dealt with that. They moved our train out, got an engine to shunt the other one out of the way while they turned our carriages around, and then got out carriages back in at another platform and we were good to go within the space of five minutes. *muchly impressed* AND there were taxis at the station to get me home from there! My feet were almost completely numb by the time I got home. Letting them defrost was quite painful.

Okay, time to move from the sofa for a while. I need more Lemsip. Blegh, disgusting, but I do really need one.

I haven't *actually* moved to Sibera,

it just feels like I have. I have a new least favourite weather condition- freezing fog. Usually I like fog, it's fun and you have to guess what is where and it makes things look so dramatic! But freezing fog is SO cold! We've had quite a few days recently where the temperature hasn't even got up to freezing point! It was was fun when it was just snow, I took these pictures the second day after it snowed, we actually got several inches deep in the end, quite a bit more than in these pictures. It's mostly melted around home, but at work it is just awful. The snow only partially melted in the streets, and now it has all frozen again in to ice. Not just little thin sheets of ice, but several inches thick from the snow which didn't melt properly! It's like walking on an ice-skating rink just going to the corner shop! But apparently it's worse further north, I heard people got stranded on the motorway for over 18 hours in Scotland the other night! I have to admit I appreciate the central heating when the temperatures are fluctuating between -8 and -1 between day and night. I think it's might have warmed up a little today, the sun is actually out, but it has been awfully cold! And everything is still frozen in the mornings. I took some pictures on my cellphone the other day of the frost and ice, it was amazingly pretty. Hoar frost apparently, according to the weather presenter. That was the day of the freezing fog.

Some pictures of the pretty snow in the Malvern hills, when it was just a sprinkling.