On Sunday, a lot of England had a dumping of snow. I had to get up before sunrise in order to collect my grocery home delivery; there wasn't any snow then, but the temperatures were below freezing with the pavements and the windows of parked vehicles frosted over with ice. I unpacked and put away my groceries and proceeded to clean my oven and microwave, tasks that were on my agenda for some time. It was about 9:00 when I had finished that task, and I started my second task to create a series of scavenger hunt / bingo cards for the community to do during lockdown. There still wasn't any snow. While doing the task on the computer, I kept a watch out the window. The snow started to fall at about 9:40. It was a thick snow, covering the ground quickly. Not long afterwards, I heard the joyous shrieks of children in the road as they rushed outside to play.
Lockdown. This is the third lockdown. We have been locked down in the UK for nearly a year. This sounds like the start to a science fiction novel, but it's sadly not science fiction. Although we have not been in total lockdown during this time, we have been unable to do the things we all enjoy: socialising, going out for food or drinks, visiting a museum or gallery, enjoying a play or film, and travelling abroad.
Museums and galleries have been shut for a year in March. Those restaurants and pubs that could reopen because they were large enough to do so were only open for a couple of months before being forced to close. In this lockdown, more places are open offering takeaway. Theatres have been closed for nearly a year; the cinema was open for a little over a month before it closed again because of the films being postponed. Travel abroad has been possible sometimes, depending on the destination, but restrictions on both sides are enforced.
This total lockdown is called "lockdown 3", and it started in the middle of December for a lot of us, but it started on January 3rd for most of the country. The first lockdown took place between mid-March and the beginning of July last year. The second lockdown happened for a little over a month in November to early December. When mid-March rolls around, we will have been living with restrictions for a year. I am already finding the days and year blending in together.
That's why the arrival of the snow made some people happy. I actually loathe snow. I grew up with cold and snowy winters, and I have always found snow to be bothersome. Yes, you do get a "snow day" sometimes, if it's particularly bad, so you do not have to go to school, but you still have to go to work. Snow also wets your clothes and feet. It turns to slush on the roads and looks dirty. It can turn to ice. It is slippery, especially when it's compacted on the pavements. Some people do not know how to drive in the snow. I know a lot of people like snow, especially in a country where it is uncommon. The snow made people happy. It gave people a break to have some fun and get outdoors. It got everyone remembering how to have fun. There's been too few chances to enjoy life in the past year.
I would have gone into central London, but I did not want to chance it with the pandemic. I am sure that there will be other days where we will get a lof of snow, and hopefully it will fall on a weekend when I can get out and take some photographs along the Thames. Since I could not go into central London, I walked around my area in Ruislip.
I watched a white van driving too fast slide off the road on a gentle turn. Luckily, there weren't any parked cars parked where he went off. I did see quite a few people out making snowmen or throwing snowballs at each other. I saw several people pulling children along in sleds. I saw children pulling sleds behind them. There aren't any hills near where I live, so I am not sure what the point in a sled is.
Ruislip station was looking snow-covered.
The High Street in Ruislip was slippery. Some cars struggled to get up the little hill over the rail tracks. It was still snowing heavily.
Duck Pond at the old barn and Ruislip Manor House at the top of Ruislip High Street looks attractive in the winter. This pond was used by the horses to drink from. The stables and barn are located here.
Ruislip Manor House is always an attractive view in Ruislip. It is situated at the site of the motte and bailey castle, and I have visited it a number of times. Here's a post about it: Ruislip Manor Farm and Ruislip Castle.
There is a small slope here, and some people were taking advantage of it. At the bottom of the hill, people had built snowmen. There was a whole snow family on the side.
At the bottom of the hill is flat land. The river Pinn runs here, and these are the meadows. This park had a couple large snow boulders.
At the top of Ruislip High Street is the war memorial and some attractive buildings, including St. Martin's Church. I got some photographs of some of the old buildings here.
The below scene shows everyone waking up to falling snow.
By about noon, the snow had stopped falling. It had also started to melt, first dripping off the trees and melting along the concrete ground where the cars had already turned it to black slush. By the evening, the snow does remain covering most of the ground, but it is melting.
I arrived home and finished cleaning the oven, which was soaking in the solutuion. After that, I took down the tree that I had up still from the holidays. It was a real one, but it was not in the best shape. Still, I got two months out of it, and it brightened my time. I will miss it. I alway find sadness when the tree gets taken down and put out for the disposal. I enjoyed sitting next to it with a drink and a book. The room looks so empty now.
I do not know how long the snow will last or if there will be anymore snow this season. I do hope there is not because it would have delayed vaccines.
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