Snow is Falling

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Who hasn't found it magical to pull back the curtains and find the world transformed by a blanket of snow? No such luck when I got up this morning; just another of those cold, grey days.

Then, within ten minutes of  opening the blinds, white fluffy flakes began to fall from the sky. First things first, I had to video it to send to the eldest in New Zealand where he is now enjoying the height of summer sunshine. It turned out to be quite an impressive fall for one of the lowest areas of North Yorkshire and has continued intermittently ever since.

An inevitable consequence of being in Tier 2 before Christmas, when the boundary with Tier 3 was only 5 miles away, has been a dramatic increase in Covid cases locally. For those looking to do Christmas shopping with a lunch break or coffee stop, our High Street  must have been just a little too tempting. Now of course we have both been moved up a tier, meaning that whilst pubs, cafes and restaurants have all closed here too now, our non-essential shops remain open. Despite the prohibition on leaving your home that applies in Tier 4, I'm wondering to what extent the spot checks being carried out by our police force are going to deter would-be shoppers from only a little further to the North. It really is a shame when, at 9 months into this pandemic, the district had done so well in restricting infections, but now, with probably the only non-essential  shops open in the UK at this latitude, we must surely be a magnet to all frustrated shopaholics residing northwards.

With this in mind and a nod towards the weather, Mister E and I trod warily in planning our fortnightly grocery shop this morning. We were so wary that we did it online, booking a delivery slot for early next week, something that up till now we have relied on only for fresh vegetables and dairy produce.

I'm sure I must have commented before on how shopping with Mister E is always a nightmare. He rushes up and down supermarket aisles as though he is participating in one of those trolley dashes. His navigation skills seem to desert him when he goes backwards and forwards, from one side of the store to the other, fulfilling his list of items in what appears to be a completely random order albeit at speeds worthy of Formula One. Believe me, today I discovered that online he is no different. Perhaps having to place my mother's regular order has helped me negotiate my way around the virtual aisles but, with Mister E, I was once again plunged into chaos, bouncing from the bakery, to the freezers, to the shelves of canned goods and back again.

At least the mission was accomplished without stocking up the car with blankets, shovels and a flask of soup, so I'm thankful for small mercies. More so because there was also time for me to pop into a Pilates class on YouTube and put a washload in, all before the world stops for coffee.

 

By this time the snow was very much in evidence causing Mister E to wallow nostalgically in memories of all those times spent on the ski slopes. Well we just couldn't help it after that. I got my ski clothes, he got his skis and we went out onto the patio. Somebody up the road even provided woodsmoke from their chimney for that all round alpine ambience. We made the coffee, poured a small tot of cognac into my mug whilst he ordered a separate glass and settled down outside with a mince pie each too. Normally we'd have conquered a mogul slope or two by this stage of the morning, but we had been shopping so deserved it anyway. And no, in case you are wondering, we don't normally drink at 11am unless it is a gluhwein or heiße schokolade mit rum on a winter holiday. Today it just felt like the nearest thing to a ski trip we could do.

 
 
 

Comments

Treaders said…
Ha ha, that must have been the cheapest ski holiday anyone ever had. I'm pretty sure I couldn't do it cheaper here!
2 January 2021 at 19:27
Caree Risover said…
No queuing either!
2 January 2021 at 19:43
Jeanette Lewis said…
On the past two mornings, I've opened my blinds to a beautiful snow-covered yard. Because the temperatures were mild, the snow stuck to every twig on every tree and shrub.
We did not venture out for a 'pretend' ski holiday. Instead, shovelling about 2 inches of wet snow from the walkway and driveway provided the day's exercise. The snow was brilliant in the sunshine -- enough so that sunglasses were necessary!
4 January 2021 at 02:17
Caree Risover said…
Yes, I love those exertions in the snow with rosy cheeks and a cold nose, the sun shining, the snow glistening....Unfortunately ours had grey cloud and snow falling, but being outside with the flakes spiralling gently around us was still magical!
4 January 2021 at 07:05
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