The Elements

If any of you follow me on twitter, you would know that I have been bashing 'The Big Freeze' we are in to no end.
However, I feel like I must clear something up. It is not the snow that I have the issue with. Ice is my nemesis.
I know it sounds extreme, but I have an irrational fear of falling (which I am desperately trying to get over), and therefore I find ice quite debilitating. It means that I can't go to the gym.

Moving on...
Snow is magical.
I firmly believe that everyone secretly loves snow.
Waking up, opening your curtains with a drowsy reluctance, to find that the outside world is under a blanket of white is breathtaking. I don't know about you, but it gets my heart beating that little bit faster.
Everything looks beautiful in the snow, glistening with wonder, begging you to break its pristine surface.
For me, it isn't just the look of snow that its special. Its the way it crunches and creeks under foot. It takes me back to being in the Alps, learning to ski, all those years ago. I so crave to go back.

We had 6cm of snow last night, and are expecting more over the next few days. Fresh snow over night means I can venture out the gym without the fear...
On my walk to the gym today I allowed myself to take my time.
Being one of the only ones that had dared to venture out, I was allowed to absorb the fleshly-laid-snow feeling that filled the air. Relishing in the crunching and the creaking underfoot, I walked the whole half hour with a smile on my face.
My route takes me past a series of boutiques, where all the shop owners where on the pavement, clearing the pavement for potencial customers. A quiet sense of community. Seems its not just the holidays that brings people together.

The Bandstand

Even though we apparently have 3 more weeks of this cold weather, I dont really mind that much... as long as there is snow.
There is nothing that can stop the ice from forming, and it will. But I have, and will continue to deal with it as best I can. After all, since the climate is going through one of its many of its cycles, I have a feeling that the cold is going to be a permanent feature of our winters...

P.S. The exam is on Wednesday morning and I get my social life back sitting in the pub on Wednesday afternoon. SO EXCITED!!