Snow Day

Much of the big news floating around the UK this past weekend was about the big snowstorm that was supposed to hit us on Sunday. It seemed to be the only thing everyone was talking about and, when Sunday came around, it seemed like the entire population of Britain withdrew to their windows to watch eagerly for those first snowflakes.

I, in the meantime, went to church as usual, exiting to a bitterly cold but still clear day. I did some grocery shopping, then headed for home.

Imagine my surprise when I turned on my computer, logged onto Facebook, and saw people discussing the snow that was supposedly falling on their status updates! I immediately looked out the window - nope, no snow. "Strange," I thought, "it must not have hit West London yet."

A few hours later, Justin came online, saying that snow was falling. I again looked out the window - no snow!

Me: "Are you sure? I don't see any snow!"
Justin: "Yeah, it's snowing heavily! Don't you see it?"

I stood and pressed my nose against the windowpane, straining my eyes for a glimpse of the elusive snow.

Me: "Ahhhhh! You mean the light dusting that's wafting gently down? That's the heavy snowfall everyone's talking about??"
Justin: "Yup! That's considered heavy snow! This is London, remember. It doesn't snow in London."

The snow did get heavier as the hours passed and, to be fair, it was sticking to the ground. Still, I couldn't help thinking laughingly of the snowfall in Toronto and wondering if London was going to meltdown over 10-15 cm of snow.

Before I went to bed, I snapped a photo of the still street outside, cars and rooftops blanketed with a thin layer of snow.

My street last night, before I went to bed.

When I got up, my predictions had come true :D. Under the same amount of snow that Canadians would simply brush off and continue on their way, London has melted down - all buses are suspended, tube lines are either completely closed or mostly suspended, trains are running limited services, Heathrow has closed down its runways, and it's become nearly impossible to get to Gatwick since the Gatwick Express isn't running. Schools are shut and God knows how people are getting to work!

As for me? Every tube line that runs through my area is shut down, as are all the buses. I suppose I could conceivably walk into Central London to have a look around, but I'm much happier to sit inside with a hot cup of tea, a big warm blanket, and a good book :).

The snow that's paralyzed London.

Happy Snow Day everyone!