Saturday 9 January 2010

Deep and Crisp and Even




More serious snow comes to our bit of Kent overnight - maybe 5-6 inches with drifting to a foot or more. It carries on most of the day and Dad says that "Kaddy says" there's more to come. (Kaddy is BBC South East's curvy "weather-bird" (her own words), Kathryn Lee-Preston, who seems to have all the blokes round here suddenly believing everything they hear about weather. No idea why......
Couple of nice pics here anyway, Clara Bow, our 2CV on the front drive, me with a fine set of 4 snow-boots on again. Dad is talking of trimming my long whiskery "feathers" on my feet to stop this happening. Something about bringing gallons of water into the house every time we've been out of a walk, and then I sit and "melt" everywhere.
Mum has to race off to Ireland for a family emergency. The weather precludes driving to airports, so Dad clears a car and drops Mum to the railway station. She keeps us posted as she progresses through that London towards Heathrow. Unfortunately she's forgotten her passport, so Dad has to brave the blizzards anyway, and race to Heathrow with it. It's actually only snowy in Kent, he reports - with Clackett's Lane onwards (west) being normal clear Motorway driving.
Same on the way home - clear to Clacketts. then some scary bits of one lane open. Detling Hill is a blizzard and there are big drifts blowing off the Showground. A group of 5 tractors with snow-ploughs is keeping the top clear, and gritting lorries make regular passes. The whole run takes just 4 hours, which wouldn't be bad for a normal week-day. It being Saturday helps.
Mum's most recent text says she now has a ticket, a passport, a plane but no fuel. Dublin airport had been shut but must now be open. That's one advantage of having your destination airport just 55 mins away - they don't let you take off if the airport's shut at the other end, so at least you can sit in a warm airport this end and wait. Mum has taken OU course-books so she can be learnéd while she waits.
Keep warm and dry
Deefski (belly full of cold roast beef and warmed by the coal fire)


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