Little known curiosity, we seem to get more days of snow each year here in south-west France than we used to when we lived in south-east England, and it is usually at least once a year that we wake up to this view from the kitchen.
It almost always melts by lunchtime, is rarely more than a couple of centimetres deep, and I only once in eight years remember there being enough snow here for sledging and snowman making, but it’s nice to see just before Christmas all the same.
Especially if, like me at the moment, you have a shocking cold (which I like to claim is flu but almost certainly isn’t) and have no great reason to venture outdoors, apart from the occasional sortie to get some logs.
One of the pleasures of staying indoors feeling sorry for myself is that I can watch French daytime TV, which is as good as you would expect.
The most remarkable think on French television at the moment is the number of adverts for CD’s by aging popstars who like to bring out a ‘best-of’ collection just before Christmas – usually a rehash of crooner songs from the 1950′s.
I can only assume that people in a panic about what to buy Granny for Christmas see these and think they are a good idea, or at least better than no idea at all. They are not. Buy her a bottle of wine, box of chocolates or packet of fags instead. Or at least buy a real Frank Sinatra CD rather than an ‘ancient has-been tries to sing like Frank Sinatra in a sad attempt to cash in on the Christmas spending spree ‘ CD.
Which reminds me there aren’t many shopping days until Christmas, there’s snow everywhere and I haven’t yet bought a single Christmas present. Perhaps I have more important things to be doing than sitting in front of the TV with a laptop on my knees…
Well we have just had one real snow storm. We had at least 8″ and of course a power cut. It want off at 10.10 pm on thursday night and has just come back on at 11.30 pm Friday night. Out came the emergency calor heater it worked and provided heat to live by, out came the many kinds of gaz cooking stoves that provided good cooking facilities. went down to -4C, candles by the ton for lighting. We had people knocking on our door to see if everything was ok.The countryside was beautiful and it looks like the worst is over. It made this global warming thing look silly.I cannot personally see any difference to our climate nor can any of the locals. Well, dig out the drive in the morning to go to Swaffham market.
PS we had a very good warming tot of Navy Rum. recomended for flue sorry heavy colds and cold weather..
Hi Johnny, glad to hear you’ve got everything you need to cope and it’s nice to hear about neighbours keeping an eye on each other.
Last year when we had a three day powercut (after a big storm in SW France) we even managed to get a Victorian oil lamp working.
I think we still lost our sense of humour by about the end of day two. Quite possible rum would have helped.
We had even more snow last night, it is so deep I gave up digging out the drive way to the garages and will coninue tomorrow. I take size 11 gum boots and it is over the top of those. We had our mail on both days and the postman told me the mail had been sorted by candlelight due to the power cuts.The main roads have been gritted as best they can 1.900 miles in Norfolk they grit and they have issued a map showing the roads gritted every 3 hours to help plan your journy.
We have power back stil today and we have just finnished lunch with the people from next door. They are both in their 90s and were great company.
We’ve got relatives who are trying to get here and have been waiting for the Channel tunnel since the middle of last night – seems the trains are all broken down so they’ve spent most of the day sat in their car in Dover. I’m not sure what the roads are like in northern France when they do finally get across…fingers crossed they are reasonably clear!
No more snow here although the first snow hasn’t all melted yet – it’s still pretty cold, -6 centigrade at 9am this morning.
Just had tonights forecast of a further 2 to 4 inches for Norfolk and Cambridgeshire.
The last I heard about the tunnel that it is closed for quite some time. they may be advised to try an alternative crossing if they cannot get any reassurance from Eurotunnel.
For all those that need it this way.
MERRY CHRISTMAS.
Peace has returned to the house,and we again can watch French T.V.
Nice to see them,nice to see them go.
beautifully put…