It started early.  I was supposed to be at work this morning, together with colleagues for a long-standing and rather important meeting, so I got up early and poked my nose through the curtains.  By the time my colleagues and I had had a bit of email conversation and compared notes, it was clear, none of us were going anywhere.

Of course, it was widely forecast yesterday.  Our plans for driving up to Yorkshire this weekend were cancelled yesterday morning, because most of the students whose work I was due to assess on Monday were already snowed/iced in themselves and there didn’t seem much point in making heroic efforts when we can simply rearrange.  However, not expecting to be home all weekend meant we hadn’t really done much shopping.  So I went to Waitrose, where it was like Christmas all over again!

It was a good job I did, for we are not going anywhere for a while.  Not a single vehicle has passed the house and although my hero has been out and done what he can to clear and grit the steep bend which usually offers the biggest challenge, the wind has blown the snow over it again.

The combination of fine snow and strong wind is making lovely shapes and textures though.

However, I am not venturing any further than the doorstep to look for them!

It was actually pretty dreary all morning, with fine, wet snow blowing all over the place, but towards lunchtime it brightened enough to bring out a few folks and their sledges to the field across the valley.

But it’s really cold, with temperatures below zero and a strong wind chill too.  I don’t think we’re going to go anywhere for a couple of days!

One of the things I’ve discovered and have enjoyed using over the last couple of weeks is the Day One app on my iphone.  It’s perfect for recording a snapshot right now, automatically tags it with the date and time and will include weather and location information at a tap of the screen.  There’s space for some journalling, if the mood takes me, or the picture will simply fill the screen if there’s nothing to say.  What’s more, the next time there’s a wifi connection, it uploads all of that to Dropbox without my having to lift another finger.

Highly recommended.