CHAOS

It was a great idea last summer!

It was coming, and we all knew it. The country was braced for it the weather reports warned us, you could see it coming...........but as usual the few centimetres of snow that have fallen have brought the country to another pathetic standstill.

Winner of the 'most clothes on' competition!

Yesterday, when the 'storm' had passed, Trish and I went for a walk around the village. For those of you that don't know this village, there is a small hill that runs past the pub and up to the crossroads. We walked that way yesterday, for a reason, to participate in one of my favourite spectator sports, watching stupid English people try to drive in the snowy conditions.

Our road last night

Roads round here remain untreated and really, anyone with half a brain would stay at home until the worst of the conditions passed, but Oh no, with the spirit of Cook, Hilary and Fines coursing through their veins, the English can be seen climbing into their cars to tackle the snow covered roads with less skill at their disposal than the sum total of the England football team. How they slithered yesterday. One after another they wheel spun up the insignificant gradient, that seems to be the plan for most of them, rotate the wheels as fast as you can so as to provide the optimum purchase.

The top of wheelspin hill

Those friends who live in Sweden are often asking me why we don't have laws forcing people to change to winter tyres at the beginning of the 'season to be merry'. It's always been a good question, and now I know the answer. According to BBC news last week, insurance companies, instead of being happy that people swap to safer tyres actually charger higher premiums for those that do. Unbelievable? Click here for confirmation:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11969958 What a pathetic country we live in.

Anyway, for those of you who are regular readers, you will no doubt remember my promise last spring, whilst marooned in Kuala Lumpur, never to moan about our climate again, I must point out that I'm not moaning about the weather, I'm moaning about the English attitude towards it and their way of dealing with it. Round here it's turned from beautiful to extremely beautiful and while I was on my way to the paper shop I thought I would take some photos. And here they are. Now I know people like Ally and Jim don't like this kind of weather but I think you will agree, that if you are in anyway interested in photography, you will go a long way to beat the sheer scope and variation of the photo opportunities afforded to residents in this land throughout the year, if only they could drive!