I’m from Maine, and the current cold weather in the UK has me astonished.
We had about eight inches of snow here in Reading, which is unheard-of. It was great snow, perfect for snowmen (as Mr Hunky attests). This was on Tuesday night; we made Mr Hunky on Wednesday morning, in the road in front of our house.
It’s now Sunday, five days later. Our road is still covered in half a foot of snow. We shoveled out the pavement on our road on Wednesday, along with our neighbours, but we don’t have any grit so it’s still slippery. The pavements on the main road haven’t been cleared at all; they’re packed ice, again with no grit (on a steep hill). The main roads in town have been cleared, but again, the pavements are packed ice, and incredibly slippery. People are, with good reason, staying indoors, for fear of falling down.
Mr Hunky still stands in the road. Most of our neighbours’ cars haven’t been unburied yet. Our road is a cul-de-sac, shorter than lots of driveways in Maine.
It’s insane. There are enough resources to make main roads passable, but the rest of the country is left to fend for itself. The policy about snow here in the UK is, “Wait until it melts.”
There is, believe it or not, a shortage of salt. It’s a national crisis. On the evening news.
Being from Maine, I take it for granted that snow will be cleared, roads will be gritted, people will drive carefully, that everything will continue as normal very soon, even after a big snowstorm. But there isn’t the infrastructure here, and everything just grinds to a halt.
Obviously we need a few good Mainers with some snow shovels to sort us out. (A snow blower would not go awry, either.)
On the other hand, people here in the south of England are really not used to snow at all, and it’s a special event. There are snowmen everywhere—and snow dogs, lions, rockets, etc etc. British people love to talk about the weather, so there’s lots of good conversation (that is, if you can leave the house to meet up with another human being). And I’ve observed some very inventive ways of moving cars and people.
The ‘wait until it melts’ policy isn’t working very well is it? And more snow on the way…
I love it in Switzerland where there are heating elements in the motorways and every tiny village road is ploughed.
Heating elements in the motorways??
Some Swiss transport official had waaay too much cash in his budget!
I wonder if he knows the people who put air conditioning in those Dubai beaches?
Ooo heating elements in the motorways! I like this…
So know what you mean! Bostonian speakng here. BUt it is magic and the countryside looks beyond all magnificent – hating leaving the UK and the snow but couldn’t get to Cornwall.
I wonder if it will have melted by the time I fly back next week or just become more compacted?
lx
Air conditioning on beaches?!!?
It’s a mad world.
I know, Liz. It’s actually one of the things that I love about living in England. I mean, why live in a different country if it’s the same as where you come from?
We’re having a warmer day here today and it’s melting into slush, which is actually harder to get around in than the ice.
Even Alabama got snow this time. The world didn’t end, but we’re sure the apocalypse is nigh…