The blizzard was the worst of the year. Holed up inside watching the wind scoop the snow into weird shapes in the garden with all the roads around us impassable. Belgian travel chaos even made the international news, the boss is stuck in Paris etc. etc.
I may have mentioned that I am over snow.
But the effect of the snow drifts was to alter the shape of the countryside around us a remove certainty underfoot. Most of the roads and tracks are sunk some distance below the surrounding fields which means they were like magnets to the snow drifts and impassable to traffic, not something common in Western Europe in March, or rather not historically normal. Who knows with the changes in our weather systems.
This photo is our road, about 500 metres from the house. No, not the line running left to right, that is a track. The dark line heading up to the hill is a one metre high verge. It hasn’t been passed by a single vehicle all day.
So we staggered about late afternoon, falling down holes and watching the dog almost swimming in powder snow. Great fun. But it can stop now. Personally I’d like to see a daffodil flower. That would be nice.
I Do Not Despair 
Kevin,
Hope you are all well. Great to follow your adventures. You need to get hold of some cross-country skis! We haven’t (quite) had enough snow to take ours out this year. But we have had continuous snow since December. It’s snowing now.
Partial Power Cuts: We have them in Sparrowpit from time to time. We were told it’s because we’re ‘directly on the mains’! What else would we be? The man in the call centre was neither a Physicist or an Electrical Engineer. What he meant to say was that our supply comes straight from the HT supply, by way of a transformer on one of the poles – rather than from a full on sub-station. The transformer box isn’t very weather-tight. The rain (or snow) gets into the box and we get a massive volt-drop on our supply. Low energy bulbs will just about light up (not so voltage sensitive), conventional bulbs don’t come on. Same for appliances: some need the full 240, others will sort of work on much less – depending on how good the voltage regulator is, if the device has one. So that might be your answer? Our transformer box is to be replaced, again, next Monday. Camping stove ready.
Club runs: The Ellan Vannin Scone Run is a must if you find yourself in the Isle of Man http://www.ellanvannin.cc/?p=251 Amongst others, I was riding with Marie Morgan (Nee Purvis) last summer. All very friendly, with much encouragement for an ever increasing number of new faces, and visitors are always welcome.
Best wishes, Chris Williamson
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Chris what a pleasure to be in touch again. You have obviously browsed a few posts by the range of comments above, thanks for reading the blog.
For the sake of anyone else who reads the blog I have to concede that despite my protestations I am only 20km from a capital city, your spot at the top of the Peak District really is remote. In fact you really should be powered by wind and water, not electricity.
Best wishes
Kevin
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