Snow Business
February 10, 2009 by Bird
Filed under Blog, Good Stuff, Winter
A little over a week ago London was under a foot of snow with a promise of more to come, and everyone and his/her dog cheerfully bunked off to go out and enjoy it. The extra snow failed to materialise here (though it did in other parts of the country) and what snow we had was gone all too soon, but the carnival atmosphere on that snowy hill won’t be forgotten by me in a hurry.
R and I walked to Parliament Hill on Hampstead Heath in a thick flurry of snow, visibility was poor and we didn’t get the hoped for view from there of the whole of London in its snowy blanket. Still, we did have the fun of playing together with strangers in the snow - snowball fights, screaming chaos on improvised sledges made from tea trays, dustbin lids, estate agents sighnboards and more than one bathtub sent hurtling down the slopes to rowdy shrieks and cheers. Anyway enough words, check out the film and pictures… there’s more to come.
Those of us on the chillier side of the world might find it hard to imagine the terrible events taking place in Australia. We are lucky that the worst so many of us are having to deal with right now is a little snow. Please, if you can, donate to the Red Cross Australian Bushfires Appeal.
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That looks like a blast! It makes me realize that I missed out a bit in our little snow trip recently- someone has to be waiting for the kids inside, ready to dry them off and warm them up. Ah, well- when they are older, perhaps I can join them outdoors in the snow! I’m glad everyone there got to get out and have fun.
Oh no! Couldn’t you have all got warm and dry together when you got inside? (says she who doesn’t have three kids, very obviously;)) Being a mother is noble work indeed. I hope you get to have some snowy fun soon – I guess the wait will make it even more special.
LOL! There are a lot of things that will be very special indeed, having waited as long as I have. . . it’s one of the reasons we’re probably not having any more children. As much as we love our young children, we are looking forward to when they will be old enough for us to drag on longer, more skilled adventures. Looking forward to them being slightly more self-sufficient.
Oh Dear Bird, this looks soooooooo like my kind of fun!!! I wish I’d been there. I LOOOVVVEEE things like this. This is SUCH a delicious post. I am laughing. All the joy and festivity is contagious. I so wish I was there. I would slide and build snow people and ski and roll down the hill laughing my face off. It is so COOL to hear you voice. I love it. You sound so elegant. LOL!! Just wonderful.
What a life-giving post. I am so happy you had this day. Were all the world this joyous all the time. Imagine it, there would be no wars. This who we really are inside. This is humanity at its best. Thank you sooo much for sharing this. You made my day. I am so happy right now.
Robin, I know you love the snow so I thought this would be up your street! Yo really would have loved it if you had been there, it was a huge amount of fun, we had snowball fights with a gang of little boys and tried our luck with a bit of cardboard on the slope (not very fast but entertaining nonetheless) I agree, it brought out the very best in everyone, I’ve rarely seen brusque Londoners so skittish and playful. It seems like a long time ago now, and temperatures have risen so we may not get any more snow this year. I’m glad we made the most of it.
You think I sound elegant? Haha, I think dorky is the word you are looking for! My voice is a bit of an oddity, if I ever get over excited the broad scouse accent of my childhood takes over and I sound completely different (and completely terrifying)
I suppose all these years living down south have left me with a bit of a posh twang.
Oh, how I wish I were out there…maybe the only situation in which I could tolerate crowds! I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people in one place to go sledding.
When I was growing up I used to sled at someplace called the George Washington Masonic Temple (that I’ll post a pic of at some point) and thought that it was big—wow, doesn’t compare to your grounds here! And that snowball is awesome. I’d be tempted to take it to the top of the hill and let it roll down, but that could be a disaster for some poor inattentive sledder…heads up!
I’m mostly not fond of crowds myself but I think this was one of the best natured gatherings I’ve ever experienced
It got so crowded I think because not only is such a large snowfall unheard of in London, but much of the public transport system ground to a halt that day. Many people could not get into work and grabbed the chance to revert to their childhood selves in both mittened hands! Almost everybody knows Parliament Hill so that’s where many people headed. There was an equally big crowd at Alexandra Palace hill for all the same reasons, and other hills beside I’m sure. I have a feeling that there will be a lot of people who never forget that day.
And the giant snowball? It did get taken to the top of the hill and sent down, check out this link here! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC0twcvcAnY
Delightful post – everyone’s have such a great time. Posh or scouse, Robin’s right: it’s lovely to hear your voice, Bird. It does sound like you’ve might’ve had a bit of a cold, but no wonder, if you were as ill-prepared as some I see in your photos for this unexpected winter weather!
Still, until you get chilled through, it’s a helluva lot of fun!
Oh Greg, we were all so very unprepared, any snow at all in London is a great big deal! We usually get a desultory flurry that hardly settles, and that only about once every five years. To get over a foot of snow in one day was almost unheard of and of course hardly anyone has practical clothes or the correct tyres for their vehicles and so everything grinds to a halt and we all go bananas for the day.
And yes, you can hear the hint of a cold! I was wrapped up very well and felt better than ever that day, plus we had hot treacle pudding with custard as a treat once we got home so I was better in next to no time.
Maybe I’ll finally have a go at making that starling film I promised months ago, I’ve been unsure whether or not to record a commentary for it but I guess I’m going to bite the bullet, I’m quite shy about my voice and never really thought it might be a positive addition
So, thanks for the encouragement!