Snowy Weather and a Super Spreader

Did you get hit with snow on 5 January? You did if you live in Harrogate like I do. It felt as though all the available snow in the sky was dumped on us. North Yorkshire Council was heavily criticised for inadequate efforts to prepare for the forecast snow, and not making the roads and pavements safe once the snow became compacted ice. Defending themselves, they described the snowfall as “the worst since the Beast from the East in 2018“. Temperatures plummeted as low as -11, so the snow quickly turned to ice, so thick it was like trying to dig concrete.  Living on our road is like living on a steep hill in Narnia. We’re only a few hundred yards from a main road, but we were unable to dig our cars out and rejoin civilisation for a week. Trying to walk anywhere was perilous – the side roads and pavements were covered in thick compacted ice. After a few days of searching, I found my crampons – I think I probably bought them after the Beast from the East experience. The first challenge was to get them onto my boots – they’re a tight fit. I needed the help of 2 pairs of pliers, all my strength and a lot of swearing  to get them on. It didn’t help that I put the first set on the wrong way round. As I picked up the next one I noticed they are clearly marked BACK and FRONT. Anyway, crampons are great for walking on snow and ice but not for traversing hard surfaces, and I’m afraid after the effort to get them on, I was past caring if I ripped my local Co-op’s flooring to shreds.

Lily was traumatised by the snow when it first fell. She sunk up to her armpits and was unable to move. When it became icy she couldn’t stand up on it, so I had to dig her a little pathway across our terrace, and clear a small patch of grass for her to wee and poo on. She still went round and round in circles in the space allowed, before deciding on the perfect spot. GR valiantly ventured out with a broom to relieve Ceanothus of the weight of snow and tightened up her supporting ropes. The photo below is of the back garden a week after the snow fell. A few days later we experienced near tropical temperatures (+10) and it all disappeared as if by magic – who says there’s no such thing as global warming?

Little Bud was subjected to being a snow angel by his parents – he didn’t look impressed. However, he got his own back. Having suffered a day of being a little out of sorts, he passed on a vicious D & V bug to Rosie and Daisy, Daisy’s parents, her sister and me. Perhaps we should rename him Little Bug. GR conveniently missed this treat as he was on a ski slope somewhere in Austria. I forgave Little Bud and he came to stay with me overnight, while his parents had time away celebrating Daisy’s birthday. He was a model child for his granny and even did some horticultural reading during his stay, in preparation for becoming my gardening assistant once he can walk.