The big melt

After four days of being snowed-in, with nothing able to get up or down our township road, the big thaw started.

The rain had begun earlier that day, relentless, grey needles of wet, and the puddles had started to form. This grey, slushy stage of a snow landscape is by the far the least attractive part, but much as we loved the white silence of the snowscape we were ready for the thaw.

Friends with a Land Rover managed to struggle through the remaining snow to the top of the hill for a cup of tea and a slice of cake. It was actually so nice to see people after an enforced week indoors and without any human contact.

We sat in front of the fire, drank tea, played with the cats and marvelled at the snow that we’d just experienced.

As the day started to darken we realised that they’d been with us for three hours so it was time to say farewell and dispatch them back into the cold evening to make their way back to their home on their own hillside a few miles away.

This morning marks a return to something closer to normality. A food shop should be possible later today to replenish fresh goods. The pantry has worked well but we need a few replacement supplies, and we’re running low on fruit and cheese.

I’ve baked bread and scones to keep us going, and cold weather food in the form of stews, soups and cheesy savouriness. It’s been lovely to hunker down by the fire and be cosy knowing that there’s nowhere else you have to be, or indeed could be.

All expectations for the day beyond staying warm and eating, shelved.

I’m sure that this won’t be the last snow of the winter but for now the worst of this is over.

We now just have the slush and the gales to enjoy.