the snow show must go on!

Well, although the footie briefly but tiresomely intruded on the news, you will all have realised that SNOW took centre stage this last week, not least in Lincolnshire and Kent (see photo of a table outside the breakfast room). When the snow falls heavily and drifts my house becomes completely cut off from the world, so I took the necessary precaution of leaving my car in the village 1/4 mile away. Conditions in Kent became progressively worse, the M20 motorway was again turned into a lorry car park c/o Operation Stack, roads were hazardous, normal trains not working, Dover completely cut off by rail, road or sea - but we do have one excellent advantage nearly on our doorstep - High Speed Rail, Ashford to St Pancras. So, come Wednesday's lecture in Theydon Bois, despite a hacking cough and redder nose than normal, at 7am I released my car from its blanket of snow in the village and drove to Ashford, thence the train to Stratford International, bus to Stratford tube and central line out to Essex. Not my best ever lecture but I did give it my all! Still shivering I then made my way to Finchley Road station to see a Brangwyn watercolour in a private collection, which cheered me up no end because it was one of the most beautiful ones I have ever seen. And the lovely lady gave me a warming cup of tea and some yummy lemon polenta cake which slightly revived my spirits (having had no breakfast or lunch). Thence back to chilly Kent and I was still shivering and shaking until the following morning.

Postscript: the day after I took the photo, i.e. yesterday, the snow melted overnight, as if by magic, but the weight of it on the poor old roof, and then the subsequent floods of water, infiltrated the tiling and and a few ceilings with the result that by morning all the clothes in the wardrobe were sopping wet, an old Mongolian carpet was similarly affected and huge lumps of plaster have detached themsleves. UGH!