Just around the Corner

The first day of Spring is in one week so I think (hope!) it's now safe to say that we've fully experienced an English Winter. 

It was shaping up to be a mild and wet one, but then a couple weeks ago we were hit by the "Beast from the East" and were left under a layer of 5 inches of snow and ice with freezing temperatures.

It was beautiful but since this part of the country is not used to that much snow, they don't have snow plows either.  Luckily I knew the forecast so I'd stocked the house with plenty of supplies, cooked food ahead of time, and washed all our clothes in preparation to ride out whatever we would experience.  Coming from a place that is home to both ice storms and tornados and has regularly occurring thunderstorms, you learn not to freak out at the prospect of bad weather.

It was a good thing we were prepared because it became a week that also included a burst pipe and a nonworking boiler (what heats the water that goes to the radiators and warms the house)!

But everything got fixed in a pretty timely manner and we are back up and running.

Besides, without the cold and snow, we wouldn't have had snowballs,

rosy cheeks,

or Winter walks home from school with Dad.

Inclement weather in southeast England really is unusual: we've only experienced 2 thunderstorms in the almost 9 months that we have lived here, only one of which I would classify as "severe."  

I wrote about that experience and how it was a metaphor for what we were going through with one of our daughters here.

Actually, it might surprise you to hear that with 47.3 inches, Nashville, Tennessee gets about twice as much rain/snow per year as London, with 23.4 inches. 

Here in the UK we definitely see more days of light rain or drizzle, though.

I would say it's just enough to complain about, but instead I like to think it's just enough to keep the gardens beautiful.

The other day as I was walking down to the old high street, these pink blooms climbing an old cottage winked at me and made me notice the quaint scene I was rushing past.

Winter really isn't so bad when you remember that Spring is just around the corner.