Ice

A-Z Challenge – ‘I’

Last December was the coldest in the UK for a hundred years. Snow snarled up the airports and planes could not be de-iced. 

Locally we had the most snow that I can remember since we moved here at the beginning of the 1970s. The bungalow we live in has a drive that slopes up from the road to the garage. Keeping it clear of snow is a must if you want to go out in the car. Going out is not a problem; it’s getting back up that slope is a major obstacle as the compacted snow turns to ice.

The main road from the village to the local town snakes its way through a beech wood. The S-bends have been the scene of many an accident over the years, this one being no exception. In November the drain on one of the bends was blocked with fallen leaves and rain water spread across the road. Then it snowed forming a sheet of ice. Salt and grit on the road each night meant the road always had standing water on the surface. It was a no-go area for pedestrians as the pavements were hard-packed snow covered in ice; ice skates would not have helped on such an uneven surface. In addition as vehicles passes cold water was sprayed over everything nearby covering everything with ice. To be safe and avoid the ice walkers had to climb the fence and fight their way through the woods.

Why do I mention all this?

It gave me a photo opportunity that I did not expect:

To celebrate the pictures I could have had a forbidden whiskey on the rocks. However I’m told I shall have to wait until it’s warmer to toast myself - with ice tea.