Yesterday, just after lunch it suddenly went really cold and got darker too. The forecast had been for bright sunshine all day. I looked out the window a while later and it was snowing though very gently and with very wispy flakes. It gathered momentum but still didn't look capable of settling. I needed to go to see Ernie and Bobbi though so got my stuff together and headed out. As I opened the front door this is what faced me. HUGE flakes of snow. I walked a few paces down the road then headed back for my camera in an attempt to capture the size of the snowflakes. it wasn't easy, nor entirely successful and I was terrified I'd kill my camera as the snow was getting increasingly heavy.
I stopped round the corner to take these-it was so incredible-not just due to the size of the flakes but the silence and beauty was breathtaking. It was truly magical. I'm not sure if you can see the size properly but I've tried. A girl from further up my road stopped as I took the pictures and commented on the silence of it all. I said it was like Narnia and she agreed. Snow normally creates a quieter world but this was more than that. It was absolutely silent, as though all the senses were mixed up somehow. Our vision was filled with these enormous flakes which were mostly vertically heading towards the ground-the swirling seen in the photos is of the flakes twisting or dancing perhaps in mid air-it wasn't a blizzard-the snow was falling straight to the floor which rapidly covered.
I fed Ernie and Bobbi, changed bedding's etc and then searched for Ernie as I couldn't find him and I worry. Eventually I did find him and he was all upset as he doesn't like the snow. I headed back to the greenhouse and he happily followed at top speed. I wiped the snow off him so he was all dry and then left them to it as the snow was getting deeper by the moment.
I popped into Lens (my neighbour who is the official carer for Ernie and Bobbi) on the way home. I was staring to get worried about the feasibility of a vets visit-Bobbi needed to be re-checked after her initial abscess treatment and no doubt another antibiotic injection would be necessary. Len said we'd be fine (although I have to do all the carrying, talking etc so it's not as though in truth Len participates hugely in this!). I was worried about slipping as the ground was covered both pavements and roads.
We agreed a time to meet and between then and 4.00pm when we were to set off it snowed constantly and heavily. It had become a blizzard now and hard to see. My neighbour who will drive us to the vets if required is also old (mid 70's) and I didn't think the conditions suitable for him to drive in. Consequently that meant I had to carry Bobbi all the way-both ways. Much of the way we had snow in our face which was horrendous. Bobbi was in her carrier on bedding that had been on the radiator, with a heat pad and with the carrier covered with a blanket with paw prints on (I deemed this appropriate!). When we got to the vets I had to take my scarf, coat, hat and gloves off as otherwise when I held her she'd have got wet from me! Bobbie needless to say was very warm and dry throughout!
I was terrified walking in the snow as it was very slippery. Len insisted we walk in the road (it's safer apparently despite the cars!). he kept going when cars slid towards us whilst I (always the coward) hid behind parked cars and prayed they'd skid back the other way and not hit us. The land at Len's is horrendously bumpy, it's a true miracle I didn't fall and today my arms hurt me so much from holding little (but weighs a tonne) Bobbie all that time!!
Anyway, Bobbi did well at the vets, just needing one more antibiotic injection, and the free packet of treats seemed the least she deserved after her ordeal. She actually also seemed to enjoy the journeys to and from the vets-glad someone did and upon arriving back home she gobbled up two plates of food in record time. Stress=comfort eating may exist even in puss cats!
I wanted to take more photos of how deep the snow got but I didn't dare take my camera back out again and then unhappily (though typically) I forgot before it got dark. We had quite a bit though, the umpteenth time in the space of a couple of weeks.
Oh well, best get some lunch. I'm waiting for a British Gas person/plumber to take a look at my taps which are being iffy in the bathroom. Both hot and cold in the sink died then cold was somehow resurrected (am i being blasphemou saying this, or can resurrection be used other than in the Jesus sense? Apologies if I am-I am a Christian and would hate to be rude). Now just the cold works (albeit remaining a bit of a diva) and so my Mum insisted that I call British Gas to get someone to look at them under the maintenance agreement she has with them(Mum owns my house). There's a couple of major snags. Firstly British gas 'don't do taps' so this is 99.9% likely to be an utter waste of time. Secondly they are supposed to come between 12pm and 6pm (no you can't have a life and need to go out shopping, feed stray cats etc) and thirdly my neighbour just told me that at 11.00am a British Gas man knocked on my door. I was no doubt hoovering up rabbit poo and desperately opening windows as Basil decided to use his tray not long before the person was due!
My poor bunnies are now shut in my bedroom so they can't poo over the landing before the person comes (many people seem inexplicably to object to treading in rabbit poo whilst in a house though they do love the bunnies that commit such a heinous act) and also they won't get trodden on which is a hideous occurance threatened all too often by those unaccustomed to rabbits in a house. Happily no one has actually trodden on any bunnies (though I suspect my dad may once have come terrifyingly close-best not think about that too much or I may disown him for good!). What tends to happen is people stop suddenly, there's this huge silence as Humphrey or Jacob come into view looking, well like the rabbits they are; people stare a bit then say 'is that a rabbit?'. 'Um, yes, the big ears are a big clue' I say. Then they stare some more and say 'In the house?'. We're usually in the dining room-you know walls, ceiling, carpet on the floor, windows etc with one or two furry creatures with big ears hopping towards us. I never know how to answer this really and therefore end up saying something totaslly ridiculous like 'Yes, they're houserabbits'!!
So the bunnies are under bedroom arrest for everyone's safety and sanity, Basil is in with them as he knows something is going on and he's terrified of strangers. I meanwhile am thirsty but dare not drink too much in case the BG person can mend the taps but it takes ages and the loo is in the bathroom! I can't feed the birds again in case I miss the door. I can't craft in case the man bangs the front door really hard and I slip with my scissors and cut off a bunny's ears or the stem of a flower!
I am a worrier if you hadn't realise by now and now I'm worrying in case the BG man came at 11.00am as he thinks he was due in the morning NOT the afternoon and thus won't come now. I didn't say morning as it's between 8.00 (what!!!) and 12.00pm and 8.00am is not a target (bearing in mind the great hoovering and logistical rabbit nightmare that was necessary) I could meet. I think I'll phone them. I hate this and he's got to come now-I've hoovered for goodness sakes and cleaned the bathroom!! We look like a show home! (Well OK we don't-we still have rabbits pooing on my bedroom floor which isn't usual in show homes and neither are cat litter trays and hairy, moulting cats everywhere. may not be a show home but it's our home. Let's make that call.
