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Sainsbury's survives the snow

A sudden and unexpected blizzard on Friday sent me and the nearly-mother-in-law scurry to the shops to complete the Christmas food shopping. It was a brief blizzard by the time we had finished in Sainsbury the sky was blue and the snow had stopped.

Greenwich had the gritters out and the roads were clear. Our panic was premature. Only by a day or so.



Saturday saw another blizzard. More snow. Time to go in the garden and take care of the wildlife. Very pretty - but very cold.

Garden in the snow

A real Christmas tree

Festive holly

The barometer doing quite an accurate job

Never too old for snow angels!

Snow

The forecast snow arrived this morning as expected (or not depending on whose forecast you believe).

We took an ill-advised trip to the shops (just in case). We left in a blizzard gingerly making our way down mostly untreated roads. We arrived home to clear skies, bright sunshine and normal driving conditions.

If you have had enough of the real stuff (and who would blame you) the Snow Days website by Popular Front is still out there for you artistic pleasure.

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Occasional Tourist

...visits the London lights

London Christmas (1)

London Christmas (2)

Skywatch Friday (37)

Mournful Autumn Weather

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Festive spirit

The festive season has arrived... and it is too much for TfL's alcohol ban it would seem.

This was one of two empty bottles on the Eastbound platform at North Greenwich.

Daily Kitten (13)

Cass is keeping an eye on the garden... Tink has gone to sleep.

Daily Kitten (12)

There is something about boxes cats can't resist. Cass and Tink don't need expensive presents... the boxes will do!

Daily Kitten (11)

At least Amazon's exessive packaging is good for something! I think Tink is about to go into hiding!

Clever fish

The blue pebbles (seen at the bottom of the tank) were placed in the tank in a random heap. It is the fish (honestly) that have arranged them in a path. I wonder if, perhaps, a la Douglas Adams, like the dolphins they are sending a message. We ran out of fish food yesterday - so perhaps it was "Feed us now!"

Daily Kitten (10)

Tink fell asleep whilst on a phonecall?

Tinker the communicator

Pea-soupper

Or maybe a light consommé... fog hiding the top of the Dome this morning and causing chaos across the Peninsula.

Daily Kitten (9)

According to Tinker, cats like going shopping too; as long as they aren't expected to walk!

Tinker

Family tree

Whilst going through papers with my mother following my father's recent passing we found a wealth of information relating to generations past. This ranged from passports to marriage certificates, birth certificates to death certificates and of course an absolute heap of photos.

Victorians and Edwardians are mostly terribly serious in their photographs... well it was new technology and probably cost a lot of money (which is why there are so few compared to our over exposed digital age). The most annoying thing is that (if those in my possession are typical of the age) they made NO effort to make any note of who was in the photos.

The good thing is though that it has rekindled my genealogy interest (first sparked when I was laid up ill in bed for six weeks) and I'm making progress on my family tree again.

Daily Kitten (8)

Cass and Tink, most especially Tink, are fascinated by anything to do with water. Anyone at the kitchen sink, or more exciting, in the bathroom will soon find two little black feline apprentice plumbers by their side.

Tink and Cass

Farewell

Yesterday was my father's funeral; a brief service at the crematorium followed by a wake at a nearby hotel. I found this gravestone in a graveyard near where I grew up and and so with a little digital help I made one final tribute to my lovely dad.

Do not stand at my grave and weep;

I am not there, I do not sleep

I am a thousand winds that blow.

I am the diamond glints on snow.

I am the sunlight on ripened grain.

I am the gentle autumn rain.

When you awaken in the morning's hush

I am the swift uplifting rush

Of quiet birds in circled flight.

I am the soft stars that shine at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry;

I am not there. I did not die.

The last bit of snow

This lonely lump of snow was spotted in New Bond Street this evening... the last bit of snow in Central London?

Skywatch Friday (36)

Fiery Sunrise over the Greenwich Peninsula

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Daily Kitten (7)

If there is one thing that kittens know how to do it's sleep... and Cass does with abandon!

Casper

Daily Kitten (6)

Tink and Cass when they were small

Daily Kitten (5)

We're not quite sure where Casper was going to post himself... most likely somewhere that makes food...

Casper packaged

Tracking

There were a lot of birds around and about in our garden. The blackbirds, the thrushes, the tits, the robins and of course the pigeons and doves (to whom I think these footprints belong).

The heron made a stop too... it was that or small dinosaur.

Icicles

The full icicle collection

But look... they're melting

...downwards, where they re-freeze

It's and icicle tree!

Daily Kitten (4)

Tink is absolutely convinced that something lives down the plughole. I've told him if he keeps sticking his paw down there it will get stuck and we'll have to call in the fire brigade; although in all likelihood it would be the plumber. Tink told me not to worry as he and Casper are plumbers!

Tinker living up to his name and being a tinker

Daily Kitten (3)

They're not sure about taking turns being the daily kitten - so today it is daily kittens! Attempting to prove that as large kittens (small cats) they can both still fit on the desk chair!

Tink and Cass

Daily Kitten (2)

Tinker wants everyone to know that he is just as cute as Casper! He's also doing his best 'kitten pose' even though he is now a small cat!

Tinker

Daily Kitten (1)

I am horrified to find that at the tender age of six months old (and bearing in mind that they were twelve weeks old when we got them) I have over a thousand photos of the kittens already. I figured, who doesn't love a cute kitten - so I'm sharing some of the best shots of the kittens; doing cute things, doing crazy things, and mostly doing nothing at all!

Casper

Skywatch Friday (35)

Snow on the way

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Tube strikes - not done yet

The fourth twenty-four hour stoppage on the tubes at the beginning of this week was the last of the currently scheduled strikes. Head of the RMT Union Bob Crow has said that there will not be any stoppages over the Christmas period, however warned in a recent interview that action would continue after January 2nd if the current dispute was not resolved and that the action would escalate to 48 hour walk-outs.

Pecking order

Whilst we have been imprisoned by the snow my Mum has made sure that our avian friends have not been forgotten! To be fair there had been a lot of traffic around the garden - so it would be hard to ignore the birds! 

The photo on the left was taken around 11am - after we'd already cleared the patio once!

The doves like to think they rule the roost - but in a fine example of bird brains they keep forgetting how to get into the bird table! Or anywhere if it comes to that. This is half of two couples which seem to live near the garden.

Next we have the sparrows... there are massive clan which seem to spend equal time sitting in trees and bushes chattering away, chasing each other or cramming in as much food as they can, from wherever they can!

Last but not least the starlings, or the 'bovver boys' as they are known here. They descend and carry out  little experiments such as how many  can fit inside the bird table (over half a dozen)

There are other occasional visitors who don't stop long enough to get their photos snapped... today a great tit, a robin and a chaffinch - not including the seagull circling overhead!

Delightfully this photo was taken about twenty minutes ago and there does seem to be an infinitesimal thaw beginning.

Snow days

In England it is always a big thing when it snows. Transport everywhere ceases to function and people stock up with enough food to survive the siege of Troy.

Once I accept that I am stuck in Kent until either a) the roads clear or b) the trains start running again I can quite enjoy the scenery.

Our garden this morning

Yesterday before five inches fell overnight

Very seasonal at least!

Snowed in

Having spent the last few days with my Mum down in Kent today it was time to get back to London and back to work. 

The great gods of weather have other ideas. Stop the press - it's snowing. 

Now as we all go - the country (especially the south) comes to a halt when it snows.

The roads are broken... well, at least the roads I'd like to use aren't working. I wouldn't dare try the side roads (see photo above).

The trains are broken too.

They don't even know where the trains are going through Tonbridge!