Somerset, deep and crisp and even

Well I know everyone is posting about the snow, but here along the normally sub-tropical always warm Somerset coast we've now had our share of snow. Last month when my parents had 2 feet in the North East, down here we had a dusting, it melted, but remained below freezing. Thankfully we escaped the worst of it.

Not by yesterday morning!!! It was forecast of course but at 5.30am when I got up and took this picture out the bedroom window we had about 2 inches, on sheet ice as it had been raining until about 4pm on Thursday. Anyway it didn't look too deep or bad so off I went to work, only to return 15 minutes later, limping the car home after failing to turn a corner on sheet ice, careering into a kerb and denting my tyre and wheel along the way. Given my Suzuki has a naff space saver spare I decided driving in ice and snow on one 15 inch 285mm wide and one 13 inch 80mm wide tyre on the front may not be a good option. Especially after what had just happened....so an enforced day off work then. And boy am I glad I did.

Bizarrely the snow was only really along the Somerset coast. Bristol had none, and Julie in Wiltshire had none. However, Weston super Mare, 6 miles from me had 5 inches by 10am and Wales 10 miles as the crow flies had chaos.

So I made the most of my day off, and decorated the dining room, with the odd visit to the garden to watch the birds who were now being fed industrial quantities of feed. And it was all quite pretty really, even the birds seemed to be taking it in their stride. But this photo of the wagtail was at 11am Friday. Not 10 minutes after this shot was taken, a humdinger of a blizzard came in off the Welsh mountains, across the Bristol Channel and my house was in the firing line. We hunkered down for the day and watched the blizzard rage....

........ to then awoke this morning to a real winter wonderland, Narnia had nothing on this part of Somerset on the last Saturday before Christmas.

First job then to clear the decking for the birds

And marvel at the scene in my back garden.

Next years Christmas card?

Or maybe this one....?

Stop taking photos..... we're getting hungry

But I have to say the view from my office window across to the Welsh mountains in the distance was absolutely breathtaking.

I've got my parents with me for Christmas, so had to go and pop to the supermarket for additional sprouts. Normally a 5 minute drive, but there was no way I'd drive today, especially with a dodgy wheel, so I walked with my backpack and wearing stout wellies; this meant I saw this view 20 feet from my front door, and.............

.... this one as I crossed onto the castle mound. Considering both these 2 photos were taken on my blackberry, I'm quite impressed how it coped with the exposure in the snow.

Julie was meant to be over here this weekend as we planned to go to the village carols by candlelight service tomorrow. She e-mailed me at 5.45am this morning to say the snow hadn't arrived. By 7.30 there was 6 inches in rural Wiltshire. Where she lives is high up, almost into Hampshire and very isolated. There was no way she'd get to me, or me to her. So to give herself something to do as the planned Christmas shopping was out of the question, she walked an 8 mile round trip to Great Bedwyn to get a morning paper (at the same time I was walking to the supermarket). Along her walk she sent me these 2 mobile phone images.

.....even if I say so myself, not a bad dump of snow in 2 hours!!!

Stay warm everyone