It's snowing!
That's right, snow in the UK. And apparently it's chaos. I've been living in the UK for two winters now. Last one, a furious two minute snowfall in Edinburgh in February. That's all I saw all season. We've had about a total of 13 minutes of snow this winter, spread out over three days that I can remember.
I've had two green Christmases in a row.
But today...amazing! It's been snowing off and on since I got out of bed at 8:40 am (I know, slack) and at some points it will stop and the sun will shine. Since I've started writing, it's stopped again. I went home for lunch, eager to get outside and as I was walking, it stopped. But on my way back, it's tossing ice balls, which turn into lovely flakes. People are walking on the High Street with umbrellas in hand, there are barely any cars out driving. Thing is, there's nothing sticking to the streets. It melts as soon as it falls. But in the distance, on the hillsides, pure white. Reminds me of what I'm missing out on back in Canada, and how much fun that first winter home will be...
And now, some words of advice from Edinburgh Council:
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Adverse weather - reporting for work
As poor weather conditions have affected some parts of the country, it is a useful time to remind you of what you should do if you have difficulty getting in to work.
Staff should make every effort to reach their place of work on time each working day. However, there may be occasions when weather conditions are so severe that some you will either be prevented from attending work or will be late in and/or need to leave work early.
If adverse weather conditions mean that you are unable to report to your normal place of work, you must contact your line manager as soon as possible to discuss your circumstances and explore any solutions to overcome you being away from work.
-Edinburgh Council online Magnet magazine
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And let me remind you...it's really not quite that bad. But, I guess in situations where weather is 'extreme', people can tend to panic.
For example, this summer it rained in Edinburgh for two days straight. It usually rains in Edinburgh at least once a day, but only for a few minutes at a time. In a country where precipitation is abundant, you would think there would be up-to-date logical ways of dealing with rain. Sure, the streets are narrow and old and drains are few and far between. But most have gutters for the rain to accumulate and wash down a street (keep in mind, it's a hilly city) which seems efficient enough. Thing is, Edinburgh used to have a Loch right smack in the middle of town. The big, stinking, Nor Loch. Before indoor plumbing was invented, homes would dump their buckets of sewage twice a day and this would drain down the streets into the Nor Loch. Thousands of people, twice a day, buckets of toilet waste. Not to mention dead bodies, garbage, and anything else you'd care to never see again.
Where the Loch used to be is now the lush Princes St. Gardens and on one end, Waverley Station. When the two days of rain came this summer, the Gardens flooded again and trains were cancelled, the tracks sitting in inches of water.
Efficient in old days, yes. Today? Panic.
Quite a few people have just left work early, it's only 4 p.m. and I just asked a co-worker what the deal was. She said she's really hoping her train is not cancelled.
Remember a few years back when a snowstorm hit Toronto (for once, instead of Ottawa) and they had to call in the Army? Still makes me chuckle...
"It's hilarious watching people running through the snow as if it's burning them. Ha! People are so funny." -M.
Oh look, it's snowing again...
