Keep calm, ignore the bad weather and carry on
The snows have stopped, the waters receded, and the spring bulbs that emerged a week or so ago have survived the snows and winds.
It’s a balmy ten degrees out there, sunny and cheerful, and for the first time in a week we can emerge without hat gloves and winter coat.
There is some small patches of dirty grey slushy snow, piled up against walls and trees, the remnants of last week’s blizzards.
Spring has decided to show its face in all its seasonal glory, we spotted three gold finches on the seed feeders, and our resident collared doves are collecting twigs in preparation for this year’s new hatchlings.
On the down side, the rainwater butts are one big frozen lump, and snow that blew in the shed under the door, is now liquid. The walk to the local shops is a joy, hellos are exchanged with a smile.
A week ago battling through the wind driven blizzard the same folk were heads down, with only the eyes visible, any conversations was nonexistent.
The ‘Beast from the East’ is now but a memory, to be talked about and dissected in pubs and RBl’s for weeks to come. A new season starts with glorious sunshine and optimism, ‘The Hysteria from Siberia’ that so dominated the mass media has passed us by and hopefully heading out across the north Atlantic.
With this new found cheerfulness, out came the paint and brushes, and her indoors and resident offspring are complaining about the smell of gloss paint, and the bathroom being off limits for the next day or so, while I do the ‘Dad’s DIY’ thing and blitz the family pile with paint, filler and new electrics.
I am trying to do the maintenance before the next apoplectic weather bomb causes havoc and mayhem, this being Britain like two buses turning up at once, were bound to suffer another catastrophic weather event, normally around May June, well, this is England, land of the seasonal unknown.
Talking about the weather is a national pastime, moaning is in our blood, petrol prices, Brexit and our all time favourite, the weather, it makes us what we are, British proud and fiercely independent, and long may it be so.
Bad weather, no problem, bring it on, we can take it. Keep calm and carry on.
Tony Levy
Wolverhampton
