The great English blizzard

I am still in England. In my post from Saturday night, I was whinging about arriving in England just before a winter weather event. Snow was predicted -- maybe a few flurries. But the snow did not disappoint. It snowed all day yesterday. This was the morning view from my room.

It wasn't really a blizzard, but about six inches accumulated, in a country that apparently hasn't seen snow for more then five years. Across the UK, airports, train lines, and businesses closed. They shut down the buses between the two local towns, so my plans for Sunday afternoon deteriorated. I spent the day holed up on campus instead. It was quite festive looking, if boring.

This morning, many schools are closed, and some trains still not running. Yes, it's just six inches. But they don't have equipment to deal with even six inches. For example, I heard a scraping noise outside my window this morning. I looked out to see a man with a thin metal shovel, no gloves, moving the slush off the sidewalk. No snow blower, not even a proper snow shovel, and no gloves. I guess that's why none of the walkways on campus were cleared yesterday. No equipment.

The organisers of this conference I'm attending are a little stressed out. Most of the participants were supposed to arrive yesterday. They're stuck all across Europe. A man from Lyon in France wrote to say that all flights to the UK had been canceled. He's hoping to make it by Wednesday. A couple others are in Paris, a few more in Frankfurt. The speaker schedule has been adjusted accordingly.

But, having arrived before the storm, I think it's kind of fun. I haven't appreciated real winter weather for nearly a year now -- since another trip to Europe last February. It isn't bad to spend a day watching the snow fall outside the window.

And for all my whinging on Saturday night, Sunday really wasn't a problem. I was worried I'd have to haul my luggage around all day, feeling jet lagged. But I didn't. The staff at the conference centre were moving buildings as well. I guess it's a quiet time of year, and only one conference centre on campus is open at a time, with all the same staff. So the desk staff took my bag from one centre to the other in the afternoon while I was watching the snow fall somewhere on campus. Which was so very nice of them.

And the change in conference centres was a huge win. A huge win. I went from a bathroom with a sink that looked like this:

Two taps. Horrible English plumbing, where you must wash in either too too hot or too too cold water. Chapped hands. I've stated before how much I hate English plumbing. ...

To a sink in the new place that looks like this:

One! One! One mixer tap! I can wash my hands and face in warm water! Not hot or cold. Warm!

My friends, the switch was worth all the discomfort.

Happy winter to all (for a week, anyway).