I love snow, maybe it is because my childhood winters have lovely snowy memories…
… of the time the school boiler couldn’t cope with the cold and school was closed, so after a mile or so sledge ride (pulled by mum and dad) to school, we had the sledge ride home and time to build snowmen.
…of when the drifts filled the lanes to hedge height and my brother and I went walking like giants across the frozen top of the snow higher than the hedges, with our parents stuck wading through shoulder deep drifts.
…of sledging down the hills of “The Park” (farmed estate land opposite my childhood home) with other village children, building ramps and tubes out of the medieval pitch and furrow.
…of building an igloo in the back garden with my brother, and then hiding out in it reading comics by the diffused snow-light.
…of the numerous snowmen built in the orchard.
Yes, snow seemed to happen with some regularity in my early years. So having moved to Virginia I’d been excited having seen photographs and told tales of the big storms, of ‘91, and ‘96. I was disappointed though and the big storms never came, until now.
Our local weather news are reporting:
Powerful, historic snowstorm pasting metro region
Crippling accumulations of 16-24″+ likely
Snow and winds have increased throughout the night blanketing the metro region with 4-8″ of snow. Before long, we will be buried by several times that amount making this a record breaking December storm. Double digit accumulations have already been reported to our south in central Virginia. This is a dangerous, severe storm. Do not travel unless absolutely necessary.
You know it is going to be good when they end the forecast with “Do not travel unless absolutely necessary” 
When we checked the reports before bed last night Laura was disappointed because the numbers showed “1-2+” until we realised they meant feet not inches! With a winter storm warning in effect until 6am Sunday, and the 6 inches or so that fell since midnight being considered the slow start to the heavier snow falls between 8am and 6pm, this is going to be fun.
So I hope to post updates as the day goes on, unless the power goes out! We’ve made our preparations, which always seems to include two bottles of white wine and fondue ingredients when snow and Laura and I are concerned, and I’m now taking advantage of the cats early wake-up call to put batteries on charge and find where torches were left after Halloween just in case we do lose the electricity supply.
The snow at 7am
I might not get much Christmas shopping done today, but I’ll have fun
—UPDATE—UPDATE—UPDATE—
Regardless of what the storm may bring, at least I’m not stuck in the Channel Tunnel (from The Telegraph).
It is thought trains – all headed to London from Paris – failed as they left the cold air in northern France and entered the warmer air inside the tunnel.
Some passengers were stuck for 11 hours and two of the trains had no heating or lighting.
So who designed a train that breaks down when it moves between cold and warm air???
