When the snow comes, it brings many things. Sometimes it
brings real hardship, and for those without homes I felt concern, and for those
without water I felt sympathy. For those
who have been cut off without supplies, I am so glad that we have a military
who are able to respond not just to conflict but to the needs of our people. However, for me the snow that came in the form of the ‘Beast from theEast’ was a gift.
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| A snowy lane in the forest |
We live busy lives, and taking the time to just enjoy our
environment is not always easy. But when you are snowed in, there’s no
option. Of course, you have to be in the
right place to be snowed in, and with the right resources, and I was amazingly
lucky.
On the Monday evening I headed to Suffolk so that my journey
to Norfolk the following day would be easier. Well, I was wrong there! The journey to Suffolk was fine, only one
briefly worrying snow flurry on the way, but the roads and the weather for
heading to Norfolk on the Tuesday (even in a four by four) was impossible! We were stuck in traffic, and then the
weather deteriorated and we headed back to the forest. Oh yes, the forest, near
the sea!
We returned home, abandoning the queues of traffic and the
journey back to my friend’s house in the forest was much easier. We had plenty
of food, plenty of wood (hardly surprising) and the internet. I could work from
my temporary home.
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| Enjoying the snow |
I was visiting my new friend, who I didn’t know that well,
but who I instantly hit it off with. The first few times we have met we laughed
so much; both with a slightly off beat sense of humour and a sense of the
ridiculous, we also both love the
natural world. So being snowed in with
someone I didn’t know that well (and who didn’t know me well either) was an
interesting test of our friendship. Especially as I didn’t actually get home
until the Sunday so it wasn't just a day or two.
My friend has two dogs, and dogs love snow when they can run
around in it, play in it, and chase each other through the trees and round the
garden. On the Tuesday I phoned my boss –
it made sense to work from home, but I also took some time off too. I was in a snow filled wood, I was going to take advantage! (And most of my colleagues hadn't made it to work either, so a lot less emails than usual.)
The time we had together was a gift – we were able to get to
know each other better and indeed had a lot more laughs and fun. From walking in the woods and trying to find
the dog after he’d gone tearing off after some (much faster) deer, or chopping
wood in the garden with a chain saw and log splitter, the
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| I discovered I chop wood left-handed |
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| Snowy tracks told their own stories |
My delight in Suffolk has stemmed from my childhood when I
spent many happy holidays near Foxearth (where I also met my first ghosts, aged
just 3). My week being snowed in near
Southwold has only confirmed my love for this beautiful county.
All photos (C) Carolyn Sheppard
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1 comment:
And I married 'my friend from Suffolk'. What a gift that snowstorm was!
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