It was back!
This was the sight that met me when I left the warmth of the family home:
As you can see from the pic, the snow wasn’t exactly back with a vengeance – those flecks cannot even remotely be described as thick and crisp and even, but the weather forecasters had called it right – the small probability of a snow shower that Sunday morning had come good!
The zero temperatures and chill winds were ensuring steady snowflake build-up though, and it was not long before the road surface and parked cars (including mine) were given a more liberal coating of the white powder.
What was bothering me was the ice – my track record of coping with it was not good … Tumbling over gracelessly in the street to the delight of the world and its wife, slipping straight out of my car onto the pavement – these were reminders of why I have never been too fond of the stuff!
Snow and ice can make transport a real headache – we have all heard those ‘wrong type of snow on the track’ kinds of stories from the rail companies.
Driving under these conditions is usually not an option either – the road surfaces become like ice rinks with plenty of potential for skids and slides.
The decision was made – I was travelling to my flat on foot. Spurring me on to make the trip were memories of the last time New Malden was hit by a serious slurry of snow and ice.
I don’t know how many of you remember the ‘Beast from the East’ (see my post ‘The Curse of the East Beast’ from 12 March 2018) – as you can see from my post reference this happened about three years ago when a belt of Siberian trade wind (that’s the proverbial ‘Beast’) hit the UK to devastating effect!
The sub-zero temperatures ensured New Malden was snowed under in the Beast’s icy grip for the best part of a month.
These ultra-low temperatures played havoc with my flat – it was a time of freezing rooms, no hot water and malfunctioning boilers. I had to call the plumber out several times in an attempt to keep the heating system going, with the crowning glory being a burst outside water pipe. It turned out to be an altogether frustrating and expensive few weeks!
These happy thoughts were at the fore front of my mind as I carefully made my way along the ice-strewn railway cutting towards the part of town that formed the location of my homestead.
Even though the current ambient temperatures were nowhere near the lows brought on by the Beast, I did feel a real sense of relief as I opened my front door to a nice warm flat.
The heat of the radiators indicated that the flat’s water piping was working, and there were no signs of freely running water from outside. The boiler was also pressurised and working well. Hot water flowed from the tap.
My flat had survived!
That fact helped to make the chilly, ponderous, long walk back to the family home a lot better.
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