Frozen Tay

We've lived in and around Perth for more than 20 years, and I've never seen the river frozen right across - till now!

We spent some time yesterday taking photos, in the snow.  This is a selection that hopefully captures the essence of it.

The last one reminds me of a satellite image - maybe the eastern Med?


The video shows that the ice was still forming, even though the river was flowing quite briskly - I guess, that confirms that it's been a bit chilly around here.

Silver linings

They say that every cloud has a silver lining - so here are some silver linings related to our current weather situation:

• crisp cold mornings that stimulate the body;
• the amazing quality of light that we have when the sun shines on the snow-clad land;
• the beautiful sunset tonight as the blue sky turn red at the horizon;
• thinking about using the car for short journeys, rather than automatically using it;
• clearing the junk from the garage to get the car into it;
• (to some extent) neighbours helping each other - in some cases getting to know each other;
• and a beautiful photo of our lovely city over at That Hideous Man's place.

(Having said all of that, a wee break in the weather would be most welcome, although the forecast isn't too promising.)

Please feel free to add to this list!

Coping with weather - an insight to ...?

By the standards of recent winters, we have had an exceptionally cold and difficult spell of weather to deal with.  For a couple of weeks the temperature has barely been above freezing, and has dropped to -12C in the city.  In addition, we've had several snowfalls, including about 12 inches on Boxing Day, and the forecast for the next few days doesn't indicate any let up in the conditions.

So what?  We live in a northerly country - what do we expect?  Well, listening to the citizens complaining and the pathetic excuses of public services, we expect normal life to carry on without interruption.

Anyway, as I was driving home from work last night it occurred to me that coping with these circumstances was very demanding.  I've spent lots of physical energy clearing snow and ice from the driveway so I can get my car out; but I've also spent lots of mental energy concentrating intensely on driving in fairly poor conditions.  The result - I've been completely knackered by the time I get home each night.

And it struck me that maybe, for once in a decade, I've been given an faint insight to the lives of those who struggle to cope with their environment.  Whether the environment is scorching desert, or involves carrying water for many miles, or surviving as an asylum seeker in this country on benefits of £35 per week, daily living requires all of the physical, mental and emotional energy that people can muster.

I hope that I don't forget this too readily when things get back to normal around here.  Regrettably I suspect that I'll slip back into my comfortable, complacent, middle class, affluent, thoughtless, Western lifestyle all too easily.  

God save me from my self-absorption!

Snowy Perth

(That's Perth, Scotland for the avoidance of doubt!!)

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow.

Last night we had the heaviest snowfall that I can remember - something around 12 inches.  This has been a fairly long cold snap for this part of the world - over a week now with the temperature barely rising above freezing.  There is a stunning, aching beauty about it all, but it has created havoc with travel and normal life for many people, who feel trapped in their homes because of the icy pavements etc.  In a way, the two cordylines summarise these responses.

Walking in a winter wonderland

The weather curtailed our travel plans for today.  It was a bit disappointing, but common sense had to prevail.

In the afternoon we wrapped up warmly and went for a walk around this part of Perth.  It was beautiful.

Frosty Perth

It's been a frosty weekend in Scotland - this was Perth earlier today.

The parable of the slippery slope

(Please note - no humans were injured in this story. However, a wall and a tree were innocent victims, and a motor vehicle and some human pride were dented!)

We live on a hill, which a friend of ours used to call 'Perth's ski slope'. We also live on a corner site.

A couple of weeks ago it snowed - quite a lot in a short period of time.

A man was driving down the hill - following a snow plough. He realised that the brakes of his vehicle were having no effect as an icy crust had formed over the snow.

At the foot of the hill there is a main road.

The man - correctly in my view - decided that it would be unwise to reach the main road, without effective brakes. So he decided to turn left, into a less hilly road to avoid probable catastrophe and to regain control over his vehicle.

The turning manoeuvre was not completely successful...

The moral of this story - sometimes in life we need to change course or take evasive action to avoid catastrophe. This may lead to some damage, bruises, dents but this is preferable to the alternative route. Even when we think that we are following a safe option (e.g. behind a snow plough), we may not have the control that we would like.

Sometimes wise choices may be painful, but we recover more readily from minor bruises than from major crashes.

To add to the interest of the story - the driver of the car was Dolly D's English teacher (we expect some good marks from now on!)

Friday photo: Snow capped

Friday photo: Winter's dawn

Friday photo: cold and twisted

Friday photo: Winter bloom