A Village Life: ... où sont les neiges d'antan! On the way...

Forecasters have been predicting falls of snow across the country `

“A new warning has been issued of heavy snow in south Wales, after both the north and the west were hit, causing road problems and closing schools.

More than 40 schools were shut because of snow, mostly in Denbighshire and Carmarthenshire. The Met Office issued a severe weather warning of heavy snow across south Wales on Friday afternoon. It is expected to spread south east, with more than 10cm possibly falling on higher ground.”

The moon rose last night red through the cloud (this is a quick hand -held photo) and I felt sure we would find the village covered this morning.

The morning was bright and cold, minus 2 degrees with an icy sun and no snow. Across the North and East there have been heavy falls and widespread disruption. So it feels like a ‘phoney Winter’ here, waiting for the snow to arrive.

Walters Wood, Ouston, Co Durham: photo Rebecca Wilkinson (from www.bbc.co.uk/news/)

Aboyne, Aberdeenshire. Photo: Christopher Keith (from www.bbc.co.uk/news/)

The fields behind the village collect the frost, being in a glacial valley. I think this makes them very beautiful and I feel fortunate to live in the English countryside.

The field with the cattle is to be given over to allotments. These are very popular in the village and are well organised and kept. It means that it is unlikely that the fields will be built on so it’s not a bad trade-off.

One of the nearer fields is to be turned into a car park for the Baptist Chapel. Hopefully, this will alleviate the parking problems on Sunday mornings, though it’s unlikely to help at other times when the Girl Guides some and go, or the Youth club. It doesn’t do to take your car out then because your chances of getting back in are small. In the field, plastic mesh is being laid and paving into the back if the Chapel site. Progress is slow, but the new Minister has demanded action because of the problem it causes to the whole village.