Blizzards in Beetley

~ beetleypete

After two days of almost constant rain and sleet, I awoke this morning to heavy snow falling. The weather forecasters had got their predictions right. But they normally do, when the weather is bad. Snow was arriving from the north, sweeping down the east coast of England driven by strong winds.

The flakes were impressively large, and they were not fluttering down in a picturesque fashion. Instead, they dived earthward at a forty-five degree angle, blotting out what little daylight still existed, and replacing it with their swirling formations. Yet it did not appear to be settling. Perhaps the ground was too wet, still sodden with the previous icy rain. A quick inspection of our cars parked in the driveway showed that it was also not settling on them, nor on the roofs of nearby houses.

After around an hour, it suddenly stopped. A watery sun emerged, and we had some brightness for a while. But the blizzard was only resting somewhere, and soon returned with a vengeance. When the time for Ollie’s walk arrived, I wrapped up well, put on my heaviest boots and waterproof coat, and reluctantly headed over to Beetley Meadows. The icy wind accompanying the snow soon had me raising the hood on my coat, and even though I was sensibly wearing good gloves, I could feel the cold in my hands instantly.

As is his habit, Ollie was unconcerned. Despite a reasonable amount of snow sticking to his back and making him appear to be wearing a small white coat, he was running around as if nothing out of the ordinary was occurring. Forty minutes later, it stopped snowing again. There were few other dog walkers braving the elements today, but Ollie was able to check out an excitable young Labrador. He looked disappointed at the absence of his regular doggy pals, so I took him into the small woodland area, in search of squirrels.

Then the blizzard returned once again. In the woods, it was less bothersome, as the trees kept the worst off of us. Ollie was frustrated by one squirrel that had climbed just out of reach onto a low branch, but was soon diverted by a plump pheasant that he found hiding under some thick brambles. As our excursion reached the two-hour mark, I decided enough was enough, and we returned home to the warmth of the house. The snow persisted for some time, before turning back into torrential icy rain, that carried on until midnight.

More snow is forecast for tomorrow.
In case you hadn’t realised, I really don’t like snow.

90 thoughts on “Blizzards in Beetley”

  2. It hasn’t been too bad here but even with that I still ended up involved in a minor pile-up with the car. I think you are right. And I hope I’ll be safer away from the snow… Do take care and love to Ollie.

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  3. I read this post late, so I had the delight of reading scads of comments and replies. It is delightful to see all the different climates experienced by your readers. No snow in Connecticut yet. We do have every kind of winter jacket known to man, however. My thickest one is called “a tribute to geese” since so many feathers go into it.

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  7. 🙂 Like Andrew, I quite like snow and for much the same reasons. I’m less keen on the wet stuff, though, especially with a bitter wind, so you have my sympathy. I’ve walked a dog in hail before now and it’s not fun.

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      1. Hmmm. As I see it, the problem with ‘going somewhere’ is not so much the snow as the methods we choose to try and accomplish the going. The wheel was a great invention for non-snowy weather!

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    1. He was happy though, Michael. As long as he gets his long walk, he doesn’t mind the weather!
      I have to say that he is a very ‘easy’ dog to own, and a great friend to me.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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        1. It was a great deal of snow, Sarah. Leningrad, blanketed in snow many feet deep, plus the Gulf of Finland sea frozen solid. 🙂 They know how to shift snow there though. Special machines, and an army of shovellers. It was soon dumped into the River Neva.
          Best wishes, Pete.

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  19. I’m probably in the minority here, but I love the snow and winter in general. For a life long introvert, it’s pleasant and calming in how snow makes everything so quiet. Noises you do hear are muted and easily dismissed. No one is usually outside and for someone like me, that’s preferred. I bitch and moan about mowing the lawn, but can spend hours outside using the snowblower and shovel clearing snow from the driveway and sidewalks. It’s starting to get cold here in the northeast U.S. and I’m impatiently waiting for our first snow of the season 🙂

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    1. I imagine that living in the NE of America has acclimatised you to snow, Andrew. The south of the UK rarely gets a lot of snow, so when we do, it is such a pain. The road system is always troubled by it, public transport experiences widespread problems, and even walking down the street can be treacherous. And despite generally accurate warnings of snow, the authorities always seem to be caught out by it. By the time they get organised, it has usually melted!
      I agree that it makes things peaceful and quiet though. But where we live, it is always like that anyway.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  21. I don’t like snow, either, Pete. Fortunately, we’ve not had any yet although it’s been bitterly cold for a the last few days with hard frosts and an icy wind. The tops of the hills are white and it looks lovely, especially as I don’t have to go to the top of any hills. Nice to read about Ollie enjoying his outings regardless of the weather.

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    1. (I found this comment in my Spam folder. No idea why it went there)
      Thanks, Mary. I am sure you get to deal with snow far more than I ever have to. I recall visiting family friends in Fort William, for New Year’s Eve, 1964. I had never been so cold! Ollie loves being out, and even goes in the river when it is below freezing.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  22. Winter has arrived! We got a tiny bit here in the Midlands, but nothing compared to what arrived for you. I hate snow and ice so much.

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  23. Snow and cold weather in general are why I no longer spend the winter months in Canada. Heavy snowfall in Calgary was bad enough … it was those plummeting temperatures of -40C – when it’s too cold to even snow! – we often experienced that had us praying for a Chinook Wind to blow in, and looking for an escape route when it didn’t materialize. Fortunately for our cats, they remained indoors. Have always loved this song by Ian Tyson though, which captures the predicament there perfectly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb1tcVxi34Y

    Bundle up, Pete! It looks to be a long winter …
    Susan

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    1. You are lucky to have the option of a place to sit out the winter, Susan. I am happy that you do not have to endure those Canadian winters. I will check out your link. At least the sun is out this morning!
      Best wishes, Pete.

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      1. Not so much luck, Pete, as strategic planning on our part. And we gave up a lot in Canada, aside from those miserable winters … Like steady jobs with regular paycheques and a lovely house. But, all-in-all, the move has been worth it. We’ve lived almost 20 years now, winter-free! 😉

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    1. No doubt you get it much worse, being so much further east. I remember how cold it was in Russia, when I first visited that country. I had never felt such cold, and immediately realised why the Germans (and Napoleon) had been defeated.
      Cheers, Pete.

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    1. No doubt I would get used to the heat eventually, Marina. Not sure about the mosquitoes though! 🙂
      When I have been to Greece in the past, I have suffered terribly from their bites.
      Best wishes, Pete.

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  27. Hmm, honestly I like snow, I always think it has something magical, especially when it is nearing Christmas time. But I can also understand that a lot of people don’t like it. Still, yiu have turned this into a great story and post, and at least Ollie seemed to got a kick out of this, so there is that 😊

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    1. I do like to look at fresh, settled snow. Unfortunately, we are just never geared up for it. There are always problems on the roads, and in these country areas, ice becomes a real danger too. It just makes me want to stay at home until it has gone.
      But I am very pleased you enjoyed my everyday account of walking Ollie in all weathers. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

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      1. Sorry for getting back to you so late, but as I mentioned over on my blog today, I had a pretty horrible flu so I just got back to blogging today abd trying to respond to all the comments I had not yet replied to since I fell ill.
        Hmm, yeah I can understand how that can definitely form a problem and how you don’t like snow now. When it becomes a danger on the road, it certainly isn’t any fun anymore. Hopefully the snow won’t be too bad for you this season. Take care, and be safe 😊

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  30. And we’re freezing here in Las Vegas with extraordinarily frigid temperatures. We have to deal with highs of only 70 F / 71 F (21 C / 22 C). I actually had to wear a light jacket today! And my wife had to wear sunglasses!

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    1. Thanks, Kim. Fraggle and me are on the same side (east) of the UK, but she is almost 250 miles further north, closer to Scotland, and the worse weather. Sun out here this morning! 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete.

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