SNOW!

Lo and behold, it is snowing outside. This is a very exciting development. We had a brief smattering of flakes here in Fairford a couple of weeks ago, but this is proper stuff, with big, thick flakes that are settling beautifully on every flat surface that they come into contact with. It's the kind of snow that can be easily moulded into snowmen, and that makes an immensely satisfying half-creak half-crunch when you step on it. It started a couple of hours ago and is still going strong, leaving me hopeful that it will emulate the snow of last February which was of a similar superb quality and so vast in quantity that we were able to construct not just a snowman but also a tower, a throne and an almost-igloo. Things are boding well: the sky is of that intense white that looks a bit fuzzy and seems to suck away all the light, and nothing appears to be melting. Hurrah!