28/11/2010 - 30/11/2010 Google's infallibility, Snow

I am a great fan of Google, in the past two weeks alone, it has provided the answer to such diverse questions as:

• Where can I buy a replacement flushing syphon for the toilet cistern.
• How do I fit the replacement flushing syphon.
• What was that brightly coloured bird I saw in the garden.
• What is the significance of the place name Brockley Whins.
• All about squirrels.

But, here is someone who clearly disagrees with me (not unusual).

Now, I would have guessed that Claude Presbyterian Church was in a place called Claude, but Google tells me it is actually in Caledon, Ontario, Canada, plus lots of other interesting information about the place.

Sunday we wake up to more snow.

This is probably all very amusing, if you live in a place that gets "real" snowfall (like Canada), but here in the UK, we are never prepared for it, and even an inch of snow causes chaos, with roads closed, airports closed, etc etc.

So overnight we have had another 3.5", now in our back garden we have 10" of snow lying, with another 4" forecast for today and tonight.

This is like the winters I remember from my childhood. In weather like this we children would be off to the nearest hill with our sledges, or for the poorer ones among us, with pieces of cardboard, to slide down the hill.

This has not changed too much, there are a number of children out sledging, but in this relatively affluent area, they all have shop bought sledges, no pieces of cardboard in sight.

One thing which has changed, is the small number of people who clear the snow from their path, and from the footpath outside of their homes. In my childhood, only a few lazy individuals failed to do this. People would also clear the snow for elderly or infirm nieghbours. Not now it would seem. In our street of eleven houses, only myself and one other bother to clear their path.

Monday, the snow thaws ever so slightly, and only another 1" falls, the weather forecast is for strong winds, which if they arrive, will make things unpleasant.

Kathleen tries to get me into the Christmas spirit, without success, I hate this time of year with all of it's false cheer.