Winter's Last Hurrah

Just as I had given up on seeing any decent cold weather before spring, the first week of March saw an unexpected dose of proper winter, with the arrival of 'the beast from the east' - an arctic vortex from Siberia - which collided with Storm Emma from the west, creating widespread snowfalls and seriously low temperatures across Britain.

Further north conditions were quite severe, but even here in generally mild Surrey we were treated to several days of intermittent snow showers, followed by two days of proper snow.

Farnham is pretty in all weathers, but Farnham with a dusting of snow is pretty special. 

Terraced cottages

The pitched roof of one of our local pubs looks lovely dusted with snow

We got out and about as much as possible to enjoy the snow
and invigorating temperatures

Farmland behind our street

Something that fascinated us both, given that this region is not exactly renowned for snowy winters, is the fact that every single Farnham resident appears to possess a toboggan.

Whilst walking through the town we were struck by the sight of kids and adults alike toting toboggans - boarding buses, entering shops, and generally ambling along the streets, with these great pieces of plastic under their arms. The snow was pretty scant in some places but clearly Farnham's residents were determined to make the most of the opportunity to dust off their snow equipment. Were all these people really so desperate for snow play that they would pull each other along the town's pavements?

And then we took a stroll up to Farnham Castle, to enjoy the novelty of that structure under snow... and stumbled upon Toboggan Central, aka Farnham Park.

Young, old, dogs... they were all there.

Watching tobogganers across the moat from Farnham Castle

Kevin on The Blind Bishop's Steps (which lead up to the castle)

At -6ºC, a tad chilly for taking tea on the lawn at Farnham Castle

The castle walls dusted with snow - the White Walkers are coming!

Just follow the squeals of delight to find the tobogganers...

Eyes red and cheeks pink from the Siberian winds

Toboggan-aggedon... the snow gone, and cheap toboggans in pieces 

Naturally the country's workers were affected by the unusual conditions. It would seem most people took to heart the advice that they shouldn't drive unless absolutely necessary, and that they should think about making alternative arrangements for work if possible.

I'm fortunate in that my employers are incredibly relaxed about flexible working arrangements. So instead of just my usual Wednesday working from home, I was able to work the entire week from Farnham - meaning I didn't have to do battle on the roads. I had driven over to Tadworth on the Monday, and the snow had started falling while I was still en route via the M25. Having arrived at the office safely, the snow fell solidly all morning so after lunch I decided not to temp fate, and drove home to continue working through the afternoon.

It was very pleasant not having to do that one-hour trek twice a day.

My workplace - The Children's Trust in Tadworth

For a couple of days the temperatures, and the wind particularly, were truly glacial. Our daily maximums were around -6ºC but the wind chill factor meant the 'feels like' temperature was more like -10ºC.

Those conditions sorted the goats from the sheep, let me tell you. Aside from the tobogganers (who only appeared on about day five of the wintry weather, probably out of desperation due to severe cabin fever), we were often the only people walking around outside. 

Because of our frequent travels to Norway and other cold climes, we know how to dress properly and have the correct layering clothing - thermal first layer, heavier second layer, and windproof and waterproof outer layers. The number of people we saw walking around with inappropriate footwear, bare ankles (no socks), no hats... no wonder so many people in the UK claim to hate winter. Nobody likes being freezing cold - not even me! Thinking you can gad about in those conditions without making adjustments to your clothing is just plain stupid.

Alas, just 24 hours of milder temperatures in the single digits was enough to melt away all trace of the snow and that's the last we'll see of the cold weather until next winter. It was nice while it lasted.

The week ended on a very social note with a few friends joining us at The Mill House to celebrate Kevin's 60th birthday. 

We had a very decadent cake and Kevin slid into his seventh decade fairly painlessly.
The school made quite a fuss of him too, with a gigantic cake decorated with a student's miniature bicycle sculpture. 

The last remnants of snow at The Mill House, Kevin's birthday venue

Frensham Heights' contribution to Kevin's 'significant' birthday

How I love winter! What a treat to have it end on such a snowy note.

Snow Happy :-)

Until next time,

- Maree  xo

Imagining Jane

It's ten years since I last paid a visit to the house where one of my literary idols, Jane Austen, spent her final years.

Jane Austen's House Museum is a mere 15-minute drive from Farnham, in the village of Chawton in Hampshire.

The house is charming, though sadly many of its original features have been lost over the years - the same for the garden which now bears little resemblance to the way it was in Jane's time.

However real Austen aficionados could easily spend a couple of hours there, reading about Jane's life in detail and admiring a large collection of letters, household items and personal effects that belonged to Jane or her extended family. Most are reproduction but there is a small wealth of gems - jewellery that Jane and her sister Cassandra owned, a shawl hand-embroidered by Jane, letters written in her own fine hand.

This beautiful, delicate muslin shawl was embroidered by Jane herself

Perhaps most precious of all is the tiny walnut table at which Jane wrote each morning after breakfast. It was upon this humble piece of furniture that Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility were edited and completed, having been drafted some years before. This is a quote from the museum's website:

The number of visitors who arrive in the dining parlour at Jane Austen’s House Museum and simply stop when they see Jane’s table cannot be counted. For so many the small occasional table is the highlight of their visit to Jane’s home and the moment of spotting this unassuming piece of furniture is the moment when they feel as if they really are in the place  where Jane wrote and conjured up her much-loved novels and  memorable characters.  Standing by the table, fingers itching to touch it, as if the wood itself contains something of Jane, some visitors hold their breath.  Others cry.

I fall into both categories - I vividly recall sucking in my breath and holding it, then weeping, on my first visit in 2008. It had the same effect on me this time. 

As for Chawton, could it be the cutest village in the county of Hampshire? 

Judge for yourself.

Until next time, 
- Maree  xo