So Irgendwie

This is...surreal. I said we never get this much snow, but we NEVER get THIS MUCH snow. Outside is resembling the forests of places much further North and East, and it's very quiet. Hardly anyone is driving along the roads, and even the planes coming into Heathrow have disappeared since the airport is closed for a short while. I've read the trains coming into Egham have been halved in service with the remainder experiencing heavy delays. London is covered, making familiar sights look new, and chillingly beautiful. No wonder that the wonderful Amanda Palmer, who flew in yesterday afternoon for her concert on Wednesday, twittered that she was wandering the snowclad streets of London in a disbelieving daze.

I want to laugh and dance. I love the cold and Winter in its beauty, and England, especially Southern England, usually misses out on this, preferring its Winters to be overcast and drizzly. I can't honestly remember a time when I saw so much snow in this country. That it has effected London too, one of Europe's largest urban heat islands, proves just how special this is.

...and if the country struggles with a dusting of snow, this is something entirely different. Dr Muhs has cancelled his afternoon seminar, since he doesn't relish the thought of heading over here when getting from Islington to Kings Cross last night was such a nightmare. We're awaiting to know if Anja will do the same with her morning grammar class...it's a snow day. And this country hasn't had snow days for a very long time. The last time we had so much snow in the South East was in 1991...and even then, things didn't grind to such a halt.

I'm planning to head out, wrapped up warmly, and take as many photos as I can, to capture this magical world before it turns to the most impressive slush pile for 18 years. I do feel sorry for Holly though, she has a really bad headache.

I did the necessary thing when it's a snow day and had pink grapefruit for breakfast. It was delicious. I did make the slight mistake of adding the juice to the cup I'd used for my coffee, forgetting there was a little bit left in there, though. The mixture tasted a little like liquorice, but not in a good way. Oh well.

All fruited up, I then embarked on a snow expedition. A snowpedition. With my trusty camera in hand, I ventured forth into the white. I was tempted to head straight for campus, but instead I went the opposite direction and entered the large cemetary, where the snow was still largely undisturbed. I got some good photos there, although a raven in a tree caused a fair amount of snow to fall onto my hat. I then went further up to the village green which was now the village white, full of people playing. There were some students, but it was mostly families. I then trudged all the way back and wandered about campus, taking plenty more photographs until I felt snowed out, and retreated to Cafe Jules for hot coffee and solace.

All my lectures have been cancelled. History are operating on skeleton staff, with those staff who managed to get here despite the road chaos and lack of trains still running their lectures and seminars, albeit without a number of the students. Dr Muhs is staying in London. The opposite happened with Modern Languages. Anja made it in despite the weather, only for the departmental head to cancel all lecturers based on a combination of lack of staff and lack of students. Even the office staff were off home at midday, telling me they 'had nothing to do'!

It's chaos, but I always like a good dose of chaos to spice up the world. Oh gosh, it's started again...very light snow this time mind. Not the medium snow that kept landing in my eyes an hour and a half ago...

Music appropriate. It's stuck in my head anyhow. May it win Bundesvision, if any of you know what that is...