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| Cold, damp, wet and grey - January 21st |
There is a downside to living in Lincoln, or indeed to living in many parts of the UK in the winter. Some might say it's not just the winter, because they'll claim that there's always a problem with the British weather. To some extent, that's true. Contrary to what the rest of the world likes to say about the weather, it isn't always raining but, on the other hand, it is very often grey, dull and rather melancholy.
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| Breathtakingly pretty - January 22nd |
Earlier this month, we had a brief glimpse of how winter can be photogenic. One day was utterly miserable and then we awoke the next morning to a spectacular deep blue sky, and a crisp chill in the air that froze the snow in a delicate filigree on the trees
Yeah, right, and it was bloody cold.
Then there's the national inability to deal with anything other than minimal fluctuations in the weather. In summer, the road surfaces melt; in wet weather, the rivers flood and the drains overflow; in cold weather, the roads are treacherous. To be fair, the Council did a pretty good job with the roads, but the pavements have become a hotbed of litigious argument. Outside the pedestrian shopping areas, not one pavement was so much as brushed. Slush on the pavements froze into a lethal obstacle course. Apparently this is a deliberate course of action. It seems that if the pavements were cleared and then a pedestrian fell and had an accident, there would be a case for a claim for compensation. So the roads are swept and gritted while the pavements are untouched.
Fortunately the Cathedral Estates department has a different attitude, and the drive outside my house was cleared perfectly and gave me a safe passage as far as the treacherous pavement at the roadside.
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| Lincoln - Kings Cross - Saint Pancras - Gatwick Airport |
Enough is enough. It's time to head south.
I am invited to spend six weeks in Mauritius as a guest of a friend who runs what looks like a very attractive B&B.
I shall be expected to share various onerous tasks like preparing early breakfasts for guests who need an early start so they can swim with the dolphins, - and I shall have to drive them to the dolphin beach and probably go swimming with them.
Once or twice a week I might have to cook extravagant dishes of seafood for guests who decide they'd like to eat in. Such a tough call for a retired chef and passionate gourmet
I'll be back for Easter and will continue this blog then, meanwhile, if you're interested in learning about life in a different climate, you can follow my new blog from February 4th.
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| ...not much to see, really! |
