London hasn’t seen this kind of snow in the last 18 years, this is official. Although I still remember that day in January 2003, when the snow caught us unawares and chaos reigned supreme in London and the suburbs. That was the day when it took me 7 hours to get back a distance normally travelled in 45 minutes, not home but to a cousin’s a mile away from home. Again on that day people I know spent the night in their cars on the London bound M11, without food and water.
This year, we have been told weeks in advance about the big Russian chill coming our way – about to test our mettle with the vagaries of nature. With so much time to prepare, our roads were snow piled, 52 miles of traffic tail gates on M25 (the London peripheral), buses were off the road, trains ran ‘revised schedules’ (our way of saying Skeletal ) ……and six million people did not turn up at work!!!
Then there were 800 flights cancelled, City Airport, Luton and Stanstead airports shut – yes closed! Thousands of people couldn’t travel at our airports. More than 2000 schools remained closed in and around London, for the second day, adding to the woes of working parents. How utterly disgusting – that’s what I heard people say on the trains!
Meanwhile, the media had a blast – one said it cost us £1.5 billion, another £3.0 billion and yet another £2.0 billion. Whatever, it is, there is a cost to such calamity!
So it hurts, even more as we are pretty sore, after the ‘esteemed’ bankers have violated the economy, on its fours.
Come on have a heart!
London shone in ethereal splendour, parts of the suburbs resembled continental ski resorts, snow men peeped out of unexpected corners, there was a smile on every face I encountered on my way to work, cameras were out and people seemed to soak in the beauty and a good vibe prevailed. Snow sleds were out, adults rolled on the snow in childish abandon, and for a while it seemed like a holiday.
People were glowing, and maybe months of media induced ‘depression’ was suddenly overcome by a Russian drift – as if Putin decided to share a part of the excesses his people constantly endure!
I came across a couple of indulgent pensioners having a ‘snow go’ at each other, men with skis on Bentley Priory and kids with their surf boards. To top it all, a group of men noticed me salivating at their exploits and invited me on the sled – it was ‘free fall’ on the slope, a funny feeling and suddenly I echoed what millions of Londoners probably did too – ‘Sod it – Enjoy!’
The next time maybe after 10 years!
AriZona 