Snowy Fridays

 

Go on, have a guess what's being doing here?

Well yes, it is a very white production outside as we've had heavy snow here in North Staffordshire where much of Northern England has been dealing with severe flooding so we have snow disruption and they've got another sort.

Given this is a good few inches, it's rather more than I can safely wobbling around so I'm very much indoors as I type this up.

Listening to the radio was something I did and actually I recall my Grandfather on Mummy's side of the family often listening carefully to the scores before he set off for work as he was both an avid football fan and illiterate only just looking at pictures in newspapers.

I've been reading some of my annuals I had for Christmas and the latest issue of AdventureBox Max's short story which is set in renaissance Italy looking at the development of flight.

You can guess what is on my mind...

Fresh hot food in a scene which is very close to how it was at home growing up where we'd all dash to where the delicious smells were coming from with an expectorant face but we knew we'd have to wait unless there was a spare cake that didn't turn out just right we could ask for.

Time to get the Scotch Broth and bread out for lunch.

Snow expedition

Winter pretty much arrived on Tuesday so I went out Wednesday trudging on foot to observe and experience it as that cub scout in spirit.

It was a little thick in  places even though we are quite a bit below the highest points just a few miles above us so I had to walk carefully avoiding dragging my feet and back in to the wood we visited before, it was little different.

You can get a sense of how the snow fell by looking at how it took to the tree getting the one in the foreground.

This interestingly shaped twig takes on a fresh look in the snow reminding one of wriggling worms

The scene is set out with the dead branch looking like a slain animal on a bed of snow in the silent winter. 
I spent time making and throwing snowballs in the wood enjoying the winter as the inner child in me needed and indeed wanted, to playing as indeed I had seen bio-kids doing only a half hour before on their way to school and play group.

Snowy playtimes

This week it has been snowing and for me the Winter snow is very much a part of boyhood  so I thought I'd write something about it today.
In the main mine was a generation that tended very much to be out of doors playing with friends not least compared to today technology was primitive and not that portable so generally several of you would gather together from a couple of streets and make your way to wherever we were going to play.
Typically we'd do things like making big round balls of snow that we then fashioned into snowmen, begging coal and carrots from our folks to add the eyes, nose and mouth to him.
As well we'd gather smaller balls of snow and take turns throwing them at each other or passing girls for a laugh, the stronger of which would toss them back at us with deadly aim as our coats and pants got all covered in snow.
Our folks weren't worried about that cos we were having fun and they saw it as a healthy activity for a boy to be engaged in.
One that sometimes did trouble them was tobogganing from a step snow covered part of our recreational park down slope or playing ice hockey near the inland waterways in case the ice broke  or we struck each other with our hockey sticks or improvised skiing.
Although I injured myself fracturing my upper arm requiring to be in a sling for a period one year which by bad timing was the time of the 16+ Mock examinations, I always enjoyed the snow.
Snow was always a magical part of our childhoods.