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Snow Chaos Hits London

So shouted the headline from the Evening Standard seller’s stand I could see through the window of HMV.
Snow Chaos. Snow Chaos? This is indicative of the hyperbole employed by the tabloid press. And also the British pre-occupation with the weather. And also the inability of London to deal with any hint of snow. Or rain. Or falling leaves.

Today was cold, yes; about 1. It did snow, yes; I should know I rode through it at 8am - nice. But chaos? There was only the lightest sprinkle of snow, and as soon as it hit the ground it melted.

For those of you too lazy to click to the article, let me quote a few salient comments:

• High ground such as Wimbledon Hill and Hampstead Heath was hit particularly badly, with motorists careering wildly on skidpan roads.
• Forecasters predicted that the cold snap would continue, probably into next week, with average temperatures between 0-3C (32-36F).

Motorists careering wildly on skidpan roads?

Average temperatures between 0-3C?

Russia is averaging about -20 and we are complaining about 0? That’s not even negative!

Here is another bit that made me laugh:

• Treacherous roads were not the only problem facing those driving to work today. After a series of opportunist thefts, police warned motorists not to defrost cars by leaving them unattended with the engines running.

Puhleez

I managed to survive the hell that is retail at Christmas time in London; working long hours while my wife was enjoying business class flights to the ridiculously warm Antipodes.

My sister stopped by on her way to Zurich and seemed to bring a trace of the Aussie (well, Melbourne) weather with her. The Christmas period was unseasonably warm in London; temperatures maxed about 12 degrees. Very odd. We didn’t have much time together (what, with the jet-lag induced bouts of catatonia), but we did spend an enjoyable day exploring the Tardis-like Camden Market.

Kathryn returned to London in time to miss the warm weather and catch the pouring rain.

We went to see the new James Bond film - Die Another Day. I thought it was top. Some amazing driving scenes featuring an Aston Martin (equipped with invisibility) versus a Jaguar XK (equipped with missiles and stuff) - on ice! I was also interested to note the (excellent) sword fighting scene was shot inside the Reform Club. I wonder how many other moviegoers recognized the building from experience; I doubt many of the exclusive Pall Mall club’s members would go to a Bond film.