Friday’s Girl
THIS week began with 15cm of snow across our county.
As a student I love the snow – in Sheffield we do not have to worry about transport or stocking-up the house with fuel and food.
Being broke students, saving the pennies for the beer jar, we live without central heating all year round, so the cold weather only means an extra layer of clothing around the house.
And we’re used to walking everywhere anyway, so the white stuff is just an excuse for even more fun than usual.
On this occasion I feared the ever- deepening cold spell – with friends and family travelling across the country I wanted everyone who had made plans to travel to Dad’s funeral to arrive safely.
In the event, everything went better than expected. For a church which can hold 200 people, we had to add extra seats.
A sad occasion, of course, but my brother and I had to contain a small giggle as we followed the coffin in and out of the church. Dad would have been laughing at us, watching himself having a bumpy ride as we stumbled and slipped across the snow and ice.
I was even more nervous having to read my eulogy in front of such a large congregation. I got to the last paragraph and realised the printer had cut off my ending. I had to improvise but still it all ran smoothly.
Before the day, my brother and I took the opportunity to disrupt the peaceful, snow-blanketed landscape with dad’s five-year-old collie Chloe. One last day charging around with the dog.
With my father’s passing we’ve had to re-home Chloe. Luckily, she moved-in with her sister Bonnie, and now lives opposite her mum and two brothers, with family friends. So we can visit any time.
Dad loved the snow, and the first year we had Chloe with us I remember him chuckling merrily as she charged up and down our little lane, sticking her nose into the snow and throwing it everywhere.
Our mum’s house, where Chloe has been living, is very secluded. The winds blow gale force across the fields some days, and we awoke to areas of the garden and surrounding landscape even thicker with snow than the rest of the countryside.
Chloe’s reaction to this amount of snow was a little less excited, too. When she stepped out of the front door and disappeared under a drift she looked far from happy.
But she built up courage later in the day, and Ben and I enjoyed a snow day with Chloe Dog one last time.
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Weather for King's Lynn
Sunday 27 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 26 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North
