Ahh winter. The never ending season, at least here in the UK. Man I’m going to miss it when I’m back in the land of never ending summer aka Australia. For now though, it’s May here in the UK and it is STILL winter. Or winter adjacent. Winter-ish. Whatever. It’s bloody freezing.
This past winter was pretty special though. And that’s what I wanted to share. We had snow. Proper white cotton ball, big, floaty, settling on the ground snowflakes. Even in the middle of London. Which let me tell you is no joke thanks to the urban heat island effect.
I started my first year as a Londoner with snow. And now I’m finishing my last year here with snow. What a way to bookend this small corner of my life.
Just a few weeks into living in London and the UK the Beast from the East storm deposited a thick blanket of snow across the country including London. I was one week into my new job when alerts were issued and my new co-workers started flapping around the office muttering about having to race for a train before any of the trains got grounded and they were stuck unable to get home. And then we all awoke the next day to a white carpet on the ground and a quiet world. So quiet. Crunching my way to tube, leaving pristine footprints along my street, I was pretty happy to say the least. And then this winter, just as I was thinking that it might be time to move back to Australia, another storm and London was transformed into a winter wonderland once again.
I don’t think there was anything better to break the monotony of a harsh pandemic lockdown than a proper snowstorm. Everything seems to still and become muffled and blur around the edges. Smiles are suddenly everywhere you look as people venture out to make the most of the novel experience. Every tree in the park becomes a Christmas tree and walking around wearing the coat equivalent of a doona (duvet to my non Aussie readers!) with all its implied cosiness becomes de riguer.
The best part, like anything in life honestly, is the dogs. I challenge you to find me a happier creature than a dog playing in the snow. The only thing that I think comes close is a dog playing in the sand at the beach. And the coats. I could talk for an entire blog post about #dogsincoats (look up the hashtag on Instagram, thank me later).
Anyway, enjoy all the joy packed into these snowy pictures of London which will either not happen for a long time or which will start happening with startling regularity…can’t wait to see which one global warming decides is the better surprise!
By the way, I felt like I had to share a few videos this time as well because I captured some really special little moments in action and I wanted to share them with you all. I would love to know what you think though. Should I include more videos in my future posts or do you prefer just the photos? Leave me a comment if you have any thoughts.
See you in Spring!
L x
Lara & Rae 