Back to work...

Had to brave the elements today. The pavements are still ankle-deep in snow that has now frozen into crunchiness where it hasn't been compacted into slides. I managed to get to the bus stop OK, and on to the first of my two buses. My change point is at a large shopping area, where the actual road surface had not been gritted, and where the buses had dug deep ruts. I had to cross this hazardous road, and must have been a very amusing sight as I bobbed up and down across the various ice ridges and slush ruts, trying to keep my balance in my old , very comfortable but smooth-soled boots. My second bus was completely empty (apart from the driver and me, obviously), and it felt really odd travelling alone on a (normally full) bus. When I got to work, the driveway hadn't been gritted, so it was another hazardous step-slide for a hundred yard or so - normally a nothing distance, but it felt like a marathon today. I also discovered that the snow had seeped through the uppers of my boots, so my feet got damp and really cold. Not only was I alone on the bus, but I was alone in the building until quite late in the afternoon. But I did manage to get my whole to-do list done, so it was worth while going in. We have parakeets in the grounds of the campus, and it was strange to see them against the snow in the tree branches. Sadly, I couldn't get a good picture of them, but I did get a great snowscene from my office window. Ain't it pretty?