Dec
20
I knew this was always going to be an exciting week to write about in this blog because Jon was coming over from South Africa to spend 3 weeks with us over Christmas and New Year, but I never expected this week to turn out the way it did. Living in EL all my life, I only saw snow for the first time in 2000 in Hogsback. Getting to see the snow in South Africa meant driving up to Hogsback or Katberg, and that was only if there was enough snow and if it lasted for at least 1 day. So, snow might be something that some people take for granted, as a matter of fact I am learning that a lot of the people living in England actually hate it. They see it as a hindrance to daily life more than anything. They complain about it messing with public transport and life in general. I think it’s a winter wonderland and I could stand and just stare out the window all day.
Monday began the week for me just as all weeks should begin, filled with excitement. I took a trip into London and as all my trips into London turn out, this one was just fantastic. There is something so magical about that city. There is so much to learn, so much to discover, so many interesting facts that lie around every corner. You can eat chocolate covered strawberries from Harrods, you can walk for miles until your feet ache or you can just sit and watch the world pass you by, but a trip into London will leave you forever wanting more.
Jon arrived on Tuesday. We had not really had any bitterly cold weather yet. We had had one or two mornings with a dusting of frost on the cars, but nothing to write home about. Then Jon arrived on the morning that we saw our first winter wonderland. It wasn’t snow but thick white frost which lasted all day. Everything was covered in it. I drove through to Heathrow to fetch Jon at 6am. Now a trip on the M25 at the best of times is hair-raising, but at 6am on a dark, frosty morning was just a rush. It was so fantastic to see Jon again. Mitchell and Jenna didn’t know that he was arriving on Tuesday; we had managed to keep it a secret from them. I was SO delighted to see their reactions when they saw him. It will forever remind me of just how important Jon is to them and how much they miss him.
On Wednesday morning Jon and I travelled into London on the train to meet up with Raymond Scott. Raymond was at Tech with Jon and also one of the first students that I taught as a PE Tech lecturer. We walked out of the underground at Oxford Circus and immediately we noticed the falling white flakes. I couldn’t believe that we were walking down the streets of London and it was snowing. We shopped around in Hamley’s and then met up with Raymond. I haven’t seen him for more than 10 years now, and it was just fantastic to spend an hour catching up, reminiscing and comparing notes about the UK. Raymond only lives an hour away, in Alton, so we have promised to spend some more time together. I didn’t expect that when we got home the snow would have already started to fall in Tonbridge. It was not a lot, just a light dusting, but it was a promise of things to come.
On Thursday Jon and I went to Blue Water Retail Park near the Dartford tunnel to finish off some Christmas shopping. The drive to Blue Water takes us through Shipborne, Ightam, and Borough Green which are all beautiful little villages, so Jon got his first real view of the quaint little buildings and streets of rural England and then ended up in a huge, modern, shopping centre. 
By the time we got back to fetch Jenna the sky was telling a very different story about the weather. A few minutes later the snow began to come down like you cannot imagine, coating everything, dusting, flying everywhere. Within minutes the street outside was covered. Mitchell’s school had closed for the holidays but Jenna’s school was due to continue on the Friday. We heard on the radio the following morning that most of the schools in Kent were closed because of the snow so she got the day off.
So began a weekend of discovery for us. I hadn’t bought gum-boots yet, Jenna didn’t have any thick socks, and Jon had arrived from sunny South Africa with the hope of going to buy some warm clothes when the need arose. That need arose sooner than we thought, so Friday morning saw us all packing off to town to go and buy the essential snow items.
The roads had been graded and gritted, but the pavements were still treacherous for walking on. We took a very eventful drive through the back roads to Tunbridge Wells and everywhere we passed people digging their cars out of the snow. 
Many cars were stuck or just couldn’t get enough grip to drive up roads with the slightest incline. We went and bought Mitchell and Jenna each a sled and headed off to Bidborough so they could go and take on the slopes in “the bomb crater”. The bomb crater is a deep hole in the side of a hill (probably measuring about 50m in diameter). It is a hole where soil was dug out to create a nearby dam wall, but it looks more like a bomb crater and as such the legend was born. The crater has steep sides and when it has been snowing, the local children from the village use it as a ski-run.
On Saturday we all travelled through to London so that Jon (and us) could see some of the tourist sites (sights). We also knew that London was free of snow, so it would be the perfect day for some sight-seeing. The sky was absolutely cloudless and made for an awesome day. We took one of the open-top bus tours past most of the famous attractions and got off at Tower Bridge. Here we caught the ferry to Greenwich and visited the Observatory. The view of Canary Warf and London itself from the top of the Observatory hill is stunningly spectacular and to be there at sunset as the light reflected off the sky-scrapers was a breathtaking moment. We caught the train back to London and resumed our trip on the bus, getting off at Buckingham Palace and walking through Green Park. We ended our beautiful day with dinner in Piccadilly Circus under the famous lights.
Today Jon, Mitchell, Jenna, and I took a walk through the farms across the road from our house. This is one of my favourite walks and takes us past horses and apple orchards, through fields (which are now unrecognisable under the snow) and past a frozen lake. We saw many little robin redbreast birds which looked as if they had come directly off of a Christmas card, we found the tracks of deer in the snow, fires burned and apples lay freezing in the white snow in the orchards. Mitchell and Jenna lay in the snow and made snow angels and then laughed hysterically as they stood up and the snow fell down the backs of their shirts. There is something to be said for new experiences like digging your car out of the snow, shovelling the front garden path. It is all part of the deal and a whole load of fun.
The promise of a white Christmas beckons as the days in the northern hemisphere start to grow a little longer. 
The filtered sun will begin to shine a little brighter and bring with it the promise of long summer days, but for now we will enjoy what has come our way. The days are cold now but we greet each new one with a renewed anticipation as we grow to know the warmth of our neighbours and appreciate the many Christmas wishes. We have Jon here, and soon Philip will join us for Christmas. Here’s hoping that the snow will linger and that we will never begin to take moments like this for granted. Who knows what lies behind the next gate?
