Snow in London

London has turned a delightful shade of white. I absolutely adore it. I love the snow. When it snows, the cold doesn't seem so bad. I no longer feel the biting wind, and my frosty toes and fingers barely register on my radar.

Snow reminds me of when i was a child, and our trips to the Snowy Mountains. These trips are some of my most glorious memories, throughout childhood and into adolescence. I never outgrew my child-like fascination with snow - its texture, its appearance, the way it seems to silence and soften a landscape. I was also fortunate enough to have parents who loved the mountains all year round, so we had several summertime trips too - enabling me to compare the appearance of the region with and without snow. And the two or three times that Orange was dusted with snow during the decade that i lived there was even more exciting - to have snow falling on scenes i saw every day, and adding a sense of wonderment to mundane things like the clothesline or streetsigns. It was only ever a tiny sprinkle of snow, but it was exciting nonetheless.

The Royal Albert Hall

So having this much snow AT MY HOUSE is far too exciting for me. It started snowing before Cirque du Soleil began, but after i'd already started working at the Royal Albert Hall. I watched excitedly as the snow fell,  through the windows of the Hall. Many of my work friends and associates complained bitterly about the inconvenience of snow, but this did not dampen my enthusiasm. I tried to explain to them why i was so excited, why this was such a novelty - that in Straya it doesn't just snow, you have to go to the snow, you have to have the means to travel to see snow, and very few people live in places where it snows regularly (and more than just a light dusting). Once i'd finished my shift i ventured out, barely able to contain my excitement. I walked slowly as i'd been warned it could be slippery, but my lovely work shoes served me well and i kept my balance all the way to the tube. I took several photos along the way with my phone, and arrived at South Kensington tube station encrusted in a thick layer of the still-falling snow.

Me - very excited about all  the snow in my face

Exhibition Road, next to the Science Museum

Once i'd arrived home, i didn't even take off my coat and hat - i grabbed my camera and took more photos around my house and street.

Front wall and bins

Greer's pot plants on her windowsill

A group of Carribean guys were shouting and laughing a short way down the street as i photographed the snowy scenes. One of them seemed to be shouting at me as they approached - "Hey! Hello!" - but i was oblivious at first. He drew closer, and he was holding a giant snowball the size of a pumpkin, grinning and motioning the snowball towards me (and my camera). "No... No no no no no no.... Please don't..." i protested nervously. He crossed the street and lobbed the snowball gently at me - it exploded on my chest and i burst out laughing. He did too, and high-fived me, before returning to his group of friends to walk across the park. I chuckled and went back into my house to dry off and warm up, and to share my evening with my internet friends.

Looking across the carpark

The Crown - the old (non-trading) pub across the road

Bicycle - with snow.