Fawning around

On my way through the blizzard (aka light snow) this morning I saw a figure walking towards me. I thought it was Mr Tumnus, the fawn from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe!

They had an umbrella, lots of parcels and looking like they had hooves. It was only when they got closer to me that I realised that it was a lady with an umbrella and long boots. Perhaps the lack of fur and horns should have been a giveaway too.

I also witnessed some amazing driving. Some people clearly decided that because they were in 4×4 vehicles they could drive at normal speed. They seem to have forgotten that others would not be going at the same speed as them and that it will take a while to stop. There was a bloke slipping and sliding on a bicycle while cars tiptoed past him in case he slid in front of them. My favourite was the van driver who clearly decided that revving his engine and making his wheels spin really fast was the best way to achieve traction. Advice from the BBC seems apt: “Stay in a higher gear for better control, and if it is slippery, in a manual car move off in a higher gear, rather than just using first.”

If you want more advice go to: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8443690.stm

Of course, being British, we are unable to cope with extremes of weather, even though talking about the weather is one of our favourite things to do. Meetings are cancelled, airports are closed, trains are delayed… In the ‘good old days’ of course these things never bothered us. We stayed at home, we walked, we went on sledges… but it seems that today it is essential that our busy lives are not disrupted.

I suspect Jesus is having quite a giggle at a lot of us getting stressed by the snow at the moment. I suspect he would have two words for us all:

“Chill out!”