So, today should have been spent in Glasgow, in the company of approximately 50 active travel campaigners, variously networking, sharing ideas, putting the world to rights and (most likely) worrying that none of our speakers were running to time. But with the ongoing weather chaos (there are still no trains running out of Bigtown station even now) we had to reluctantly cancel. So what with that, and being ill and my Viking biking failure on Wednesday, I’ve not actually been anywhere since Sunday except out for a daily walk.
Today, feeling that this was getting out of hand, I decided I would either attempt to cycle down for the paper or we would dig the car out and drive down to do some recreational panic buying. No sooner had I made this decision than it began to snow again, so we dug out the car while we still could, made liberal use of the contents of the coonsil grit bin which is helpfully left right by our gate (and smells deliciously of treacle – do they mix it with molasses to make it stick or has the salted caramel fad finally jumped the shark?) and successfully made it to the main road.
It was slightly sobering to then come across an upside-down 4×4 a mile or two further down – it wasn’t exactly where I would have been cycling, but it did illustrate the fact that some people are still struggling to drive to the conditions. But, hey, apparently I’m the nutter, attempting to tackle these conditions on a bike …
Capsized vehicles aside, Bigtown was almost disappointingly back to normal – even the KFC is open again – and the supermarket’s shelves looked fairly fully stocked although we did almost end up with half a Guardian (apparently the middle bits fall out too easily and they seem to be dealing with this by bringing them out one magazine insert at a time when customers complain, rather than just sorting them all out in one go).
By the time we were heading home the snow was more or less stopped, the overturned car was being carted away and there was a sense that – the odd yellow weather warning notwithstanding – life might be returning to its normal rhythms soon. It’s been nice to have a bit of enforced downtime, I suppose, especially after a busy start to the year. But I think I’ll be ready to get out on the bike pretty soon. I just hope all the drivers out there concentrate as hard on keeping the rubber side down as I do …
Town Mouse 
It’s interesting to read your account of what the weather is doing in another part of the UK. I too have enjoyed the enforced downtime, here in Oxfordshire. But it doesn’t take long for cabin fever to set in…….
The Neath Valley, except for two days, has escaped the excesses reported elsewhere in the country, I am very pleased to say all roads etc., are back to normal. However, and there is always a, however, the deluge has set in. Torrential rain is forecast for the next few days. Where did I put my sou’wester and North Sea oilskins? Cheers.
@Lizzie – I am totally ready for it to be spring …
@WelshCyclist – I imagine ‘waterproof in Wales’ is even more challenging than ‘waterproof in Scotland’!
Mr Wiggins, Mr Wiggins, doped up, like the curlers. Competitive cycling and athletics and Lord Coe are in the dock, this has nothing to do with normal human beings but can we at least agree that this is not a happy place. I like my bike and I enjoy jogging, I hate cheats who do do not understand the damage they do to people who want to compete and win cleanly. I am going to have a large drink.
@Charles – did you really say you enjoy jogging?
Jogging is like rowing, it’s great when you finish…..