And the good Lord said 'Let there be snow.' And there was snow. And he saw that it was deep and crisp and even deeper in places.

Built your snow man yet Blog?

So the snow doth snoweth. So what? Trudging is so peaceful ... no people, no traffic. And across the fields or parkland, a glance behind shows only one set of footprints in the virgin snow. Seeing the set of prints following me never fails to remind me of that syrupy verse which is often printed on tea towels and the like, about the  two sets of prints then the single set going across the sand on a beach ... '  and why was there then just  one set of prints oh  Lord?'.  Sorry, but it always reminds me of the verse!!! Mum had such a tea towel! It may be hard to follow a set schedule Blog, in the snowy conditions, but the snow won't be around for long (.. as he said in 1963), so why not used the conditions for a little mental refreshment from the hard routine of intervals, hard runs, races and the like. A mid-winter break from the slog! A few days trudging about in the snow will do nothing for you but good. Enjoy a stress free day or two travelling across the country. Try a few new paths. Look around for the tracks of the natural inhabitants whom you are usually totally unaware of! If you run on playing fields, play mind games by either using your own foot prints on each lap, or make a different track on each lap so that whoever happens to along that way next, will be impressed by the amount of work you have done! Is it not farcical that the country panics at the first (and second and third ..) sight of snow. Why all the school closures? I remember running to work after a particularly heavy fall, knowing full well that I, another member of staff who lived local and the caretaker would be the only three members of staff in. and so it proved! But on the final hill just before the school gates, I have to admit that I was impressed to see a single pupil up to his knees struggling through the drifts to get in. We invited him to join us for a cup of hot chocolate and biscuits. He was quite shy!! Especially when I ask ‘And why did you try to get into school when the weather was so bad that it was almost impossible to walk, and more important, why did you bring (carry) your bike?’ Bless him .. ‘I always come to school on my bike sir, and any way, it might have melted by home time’. I had to smile inwardly. The snow over a foot deep and going nowhere for a week!!! At my third school, another country school, I could appreciate the Head shutting up shop early as he was at the mercy of the coach companies who bussed the kids in. A village school, surrounded by a series of hills, the companies refused to come out after 1:00pm if the snow was getting deep for fear of getting stuck. Of course, I never missed a day in such circumstances. I was the only member of staff with a record of full attendance!! It was a bonus if the school was or had to be closed early. Running to and from work, such conditions meant that I could get a few extra miles in! Just like the asbestos problems we had … but that is another story for another time.

                                     Colin