What I learned recently?

What is the last thing you learned?

I always wondered where all the water was when snow melts. There can be so much snow, but the sun comes out and there are no huge puddles. So where does it go to?

I was watching a TV show called QI, a comedy quiz show that comes up with ‘quite interesting’ facts. I’d never realised that snow is mainly air, I wrote about it a few days ago, and I learnt it from the show. Snow is crystaline and so its spiky structure traps air. So ten centimetres of snow only leaves about one centimetre of water. That’s why there aren’t huge floods after even very heavy snow fall. Rain is much more damaging and with climate change we are getting a months worth of rain in a few hours nowadays.

Yes I’m British and yes I talk about the weather a lot. Its what we do.

A sprinkling of snow

View out of the upstairs window. I woke up to a sprinkling of snow. Its only a thin dusting, but the clouds are grey. Hubby’s talking about going for a walk in it. I’ve come back to bed to snuggle rather than putting the heaters on. Had a nice hot cup of decaff coffee. The weather forecast is for it to blow over. Heading east. Other places have had it far worse. But last night we had freezing rain so I think it’s going to be slippy underfoot and I’ve seen posts on Facebook about it being hazardous to drive in. The trouble with the UK is we have all sorts of weather all the time, tomorrow might be warmer and dry, or thundery, or we might get saharan dust! We don’t get used to driving in snow, it’s like iceskating once a year. You can’t be an expert in such a short time.

Two cats

Cats sleeping, keeping warm. Sitting by the heater. One has pride of place, the other is trying to sneak closer. They are closer to each other than they used to be, they sniff noses and work out a friendly way of living together. Sometimes though they move from the heaters because they overheat I think, then they move even go and sit by the back door. They both watch the world through the catflap, a bit too cold to actually go outside. The smallest cat usually relaxes upstairs either on our bed or in a little cat bed in the other room. I wish she would be a bit more confident around the boy cats, but she has always been the nervous one.

So what’s happening?

What is one question you hate to be asked? Explain.

Don’t you hate it when you are watching a film or programme and someone comes in the room and asks what has been happening. You don’t want to have to reply but you know you are going to have to. It’s halfway through the programme and one person has died, another one is being blamed. A third is actually responsible. How to explain while trying to continue watching? Sometimes a grunt works. Other times a full explanation is required.

The worst thing is when it is you asking the question, and you know you are not going to get any sort of an answer that makes sense.

Putin attacks again.

Yet again Putins army has attacked Ukraine. This morning eighty missiles rained down on about ten districts of Ukraine. Hey were mainly in the east of the country but smoke was seen in Kyiv and Oddessa. The attack killed civilians and damaged places like a nuclear power plant at Zaphoriza (not sure of the spelling). The fact Putin thinks this is OK is terrible. It was not that long ago the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, also in the Ukraine? was destroyed in an accident. Radiation spread across the whole of Europe. But Putin doesn’t seem to care. However many civilians, including women and children that he kills and maims he does not want to stop, till he destroys Ukraine.

International Womens Day

It is International Womens day until midnight. Someone asked me which three women from the present or history I would like to meet?

Queen Elizabeth the first. Henry the eighths daughter, known as the Virgin Queen, famous for the first Elizabethan age.

Marie Curie, who discovered through long and hard research Radium and other radioactive elements.

Jo Brand, a wonderful and hilarious comedian. She has been on British TV for years and has an acerbic wit.

Snow coming…

Beautiful photo by Aaron Burden from unsplash. I don’t normally use other people’s pictures but this is free to use on the Internet.

We have had snow warnings, for Thursday night and for Friday. We have had a lot of snow across the country over the last couple of days, but in the South and the North of the UK. But a low pressure zone is travelling up from the South, and an Arctic blast of cold air is coming from the North. The wet air from the south is due to turn into snow somewhere over the Midlands and Northern England (Staffordshire and Derbyshire). Lower levels are due to be 10 to 20 centimetres, but higher ground might get 40 centimeters. Not sure how much that is in inches but it sounds a lot? I think 12 centimeters is 4.7 inches? So today we got the shopping done. Made sense rather than getting caught out tomorrow or Friday.

Croaky, eating trifle

Staying in with a croaky sore throat and a bit of a cough. No covid testing kits, so better to keep away from everyone.

I made this on Sunday, it has jelly with raspberries and port in it. Very soothing for my throat. Its low sugar because I use a bit of sweetner instead of sugar. It’s cool and tasty. Unfortunately I had to use custard (not my favourite), but it went down well.

What’s your comfort food? If I didn’t have this it would be ice-cream or yoghurt.. All the stuff that’s bad for me! ❤️