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The snow that had been predicted to fall yesterday arrived with a vengeance overnight. When we opened the bedroom blinds this morning we were treated to the sight of a white-out. The whole valley had disappeared under a blanket of snow which left the world eerily quiet as hardly anything motorised could move.

Later, having fortified myself with coffee I ventured out with the camera to get a few pictures. Firstly, I checked the depth of the snow on our front garden wall.

13cm. But in many places the snow had drifted and was even deeper, getting up to 20cm.

Whilst Dawn stayed in the warm I went for a wander around where we lived before the snow dropped off the trees. We’re surrounded by woodland, which makes for lovely pictures in these conditions. Here’s a selection…

It’s a brave (or stupid) motorist who ventures out in these conditions. Our road became a reserve for walkers rather than cars. All you had to watch out for was snow bombs as the tree branches shed their loads.
Local footpaths became the reserve of foxes and badgers, the only ones who left tracks.
Looking down a cold Calder valley towards Sowerby Bridge which is hidden in the murk in the valley below.
Looking up at the Wainhouse Tower past telephone lines which have quadrupled in prominence due to the snow clinging to them. Telegraph poles and wires in the air is still very much a thing in this neck of the woods.
The walk to our local pub (The Big 6) is up this cobbled road called Wakefield Gate. Today it was reserved for walkers as it was too steep and slippery for vehicles. This featured in the opening credits for the TV series ‘Gentlemen Jack’. I’d hoped to have got some evening shots here but the snow turned to rain.

The pair of us did venture out into the valley bottom for a stroll along the canal to Sowerby Bridge in the early afternoon but by then temperatures had risen enough that we had persistent rain which was gradually turning the snow into slush. I’d half-hoped to be able to get some pictures of local trains in the snow, but conditions were so bad all rail services through the Calder Valley were suspended, so there was nothing left to do but go for a pint and a warm in the Hogshead Brew House before slipping and sliding our way uphill to home. Water was running down the roads in torrents as the rain continued to melt the snow, making it an ‘interesting’ walk to say the least. Thankfully, there were few cars on the roads, which were a far safer place to walk than the slush-covered, treacherous pavements. Even so, we were soaked by the time we got home. The forecast had been for more heavy snow, but here, the difference in height by a few meters and temperature by one degree can make all the difference – which makes predicting the weather so difficult. I wouldn’t be the least surprised to find that snow’s falling just another 100-150 meters above where we live.

Now it’s time for a quiet night in. Dawn’s cooking a veggie Sunday dinner whilst I’m writing this. After which, it’s time to sort out and book for our next adventure, to somewhere far more exotic – and warm. Watch this space…

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