I have not yet found my plot, but I am pleased to tell you that after all my grumbling at the Weather Gods they have finally relented, and it has indeed snowed.
They must have been feeling guilty, because not only did we wake up to a couple of inches of snow, after that the day became gloriously clement. The sun shone beautifully all day, and I got all my washing dry as well.
I appreciated this kind gesture very much.
I started the day with a tramp over the fells, once I had finished my morning housework, which was when I took the picture. It was quite an exciting walk, not least because I am trying to be constantly mindful of the current Government reminders that the extreme weather has created a situation in which our fragile lives are endangered once again. Matt Hancock’s WhatsApp messages to his colleagues have provided some considerable evidence about the trustworthiness of our beloved leaders, and so I can jolly well tell you that I was in some trepidation about the potential foolhardiness of such a venture.
Indeed, in one or two of the steeper bits my boots did slide about on the snow a bit, although not nearly as much as they did in the mud when we had some especially unpleasant rain a few weeks ago. On that day I slithered to an extremely undignified halt, from which it was necessary to stagger to my feet, hoping that nobody had been looking, and make unsuccessful attempts to bat the mud from my trousers.
There were no health warnings in force then, though, so it must not have been dangerous.
Also it turned out that nobody was looking, except possibly the sheep. Even the dogs didn’t notice. I had to put my trousers through a hot wash, though.
The dogs like snow, and snuffled and rolled about in great excitement. I was not tempted to join them, although I almost had a misadventure when the ground turned out not to be quite where I had anticipated underneath a surprisingly substantial snowdrift. I had to wave my arms about a bit, I can tell you, and when I got home I almost sent another email to Rishi Sunak to thank him for his forewarnings.
I don’t know what we would do without them.
Once home I had the much-anticipated happiness of a whole day to myself.
Well, almost a day, it was one in the afternoon by then, and of course we are at work tonight, but I had rushed all week and done absolutely everything that could decently be expected of me in order that I could sit down and write my story for a few hours this afternoon, which was what I did.
I filled the teapot and retreated to my desk.
The dogs were lounging in the conservatory in the sunshine, and were so warm and contented that they declined to come with me, so I even had the luxury of being able to concentrate without them squabbling around my feet and occasionally trying to persuade me to pick them up.
I have now written a hundred and three pages, and am almost halfway through my current story, although I have still forgotten what on earth I had in mind for the exciting climax which is scheduled for about Page Two Hundred. I have thought and thought about this, and once or twice I have had the frustrating sensation that the recollection is almost there, just a fingertip away, and then it vanishes again, so perhaps I made it up.
It did not matter today, because I knew what I was doing for this bit, and so I sat at the desk in the very greatest of happiness, pouring myself cups of tea which had even stayed hot because I put both teacosies on the teapot. I wrote my hero through a mild crisis, and felt so happy with my world that I hardly minded at all when it was suddenly four o’clock, and time to bring the washing in and get the taxi picnic ready.
I had such a nice afternoon I am going to try and do it again next week. It is wonderful to be in between university course modules. I have handed in the assignments for the last one, and the reading list for the next has not yet thumped down into my Inbox, so I can write whatever I like with an entirely clear conscience.
I am on the taxi rank now.
I am going to drink my cup of tea and go back and read what I have written.
