The thaw

The thaw began on Saturday. But by nightfall it had only revealed little bits of bare ground.

It continued throughout Sunday. It was till fairly white as nightfall arrived.

I got up this morning. There was hardly a sign of white. Instead the patio area had an alarming sheen. Sure enough as I venture out later in the morning, that sheen is ice. There is a thin layer of water on top. It is drizzling a bit. But underneath it is definitely ice & very treacherous.

In some ways, I'm sad to see the snow go. It certainly made the world look different, brought out new things in the landscape around. But I'm forced to admit I am relieved at the thought of getting back to normal life, even if it isn't as colourful & exciting but is instead something rather prosaic.

I eagerly look to see what the forecast is for the northwest for the next few days. We want to arrange that trip down to Liverpool & the Rothko exhibition. Sadly I see more snow is expected later this week. I think we'll wait a little longer. At least this afternoon we're hoping to get off & book our flights to Nice for the spring & maybe a couple of nights accommodation in Nice itself. That will be something to look forward to.