It's Snowing In London

Winter’s here at last! We woke up this morning and found that about an inch of snow had fallen overnight across London. I peered out of my window and savoured the layer of delightful icing covering everything out there. I’ve seen snow often - most recently only a month ago – and have cursed it frequently. But the magic and excitement still remains.

Of course, let’s be clear here. After all, this is only English snow. Compared to what the continent gets, this is pittance. London, in particular, is not a very snowy capital. And according to the papers, what we saw was already deemed the heaviest snowfall since 2003. But it was enough, naturally, to cause chaos in the London transport system. There’s even a chance of more snow tonight.

Some places deal with snow exceptionally well, while some are terrible. I spent four winters in Washington, a city notorious for being a complete wimp when it comes to snowy weather. Schooldays are easily cancelled, and even the federal government is liable to shut down officially.

Heading one day to Montreal, where a former language tutor of mine was then living, I asked, innocuously, “So how many days each winter does the city close down because of snow?” Typically, Montreal receives massive amounts of snow.

She threw me a puzzled look and said, “Never.”