Steady as she goes

It's hard to believe that I've been back in London for nearly a week already.

The weather has been pretty shocking, with heavy snowfalls over the past few days especially. I have been reading the online newspapers about deaths in Poland, and indeed across the UK, so while I'm still warm and vertical I really don't think I have anything to worry about.

Come to think of it, I don't reckon it's easy to stay either warm or vertical when the weather gets like this. Mamma bought me a couple of pairs of shoes with really good treads while I was home last week, and one pair has particularly come in really handy this week. The shoes aren't anywhere near proper snow boots, so they're not warm by any stretch, but they have (so far) kept me upright as I try and navigate the slippery, slushy footpaths to my office. I do suspect that if the weather stays like it is, I'm going to have to invest in a pair of proper zip-up boots, similar to the sort I had in Chi-town, but at the moment I'm not in a rush for them.

Speaking of rushing, it always surprises me the number of people (public transport commuters especially) who don't see the point in slowing down when the weather gets like this. They don't walk gingerly, taking good care of themselves and sparing an even fleeting thought for anyone around them. Rather, they run like the clappers for their train/bus, as if it were just another sunny, Spring day. One such lady got her comeuppance right in front of me this morning and it was pretty sweet. Actually that's not fair, she fell pretty hard on the tiled floor of the train station, and it would have hurt. But she bounced - and THAT was the only funny part about it (to me, I mean). I helped her up, which seemed like the right thing to do, and the poor woman was so embarrassed but the only thing I think she hurt was her pride. She also got slushy crap all over her woollen coat, but that's just karma for you really.

I actually love this time of year in the northern hemisphere. The frosty weather is pretty to look at, and even OK to be out in - assuming you're dressed appropriately and don't have TOO far to travel. Commutes to work take way longer than they should, but you just need to adjust to that. This time of year also brings Christmas decorations and I've always been a sucker for fairy lights and tinsel. Anything shiny or sparkly, you know how it goes. We set up our office Christmas tree today and I've been playing Christmas carols through my computer speakers (though this is part of my ongoing campaign to make my boss lose ALL of what remains of his hair).

It's probably too early to tell if we'll have a white Christmas, but we've certainly made a cracking start to it.