Snowy London

I probably won't be posting that much in the next few days but thought I'd share (for those of you who don't live here) that London's had its first snow of the year, not exactly unexpected but not tremendously well prepared for either. There's the usual utter amazement at Heathrow, for instance,  which has resulted in cancelled flights because of the "unusual" weather conditions of snow in February. There is also the inadequate gritting of roads (although at least they'd made some effort on the motorways)

Driving back home into London last night we found many of the roads on our route were entirely ungritted, and cars were sliding all over the place. We had to go very slowly with the wipers whirring and the automatic braking juddering, just hoping that no passing bus would slide gracefully into our path.  I sure was glad that T was driving and not me.

I took a whole load of photos out of the window with my iPhone as we crawled along. I thought the results looked more like paintings than photos.  Some of them were really abstract.  The messy,blurred, fleeting look of them reminds me of how it felt on the trip, with the scene outside the car windows changing,  snow melting all over the windscreen, a slight feeling of anxiety because of the awful conditions, and everything looking so different from normal times.

Anyway here are some of them. Don't expect pin sharp precision, okay?  And for those of you who know London, I've put where each picture was taken.

First,  this blurred shape was a  woman standing alone by the old red-brick Victorian public building in the square in ACTON, London W3. She was phoning someone, I hope  she was arranging to be picked up!

He we were heading off the Westway (which is always, for some reason, un-lit) at PADDINGTON, London W2.    Paddington Green is on the left, a bit of 18th century London stranded next to a busy road, you might be able to see the ghost of an old white church there. .

Here we are in ST. JOHN'S WOOD,  London W8. with the bus going slowly along (thank goodness)

I forget exactly where this coned off shot was taken, but it was also near Paddington, the ttraffic cones  sort of flashed in the car lights as you passed but I couldn't catch that impression.

And here is the tube station at  MAIDA VALE,  London W9, its greenish fluorescent lights looking almost welcoming - well, at least it was shelter from the heavily falling snow. No pedestrians in sight.just the belisha beacon with its striped black and white pole and orange light flashing on and off in a lonely way.... . .

Here's a quieter Edwin Hopper moment as we slowed down to turn a corner at SWISS COTTAGE, London NW3. This lady looked to me as if she has been shopping - surely not?

Finally, we arrived  home, and glad to see it!  We also found a parking space behind a snowed in car. You can't see me in the wing mirror. 
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The clock on the dashboard says the time, 22.26.  This short trip has taken us three hours. 

Outside in the garden, it seemed as if fairytales might happen, but the windows and doors were tight shut against them...,

Ooh! scary!!

I see that I have 199 followers - how exciting! I wonder who will be No. 200?