1) It's midday, so let's go shopping. A nice easy ten minute drive each-way to
Droitwich and back. What could possibly go wrong?
Erm, we've only got as far as
Fernhill Heath and it's started to snow and the road (the A38) is untreated (big thanks to
Worcs CC and the Highways Agency - they've only had days of media weather warnings).
2) Vicky is at the wheel and we continue at a stealthy pace to
Droitwich. The snow is continuing to settle and
there is no sign of it stopping so we turn back for home at a roundabout. This is the view along the
Droitwich By-Pass. No gritters have been here either but at least the traffic is light and moving.
3) Now back on the A38 and the traffic is virtually at a standstill. We start to debate what the hold up might be and how long we will be stuck here. About twent minutes after this was taken, three (count 'em) police vehicles passed by going the other way. They drove up the middle of the road between the two lines of traffic. The drivers stoically keep their gaze forwards. No advice is offered to anyone. Has there been an accident or what?
4) Being stationary for the best part of an hour provides one with ample opportunity to wind the window down and take photos of the verges rapidly disappearing under a white blanket. Drivers behind us get impatient with the delay and pull out into the middle of the road and advance towards whatever is blocking the road ahead. We decide it's every 'man for himself' and follow suit. Transpires the lights at the top of the long shallow incline ahead have brought the flow, such as it is, to standstill. This 'incline', one you wouldn't give a second thought to under normal
circs, is beyond the capabilities of most two-wheel drive vehicles from a standing start. I encourage Vicky to 'have a go!' After much weaving up the hill, both of us bobbing up and down in our seats, and a burning smell from the car which we do our best to ignore, Vicky gets the Lancer up the hill. Phew, that was horrible.
5) We've made it back into Worcester! Once we were through the lights it was plain sailing. Again this is the A38 and, yep, you've guessed it, no gritters have been out here either.
6) Keep those wheels moving Vic! Nearly home now. Pulling onto the A449, another of the counties major A roads and, guess what? No grit here.
7) We've parked up and had some
scran. The car was making a slight, ahem, 'scrunching' noise, when we parked it up but we're ignoring that for now. We're off for a walk up to the local Co-Op now which, with hindsight (isn't that a wonderful thing?), was what we should have done in the first place. Three hours to do a twenty minute drive and it could have been even longer. We wonder if some people had to abandon their cars in the end. So when some scrote from the County Council or Highways Agency or, especially, the Government, comes on the telly and tells us what a 'splendid job they are doing' you know what to say, don't you? NB: the evening news bulletins tell us the the M5 north-bound was blocked due to a wagon having jackknifed. Aha! So every one would have been trying to detour around that by using the A38. No wonder there was so much traffic trying to get though the lights at Martin Hussingtree. So one accident on the motorway, and ungritted A roads, is all it takes to create chaos on our roads. No consolation to those drivers who couldn't get up the hill tho', eh?
2) Pied Wagtail is made of stern stuff. Which is lucky for it, 'cos we have come out again without any bread.
3) Howard has no fear of freshly fallen snow 'cos he's a Bright Green Christmas Reindeer from deepest darkest Lapland (oh yes).
4) Very few people out for a walk along the River today. Perhaps they are all trying to get to Sainsburys? Should've gone yesterday when the temperature was one degree Celsius (oh the cowin' humidity) and the roads were nice and slushy. Mind you, they could be slushy today for all we know 'cos we haven't bothered to check out the main road. No need to. Good, eh?
