Snow

So far this winter hasn't been too bad.  Some icy conditions in early December which hung around for a while, then it was reasonably mild until a couple of weeks ago.  January brought a blast of freezing weather which covered much of the country with snow.  Here in our little corner of the world we have mostly had the best of the weather - a light dusting of snow for a few days which froze to the trees and shrubs imparting a stark beauty, breathtaking in its simplicity.  This week however we have had two heavy snowfalls.  The first of these came overnight on Sunday and before  7a.m. on Monday morning I was awoken by a strange scraping sound.  When I looked out of the window I was greeted by the sight of a group of neighbours clearing the road from the very top of the hill right down to the main through road.  It made such a difference to the accessibility of the street and was a great blessing to us.  The street is a steep hill and turns a corner half way down.  As it turns the corner there is a row of houses across the bottom of the hill - guess who lives right in the middle of the point where the road comes down to that row of houses?  Yup - us.  If any vehicle lost control on the hill - it was our dining room which it was going to hit!  In light of all that, the snow clearance was an extra blessing to us.    The snow on the lawns and uncleared areas hung around all week although it was gradually thawing.  Last night however we had another, heavier snowfall, and awoke to a thick blanket of white.  This time we were up and ready to get out there with the neighbours to help with the clearing.  Not only is it beneficial to everyone who lives on this street but it is a great opportunity to get to know more neighbours.
It is too easy to live insular lives and never get to know the neighbours  but doing simple little jobs together to benefit the whole community, creates opportunities to come together in amicable companionship and to begin to chat in a way which a wave in passing just doesn't do.