SUNDAY SCRIBBLINGS - A WINTER'S TALE

THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN ACROSS THE ROAD FROM MY HOUSE IN ENGLAND. THERE'S ONLY A LITTLE SNOW HERE. CAN YOU SPOT A YOUNG KB?

I'm finding it difficult to write a winter's tale. It's a beautiful, sunny day on my side of the world.

The winters here are very mild in comparison to where I grew up in England. I remember school finishing early one day because there was a storm coming. My parents were at work so I took the bus home. I lived up on the Moors at the time. The ride usually took half an hour but the bus crawled up the hill, despite the fact the road had been salted due to previous snow fall.

I arrived at my stop around 4 o'clock. It was already dark outside - not unusual for an English winter afternoon.

I proceeded to make my way home in a snow blizzard. Not easy while carrying a violin, school books and gym gear. I still remember taking one step forward and being blown two steps back for quite some time. My hood fell back and I couldn't retrieve it as my hands were full. By the time I arrived home, my hands and face were raw and I was crying my eyes out in frustration from having to face the elements.

In the morning, there was snow backed up on one side of our house, covering our front door. We had to make our way down out of the second floor window. Cool fun for the kids but not so much for Mum. The school bus couldn't reach us for a few days - so sad, hehe.

So now, when people around me complain about how cold they are, I call them pussies and tell them they have no idea what feeling the cold is really like.