Sunday, January 20th 2013
I need hardly say that it has snowed again since my post on the subject last Monday, given that the snow, and the disruption that a moderate snowfall always causes in Britain, as been widely reported.
From my point of view, more important than the snow itself is the cold. The temperature has been uncharacteristically low these last few days and I have been out hardly at all. I have often wished I could hibernate as bears do, going to sleep at the onset of cold weather and waking up again only when the sun has made its triumphal return – no more so than this year when it has been so cold that we have often run the heating for long periods instead of in short bursts as has been our wont in previous years.
We did go out yesterday, however, in order to do our weekly shopping. Rather than bears, we were perhaps behaving more like squirrels leaving the nest briefly in order to raid the nut store or beg a sandwich from a passing citizen. Our equivalent of the latter was to have brunch in a recently installed branch of Itsu in the N1 Centre.
Itsu is a facsimile Japanese food outlet, catering both for takeaway and sit-in customers, run by Pret A Manger. I am not an expert on Japanese food and therefore cannot say how authentic Itsu’s dishes are. Their food is quite tasty as an occasional treat but I would not like to eat it all the time.
After our brief foray, we spent the rest of Saturday at home, entertaining ourselves in various ways and will probably spend the whole of today at home. Looking through the window, I see that it has snowed again and is in fact snowing even now. I hate to think what state public transport will be in tomorrow as people try to return to work. Transport managers are probably at this very moment practising their excuses.
The blogosphere, or at least that small part of it that I regularly monitor, seems fairly quiet too. Perhaps the winter blues are having their effect and damping down people’s enthusiasm. Hence, all the more reason to look forward to the thaw and an easing of the cold. Perhaps then I will find the courage to venture out and take a fresh look at the world.
In the meantime I am enjoying my almost-hibernation.
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Although I have no control over the weather, I do feel a bit guilty that yesterday, we had a spectacular day — sunny, a tiny breeze, and 61F/16C. For all that it is beautiful, snow is as hard on the wild life as it is on the people that have to get out in it. Hopefully, Tigger, with her usual resourcefulness and fortitude, will be able to cope.
No need to feel guilty: the weather does what it likes and we cannot do anything about it.
Yes, Tigger will get to work despite the weather and the traffic conditions.
I, on the other hand, feel rather jealous. It’s cold and rainy where I am, but I’d much rather see a good bit of snow out of my window while I drink tea and listen to the radio. I can’t say I envy you the Big Melt when it comes, though.
To each, his own, I suppose.
Snow is very pretty on Christmas cards but in real life it causes disruption and loss of life.
I rather envy your Itsu. Dorothy and I are lucky enough to have been to Japan twice, and we came back hankering after the cuisine in its various forms. At least now even in Faversham Tesco sell what would be lunch-boxes in Japan. I love them, as I would tempura if I could find it locally.
Not having eaten real Japanese food, I don’t know whether you would be disappointed by their fare. There are a number of Japanese restaurants in London (and other cities that we have visited) but we have never tried any of them.