SNOW!!!!!!

Due to various reasons, my family are not getting together on Christmas day. It is my nephews first Christmas, and so both sets of grandparents have staked a claim, so in order not to disappoint anyone, my brother and sister-in law have said they will host Christmas lunch at theirs. Respect due to my sister-in-law, 9 month old baby and both sets of grandparents - rather her than me! In light of this, my youngest brother is heading to the 'frozen' north to spend Christmas with his girlfriend and her family - she hails from north of Newcastle, so found it highly amusing that we going on about this heavy snow fall we had. We've probably had about 10 - 12cms, a light dusting in her world! Anyway with this in mind, we had a family get together this weekend just gone.

Youngest brother and girlfriend made it down from Nottingham safely on Friday night, with the rest of us planning to head over Saturday morning. We had had a little snow on Thursday, covering the grass, but not the roads. We had decided that we would leave about half ten, and we would be in Maidenhead by eleven. We got up Saturday morning, no more snow, so started getting ready. Then it started to snow!!! In the space of an hour, we had had several inches and it showed no sign of stopping. With this is mind, and the fact that we live in a small village on the edge of the Chilterns, we decided to drive to Stokenchurch (actually in the opposite direction to the one we wanted to be going in) as it is the flattest route out of the village, and then get on the M40. After a bit of slipping and sliding to actually to get to main road (only a B road, so don't get any ideas!), we made it to the motorway, and what a sight that met out eyes!!!!!!!!!

We finally left out house at about 10.50am, and got to Maidenhead at just before 12.30pm. This is a journey that normally takes about 20minutes.

The M40 was down to one lane and at best about 20 miles an hour. I know that the snow came down very quickly, we had about 12cms in two hours, but you would have thought that the Highways agency and the councils would have managed a slightly better job that this.

We then had to get off the M40 at junction 4 (Handycross)...........that was fun getting up the slip road, and the two changes of the lights before before we could get going again. Below is a picture of the junction...........snowing heavily and devoid of the traffic that normally snarls it to a near stand still.

Anyway, we finally got there, as did my brother, sister-in-law and nephew, who had a similar nightmare journey from Reading along the M4!

We all stayed the night, so good food and booze flowed, and luckily by this morning, the powers that be had finally managed to get themselves organised and at least the motorways were clear.

Hubby and I did a test run to Slough before lunch (hubby has been on a weeks holiday, so he wanted to go and pick up his duties for next week - bloody part timer does not start back until Wednesday, then has four days off over Christmas!!), and found the roads fine - well the A4 was awful actually, especially given as it was the centre of Slough. At least the motorways were fine.

We had no trouble getting back to Stokenchurch, and even the road to our village was fine, bit hairy off the main (remember it is a B road, so don't get excited) roads, but we got home. Have to say, am not looking forward to going to Oxford tomorrow morning (got three earlies before I start my Christmas break), but hubby has said that he will take me, so least I don't have to drive. He will also take me to the police station, which is advantageous, as according to Oxford Bus Company's website, their services are severely disrupted, so I might have trouble getting the bus from the park and ride tomorrow.................. anyone would think it had snowed or something!