As you'll have seen from Carole's photographs of the last couple of days, the Beast From The East dumped snow on Lincs Tuesday and Wednesday, whilst down in Wiltshire, where I spend my working week, Storm Emma is due to do similar this afternoon.
Having taken advice from Lincs Police that the roads were clear at home last night, and after talking with Carole, I decided to make a break for home early this morning.
I left Wilts at 0445, it was just begining to snow, but it was so cold, minus 9 and so dry it wasn't settling. I was making not bad time up the M4 and M5 until BBC News announced that Lincs Police had declared EVERY road in the County as impassable. I managed to make it to Leicester and the service at J1 with M1/M69 for a break. Over a coffee I texted the management team in my firm, after hearing the Met Office had announced another Red Weather warning (only the second ever) for Devon, Dorset, Somerset and South Wales asking our Office Manager to track down all staff and get them to either hunker down safely or head for the hills immediately.
After my coffee, I hit the road again. On the A46 out of Leicester towards Newark I managed to sit behind a snowplough for quite a few miles safe in the knowledge I was driving on tarmac and not ice, to be amazed at the number of trucks and cars who were overtaking in the outside lane which was, quite frankly, not safe.
I got to Lincoln, ring road seemed clear, got to A46 Grimsby Road which is just 9 miles from home and called home to ask Carole to put kettle on. With just one and half miles to go, I came across a queue of traffic, with cars making 3 point turns to go back the way they'd come, saying two waggons had come off the road and it was locked. One and a half miles from home, after 212 completed. Called Carole, turn off kettle, be home whenever. Snowploug came, went passed me, 10 minutes later, came back, told me the drift was too deep for his plough and that I needed to turn around. Cars turning around in front of me, let me move nearer to the 'incident.' so I could see two waggons stationary, and well, it looked okay to me, so in my little Peugeot 308 hatchback (loan car, another story) I drove through the 300m of drift that the plough couldn't get through (to be fair, the car transporter half in the ditch and half in the road would have stopped the plough getting past) and pulled onto the drive.
I'm now logged on, defrosted, working quietly away and whilst making a cup of coffee, saw two Robins flitting around the feeder; set the camera to portrait to try and get them in the shot together when one of them alighted next to the other and I got this. Believe me, they were not together long.
Now out to replen the bird food ...................
Oh my, what a storm story. So glad you made it home safe and sound. Lucky you to get this wonderful photo! They were glad you came home and looking forward to more food!
That sounds like a story worthy of Top Gear!! Glad you got home safely. Luckily I have a work colleague with a Range Rover otherwise I wouldn't have made it in the last 2 days. Your reward is this super shot of 2 robins together - quite unusual!!
I'm so glad you were to make it home safely. Quite a journey. I know Carole is glad to have you home also. Super capture of the two robins side by side. Fab!
Ooh how sweet and quite rarity in finding these gregarious little Robins sitting in harmony together - - you must be feeding them some magic seeds Phil !! Gorgeous and a fav
Beautiful shot of the twins. What a journey. I don't miss snow at all. I got stuck in a blizzard on the Pennines years ago at Snake Pass when my sister and I were visiting my Nanna.
Lovely pair of my favourite birds. Now that was a journey. We are starting to be clear here now in East Yorks but our lane still white over. Happy days!
bird. They always seem to tell more of a story. These 2 are cute.