Everything stops for snow...

Wow! Snow was drifted over our front doorstep this morning. Will (oldest son) set out at 8.00 with unusual enthusiasm for a Monday, confidently - and correctly - anticipating that school would be closed and he'd be able to spend the morning snowballing with mates!
Twenty minutes later he reported that Kingston bypass had very little traffic and all heading south, towards Epsom. Curious...were the cars were following a gritter? But no, no evidence of any road clearance or overnight gritting. Good ole Surrey council, can't plan for adverse weather on a Sunday night.
Yes folks, here in the South East of England everything stops for a few inches of snow. We're five minutes' walk from the local train station, and the few brave souls outside who had tried to get to work could be heard telling one another that there were no trains and no buses. Very few cars making their way past - most people have decided to stay at home, it seems.
The garden (of course) looks fabulous, the piano and pink shed picturesque and the oak trees which line the railway cutting behind all light and shade, their naked branches sharply delineated against the grey sky. Hamamelis (witch hazel) flowers like small orange stars peep through the snow, while next door's leylandii provides welcome shelter, as always, for the smaller birds. I'll post some photos later when youngest gets back from his music lesson, as I can't find the little card to transfer them.
Paul and Stevie cleared the doorstep and front path ready for my patients this morning, then walked down to the local shops for milk. There were snowball fights across Stoneleigh Broadway for an hour or two, some of the shopkeepers coming out to join in with local teenagers and families. A very traditional small town, community scene!