Despite the temperatures on this day, Mum and I had decided to head out – and once out and about, we drove past the lake at Ryton Pools, which was partially frozen and seagulls were stood on the ice, petrol was 155.9p/L and diesel was 179.9p/L at a Shell garage, and the local pet shop got stopped at – where there was Bake at home cat food, signs saying ‘trespassers will be composted’, lots of different shapes of lickimats, plastic baubles of cat treats, tubes of liver paste for cats, and bellini cat teasers for sale.
A wig store right down at the end of the town said on the window that they were working in partnership with the NHS; a Marks and Spencers banner said (with a picture of a cheeseburger) ‘merry cheesemas’ and ‘oozing with festivity’ on it, and petrol at Sainsburys was 150.9p/L and diesel was 172.9p/L. I saw ‘sprout effect wreaths’ while briefly in the store (as something was being collected); it was -1°c, 4 pheasants crossed the road and we met a tractor as we approached Hampton Lucy, and in the village it was -2°c, 2 snowmen had been built (with carrot noses) in a field, and a little snowman was on the pillar of a bridge closer to Charlecote Park.
In the Charlecote car park at 2pm – a Mercedes Kompressor was parked in a disabled parking space, some big footprints and small pawprints were in the snow, it was 2.13pm when we crossed the road and entered the park, the river was still moving, there were more footprints, pawprints, and lumps of deer poo in the snow, I started losing feeling in my fingers (as I’d forgotten my gloves), and on the bridge into the West Park were bird footprints in the snow. The church spire in Hampton Lucy could be seen from there, I spotted a duck heading up the river as we crossed the bridge – and then I got distracted by a herd of deer…
Mum noticed some ginormous footprints in the snow, the ground was very lumpy either side of the path, I heard ambulance sirens somewhere, saw another herd, and then lost so much feeling in my fingers that I wasn’t able to write until we reached a place where hot chocolate was available at 3.13pm. As Christmas cake was also available, Mum got that, we seated ourselves right next to a heater (and a Daily Mail from yesterday with ‘Proof you CAN cook your entire Christmas dinner in an airfryer!’ on the front was on the windowsill), my nose was dribbling, and the cookie I’d eaten made me consider the variety of biscuits that could be made for Christmas (and what they could be dunked in).
It was 3.32pm when we got up again, 12 minutes later we were back at the car and my teeth were chattering, the sun was setting, and by then, it was – 2°C (and we headed home).
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