Snow! Loads of it! Like, seriously- tons of the stuff! The whole landscape has changed, trees grow frosty beards, whole fields seem to be yielding only fluffy cotton for crops and grannies slide their way through high streets. You can't deny it's magical- anything that makes Reading town centre look pretty must be the work of a higher power! Why am I talking about the snow as it's making its departure though? Because I'm less concerned with how it looks than in the effect it had on people. Namely, bringing out the best and worse in us.
I'll start with the good. One morning, a few weeks ago when the first snow fell, our car wouldn't start. Suspecting a flat battery, I decided we'd need to get a jump start. Problem was, our drive is a steep bastard and the Vectra weighs a ton. I couldn't push it alone so I called upon the one neighbour we have that I know the name of to help. He kindly obliged but it still wasn't enough. Miraculously, others saw our plight and came to help. We ended up with about half a dozen strangers coming to our aid. A few weeks later, another man that I didn't know from Adam voluntarily helped us off an icy patch when the car was skidding nowhere fast.
These weren't ice-olated incidents (geddit?). Stories abound of similar people clubbing together to help each other out. Food being dished out car window to car window on gridlocked motorways was one, John Lewis letting stranded people sleep in their bedding department was another.
Hearing and experiencing this really warmed my heart and affirmed my faith in humanity. This isn't a perfect world but as long as we help each other out in times of need, we'll be OK. Right? Well, life isn't really like that, is it? Unfortunately, for every tale of chivalry and camaraderie during the heavy snow, there was an opposing one of opportunism and treachery.
An example: The overflow car park serving the building in which I work is known as a crime hot spot after hours. You are advised not to leave your car there overnight. But that's exactly what I did do, on that white Monday when it took the country a thousand hours to drive home. I left it, totally covered in snow and with dozens of like minded colleague's cars. I thought it would be OK, and it was, but others were not so lucky. Four cars were broken into and one actually stolen. That means despite the conditions, despite the collective anguish of hundreds of people that night and despite the bloody fact that they would have had to dig the cars out from a foot of snow before breaking in, the toe rags still went on a crime spree, eyeing up others' property as I do pies at a buffet.
Also, the news story of two truck loads of grit being stolen, to be sold on the black market, is another example of opportunistic gits exploiting society whilst it's in crisis mode. It makes me feel a little sick to be honest.
It's interesting that times like these really polarise society, many band together for the benefit of the few, whilst others ruthlessly exploit for their own gain. I've no real point to make here, just observations. Let me know your thoughts.
Steff.
