SNOW PATROL: 4x4 and camera out on the mountains

The days when the party started a week before Christmas and did not end until New Year are now sadly (fortunately?) gone. After a few pre Christmas bashes with colleagues and mates, then Christmas with the family, all was quite in the run up to new year. The only thing worth blogging really was the night it snowed.

I was on standby, so when it snowed I was out and about on the mountains in a 4x4 checking the condition of the roads and where necessary calling the gritters and snow ploughs back for an extra run. I took me trusty camera, but it was not a lot of use, because the snow was coming down heavily just about all I could get pictures of was a million snowflakes heading straight for the camera. I had hoped I would be able to get some decent shots once it stopped snowing, but as soon as it stopped it started raining heavily and it was not long before the snow that had caused so many problems for a few hours was all but gone.

It is strange how a little bit of snow can bring everything to a standstill. Because we have snow so rarely these days (global warming?) most people have no idea how to drive in it. As part of my patrol I had to call to deal with a BMW that had lost control and completely flattened a lamppost in a quiet little side street. Obviously the cause of the problem was that the road was not gritted, that really annoys me… the real cause of the problem was because there was snow on the road and the driver was travelling too fast for the conditions; you don't knock down a lampost unless you are motoring some.

Anyway, I managed to get a few decent snaps, one of which is shown above. This caught my eye straight away, it is the entrance to Tower Colliery, the only deep mine left in South Wales following the vicious attacks on the coal industry by Thatcher and the Tories in the ‘80’s and early ‘90’s; all part of their attempt to smash the trade union movement in the UK…. But that is another story!