20cm overnight

All the local schools were closed again today, there are no trains running in or out of Hastings and I've only seen a handful of cars pass our house all day. We live on a fairly main ring road around the town so that's saying something. As you can see in this photo of our street, the light is green but there is no traffic. It interests me that this is a major news story and everyone is complaining about not being able to get to work.  The girls and I attempted a snowman build this morning in the garden but the snow, though very deep, is not the snowman kind, and kept falling apart in your hands. I'm starting to understand why eskimos have 50 words for snow. Maria's dog locked himself in the coal cellar and we had to go grocery shopping on foot, with Rob carrying it all home in his huge backpack. Scarlett, Flo and I had a lovely walk in the park this afternoon. Everything looks so beautiful but soon the snow came down again heavily and we were forced back home as Flo had got snow inside her boots and was too cold to go on. Our view of the town is stunning with the castle gently powdered like a cake. We are expecting guests this weekend but expect they might not make it down here. Scarlett's school nativity play has been postponed for a week and the school Christmas Bazaar scheduled for Saturday may also have to be moved.  I know the UK isn't Russia or Canada and that it doesn't snow heavily every year, but we do get snow here often and yet the whole country comes to a complete halt when it snows.