h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Dublin - the snow is melting now. There are still huge patches of thick ice on the pavements (5cm of compacted snow, with a few millimetres of water on top), which are impossible to walk on, but I'd say it'll be all gone by this evening. That's almost 2 weeks of snow and ice when we've already had about four weeks earlier in the year. We normally get about 2 days of snow a year.

We dodn't usually get so much snow, either. If you've seen my photos on fb, you'll know just how much snow we got in just one night.

We must have got about 60cm over the two weeks, most of that falling at the start over about 3 days.

Thor: the god of melting snow and ice

Yes, it's thawing here too, I can see grass in my front garden.

We've a little bit of grass peeping out too.

We have a few blades of grass peeping out too, but they ran and hid when I looked.

It had all gone yesterday afternoon here, but it started again yesterday evening. The grass is still sprinkled with snow, but the roads are just wet.

The five foot high pile where I put all the snow off the drive will probably take a few days to melt.

The pavements round our market square were finally cleared by snowplough and shovels this morning. This afternoon the thaw brought huge amounts down from the high sloping roofs of the three storey houses round it, very narrowly missing people on those pavements.

The lane joining our road to the next road was deadly this morning, so when I got home, I went out with my shovel and I cleared it. It took about an hour.

I went and cleared a dangerous part of my road last week. I was hoping it might inspire others to come and help, but they didn't. At least nobody skidded where I'd cleared it, so I feel I did my bit.

The grass is now all clear, except for my giant pile of snow. There's still ice on the road but I think it will clear tomorrow.

Number one Daughter and partner landed in Dublin this afternoon and are staying until Tuesday. Hope they manage to keep on their feet.

The snow has cleared here almost 99% and I actually found my strawberry plants in flower with fruit showing in the middle. They won't do anything of course; but it is nice to see.

The thaw is pretty fast to take effect; very little snow and ice still lying around, but three days ago (Thursday 8 Dec) I walked across the pond in Herbert Park.

My dog Lily was reluctant but had to follow as she was on a lead. I've only ever walked on a pond or lake before in Germany.

Now that I think of it a memory stirs of ice on the pond at school and some boys venturing part of the way on it, but it creaked and broke up in big plates. Early or mid-sixties?

Surprisngly, our Trent River is only barely beginning to freeze. By now, it's not unusual to have snowmobiles on it

We've got the Trent here in Derbyshire too Nick - how far North are you?

*giggles*

It's a different country completely, Scorp!

lil xx

We Canucks have been known to 'borrow' names for a few towns, rivers and such.

Nick is as far north as Genoa in Italy.