WHEN THE GOING GETS TOUGH ...MELT THE SNOW

 Since I set off on my adventures in my Motorhome around Great Britain eighteen months ago, their have been the worst storms, with storms Brendan and Dennis being particularly harsh, the most rainfall in February 2020, since it started being recorded and a Pandemic. As if that was not enough for me to contend with, February 2021 provided me with 'extreme' weather conditions. Some of the lowest temperatures in the country were being recorded since the 1960's, as low as -23.0C, at one of the weather stations. 

I did not let this keep me in the motorhome though. I wrapped up warm and went for long walks along the sea defences to Morston.

 I revelled in the sheer delight of cracking the ice on top of the icy puddles. People laughed at me as they passed by, watching this mad woman crunching the ice beneath her feet. But I did chuckle to myself and wondered just how many of them would have a go themselves at cracking the ice on the next frozen puddle they came across. I am finding it so liberating taking the time to experience the little things in life that I used to do as a child but that life had got in the way of me doing, in adulthood, until now that it

Moreston is a small village, which was recorded in the Doomsday Book in 1086, as Merstona . The name means 'marsh town' or 'settlement'. 400 years ago it was a major port but now it is only used by a small number of fishing and leisure boats and some of the seal watching trips leave from there.

When I started seeing pictures of snow in other parts of the country I really wanted it to head for North Norfolk. I wanted to see the beauty of the white stuff all around my motorhome. I had a romanticised view of what it would be like. Saying that, I also made contingency plans in case the temperatures plummeted too much and the water supply pipe froze. I filled my tank to the top and my spare water container and two of my cooking pans. I felt well prepared. 

The first morning when I opened the blind of the motorhome and peered outside and saw that it had been snowing I could not contain my excitement. I ran outside in my pyjamas and took lots of photographs and messaged my daughter. I felt like a child on Christmas Day. Although it was not very deep.

All that changed over the next few days, there were heavy snow storms and winds of up to fifty miles an hour to contend with, which made it pretty tough being inside the motorhome at night. I honestly felt that the thing could blow over. Despite lots of people telling me that I am bottom heavy! Thankfully that was not an insult referring to my frame. It was because my tank was full of water, the engine was heavy and my motorhome was packed with lots of my belongings. 

Several feet of  snow settled and it really did look very picturesque, I loved making virgin footprint tracks in the snow around the field. I spent one afternoon making a snowwoman , it was the best feeling in the world. I felt so happy and it reminded me of the times I made snowmen with my daughter Samantha when she was little. My snowwoman looked so cute, I would find myself talking to her and over several days I would check all the time that she was still there. I was quite sad when she eventually melted.

The water supply pipe froze almost straight away so I was glad that I had water. I was able to have hot showers, but after a few days that ran out.  Then the pipes in the motorhome froze, so I panicked at first thinking they would burst when they defrosted. It is times like this that I feel a bit stressed being on my own. But I found some thermal underwear and wrapped it around the pipes. Put the water heating on and turned the heating up in the motorhome and kept my fingers crossed. 

Meanwhile I was gathering snow in pans and melting it to use for making tea and coffee and for having strip washes. I felt I could relate more to Bear Grylls now. My brother gave me one tip, "do not collect the yellow snow!" Thankfully when the pipes thawed all was good and no leaks.

Eventually the novelty of the snow began to wear off. It was grubby and half melted and very icy in places. I had not minded the cold at first, wrapping up warm in blankets and using my hot water bottle but now I did not like the cold any more and I wanted to clean the motorhome after a week of being holed up.  Most of all I was wanting to have a nice hot shower. 

Every morning I would try the water supply tap to see if the pipe had thawed and when no water came out I would collect the snow in pans. I was so relieved the morning I turned the tap and water did come out, I jumped for joy. It has made me realise just how much I take water supplies for granted and what a privilege it is to be able to get water so simply from a tap.

I had a lovely warm shower and looked out across the green field where nearly all the snow had melted. And I reflected on the fun I had had in the snow and how pleased I am that I coped when the going got tough.