Exasperation

I was reading one of the news websites on Monday and looking at some of the photos of the snow that has covered Britain.  One was captioned with something along the lines that Britons were exasperated with the ongoing wintry weather.  I paused to ponder this.

To my mind, exasperation is something that carries an implication that whatever is bedevilling you is something that can be altered, if not by you then by people around you.  So you might be exasperated with a recalcitrant toddler or by a habitually late work colleague.  I might be exasperated by the mice in the kitchen, or by Marlo curled up on the bed when I want to change the bedding. The Builder might be exasperated by me making him eat vegetarian food during Holy Week (although I don't think he is).  But all of these things are subject to action which can change the exasperating thing or action.  The Builder could sneak out and have a bacon sandwich while I am at work, for example.  Or I could pick Marlo up and move him, while I change the sheets.

But there is nothing you can do about the weather, and exasperation seemed a funny word to use to me.

Until I woke up and looked out the window first thing yesterday morning and found that it was snowing.  Again!

Exasperated was an excellent description of the sigh which escaped me as I gazed upon the snowy vista outside our bedroom window.

It hasn't really stopped snowing since mid-January. I acknowledge that the snow hasn't been continuous since then but it has been pretty much continual.  And it goes on and on and on.

I woke up on Saturday morning to find that not only was it snowing fit to burst but that also the roads were under several centimetres of snow.  I suppose I could have walked up to Grassmoor to my 09:00 hair appointment, as I did last time, but I really couldn't be bothered trudging up there through falling snow and a rather exciting wind.  So I cancelled it.  And we stayed inside all day.  I did go out to feed the birds and to measure the snow.  15cm in some places in the garden.  Not as deep as it was when Lindsey was here in 2010 - but that was in December and this is March. If nothing else, the ground should be warming up enough so that spring snow (which is not particularly unusual) shouldn't be settling quite so enthusiastically.

We did get to the shops on Sunday, but otherwise stayed inside for the rest of the day.  Left lots of time for kitchen cleaning and mouse counter-insurgency.

I came to work on Monday through snow and wind and ice.

I came in on the train yesterday, lest my Japanese class be cancelled because of snow.  Fortunately it wasn't, and The Builder drove in to collect me.

And still it snows.  Not heavily, it's true.  But snow is snow is snow.  And in my view we have had more than enough of it!

Exasperation very accurately describes my state of mind, despite the fact that there is absolutely nothing whatever that I can do about it.

The forecast is for ongoing wintry weather for the next fortnight.  The forecasters are not willing to speculate beyond that.

I am beginning to think we should sack the Weather Dogs.  Except they don't seem minded to go :-S