Winter wonderland?

Yesterday it started snowing here in Horsham. Not a lot, and last time it snowed there was all of 1cm, so I didn't stress about it. As my energy providers were coming to change the meter, I had to be at work early today so I could leave a bit earlier.

When I got up there was 3cm of snow and everything looked white and beautiful, peaceful. And I was still not stressed. In fact, I've not got stressed all day, so far, so doing good. There was a bit of sluch on the roads when I set off, but not a lot, and they were mostly clear.

Then I got just over halfway, having turned off the A281 onto the Brighton Road to Godalming, and there was a bit more snow. By the time I got 1/3 of the way along this road, there was quite a bit more snow. About 40cm, and the roads had been gritted with salt, but not cleared at all. In fact, as I drove on, I got the distinct feeling that all the road clearing equipment had rusted away somewhere and all that was available was salt gritting..

I was following another Ford Focus, and this little B road (can't remember the number) goes over a hillrange and down the other side is Godalming. As I was following this car, we came to the last, and steepest, hill. And the car in front stopped!! I'm not even going to begin to write down all the french I was speaking. I could have killed the bugger. Trying to start going uphill in slushy snow that's deep. I managed without having to back all the way down again, especially considering it's a narrow, winding road.

Having managed to get up the hill, we slowly got our way down on the other side. And boy was I glad I wasn't going the other way. There were cars completely stuck and people trying to push them uphil.. However, it was only when I got to work I realised that of course the car park hadn't been cleared either. I drove round to our building and then realised that no one else had arrived at work, and I didn't have a key. I called my boss and we decided the best thing to do was for me to go back home.

It's just that having stopped the car in 40cm of snow, getting going again wasn't easy. I got halfway out, then the car just wouldn't budge. Luckily for me another one of the guys I work with had walked in and he was kind enough to help me get the car back out again. But it took 45min.

Eventually I headed back home, going the A281 all the way and missing out the Brighton Road. Except there was a truck stuck on the road, and when that got moving, I was stuck behind a girl who just didn't dare go over 15miles per hour, even when we got back to the Cranleigh traffic lights. So I passed her and got home eventually.

It took me 1hr to get to work, and 1.5hrs to get back, and that's on a stretch that usually takes 35min each way. And when I got home, there was still only 3cm of snow. You'd think that after all that, there'd at least me enough snow to make you feel you're home for a reason. I tried to take a picture with my mobile, but after I lost it in the desert, the camera is the last thing to recover, and it's not doing very well. I ended up filming my legs in the car.

Tomorrow I will turn back if there's still a lot of snow and unclear roads. No use going all the way there, to not be bale to get in, get stuck in the parking lot, and then spend forever getting home again.