So it’s been snowing on and off for over a week now. The country is at a standstill – almost and all the foreign nations that get this type of snow for two to three months every year are having a laugh at our expense. For the first four days of this really, really cold, bone-chilling weather – which in retrospect was quite warm, I holed up in the house and kept myself amused with the social media

sites I’m a member of, did a bit of reading, and slept a lot and at odd hours too. Then I got bored – enough of the snow, time for a different season, for Pete’s sake we often get all four in one day, can we have that back – NOW! Please?????

My son started his new job on 4th January, same company, different department and I promised I’d drive him into work . This served two purposes, 1) saved him having to get the train so he could have a lie in and 2) it would get me out of the house, where I was starting to feel the effects of cabin-fever. So despite the snow we all got up early and I drove from Newbridge to Inchicore to drop him into work and I was not particularly surprised to see the roads improve as we got closer to Dublin city. What did surprise me was the beautiful sight of the views to the left and right were and both my daughters oohed and aahed at it all – all the way to Dublin. My youngest had been bitterly disappointed with our snow quality – it was powdery and not the best snow for snowman building, but she was amazed at the coverage on all the hilly areas we passed and quite a bit jealous of those who got good quality snow and could make snowmen.

Like most people I thought this cold spell would last at most a week and it reminded me of the heavy snow fall back in 1982 when it fell in feet rather than inches. I was a teenager then and had lots of fun with snowball fights and building snowmen and makingskating patches for us to slide along. Now twenty-eightyears later I feel the cold in

every finger and toe and the idea of a snowball landing anywhere on me makes me shudder with imagined cold trickling down my neck. I’ve listened to people complaining about the lack of preparation of our government, the lack of action when they realised that what they had “hoped” wouldn’t happen, did happen and all the while the ordinary people in general did nothing but moan and groan. Back in 1982, we were all out with shovels and spades and clearing the patches in front of our houses. I lived on a main road so we (my brothers, sister and I) had quite a big patch to clear, despite the complaints from teenagers having to actually move off the couch we managed to make it a fun thing to do, forget snowballs, try a shovel full of soft snow being fired at you! It gathered momentum, other people did the same. We all worked together to help each other.

Now I’m not spouting the “good auld times” we were in a chronic recession then too, money was tight and people worked hard. But the one thing they did do that just doesn’t seem to be happening now, was get off their backsides and clear the path where they lived, and nearly everyone helped out. When there is a gathering of people doing the one task it develops a camaraderie and team spirit, the job gets done quicker, the willingness to help those who are slower is shownand often neighbours will offer tea and coffee for the hard workers.

Afterwards there is usually the fun of a snowball fight on the grass or if that isn’t possible, snowman building competitions. People feel better for having done something good, they are also getting the benefit if fresh (albeit cold ) clean air, and it cures the cabin-fever that a lot of people are now complaining about.

I don’t have the proper clothes for this weather. I’ve no Wellington or snow boots and no thermals either! But I do have lots of light clothes and it is recommended to wear lots of light layers rather than one thick one. I have cleared my driveway and will have to do it again and again. I have no gloves but my older daughter has lots of pairs and I do have the latex gloves like the medicinal ones that I can use to keep my hands dry (even if not warm) under her gloves while I do work. I have plastic bags to put over my shoes to keep my feet dry and can and do borrow some of my son’s track suit trousers to wear over my own to work in. I look a sight!! As I said before I don’t have a shovel to clear the snow, I do have a spare brush and a biggish sheet of hard board and plenty of screwdrivers for the really difficult bits. It’s cold hard work, but it clears mydriveway and it gets me outside.

It also means I’m doing some exercise a secondary benefit that will help shift the extra pounds that were added over Christmas and New Year and likely to be added to if I sat indoors looking out and doing nothing.

So how about you organising a party of neighbours to clear your patch? Are you going to sit and moan or are you going to do something about it? Make an afternoon of it! Materials required: Willingness to get involved, Wellington boots (or plastic bags), shovels and spades to break up and move the ice and snow, screwdrivers, (football boots with the studs attached) to chip away at the awkward bits, warm clothes and a group of volunteers with tea and coffee to warm up the hard workers. I’ve even heard of an estate where they suggested a street party, good idea! So stop complaining about the weather, the lack of action of the officials in charge and take charge yourself and do something!!