This was the point at which…

London Bridge Rail Station

… I seriously began to doubt that I’d get home tonight.  (Or why snow turns me into Mrs Scroogey MacGrinch).

This was taken at 4:30pm this afternoon.  I guess I shouldn’t complain, I got home at 6pm.  It usually takes me 15 minutes to walk from the train station but I was slipping and sliding all over the place and it took me 30 minutes!  All told, from the time I left work to the time I got home, it took two hours!

I spent most of last week sick in bed and was actually happy to be back at work today.  I’d even like to go in tomorrow so I hope the weather obliges!  Thank goodness it is Winter Solstice tonight and the days will be getting that much longer from tomorrow.

My brother is out of hospital and safe and sound back at home.  (He was hospitalised for ketoacidosis, a complication of diabetes, last Tuesday).  He is very weak though and can’t eat properly yet.  We came very, very close to losing him and it was the most frightening experience of my life.   I felt all the more powerless because I wasn’t allowed in the hospital because of my cold!! 

Anyway, I do hope hope to get back into some schedule of blogging as I am leave next week.  I have a couple more New York posts which I hope to get done by Christmas and then I have quite a few London posts lined up which should take us right into the new year.  Of course, there is the small matter of our central heating still being broken which is what caused my cold in the first place so we’ll see how much I get done aside from snuggling up in bed with a good book!  We live in hope that the central heating will be fixed by Christmas.

21 comments on "This was the point at which…"
  1. I'm very happy to hear that your brother is back home and getting better.

    Also glad to hear you're feeling better. We just got a big snowstorm here in Boston and they're expecting another one to hit on Christmas Eve, so it should be fun times.

    (seriously, I hate the snow)

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  2. I am so sorry to hear about all these terrible things happening to you and your family! Maybe with the solstice not only will days start getting longer, but also better for you all!?!

    Snow and ice really look so neat from afar, when you don't have to get around in/on it....

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  3. Emm lets hope you and your brother both make good recoveries. The Winter solstice was always a low point for me, I am convinced I suffer from SAD when I am in the Northern Hemisphere.

    Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the Land of Smiles. :-)

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  4. Ugh, I'm sorry things have been going so poorly, but... I am sincerely glad that they are beginning to turn up for you (and your family)!!!!

    I hate snow when it whips around me in the cold. It's fun to play in when it's settled, but most of the time it's best enjoyed from afar...

    Have a great Christmas this week and stay warm!

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  5. Great photo Emm - I can almost feel how cold and (if you'd excuse) miserable it is at the moment. It makes me appreciate our weather - even though though we're having a strange mix of summer and winter at the moment.

    I'm glad to hear that your brother is on the mend. Close calls like this help one to realise our fragility. Again, I'm glad his okay.

    I hope this message finds you on your way to work. ;)

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  6. I also spent 5 days including last weekend being with my daughter who got the H1N1 so that we have stayed indoors for 5 days, and was back at work today...so glade to know you and your baby brother were completely restored. But the weather there is getting colder and colder. And hope your central heating will be fixed as soon as possible! We are all getting much better from Winter Solstice tonight! T_T

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  7. Time to stop lurking and actually comment...

    Glad to hear you are feeling better. Look forward to more blog posts.

    Something I DON'T miss about living in London is the cold! Although I must say I didn't see much snow in my 10 years in the UK. So much for global warming...

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  8. Luck isn't on your side right now Emm but it is swings and roundabouts so expect good luck soon!

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  9. Its crazy how this city shuts down with a bit of bad weather!!

    I'm really hoping it is going to be a white christmas. Its looking quite unlikely at this point though...

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  10. I hope your brother recovers quickly and completely. I am with you on the days starting to get longer. It is hard going to work in darkness and returning home in darkness. Sigh. Take care.

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  11. I'm hoping for your brother's quick recovery. I hope you're feeling better too. We're expecting a snowstorm for Christmas Eve, just great, delayed travel. Is it spring yet?

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  12. I hope everything is good for you by Christmas. I just had to have my heating fixed too. It was not fun waking up cold for a few mornings.

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  13. May you and your family have a joyful Christmas and a fruitful New Year!!! Merry Xmas!!

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  14. That looks cold! And, here I am in a room with a heater already on. Glad your brother is well again so another thing to be thankful for during this holiday season. Merry Christmas to you!

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  15. I'm glad your brother is better. Nothing scarier than someone you love being very ill! and I hope you had a great Christmas.

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  16. I do hope you had a wonderful holiday and a warm one to boot. I know this post is about a week old now, so hopefully your felling well too. While I love looking at the snow and even pictures of it, by this time of year in NY I am ready for spring.

    I hope you and yours have a fantastic New Years :-)

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  17. Emm, thank you so much for your response.I highly appreciated. Your blog was one of the blogs i 've first followed; just because i loved it.Just so you know you're my inspiration!
    Thank you so much for your kind comments, they really cheered me up!
    I hope you had a great Xmas and hope you have a very happy New Year!

    P.S. I so love London and English people.

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  18. Hi Emm! Hope your brother is recovering fast.

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  19. Merry Christmas Emm :D

    I hope your brother is well on his way to recovery. And I hope your heating is fixed by now too ;)

    I'd love to be able to be somewhere that had snow at Christmas time! Like SA we are in the middle of summer, so snow sounds perfect right about now ;) ... as does sunshine to you too probably!

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  20. Hi Emm!

    I would love to exchange postcards. I heard you enjoyed getting postcards! So do I and my wife!

    I will be glad to send a return card if supplied with an address.

    May God continue to bless you and all of yours... Don - Check out my blog to see who I am and to select which postcard you want me to send to you. http://dondmorrison.blogspot.com/

    Mail Postcard To:

    A Ministry Via Postcard Exchanges
    Attn: Don
    6206 Wade Road
    Suite 230
    Baytown, Texas 77521

    P.S. Try http://postcrossings.com to collect many more postcards.

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  21. I hope everyone had a fab Christmas! We had a good one and everything is settling back down to normal again here thankfully. It took two full weeks before my brother was able to eat properly and keep food down but thankfully he is better now and was able to go out partying for New Year!

    @ Phoenix: Me too! I'm not a fan of snow or the slush that results!

    @ Kathy: I agree totally! And yes, things look much better here lately.

    @ Mike: After the last two winters here, I seriously thought I had SAD too! But I've been quite chipper lately despite everyhting that happened with my brother so I'm hoping for the best.

    @ Claire: Thank you! I hope you had a great Christmas!

    @ Paul: Oh, I totally agree. It is absolutely miserable here when the weather is like that! And no, on that particular morning, I was stil in bed when you wrote that! We get up much later here than we used to wake up in SA, that's for sure!

    @ Chen Yin Tzu: Oh nooooo. Bamboo got H1N1? Poor little thing!! I hope you are both better now!

    @ Delboy: Ha ha - see now, it is comments like that which make me so keen on moving to Australia!

    @ Martin: I think our luck is on the way up but we still don't have central heating!

    @ Neal: I know! Cities in America get much worse weather for months on end and you don't see them shutting down!


    @ DK: Hiya! It is amazing how much I have cherished the daylight in my time off! There is so much of it about when you're not chained to a desk!

    @ Rob: Spring never comes soon enough for me, I tell you!


    @ Ratty: Unfortunately, they found a structural problem with our flue and decommissioned it altogether! It is still not fixed but they promise a solution by end of Jan!

    @ AVCr8teur: It was indeed bitterly cold that week but looking better now!

    @ Jenny: Hiya! Thanks for your good wishes! he is much better now.

    @ ManOverBoard: Oh New York, Spring, now there is a thought...

    @ Betty: It is a pleasure and thank you for your kind words and encouragement!

    @ Joy-Anne: Thank you! And good to meet you!

    @ Suzy: See now, it is comments like that which made me decide to go to SA next winter instead! I want heat and sun at this time of year!

    @ Don: Oh hi! I don't like receiving cards in as much as I like sendng them so I'll try send one to you one day!

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