Snow Day

Not a day for running. I thought this self evident and had not a flicker of interest in putting on trainers.

Putting on walking boots and taking snow pictures was a different matter and I loved being out. The air felt clear and crisp, roads had very few cars, and people were talking to each other. I don't know why it takes snow to make us all more neighbourly but it does. It seems natural to talk about the weather when you pass someone in the street ("not at all like June is it" said an old boy, as he carefully watched every step in case he slipped), it is fun to help to push cars that are stuck and there are also little stories ("we would not have come out if we didn't have a sick rabbit we need to take to the vet").

But then something strange: there in the distance was a man with a hat, tracksters, and sweat-top jogging slowly and deliberately along the pavement. Why would you do that? I could not work out the benefit: you cannot move very fast or easily because you have to be very careful not to slip and the underfoot ice is rutted and uneven, your feet get raw and icy, and the routes are limited because the side streets are too deep in snow. Also the training benefit must be extremely marginal.

But there is no escaping it - this has me marked down as a faintheart.