Newtonmore in the dusky snow + update on recuperation

 Newtonmore and its mountains towards dusk

From around Tuesday midday till Friday the biggest fall of snow that I have seen for many years has fallen in Newtonmore. Overall I guess more than a foot has fallen over this period. Unfortunately this fall of snow has meant that I cannot get out on my crutches so getting sufficient exercise has been difficult. Anyway two weeks of my 12 weeks of enforced idleness is now over!

However, my impression is that my knee and quads are back gradually communicating with each other. The forecast for tonight and early tomorrow morning is for a very cold night – dropping to -11 by 3 am on Sunday. Next week is due to be warmer so hopefully once the snow has melted, which will take a while given the quantity that has fallen over the past week, I will be able to venture out.     

Table for three – snow problem!

Table for three

Evidence of 12 inches snow falling between Monday night and Wednesday morning here in Newtonmore.

Newtonmore: white stuff on Blue Monday

The start of the snow around 3-3.30 Monday afternoon

Following a few days when it has been warmer making the black ice that unfortunately caused me to slide and rupture my quads from my left knee on Tuesday 2nd January disappear, snow and colder weather has returned to the Scottish Highlands this afternoon with a series of snow showers.Inthe interim I have been able to venture out on my crutches to get some much needed exercise.

Some more snow has fallen this evening lying now on the roads but only a maximum of two inches thick. More is forecast for tonight and tomorrow. Whatever I'm going t have to remain inside while the snow remains – can't afford to do myself further damage ....  

After a few snow showers it seems again 

to be snow with more determination

Gatwick Airport – today – winter wonderland!!

The airport gets fluffy...

Spent a frustrating day heading down to Gatwick Airport and back today. The airport reopened at 6.30 am today after being shut for two days. Having checked that our QueasyJet flight to Inverness was still running before we left Forest Hill, we discovered that while we were struggling down to Gatwick it had been cancelled. We had been due to fly on Wednesday but Gatwick was closed all that day and the following day. Anyway we just had to turn round and return home on the snowbound lines.

The view northwards at Gatwick Station

Looking southwards

Depth of snow

Not sure what is dispatched from here – certainly not a lot today!

The mainline just south of East Croydon!

Forest Hill, London SE23: more snow pics

A tree in Little Brownings

It is always noticeable that a slight difference in height can make quite a considerable difference to the amount of snow that falls. As CRM headed off to Reading this morning, the snow virtually disappeared by Peckham and there was none on the other side of the Thames. Equally nothing in Reading. Once again the north Kent coast, this time extending into south London, shows that this area is prone to snow.

Going out this afternoon after the snow eased it was clear that more had fallen around the top of Sydenham Rise and Kirkdale than a little lower down in Forest Hill.

A warning of bad weather to come in the coach Sunday from Suvereto to Pisa

Across London: Dawson Heights towards Stratford etc.

Towards the Hornimans Museum and beyond

Trees in Little Brownings

Forest Hill: snow 30th November 2010

SE26: Snow covered tree

Little Brownings' tree

As forecast, after a light dusting of snow overnight, steady snow here from just before 8am.

Snowy orchards in Kent and other scenes

A change from scenes of vineyards here are a couple of shots of an apple orchard in Kent taken on Wednesday 6th January 2010 during the cold, snowy spell that has been affecting the UK since around 17th December last year. This has certainly been the most prolonged and severe period of snow that I can remember since the winter of 1962/63 when it started to snow on Boxing Day 1962 and, if I remember rightly, didn't clear until early March 1963.

Trees laden with snow

A couple of days later:

Snow go – 9.1.2010

Snow in Scotland, too

First: three winter scenes from Kinesswood, Fife overlooking Loch Leven.

Difficult driving conditions in heavy snow on the A9 between Perth and Inverness today: here heading up to Drumochter

Somewhere between Dalwhinnie and Newtonmore: above and below

France: demonstrations against demonising wine

Road sign on main road into Sancerre from Bourges covered up and censored (photo: Benoît Roumet)

Yesterday (30 October) saw demonstrations in many French wine regions against the way the French government treats wine and, in particular, against the legal uncertainties surrounding wine on the internet and the media in general.

Demonstrators in places like Angers, Blois, Nantes, Pouilly-sur-Loire, and Sancerre as well as Arbois, Avignon, Bergerac, Bordeaux Cognac, Colmar Epernay, Gaillac and Nîmes covered up the names of wine towns and villages with the word censored.

Road sign on main road into Sancerre covered up and censored (photo: Benoît Roumet)

The most recent proposal to ban free wine tasting has enraged the wine industry. According to decanter.com: ‘The amendment, known as 'article 24', was tabled by health minister Roselyne Bachelot and discussed by the cabinet last week. The proposal, which outlaws all 'free alcoholic drinks with the intention of promotion', would effectively ban wine tastings in the country.’ Apparently Bachelot wants this to be law by the end of January 2009, although she is not opposed to amended the Loi Evin in favour of making it legal to mention wine on the internet.

If passed it could mean paying for all wine tastings both amateur and professional including at Vinexpo, Salon des Vins de Loire and the Bordeaux en primeur tastings. It would make France the laughing stock of the wine world and presumably would have profound repercussions on how the business of wine in France is conducted.

It seems amazing that France, of all places, is rushing down the same disastrous path that the Americans took with Prohibition in 1920.

Snow falling in Sancerre: 30th October 2008
photo: Benoît Roumet

In Sancerre the demonstrations took place while snow apparently for the first time since 1950 that it has fallen here in October.

•••

For anyone wanting to read more about the reasons for the demonstrations here is a press release in French from Benoît Roumet, the director of the BIVC – the promotional body of the Loire's Central Vineyards, adapted from a release by Vin et Société.


'Le 30 octobre 2008, dans les vignobles du Centre-Loire comme un peu partout sur les terres viticoles de France, la filière vin se mobilise pour défendre son droit à exister. Une opération organisée pour ne pas « tomber dans le panneau » des censeurs !
Le vin pourrait se voir enfin reconnaître l’accès légal à Internet ! Tant mieux : pour beaucoup de petits opérateurs, c’est devenu un moyen de communication vital pour faire connaître leurs produits.

Le gouvernement pourrait combler enfin un vide juridique, préjudiciable à tous les professionnels du vin et de l’information. Rappelons qu’en 1991, le législateur n’avait pas pris en compte le média Internet, alors inexistant. La filière réclamait juste une mise à jour de la loi, dans le respect de l’encadrement du Code de santé publique.

Une opération symbolique pour « ne pas tomber dans le panneau »
Si l’aboutissement de ses revendications – légitimes – sur internet serait un soulagement pour elle, d’autres interdits, loin d’être levés, menacent la filière vitivinicole française ! C’est pourquoi, elle a unanimement décidé de mener une vaste opération nationale, en recouvrant symboliquement les panneaux des villages viticoles. Une manière de protester contre la multiplication des interdits et de montrer que la défense du vin est celle d’une culture au cœur de notre patrimoine et de nos terroirs.

La filière refuse d’être diabolisée ! Elle refuse de tantôt servir de faire-valoir culturel, gastronomique, économique, et tantôt de servir de bouc émissaire. Or, elle est actuellement attaquée de tous côtés : sur la fiscalité, sur la restriction des lieux de vente, sur la vente au forfait dans les salons ou dans les foires au vin. Les médias et les créateurs sont dans l’aléa juridique permanent lorsqu’ils parlent de vin. Le dernier exemple en date nous vient d’une équipe de tournage d’une chaîne nationale venue réaliser un reportage à Sancerre et à qui la direction a strictement interdit de faire la moindre référence au vin !!!

Le vin semble ainsi devenir un mot honteux et dangereux puisque toute évocation du sujet peut être requalifiée en publicité. Plusieurs journaux condamnés en ont fait les frais !

Une filière responsable, aujourd’hui très fragilisée
Rappelons que la consommation de vin en France a profondément changé en 50 ans, grâce notamment aux efforts de la filière viticole pour valoriser ses produits au travers des terroirs, des cépages et du goût. Cette consommation a été divisée par 2 en 25 ans ; elle s’est concentrée sur une consommation qualitative et ne concerne pratiquement pas les jeunes. Autrement dit, elle repose sur un modèle de consommation responsable, dont l’équilibre est fragile. Demain, c’est la survie de la viticulture française qui est en jeu. Il faut en avoir conscience.

Quand on sait qu’en Espagne, on considère le vin comme un allié dans la lutte contre les comportements excessifs et que le roi Juan Carlos soutient sa viticulture pour faire de sa nation le futur premier pays producteur, le vignoble français est en droit de se poser des questions concernant les mobiles du gouvernement alors qu’à Sancerre même Nicolas SARKOZY, à l’époque candidat à la présidence de la République, avait clairement expliqué qu’ « …assimiler le vin au tabac ou à la drogue est une erreur… ce n’est pas seulement un activité économique mais une tradition, une identité, un savoir-faire français ».

La filière vitivinicole a fait la preuve de son engagement citoyen, en défendant une consommation plaisir et responsable, conforme aux repères de l’OMS, notamment à travers la création d’un site dédié (www.vinetsociete.fr), en s’associant largement à la Sécurité Routière dans la lutte contre le non-respect du 0,5g au volant et en oeuvrant pour le dialogue au sein du Conseil de modération et de prévention.

Les professionnels des vignobles du Centre-Loire attendent le gouvernement de pied ferme et ne se laisseront pas abuser par des effets d’annonce. Ils attendent des évolutions rapides et concrètes afin de pouvoir se défendre et développer leurs vignobles sereinement dans un environnement international de plus en plus concurrentiel.'