It's Snowing in Salisbury!

Even though we had watched the weather several times yesterday and even had a look at the BBC weather web page, neither of us really believed we were going to get any of the predicted snow.  Just before we went to bed, Matt took one last look outside and there is was...SNOW!  We almost threw on some warm clothes to head out for a walk right then but it was really late (the holiday break has really gotten our days and nights mixed up) and the doors to the cathedral close would be locked so instead we set the alarm and got up early this morning to walk over to the cathedral to take a few photos.

Snow is not as common here as it is in Ohio so there were lots of photographers out and about.  And kids rolling giant snowballs.  When we walked by the cathedral into town a few hours later there were half built snowmen everywhere.

I'm sure I'm not alone in the thought that this lamp post reminds me of Narnia and with the snow on the ground today I really wouldn't have been surprised to see the Faun wander by.

Eventually the snow started really coming down and we decided it was time to head home but I had a chance to squeeze in a few more pictures including this comparison shot.

Unfortunately, I've never seen the cathedral without this scaffolding and it's not coming down until 2015.

And if ever a dog needed a sweater...

So now I've had my first English snow.  On the walk home I, unfortunately, couldn't help but think that I was really looking forward to my first English summer.  Snow is pretty but I think I prefer picnics on the cathedral lawn rather than snowmen.

And now on to some knitterly things.  After knitting this little bear for my mom (and another one for Matt that I still need to snap a photos of), I've fallen in love with knitting toys.  Knowing this, Matt spotted me flipping through Knitted Wild Animals by Sarah Keen at Waterstones and decided it would be a good Christmas present (the man is really good at picking out knitting and crochet books without my help, too - lucky me!),  Even though it was the hippo pattern that hooked me, I cast on the alligator first and got all the way from the tip of his tail to the beginning of his body and realized the odd skein of green I was knitting with wasn't really going to be enough and would perhaps leave me with a legless gator so I set him aside, unable to frog him quite yet but also unable to start him over in another green because I was a bit tired of the moss stitch used to make him scaly.  Instead I started the tiger since the Year of the Tiger begins on February 14th and I was born under the same symbol in 1974.  I've only finished two of the thirteen pieces you need to knit to make him but he already reminds me of Hobbes and that can only be a good thing. 

Speaking of snow and Calvin and Hobbes, I used to love it when Calvin made snowmen!