Britain, unequipped for freezing winters

Yes, here in the UK whenever it snows it's like life comes to a halt. If you want to find out why click on the image to watch Dr Nick Middleton's documentary report on Britain's Big Freeze.  The video will be available until Feb24. After that I will write about the video. So watch it before it disappears online.

MOT Testers are a rip-off

When the mechanic told my husband the car needed a fix here and there to pass the MOT test I had a bad feeling about it because of the extra money we had to pay.  But I didn't know so much about it so I kept quiet.  I thought MOT tests are carried out by government agencies. But a few weeks ago a colleague told of her experience. She went to this MOT garage and the mechanic handed her a long list of apparently "faults" in her car that needed fixing and it was gonna cost her around £2000. Her car is not new and probably cost about that much when she bought it so paying that much for a service is ridiculously insane! It's like buying a new car--I mean another car, a used one. But she didn't let the mechanic fool her and took her car to another garage who gave her the MOT certificate without fixing a thing. So she just paid the testing fee. And that was when my opinion was kinda validated.

I don't understand why these loopholes in the UK government system.

Norwich Castle at night | Mellow Yellow Monday

On our rare night out, we always pass by Norwich Castle and I thought I'd photograph it for my MYM.

"One of the City's most famous landmarks, Norwich Castle was built by the Normans as a Royal Palace 900 years ago. Used as a prison from the 14th century, the Castle became a museum in 1894." Click here to read more...

Rays of hope

These past few days have been really nice as the the mercury has gone up a bit. Sure the snow was a sight to see but for someone like me who gets up at break of dawn and goes to work by bus which means waiting at open-aired bus stops, it's definitely not something exciting.

Checking the weather forecast is something I have learned to do on a daily basis. So whenever I see the golden sun in the picture it already brings a smile to my face.

These past few weeks of snow gave me abnormal mood swings. Twice I came to the point of checking for a flight online and several times I cried over the freezing cold. There were days the wind was so keen it got through me I could even feel the chill in my bones. In my face I felt as if gazillions of microscopic needles pricking non-stop it was unbearable. If it continued for another week I think I'd end up in the hospital.

So I'm really glad it has given me a breathing space when the snow has stopped but I really hope that's it for this year. I don't want any more snow in the next few months. I can't wait for spring and finally summer to come.

A Graffiti for My Ruby Tuesday

Sponge Bob at the mall

We were in Castle Mall looking at bargains and we met Sponge Bob.

UK's coldest winter in 30 years

When I woke up this morning I felt so warm and the thought of feeling cold outside on my way to work was too dreadful I sat on the bed and cried. I didn't want to get out of bed and and go to work. With a heavy sigh, I checked the window in the loft and there was just a frost so I gathered myself--after about 30 minutes of whimpering--and got dressed.  I had no idea what was happening outside but today hubby offered to give me a lift to the bus station.

When I opened the window I was met with about four inches of snow at the doorstep.

It's been snowing since mid December and they say this cold snap is the longest since 1981 and also the coldest in 30 years. Forecasters are even saying that there is no end in sight yet. When I first came to UK about 2 years ago it was always raining and the following year which was last year we had a looong summer. So I thought winter wasn't going to be this bad.

The bus was running less than 10 mph and when I got off my mood shifted. I enjoyed walking on the soft snow and couldn't hide my excitement. I guess I just needed to capture that moment because I won't have many of them during these time of the year. My two colleagues were sharing my laughter as I chomped, "It's fun, it's fun!" while walking amidst the snowfall.

Well, the excitement was too short. Because when I was walking home I felt the cold in my bones and that's what I was dreading this morning. My ears felt numb as if they were going to fall off. I gritted my teeth as I endure the harsh whips of the cold wind.

Oh please, let me go back to Philippines or Thailand.

related articles/news:
Snow brings mayhem to Britain...
UK faces coldest winter in 30 years...

Sweet Delights | Ruby Tuesday

http://workofthepoet.blogspot.com/2010/01/ruby-tuesday.html

During the holiday season, sweets do abound and these were a few of what I feasted on. Which do you like best?

Click the badge for more Ruby Tuesday photos.

A Lemon a Day | Mellow Yellow Monday

A lemon a day keeps the doctor away.
But if the doctor is cute, keep the lemon away.

I had a tiny piece of chocolate last Friday and the next day my tonsils were inflamed. The doctor isn't cute so I chose to have lemon juice once a day. Thanks to these mellow yellow lemons, my tonsilitis has disappeared. So I thought I'd honor them by posting them here on MYM.

This is my first MYM entry for 2010. For non MYM members, if you got eyes for yellow, join us here or simply visit other MYM entries by clicking the button below.