Alex's Historical Fiction

Snow

Had a flurry of snow yesterday, and it didn't really settle. A bit more today, and then it rained. So no settling snow. Just as well. For Batman on site yesterday it was 'permafrost' - the soil iced up overnight and then didn't defrost at all during the day. It doesn't help that his trench is in the shadow of a large building, so does not get the sun. Consequently, the soil can't be dug properly (they need to go carefully, looking for changes in the surface and, effectively, shadows in the soil) and the earth at the top of the trenches was also icy, which meant people moving about were slipping. Upshot: trench unworkable and a health and safety hazard to boot. So much for working in the winter (now that it's truly come). Batman and his team were re-deployed. Some went to areas of the site that were in the sun - it was quite warm when the sun came out - and others checked records.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to get an article written. Difficult when I need to sit at this computer in the cold, upstairs. It's that, or turn on the central heating during the day. Don't want to do that when it's just me in the house. Think I might try to draft the article by hand (!) and then perhaps type up this evening. Trouble is, I've got used to the ease of composing straight to computer. Perhaps my next computer should be a laptop, then I could sit in the lounge, with the gas fire on.

Brrr! I'm off to defrost. Keep warm chaps :-)

posted by Alex Bordessa @ Wednesday, January 24, 2007