Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Morning

We woke to a couple of inches of snow on Easter Sunday. Snow fall has a magic effect on the teenagers. They are transformed from lazy,idle "stop in beds" and actually get up before midday. Breakfast was a rushed affair, the sledges were dusted off from the garage and we set off for a walk. Whilst the kinder took their sledges up to Temple Fields, Mrs BW and I went to Grinlow Woods.



All sorts of images spring to mind when I walk these woods in the snow. Robert Frost's poem of course, but mainly I think of the Wild Wood and the Mole getting lost in the snow.



He gets found by the Rat and they spend a comfortable night at Mr Badger's place before going onto Mr Toad's to meddle and interfere in his affairs. The woods are usually full of bird song and today is no exception. Up in the higher part of the canopy Great Tits and Blue Tits call to their respective mates, whilst on the ground a wren flits about in its constant search for food.

A dog called Ben, we'd met him and his owner earlier, catches up with us and offers us his stick. He wants us to throw it for him and tempting though it is, we resist and eventually he dashes of back down the path to check that his owner is okay.

After a while we emerge from the woods and the slightly claustrophobic feel. The views are worth the effort, especially in the snow.



We stroll up to the folly known as Solomon's Temple and stopping briefly to look at the town spread out below, and of course to spot our house, we head off back down through the woods. We meet up with the Munch and the Weasel at the Cafe at Poole's Cavern and after hot chocolate topped with cream and apple pie head off for home. There is a brief moment of panic when Mrs BW cannot find the keys to the front door. We search through pockets and bags and find nothing. " I suppose you locked the door" I say and just as Mrs BW is about to protest at the unfairness of the accusation, I try the handle. The door opens and the key is there safe in the lock on the inside. I say nothing, and suggest that I will make lunch.

Poem for the Day

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost from his collection Mountain Interval published in 1916.

I wish I had written this. There are certain things that stay with you as you journey through life. This poem is one of them. Okay some clever critic has written that it is not about individualism but a piece of satire, a bit of dig against one of Frost's companions who found it difficult to decide where to go for a walk, but and this is the gift of great poetry, it speaks to me, and allows me to get some comfort from it. Anyway its one of my top ten favourite poems.

Working From Home!

So the Snow arrived! Well done the weather forecasters. Both little BW’s had to stay home because their schools were closed. Much joy and celebration! I decided to work at home! During my lunch break (which I took early at ten o’clock) I took the youngest BW sledging. There was a little bit of protest when I indicated that we were going to walk.

“But its miles dad.” (About a mile actually!) “Why can’t we drive?” I pointed out that is was snowing. Reluctantly he agreed.

The sledging was great fun. The slopes below Solomon’s Temple were steep and slippery, if a little bit bumpy. I lost control a few times and ended up on my back or head first in a drift.

The Woods (Grin low woods) always look better during snow. I was thinking about my favourite poem, Robert Frost’s Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening and trying to remember it. I got most of it! But the youngest BW had a point. I did not need to recite it out loud over and over again as I tried to see if I could jog my failing memory. Apparently I drew attention to myself. This caused him to put some distance between himself and me for a while.

As we were walking back down, (I walking, young BW sledging perilously close to innocent walkers) I noticed that there was a young woman up ahead with a rather smart video camera taking pictures of the group in front. I hung back. Not so young BW, he sledged straight past them and into camera shot. I noticed that the young woman rather than stop filming, followed him with her video camera. He came to a halt at her feet and she began to chat to him, still pointing the camera at him. I was about to say something to her, along the lines of “what do you think you are doing, you a perfect stranger taking video pictures of my son” when I saw the words ITV Central News on her jacket. She was telling him that “it” was going out at six o’clock on Central. I didn’t like the sound of this. "It" being pictures of people out and about in the snow, enjoying themselves. Supposing she had managed to sneak me into the frame? Supposing my boss, after a hard day struggling through blizzards to and from work, slumped into his armchair on his return home, to relax and turning on the tele to watch the news, sees Mr BW lurking in the background as young people sledge and enjoy themselves, with not a laptop or file in sight? It would not look good on my personal file. We made a hasty exit.

Its 17.45pm. Dare I watch the ITV Central news? Come to think of it, I don’t think we can get it! So hopefully my boss can’t.