Beast From The East 2.0 Actually Strikes

We don't get snow, where we live. You know how you see all these places on the news, that snow has brought to a complete standstill? The whole country could be under a foot of snow, and you can guarantee that the most we'll get is a light dusting of the stuff. Like someone has taken a giant sieve and dusted us with icing sugar. So, every time we hear the tabloid press predicting the next ice age, or another six weeks of Winter, we do tend to take it with a huge pinch of salt in my neck of the woods. Even the weather report, when applying the forecasts to Wales, say 'all counties except Anglesey'. So, with that in mind, we weren't too concerned with how the weather our end was going to affect our trip to Queensway on Sunday, but more how the weather was there, and everywhere else in between. We've altered the route we take since last season, rather than using the A55, which Mr G hates driving on, we come off at St Asaph, and go through Mold and little villages on the outskirts of Wrexham. It's a nicer drive, a shorter drive in miles, even if it adds a little bit of time onto the journey. But also a prospectively more dangerous, sheltered drive in adverse weather.

Six o'clock in the bloody morning he wakes me up. 

Mr G: I don't think we're going anywhere today.

We were covered in the bloody stuff. Covered. Yeah, so thanks for waking me up earlier than I would have woken up had we been going, to tell me that we weren't. 

Social media promised a pitch inspection at 9 am. We sat looking at our screens, looking outside, looking at weather reports, looking at live webcam feeds, checking traffic groups on Facebook. The snow was really coming down outside. News was slow coming from Queensway, the Featherstone fans coaches had been taken off the road as it was deemed too dangerous to come across the Pennines, the team were in their bus ready to make the journey and then, it was finally called off. Just before 11 am. I was sat in my pyjamas, waiting, while Mr G was muttering "I bet this goes ahead. I bet this goes ahead."

'Summer' rugby... 

And rescheduled for Tuesday. In Yorkshire. So we won't get to see the rescheduled match. It's a bit gutting but there's nothing that can be done. The fixture needs to be played asap, there's no free weekend before the next round of the Challenge Cup, we already have one postponed league match to catch up on, and we play Oldham next Sunday as well. I just hope that there's a Youtube live stream of the match, so we can watch it at home. 

So, next Sunday we try again.

In other news. Decorating. Christ on the cross. I'm sure everyone knows that point, in their home, where everything needs doing again? It happens within about a year of finally finishing your home. Yeah. That's where we're at right now. We've had shower panels delivered, as there's issues with the tiles in the bathroom and we figured it would be easier to keep clean. We've had a B&Q order delivered with paint and wallpaper. And then I realise that this week heralds Mercury Retrograde.

Now, I'm not superstitious per se. I don't salute single magpies. I would walk under a ladder if it was the most sensible route. I'd rather not open an umbrella in the house because... why would you? My porch is smaller than an umbrella anyway, I'd be stuck. But I don't think it would cause bad luck. However, Mercury Retrograde is always one thing that I do take heed of. It's astrological not superstition. 

The lovely AstroTwins explain it perfectly in their article Mercury Retrograde Explained. But in a nutshell, electronics go on the blink and people from your past tend to show up.

Now, I've lost count of how many computers I have lost during Mercury Retrograde. Enough so that I know that it's not a coincidence. So, I told a couple of my friends, who were pretty sceptical about the whole thing. They'd never heard of it. Told them to back up their data. Don't buy any new electrics or electronics or make big ticket purchases during the time. And watch out for old friends or ex boyfriends to show up. I personally have never had any ex show up during Mercury Retrograde, thinking about it, there's only one that would be anywhere near welcome to ever darken my doorstep again and I can't ever see that happening (I'm a people person, can you tell?) so it's probably a good thing that Mercury Retrograde affects me electronically and not emotionally. However, in our group chat, these sceptical friends, phones were going on the blink, laptops were, and in the piece de resistance, one of the ladies' ex boyfriends contacted her out of the blue on Facebook. "I told you so." I said. 

So I've just messaged our group this morning with this.

"Mercury Retrograde Thursday. Heads up. Back up. Block exes."

But anyway - back at the ranch, my point is this. You're not meant to start something new during that time. It's just asking for trouble. Especially when what we need to do involves mauling with a shower. So I have DIY stuff clogging up rooms that I have to hold Mr G up from using until some way into April. I can't see that happening, can you? 

I need a grand scale distraction, that's going to last about a month, minimum. Any ideas?

No. Me neither. There is the re argument at play here too. That we're not decorating, we're redecorating. So it might be ok... right?

Famous last words...