Snow business

I awoke to find the harbour white and soft edged from a nightfull of snow, eagerly slipped on warm clothes and boots and grabbing my camera ran outside to capture the untouched moment, the Quay white, the beach white, the roof tops and the boats all white; unsure of her footing and unfamiliar with the snow my spaniel, "Rene," plodded on behind me. Clovelly sat waking and stretching like a true Winter wonderland.

Gathering my family together we decided to venture to the top and see the snow capped fields, a formidable task given the treacherous covered paths that lay before us, but adventurers to the end we carried on. Our first battle was with the back road, so often exploited by summertime landrovers carting up the hooting tourists, now a downhill slalom of unsteady steps, I stopped at my garden to gather a couple of plastic sacks, transport for the journey home.

On reaching Higher Clovelly we were met by glistening roads and gleaming fields, smiling people intent on having some fun, a child sat laughing in a plastic box, was being towed along by her brother on his quad bike, the flakefull air was quiet of the noise of traffic, beaming faces peered from behind curtains and the evidence of the desperate traveller lay abandoned at the roadside.
I found my nephews and nieces, snowballed, cherry cheeked and red nosed, we recovered with a cup of tea and complete with brother and sister and an endless supply of children, we began retracing our slipping, sliding and slewing steps back down the road.

Our destination was our childhood, so many years have left home since we last braved harm and humiliation on the fast toboggan slopes of the "Peace Park," with its views across the Bideford Bay it's usually the haunt of aging picnickers and tired sightseers, but today, for one day only, it was transformed into an "Off piste extraordinaire;" Crisp, clean, unmarked, I took my plastic sack, sat down and forgiving all others, hurled myself downhill, uncontrolled, unreserved, unashamed and laughing all the way, it just had to be done! Children followed, my brother followed, racing, crying, falling, rolling, whooping. People gathered, others arrived armed with body boards, a modern addition, and launched head first, forsaking danger for the brief moment of excitement, down, down,down the slope of fun. Children from 3 to 50+ threw off the shackles of propriety, put away the worries of the world and succumbed to the happiness that was a snow filled Clovelly.

The time came to continue further down to the Quay, the last leg of our adventure. Snowballs were thrown, some from great heights making contact with the unsuspecting below, a collective well aimed barrage followed and brought flight to safety and home, signalling an end to our foray to the past, we close the door and find the kettle welcoming, warming our hands and laughing, we know that for some the snow is an inconvenience, but soon it will thaw and today will be just another happy memory.