Weather or Not You Want It.

Oh, I remember the days when we used to have proper seasons, and therefore proper seasonal photos to fill our proper seasonal scrapbook album pages. My last recollection of this happening was two years ago now. In that winter season we actually had a "snow-day" and I took those wonderful (and admittedly reasonably commonplace) snow photos of my garden, and baby daughter looking cute as a button in her snow bunny suit.

My scrapbooking curses go to the global warming phenomenum. Last summer wasn't a summer. In fact the only time in this county that we sweltered in near 30 degree heat was a spring weekend in May. After that, the weather was, as the English would call it, "pure shite". For Father's Day that year, I had gifted my hubbie with a picnic hamper set. I had visions of a lovely family day out by a lake, our daughter rushing around the mole-hilled grass, going too close to the lake waters, running away from agressive swans, and asking for even more pushes on the swings. What fabulous family summer photos I would have... We spent 15 weeks of weekend anticipation afterwards trying to find the opportunity to take that picnic set out to the local lakes - without having to wear winter overcoats or rain jackets and umbrellas. Our little toddler paddling pool didn't even make an appearance that summer. Exit multi-coloured splashing fun designs on a layout.

Autumn came and went with no changing of the leaves - high winds simply got rid of the leaves overnight from the trees. The insects got all mixed up too - dragonflies didn't make much of an appearance, and the local ladybug population was under threat of extinction due to the fact it's food source hadn't realised it was Autumn either.

And this winter has been odd again. We've had days where temperatures have hit the mid teens, and I've sweltered in my winter bedding. This week, the UK had a much anticipated snow week. In fact, - up north they have had the normal snow drifts, compacted ice, and schools shutting down for days on end. Here, in East Anglia, we've had lots of snow, as promised, but it's not settled enough to allow for any decent photographs.

Two mornings ago, when we woke up we found a mild scattering of snow overnight. Enough for this desperate scrapbooker to run out with digital camera and take some pretty pictures of an early spring daffodil bud with snow on it. Not enough for me to get those shots of my now two year old daughter running through the snow muffed up with winter coats, and wearing those cute welly boots that only children can get away with wearing.

We've had five days of frustration now. Snow falling heavily whilst driving, slushy windscreen wipers going full-tilt, panics over getting caught overnight in snow-bound traffic on the highways and weather reports telling us that the whole country is going to be heavily impacted by the promised white stuff. The promises just didn't eventuate in my county - not even enough to form a snowball with - let alone a snowman. Whilst other fellow countrymen bask in the luxury of snow drifts, icicle trees and sledging down snowy hills; I wallow in pity for myself and my lack of good snow photos and scrapping opportunities.

I have a backlog of two years' worth of seasonal background papers so far unused. A collection of leaf elements and snowflake charms may soon be needing of a good home (some far away from my own, obviously).

What's the one good thing about this slushy wet all-round year-weather? Answer - there's a lot of time spent indoors allowing the time to scrapbook those layouts. Ironically, this might have been of seasonal layouts, if only I had the photos of the missing seasons in the first place.