#3 Istanbul White out - no beer

It has now snowed continuously for about 24 hours.   It is very soft and fluffy-dry snow, so has easily drifted in to fragile castles to decorate campus in this silent magic of a white out world - even the birds are quiet.  Visibility from my windows was almost zero this morning, especially with the wind buffeting the falling and fallen snow into clouds, but the afternoon was better, and I finally wrapped up and went outside for an hour's walk around.  Met one of our office workers about to face a 15km journey home.  Good luck. 

Meanwhile, the cats are going crazy with cabin fever, their usual route out being via the currently snowed in fire escape.  Elizabeth was finally driven to making a bold and valiant effort in what was clearly frustrated desperation after three days inside.   I brushed off as much as I could from the lower steps, and she then slowly but doggedly carved herself a kind of bob sleigh shute through the snow and very slowly and cautiously  made her way all the way down.  Bravo my lovely (extra).  Caroline and Persembe made such a din that I eventually booted up again around 17:30ish and walked them both down the main stairs with me where Persembe ran out and about and in again and Caroline just sat in the snow miaowing at such a volume that it must have been heard a mile away.  Her "look how my human makes me suffer" wail was so profoundly disturbing that after less than five minutes (when I took today's pic) we went back home again. Meanwhile Harry spent the day curled up on the sofa.

In other news, Caitlin and Robin came for dinner - yet another Merril invented bake-roast-or-boil-what-you-can-find-in-the-fridge kind of meal that seemed to work.  Then, mid evening, Robin and I skyped Ron, Yuki and sweeting Aya in Frankfurt.  She runs about now in the adorable way of toddlers. Bless. 

School is closed again tomorrow. No beer left.  Calamity.