Oxford in the Snow

When we collapsed into bed last night full of burgers, peanut M&Ms and cocktails it was hard to imagine that we'd wake up to an Oxford covered in snow.
It hadn't really been forecast this far South so I thought at most there'd be a light dusting. It was proper deep snow and it was still pouring down when we looked out of the window at 8am.
8am by the way is the longest lie in I've had for months. Bliss!!!!
It looked so beautiful outside - the photos don't really do it justice. And there was that wonderful indescribable muffled quality to everything. Magical!!
What a fabulous start to the day: sitting in a comfy bed, wrapped in a fluffy robe (having showered with Molton Brown goodies), reading the Sunday papers, drinking tea, watching Strictly on iPlayer and the snow swirling down!!
Eventually - seeing the apocalyptic reports of travel chaos, road closures, crashes and breakdowns - we decided to head to breakfast before heading home early. 
I was mindful of us needing to get home in one piece and then my mum and dad to get home from ours.
We stumble tripped our way through the snow and slush to Bill's. My inadequate footwear led to soaking wet and freezing feet. 
Oxford looked so beautiful and festive I loved it!! 
There was a fabulous snowman outside Bill's which we obviously photographed before heading on for our delicious breakfast - baked eggs and chorizo for Mr K, avocado on toast with poached eggs AND granola, fruit and honey for greedy me. Hot chocolate for both of us. Yummy!!!
It was lovely being all warm and cosy in there watching the snow fall down outside.
Soon it was time to head out though and start the journey home. I was so sorry to have to cut our day so short. We hadn't planned to leave until late afternoon and I would have loved to have walked down to the river and round the colleges to get some amazing photos of the snow. But we had no idea how long the journey was going to take so thought we'd better set off.
But not before stocking up in Tescos. I wanted to prepare for the eventuality of getting stuck in traffic or  stranded on frozen roads for hours.
We bought sandwiches, crisps, drinks, biscuits and maple and pecan pastries. Enough to keep us alive for a few hours I thought. Especially after my our gluttonous breakfast!!
Things didn't get off to a good start when we discovered that the Park & Ride buses weren't running. So we walked round to the taxi rank at the bus station. Not a taxi in sight. Sigh.
We sludged back to the Randolph and asked them to call us a taxi and then sat in the lounge drinking complimentary tea and coffee. 
And shortbread. 
In case we were stranded on the A34!!!!!
I also found a plug socket and left my phone charging on the floor.
There are worse places to be stranded!
The taxi came much quicker than expected and I had to gulp down my tea before we dashed out into the snow and jumped in.
We got 200 yards up the road before I remembered that I'd left my phone charging on the floor and the poor taxi driver had to turn around and go back. What an idiot I am!!
The Park & Ride was deserted apart from our car and one or two others. The snow was a foot deep!
It took ages to get all the snow off the car.
And then turn on the engine to see the warning light warning us of a flat tyre.
FFS.
We drove to the Peartree services, pumped it up and hoped for the best. Mr K was all for putting the spare on but I'm ever the optimist and said we should just press on. If we got a flat tyre on the A34 at least there'd be lots of people to help us!!
We made it to Bicester without any major delay and popped in to pick up my dad. It turns out he didn't stay at ours last night so my mum wanted us to bring him back with us to drive her home. 
The Little Misses were out in the garden when we got back. Having a fabulous snowball fight. They were soaked and giddy!!
It was snowing on the days they they were both born and I remember wondering if they'd grow up to see proper snow in these days of global warming. 
They did today!!!
And they'd built a fabulous snowman and snowdog!
It was into a warm bath with them and out for a walk for me and Archie. 
It was just getting dark as he flushed out a massive deer in a little copse and proceeded to chase it at top speed across the field. I was bellowing at him to stop and whistling for him to come back. He always comes back when I whistle but he was thinking of nothing but getting that deer. Sigh!!
It was like watching Planet Earth in slow motion - I was convinced he was going to pounce and latch on to the deer's rump like a lion bringing down a gazelle. He was inches away. Oh my God!!!!!!
The pair of them thundered across the playing field as I could only watch in horror. They went through one gap in the hedge as I made for the other. When I got through there was no sign of either of them. It was so weird!! It was getting dark - not to mention more and more freezing by the second - and I just couldn't understand where Archie had gone. 
There was a woman with her spaniel and she called to say Archie was going back the other way to meet me. No sign of the deer. I asked her which way it had gone and she said she hadn't seen a deer. It must have run right past her so it was so odd that she hadn't seen it!! 
She looked like she thought I'd imagined the whole thing and was a bit odd myself!!
We chatted for about ten minutes by which time it was proper dark and then we headed home. 
Ham, egg and chips for dinner and the Strictly results.