Waiting for breakfast.

We got up to the heaviest snow we have had for some time.  There was all of 7 or 8 cm (3 ").  After breakfast my first job was to get Don to the station for a supposed 11:00 train.  Before that I looked out of the window and saw the Robin patiently waiting for the feeders to be filled.

Thankfully we have four wheel drive so the trip into town was trouble free.  Two cars had had a "meeting" in the centre of the village, the police had arrived.  We got to the station in good time.  The arrivals board showed "In Carlisle on time".  That didn't last long soo the delay started to mount up.

Eventually the Station Master Mistress announced words to the effect of "we apologies for the delay but no trains will be running until they have found a suitable engine to check if the run over Shap is passable.  I think they mean they are looking for a snow plough.  This snow must have come as a complete surprise to them."  The by now crowded waiting room and platform (a number of trains hadn't arrived) laughed as the snow had been forcast for days.

Don insisted I shouldn't wait to see what was going on and he would phone if he needed us.  Eventually he let us know he had main it as far as Preston where because of line work he should have boarded a bus.  Having seen 200+ plus people throwing luggage into busses and eventually having been ordered off as there were more people than seats, he decided discretion was the better part of valour and stayed the night in Preston.