A world in white

This morning we woke to a tiny covering of snow and ice in the village, but 8 miles away up the valley, the border of Northumberland and County Durham has its own microclimate. Black roads gradually turned white this morning on the way to work and on the very top there were snow drifts blowing in and filling the road. My car managed to get through it - just - and I was able to stop a few times after I had passed the worst of it in order to take photos as the sun rose. It was exhilarating and beautiful to behold.
During the day, the snow further down the valley had turned to rain, and so on my way home I didn't hesitate to go back the way I had only just managed to come that morning.
Big mistake.
On the way back up towards the border, the rain turned to sleet and then into a blizzard of snow. The black Tarmac became white all of a sudden and within seconds I was driving in a whiteout and the car rapidly became stuck in the snow near the border. Very luckily (though not for their drivers!), several 4 wheel drive vehicles came by within a few minutes. Amazing, as it is usually a very quiet, if not deserted, stretch of road, particularly in those conditions. With the help of six good Samaritans, my car was dug out and push-started over the worst of the snow until it got to the plough-cleared road the other side of the county line. I was so relieved to get home, but am feeling quite unwell now. Being out in the freezing cold and blizzarding snow, on my hands and knees trying to dig out the car has taken its toll.
It's good to know that there are kind people out there who will stop and give another person a hand. I hope they are all wrapped up snug at home now too and that good fortune also comes their way.