👀 Dreaming of a White Christmas

#384 | On Her Majesty’s Slippery Surface

Back in the summer, I encountered snow for the first time. On a trip to the Himalayas with my colleagues, I finally fulfilled this lifelong dream. And I knew right away that I wanted more.

So, (with a kind of zeal and dedication I can only hope to channel into other productive areas of my life one day), I made bookings to spend the last week of 2023 in Himachal Pradesh. If the Weather Gods will it, I hope to find myself shivering in a wooden cottage as the snow falls softly outside.

My travel companion, on the other hand, is worried about the dangers of excessive snowfall. In the days leading up to the trip, I am greeted every morning with screenshots of weather forecasts and newspaper articles about current snowfall events in the Greater Himalayas. Being the sensitive and supportive friend I am, I respond to him with eye-roll emojis and dismissive comments.

Yes, snow can be scary. Yes, we might get stuck, and the roads might get caved in. It's all very much possible. If something like that happens, I'm sure the authorities will get everything up and running very smoothly (lol jk).

In a lot of places that deal with snow and ice all year round, they use gritters to spread grit and salt on roads to keep them safe. Unfortunately for my anxious friend, the state of Himachal Pradesh is not known to have invested in such a fleet.

But had we been holidaying in Scotland instead (someday), we would come across a whole range of dutiful gritters doing their part to prevent falls, slips and blockages. And each of those gritters would have perfect pun-filled names given to them by the Scottish public. In fact, Karina wrote about them some editions ago. 

I would be particularly keen to spot 'Robert Brrrns', 'Sweet Child O' Brine', 'You're a Bilzzard, Harry' and 'Gritney Spears'. 

If any of you are planning on visiting Scotland soon, do keep an eye out for them. Meanwhile, I'll be dreaming of a White Christmas in Himachal Pradesh. 

Proiti