It's snow wonder I'm pi$$sed!

Ok, so the title of this post is a little cheesy - ok, it's down right Stilton-esq and could have a place in one of the red top fish and chip carriers masquerading as newspapers. But I couldn't help it, I'm am thoroughly annoyed.

As I sit here and type, the world outside my window has come to a complete standstill and with it my ability to comprehend exactly why. I mean snow isn't exactly a new phenomenon; the freezing of water particles as they travel through to upper atmosphere has been happening since, well, the ice age and probably before! Yet all it takes is a few inches (and let's be honest it's not like we're talking feet here) and nothing works. The entire bus network - closed. The tube network - almost completely crippled. The trains - once about as unreliable and a 19th century pregnancy test have been rendered as useful as a Zimbabwean electoral vote by the snow.

What I can't get my head around are two major thoughts that keep swirling around my mind like the now outside my window

1. Britain has never been a tropical country!

I mean if cold weather was a relatively new thing to the United Kingdom, I might be able to put into perspective or even deal with the fact that the facilities in this country can't handle the cold. But it's not. It has been cold, will stay cold and get colder (if the North Atlantic Drift temperature drops any more). Seriously was everything designed in the height of summer while the engineers sipped on chilled lemonade? But then again, nothing seems to work at 100% when the weather is warm either, so I guess that theory's out the proverbial window. How a cold country counts on a transport system that fails in cold weather and continue to do nothing about it is beyond me. It's like letting a narcoleptic drive you home at night time!

2. How come everyone else can handle it?

USA, Canada, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland... just a few of the countries around the world that manage to survive the 'game changing' occurrence of snow settling on the ground. If they can handle it why can't we? Even if we don't create our own solutions to the problems is it not an idea to pilfer some of their initiatives that keep the country moving in times of adverse weather? The government was quick to call over former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani to teach the Met police about the three strikes code of practice. Oh I forgot, politicians only take the really crappy ideas and implement them (Identity cards anyone?), silly me.

I don't really know what I am trying to say here, short of things need to be sorted, and someone needs to sort them. Although, I guess I might be being a little harsh, I mean if the country hadn't ground to a halt under the enormous weight of one foot of snow, I wouldn't be at home writing this when I was supposed to be working. And 'The thoughts of an afro-legoman' would have remained as empty as they have done for months. I guess I shouldn't complain at all then, but what fun would that be?