Snow on St Patrick's Day

Top of the morning!  Talke Pits in the snow, with Mow Cop behind

As he pottered into the kitchen last night with our empty whiskey glasses, having celebrated 'Saints' unexpectedly convincing victory over Liverpool (not that I dislike the Reds of Merseyside - but we need the points!), Jon announced with some surprise, "It's snowing, sweetheart!" 

The odd flurry at this time of year on a cold night isn't unusual, but waking up to it still covering the ground in the morning is.  But it gave me an opportunity to get out with the camera to record some views that might not be there to be enjoyed for too much longer.

I've posted previously about the proposals to carry out open cast coal mining on a stretch of countryside roughly south-west of our village, and I've promised the organisers of the campaign against (CAGOO - Campaign Against Great Oak Opencast) that my photographic skills are at their disposal.  Keen not to miss what (hopefully) will be the last snow of the winter, I squelched through the fields this morning to record some stunning views, with only the song of skylarks for company. 

Threatened with excavation - looking north-west across the Great Oak site

I was squelching through the same fields yesterday too, and listening to the same larks, but in the company of quite a lot of other people, as it was the CAGOO protest march from Audley up to the Wedgwood Monument.  Luckily there wasn't snow, although I doubt it if would have taken the edge of the adult protesters' commitment or spoilt the day for the animals and children who came along with them.  In fact, if I were UK Coal, I'd be more worried about them than the grown-ups...

Continuity CAGOO?  Beware the boy in the balaclava!

There are lots more pictures of both the lovely location itself and the protest here:

http://flickr.com/gp/30634865@N03/Bum230/  And thanks immensely to the Flickr algorithms generator for that link name!

There was tea and buns to be had at the local cricket club afterwards, but being a hopeless old leftie I had another protest to attend, this time in Hanley, against the 'Bedroom Tax'.  It was a bit thinly supported, but started to look less so once the Socialist Party and Socialist Workers' Party members decided they could actually stand next to each other and co-operate, and I (neither of the above - tempted to describe myself as the Popular Front against the Bedroom Tax: do I hear the word 'splitter'?) was interviewed by a young woman who I mistakenly thought said she was from 'Staffs Hive', though a comrade later corrected me that it was 'Staffs Live'.

So it's just as well I didn't digress into talking about the threat to bees from pesticides... 

Whether either the bedroom tax or the open cast mining proposals can be defeated remains to be seen; despite organised opposition, many a wrong or unpopular measure has been inflicted on people because it suits the powers that be.  But I always find it encouraging to stand with people who care deeply about issues affecting the less well-off in society or the environment.  In which case, I should probably join the Green Party, as I see in Brighton, they've taken a policy decision not to evict tenants plunged into rent arrears by the Bedroom Tax.   Hopefully more principled councils and social landlords will follow suit.