The Weather

It's been snowing in Guildford most of the day, started sometime in the night.  Just been out to start Christmas shopping.  Thought I'd buy a bottle of whisky a relation wanted and try out a new whisky shop in Guildford.  They didn't have the whisky I was after, but I thought I'd buy a bottle for myself.

Walking back through the town centre, seeing people slipping and sliding on the pavement, I realised buying a bottle of whisky today might not have been a good idea.  Fortunately, I'd put on my walking boots and they seemed to get a good grip and I had no mishap.

The road out of Guildford to my house was stationary traffic in both directions.  As I was climbing the hill, I heard a siren behind me.  An emergency vehicle was trying to negotiate the cars.  I think I climbed the hill on foot faster than this vehicle made it up. It was an ambulance - the Royal Surrey County Hospital is just past my house.   When it passed me at the top of the hill, it was still going quite slowly.  Obviously the road conditions were not suitable for speed.

The Old Baby Farmer

Switched on Radio 3 this lunchtime and heard a gruesome song called The Old Baby Farmer, The Wretched Mrs Dyer.  I was reminded of Tom Lehrer's introduction to The Old Dope Peddler about how they write songs about the oddest professions.

In this case, the programme was Composer of the Week discussing E.J. Moeran and it was his arrangement of an old Victorian ballad that was being played.  Seems that this was based on a real story:

The old baby farmer, the wretched Miss Dyer

At the Old Bailey her wages is paid.
In times long ago, we'd 'a' made a big fy-er
And roasted so nicely that wicked old jade.

You can hear the song on the BBC listen again service for the rest of the week.  It's rather jolly, given what it's about.