Spring Snow

Little update in between the holiday report...Despite the lack of winter, we still managed to get a snow surprise this week. (A quick stat from Neil: there has only been snowfalls, to this near sea level, this late in the year 4 times in the last century!) The reaction was pretty much the same as in England, people didn't go to work, schools were shut, shopping malls closed and supermarkets were manic as people prepared to be snowed in for weeks!!!! However, by 3pm the snow had ceased, was melting rapidly and was gone by tea-time - what was all the fuss about?! We did find out that in 1992, the last major snowfall in this area, the snow was waist deep and people were snowed in for weeks.
Oh, and we've had an election but a week later we're still none the wiser as to what the government will look like for the next three years. The system works on MMP and this year, out of 121 seats, Labour have 50 and the National party have 49. There are still 200,000 specials votes to count & that won't be completed until next weekend, at which point the party first past the post has a crack at forming a coalition. At this rate any coalition will be made up of at least 4 parties which seems a bit of a mish-mash to us. In the mean time politicians are being very polite to each other in case they need one another in the weeks to come!