Smorgasbord Blog Magazine Christmas – Festive Stories – Snow Storm by Carol Taylor

Most of you will know Carol Taylor from her Food and Cookery Column here on Smorgasbord as well as her own eclectic blog located in Thailand, where she shares the wonderful food on her doorstep and recipes that turn them into delicious meals.

Carol also is passionate about the environment and has some down to earth things to say about our contribution to the state of the world, and the loss of habitat leading to the extinction of far too many species. You will also find her quirky and whimsical sense of humour coming through in all her posts..

Connect to Carol via her blog and enjoy posts on healthy eating, conservation, waste management, travel and amazing recipes: Carol Cooks 2

Carol also writes short stories and contributed to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology:  Amazon US

Which leads me to the reason you are here today, which is to read the poignant short story by Carol that I am sure you will enjoy.

Snow Storm by Carol Taylor

The snow was coming down thick and fast, the weather had changed from a few light flurries of snow which didn’t settle, into a raging blizzard with frightening speed. The wind screen wipers struggling to keep the snow off the windscreen, it was building up with alarming speed and ferocity, Jenny knew if she didn’t get to Sally’s soon she would have to stop and clear the windscreen as her driving visibility was fading fast the windscreen wipers getting slower and slower as the snow built up, she was squinting to see clearly. There were already cars and lorries abandoned on the roadside, the weather was getting pretty dire and Jenny was getting worried.

Wearing heels and a short dress was definitely not the most suitable clothing to brave the elements, if she had to get out of the car and walk.

To make matters even worse she had forgotten to put her warm jacket and boots in the car, well, the weather man had said a mild Christmas was on the cards.

I hope Sally is ready, and I don’t have to wait or we will be lucky to get to mum’s in time for lunch. Then snow or no snow she will have something to say. Jenny could just hear her mother…

“I see the pair of you turned up just in time to eat and I suppose you will both be off soon after, some work excuse or other, you don’t think about your old mum and dad spending most of Christmas alone do you?  Just wait until you have kids and they treat your home like a restaurant. Then you will know how we feel, you mark my words.”

“There will be no both of us now mum” Jenny thought.

The car spluttered to a halt outside Sally’s little flat. Jenny could hardly see out of the windows and she recalled that time 10 years ago when getting out of the car had also been a struggle as she battled the wind and driving snow while trying to open her car door, how she struggled up the path to the front door her face stinging from the driving snow.

Stamping her feet to remove the snow as she went up the steps to Sally’s front door, how the door was swinging backwards and forwards in the wind and how she thought that Sally couldn’t have closed it properly when she came home last night.

Jenny remembered calling Sally’s name as she stepped inside the tiny flat, how the heat hit her and how she involuntarily shivered and felt a chill run through her.

How the kitchen was tidy except for last night’s dinner plate in the sink, the cat was mewing outside sounding desperate to come into the warm, his scratching getting more and more frantic, breaking the silence.

The living room was quiet except for the Christmas tunes that Sally loved, playing quietly in the background, the tree lights twinkled, the presents unopened around the little tree, except for one which lay on the chair the pretty wrapping paper discarded on the floor.

Tap, tap on the window, the noise made Jenny jump it was Mrs. Brown next door saying.

“Come on in lovie don’t sit out here all on your own, you will freeze to death. Come on in and have a hot toddy with us before you go to your mum’s.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Brown I was just……

“Oh love, don’t cry said Mrs Brown. Sally has gone, she is not coming back, you know that don’t you?”

“I know, said Jenny tears running down her cheeks, I know.”

©Carol Taylor 2019

About Carol Taylor

Enjoying life in The Land Of Smiles I am having so much fun researching, finding new, authentic recipes both Thai and International to share with you. New recipes gleaned from those who I have met on my travels or are just passing through and stopped for a while. I hope you enjoy them.

I love shopping at the local markets, finding fresh, natural ingredients, new strange fruits and vegetables ones I have never seen or cooked with. I am generally the only European person and attract much attention and I love to try what I am offered and when I smile and say Aroy or Saab as it is here in the north I am met with much smiling.

Some of my recipes may not be in line with traditional ingredients and methods of cooking but are recipes I know and have become to love and maybe if you dare to try you will too. You will always get more than just a recipe from me as I love to research and find out what other properties the ingredients I use have to improve our health and wellbeing.

Exciting for me hence the title of my blog, Retired No One Told Me! I am having a wonderful ride and don’t want to get off, so if you wish to follow me on my adventures, then welcome! I hope you enjoy the ride also and if it encourages you to take a step into the unknown or untried, you know you want to…….Then, I will be happy!

Carol is a contributor to the Phuket Island Writers Anthology:  Amazon US

Carol Taylor’s Food and Cookery Column 2019

Cook from Scratch to avoid Nutritional Deficiency with Sally Cronin and Carol Taylor

Connect to Carol via her blog and enjoy posts on healthy eating, conservation, waste management, travel and amazing recipes: Carol Cooks 2

Connect to Carol – Facebook  Twitter

Thank you for dropping in and I know Carol would be delighted to hear from you.. thanks Sally.