Sand + Snow

Our Cozy Cube covered in snow.
It's been an uncharacteristically cold and snowy winter in the UK. In fact, Cambridge had its first white Christmas in almost half a century as a result of a pre-Christmas snowstorm: a whole 7 inches. While this is nothing compared to past winters spent in Virginia (or -dare we even mention- Massachusetts), any accumulation of snow in the UK that consists of more than a flurry is cause for a Snow Day.
Snowy branches against the morning sky.
Currently in the midst of our second significant snowfall (3 inches and counting) in nearly as many weeks, we find ourselves "snowed in" at home and, of course, slightly amused by the UK's inexperience (and incompetence) in the snow department. Will is taking the opportunity to work from home in our cozy (and warmer than his office) cube. Jackie, who would normally be in London today if the city wasn't shut down because of the weather, is reading, relaxing, and oh yes reviewing a 700+ page law textbook for her internship (at least she finds the material exciting!).

A well-traveled path along The Backs.
View over The Cam from Garrett Hostel Bridge.
Gardens at Trinity Hall
As much as we enjoy a good Snow Day, however, when it comes to snow vs sand, beach vs mountains, for us, sun, sea, and sand win hands down. When living on an island in the North Atlantic, where sunny days, temperatures above 80, and even excursions to the seaside are rare, the preference of one over the other becomes even stronger. Of course it doesn't help remembering that this time LAST year we were in South Florida. At the beach. Probably right at this moment. Beeeeaaaach.

The photo is relevant. Promise
Anyway, though the rocky shore and cool (read: freezing) water might not make it ideal for swimming, we have visited several lovely beaches across the UK during our 2 1/2 years here. Our favorite little seaside town, Southwold, in Suffolk is also home to Will's favorite English brewery (Note that I said English; his fav British brewery is on the Isle of Skye in Scotland aka the mostbeautifulpleaceintheworld. Keep this in mind should you ever visit these places. Try some beer, then buy some for Will. He'll pay you back. Promise.). Back in October (yes, we've kept this photos from you that long), we took a daytrip with our friends J + C to visit the brewery, as well as the beach (fish + chips were also involved).

See?
Beach Huts
Will At: the beach!
Whether you are partial to the sand or the snow, enjoy these few photos from Southwold (hint: clicking the post title takes you to the Flickr album), and, of course, from snowy Cambridge. Stay warm; summer is only a few months away!