SpraffBlog

And why wouldn't they? It clearly brings out the best in everybody. Normally, if I was walking through Brixton and a grown man hurled an object at me from across the street, it's very likely that I'd run away or call the police. I certainly wouldn't stand my ground and start throwing things back. But yesterday, because it was snowing, that's exactly what I did. I had a snowball fight with a complete stranger which resulted in us both giggling like simpletons before continuing about our business.

The fun continued when I went to Brockwell park and saw hundreds of people there sledging. When I say sledging, there were very few actual sledges. Most people were simply flinging themselves down snowy hills on whatever they could find - planks of wood, bin bags, tea-trays, other people - and it was great so see such a flagrant disregard for health and safety. In these times of compensation claims and risk assessments it's refreshing to see some good, old-fashioned, massively dangerous fun.

Sadly, the snow is melting away now and things are returning back to normal. Public transport is back up and running, kids have to go to school and adults have to go back to work. Still, it was great while it lasted. I only hope we don't have to wait another eighteen years for it to happen again - if for no other reason than that I owe a stranger a rematch in a snowball fight.