It snowed today. Incase you weren’t already aware, it is April 26th, 2016 and it actually snowed today. Yes, I am just as shocked as you are. My husband was working from home today because we had to take Beatrice to see the vet for a check-up and vaccination boosters, and around lunch time we decided to walk to the store and grab a few things we needed at the house. Just as we stepped outside it begun to rain so we doubled back and grabbed a massive umbrella, but when we opened the front door again the rain had turned to snow.

“No, it’s just hail,” my husband seemed sure of it, although I was quick to challenge him when I saw the way the alleged hail drifted heavily in the air and broke softly on the ground.

We stood on the pavement underneath the umbrella while the snow-hail tumbled down from the sky in quick succession. It was magic, I was sure of it. It wasn’t light enough to be snow, but it wasn’t hard enough to be hail or wet enough to be sleet. Whatever fell from the clouds didn’t get the chance to make up its mind before dropping to Earth. I stepped out from underneath the umbrella, soft white flurries dotting my coat, glasses, hair. It was as if someone had dumped snow cones into a wood chipper and I couldn’t help but smile at the serendipity of it all. People walked along the streets as the strange not-quite-hail rolled off their shoulders and dropped to their feet.

By the time we came back out from the shop the grey clouds overhead had moved on, leaving bright blue skies in their wake. It looked like Spring after an afternoon shower, but I knew the truth. We walked home together, laughing at the peculiarity that is April in England, feeling glad to have witnessed Magic on a Tuesday afternoon.