Where are the children?

Snow is so rare in Britain, at least in the south, that it is always a welcome and exciting diversion to me.

At the first sight of a single snowflake, the country falls into deep chaos. To the media and quite possibly a large proportion of the population, the prospect of a little disruption seems like the end of life as we know it. It is not just that snow is exciting – you simply cannot ignore it.

The Met Office had issued a red “take action” weather warning for the area, in which I live. The giant amounts of snow, which were forecast, failed to materialise but I still measured 7 cm in my garden this morning.

Late morning, I went for a walk with my camera. What struck me was the fact that I only saw two children playing in the snow during my three hour walk.

At exciting times like this, children should be out in the snow playing, building snowmen, sledging and having snowball fights. Most, if not all, schools in the area were closed today.

Where were the children? Did their parents prevent them from going out or did the children prefer to stay indoors in front of their computers and televisions? I think it is a sad sign when children do not go out to play any more.

Winter in Wiltshire. Photograph Wolf Kettler. Today we managed 7cm of snow.

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