Winter - the Georgian style

On Monday I was working at home in Tbilisi, and thought of going down to the Ministry to get some more information.

I changed my mind when I saw the snow outside. What with living high up on the TV tower mountain.

On Tuesday I had to go down, and slid over the snowy, round cobbles till I hit something more akin to pavement. By Tuesday night it had thawed a little and was broadly ok.

Went to bed very early; flight leaving at 4.50 am; taxi ordered for two hours before that.

Got a call that the taxi was there even half an hour earlier - luckily I knew the company's way of operating and was more or less ready. Outside it had snowed! Another 3 inches of snow were lying there!

Got to the top of my stairs - no taxi to be seen. Drat! The company's number was listed as private in my mobile; a colleague did not answer her phone at 2.20 am. Double drat!

So did what I usually do, and went off down the road, dragging my case through the deep and fresh snow. Vocabulary was used.

Halfway down I turned round - and saw my taxi sitting somewhere between me and the house. We made contact.

Then I never thought I would get to the airport, the way it slithered down the mild incline. I don't really think you should be using the handbrake to slow the car down on, effectively, ice. Isn't first gear for that. But what could I do - the driver was hanging on for dear life!

Eventually it got better, on the main road. Spotted some road lorries being loaded with salt. Crossed the river, on the other side there is an incline, which, it would appear, was covered in ice, and chaps standing on the back of a road lorry chucking shovels full of salt onto the road and any passing cars. Some cars apparently had had to stop at some stage, and they could not get going again (felt quite a bit of schadenfreude at the mercs who for the first time did not own the road). The taxi driver got round all these obstacles, without stopping, and there was a huge sigh of relief when we got to the top of that road.

But even President George W Bush avenue, to the airport, was not free of snow and so it was a fairly careful drive (they should always drive like this, what a difference that would make).

At the end I gave him a 10 buck tip; he was gobsmacked! It was not really too much, what with the conditions, Christmas etc. Left a guy happy....