Snow

It's lethal here on the east coast, we are knee deep in the stuff... I love snow, when I can sit inside in front of the blazing log stove and watch children play in the garden... but when you have to drive 100 miles a day over the Wolds, kids schools close because of freezing and subsequently burst pipes, it's not beautiful, romantic or picturesque, it's a pain in the arse.

"The Cosby Show" oddly enough JT. He was the highest paid entertainer on Tv for four years running in that time.

according to my local bbc site - it's slippery in Bottesford ...

What a nitwit you are jasper...really dearie, do calm yourself down.

Did a trek across the fields to get the kids to school this morning. It stopped for half an hour or so, but now it's gone mad! Guess school will close early. Takes me back to the seventies - I always walked to/from primary school whatever the weather - both parents working, no breakfast clubs then - had my own house keys. Derbyshire in the winter of 76....brrrrrrrr.

Snowing loads here, stopped for an hour or so - started again a bit serious looking now. Got kids to school easily enough and myself down to pick up my contact lenses, but now...well, who can tell.....it's that kind of snow where the flakes all seem to be moving in ther own unique direction.

lots of snow in Norwich and Colchester (live in first, work in second). Norwich is particularly well covered, and the countryside on the train journey between the both is like a cheesy landscape painting called 'After the fall' or something.

Let it mizzle and drizzle! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

for schnizzel

been snowing a lot here in Norfolk, on and off, hail, sleet, more snow and bright sunshine in between. I had a moment earlier this morning, a kind of Marlborough Man moment but without the smoking. I walked out into the bright sunshine, the snow was crisp under foot, i had my two dogs out ahead of me and I could see for miles over open land and fields, the trees were beautiful. I even had my denim jacket and Tilley hat (looks like a cowboy hat to the untrained eye) I felt great. I wanted to jump on a horse and round up some cattle or at least chop down a few trees and build a fire, that kind of thing, you know, saying 'howdy maam' to someone and touching the brim of my hat or gazing over the emormous white horizon from the saddle with breath clouding in front of me and the horse whilethe dogs scout ahead for wild rabbit and injured steer. I LOVE it here!

I well remember him in that 'I Spy' series, he starred alongside umm..can't remember , but he was a fictional tennis player. (the other guy I mean)

Robert Culp.

Just started here, glad I had the foresight to walk in to work this morning (rather than cycle), but wish I hadn't lost my wooly hat.

Get a life, Flashy

You're welcome Mr Hayloft Grouchbag don't mention it.

...and stopped again, without settling. Staines sucks.

On and off in Camb's. So working from home The A14 a bitch to travel on. With or without snow.

Quit riding the bitches, John.

I try! But I cant help my obsessions missi.

I can see the snow on the Derbyshire hills from my office, but the stuff on the ground in Manchester's all melted. Which is how I like it.

>> ...Derbyshire in the winter of 76....brrrrrrrr... << A mere trifle, Emma, as those that experienced '63 will tell you.

When I was a kid, we walked to school in the snow, barefoot, up-hill...both ways. All we had to eat was dirt and we were thankful for that dirt.

School! luxury

You had hills?

Most Hillbilly's do.

Umm... so how did you walk uphill both ways? (Isn't it great to post these things in the knowledge that the wanky kangaroo jockey is disconnected for the next few hours?)

I had two homes.

I just knew you'd have a smart-arse answer! So every other day you had to walk downhill both ways?

No....I just kept heading west. Ended up in the Rocky mountains. It was a very long walk.

snowing where i am non stop !!

You win.

It's an old comedy routine George. I can't take credit.... ever hear of Bill Cosby?

Nah, who's he?

I've heard of his dad, Bing, though :-)

Well, the thing about winter of 76 that I remember most was that we moved house in the worst of the weather. My mum and I were trying to get back from one village where we were both at school to another village. She stayed on to see that every kid got picked up and we were left to trek about 8 miles home in several inches of snow and more coming. After about 4 miles we hitched with a lorry driver, and I remember my mum giving him a 50p piece by way of thanks - first and last time I've been in the cab of an articulated lorry. We then made our way to the new house which was ffffrrrreeeeezing 'cos dad hadn't been able to get the fire going. I built an enormous igloo in the garden and tunnelled my way through an 8ft drift from one side of the garden to the other. Was that the 'winter of discontent'? Or am I way off the mark here?

no, winter of discontent was much later

Ah - was it around 1980? That was bad for snow too.

Two years ago in March, we had 47 inches of snow in 24 hours here in Denver. How's that compare to your storms?

Stormy isn't available for comment!

I think it was nearer '73 actually, though I'd have to google for an accurate year.

1985 was very bad.

So was 1991.

not as bad as 1985.

Never - my mini was totally buried in Birmingham '91.

Why were you wearing mini in 1991, they weren't back in fashion were they?

I remember 1963 - the snow hung around for something like three months, and even us kids got fed up with it. 1980 - my wife was working at High Royds psychiatric hospital at Menston near Leeds and they got the patients out in the snow and buried the charge nurse's car; it was considered therapeutic for them. He got his own back and threw her in the bath - that was therapeutic for them too.

In 1963 there was 15 foot snowdrifts around here. The main road from Southend to Chelmsford was blocked for 2 days, and then they only managed to open a single lane through the worst of it. It started snowing on New Years Eve and snowed for a week, almost continuously. The road surface wasn't seen again for over 2 months. I can still feel that bitter cold to this day when I think about it.

It's deep and crisp and even in Chigwell. [%sig%]

Ah, 1963. I remember it well. It was my last winter up North - we lived atop the Pennines outside Macclesfield and we spent most of our time tobogganing - it was magical. My brother and I were talking about it only last week. There was the eight mile run from the Red Setter pub that went through a bridge beneath a railway line. If you were very clever you could arrive at the bridge at the same time as someone else and steer them headfirst at high speed into the stone wall. Brilliant! Our other favourite run was down on Prestbury golf course. That finished with a high speed whizz across a bridge over a little river. There was only room for one sledge at a time over the bridge so we all used to start together - but only one would get across - the rest got cold and wet. Almost as good as the Red Setter smash-up. We also built some fantastic jumps on Flash Hill, just off the main Macc to Stockport road but we broke too many toboggans on them - as well as a few ribs. I had a very gentle childhood.

Me? I don't s'know.