It is tough NOW. So how are we coping

elizabunny

the_cat & Charis -thanks for your helpful replies. I think I'd completely overlooked the fact that people have to actually get to work before they can start work:o on the underground. DS2 was trying to get from Dulwich to Belsize Park so unfortunately nowhere near the Circle line. Thanks for the suggestion anyway.

rosieben

well at least its given the media something else to try and work up a national panic about - I've only watched a few minutes of the news of 2 different channels and they're so busy totting up how much this is going to cost! so I turned off ....... I was hoping to see some pretty snow scenes :rolleyes:

we lived in a small village (1950's) and our teachers all lived within walking distance; in later years when the grammar school bus didn't turn up we walked to school - about 4 miles - through the woods, we even did this on one exam day (must have been mad!!) but we enjoyed it. We often used to walk home through the woods in summer anyway, always a big group of us, girls and boys, not sure who was protecting who though

we don't invest in the equipment for bad weather as they do in scandinavia, canada etc and it wouldn't be good investment when winters like this are pretty rare here.

learner drivers should have a session on a skid pad; most of us dont know how to cope with a skid, and the first time it happened to me I just went into a complete panic and let go of everything! I always meant to do my advanced test (cheaper insurance too I believe) but I never got round to doing it, skid practice is part of that I think.;)

forgot to say that I bet there's some minimum teaching staffing level H&S regs insists on these days so unless they can meet that they have no option but to close the school down.

Austin_Allegro

Sylvan wrote: »

1947 sounds absolutely terrible. Some of the old people in the village I used to live in have photos of the men hanging their coats over the tops of the telegraph poles while they were digging out the main road :eek: and of the walls of snow on either side after they'd done so. (I'd be terrified of them collapsing inwards!)

Yes, 1947 was bad, probably the closest the country has come to starvation in recent history. My father, a teenager at the time, said he had to search for coal on slag heaps and saw fights break out over lumps of coal. Eee, tell that to kids today and etc etc etc....but it does get on my nerves when the country gets in a panic over a few inches of snow.

I was all set to do my usual 5 mile cycle commute in through N. London today (it's fine if you keep your speed down, stick to gritted roads and keep a careful eye out for motorised morons) but my boss called to say the office was closed. Oh well, enabled me to catch up with OS work round the house!

elizabunny

rosieben wrote: »

well at least its given the media something else to try and work up a national panic about - I've only watched a few minutes of the news of 2 different channels and they're so busy totting up how much this is going to cost! so I turned off ....... I was hoping to see some pretty snow scenes :rolleyes:

rosie- you made me laugh when I read your post, because I usually leave the News Channel on when I'm working round the house and it's driven me nuts today -the emphasis on 'there's worse to come' and all that. They seemed to keep this up 'till tea time (with the panic tone) and then suddenly they seemed to be telling us the worst was over.....yet on the other hand a bit later on, the worst was still come......or no.....maybe the worst had passed. I'm so now, I don't know whether to batten down the hatches or go out and mow the lawn:rotfl: The best snow scene I've seen today, was the photo on the grocery challenge thread, of the dog playing in the snow -what a fabulous picture and what a happy dog!

pagangirl

rosieben wrote: »

well at least its given the media something else to try and work up a national panic about - I've only watched a few minutes of the news of 2 different channels and they're so busy totting up how much this is going to cost! so I turned off ....... I was hoping to see some pretty snow scenes

Me too - why do they have to scaremonger - it's bad enough in some parts as it is ! I was born in 1953 but don't ever remember our school closing because of snow, and it was deep at times - we just used to dig our way out down the front path. Remember one year making snowballs - must've gone through every pair of gloves in the house, mum's includued - I had her demented - every 5 mins minutes I would run in for dry gloves !:rotfl:

Hardup_Hester

Our school was closed today as we couldn't get enough staff in to supervise the pupils. Admin staff still had to go in, but I left at 12 as the heating wasn't working & I had nothing to do, lol.

Austin_Allegro

elizabunny wrote: »

rosie- you made me laugh when I read your post, because I usually leave the News Channel on when I'm working round the house and it's driven me nuts today -the emphasis on 'there's worse to come' and all that. They seemed to keep this the up 'till tea time (with the panic tone) and then suddenly they seemed to be telling us the worst was over.....yet on the other hand a bit later on, the worst was still come......or no.....maybe the worst had passed. I'm so now, I don't know whether to batten down the hatches or go out and mow the lawn:rotfl: The best snow scene I've seen today, was the photo on the grocery challenge thread, of the dog playing in the snow -what a fabulous picture and what a happy dog!

Haha yes the media love a panic don't they. Someone once told me the time to really worry is when the press only report good news...

rosieben

elizabunny wrote: »

... I'm so now, I don't know whether to batten down the hatches or go out and mow the lawn:rotfl:

:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

pagangirl wrote: »

... Remember one year making snowballs - must've gone through every pair of gloves in the house, mum's includued - I had her demented - every 5 mins minutes I would run in for dry gloves !:rotfl:

you just reminded me - we lived on a hill, the main route through our village for heavy lorries (BRS if anyone remembers them) and we would gallantly offer to help push the lorries up the hill if they got stuck - of course we had been skating down the road all day and made it very nicely slippery I'm sure the drivers knew (my dad was one of them) but we never had a word from them about it; my dsis and I were laughing about this a while ago, and we imagined that my dad would get a regular earful from the other drivers about his 8 blasted kids and their skating!

Austin_Allegro wrote: »

Yes, 1947 was bad, probably the closest the country has come to starvation in recent history. My father, a teenager at the time, said he had to search for coal on slag heaps and saw fights break out over lumps of coal. Eee, tell that to kids today and etc etc etc....but it does get on my nerves when the country gets in a panic over a few inches of snow.
..

that's 2 years before I was born, but I often heard the story about my dad going off to the nearby town for food; he took my eldest brother (11yo then) with him to help carry back; he tied a piece of rope around his own waist and the other end around my brother's waist in case he fell into a snowdrift or lost his footing on the steep banks; thankfully they made it home without serious mishap.

BB1984

Phew! I'm finally tucked up on the sofa, with a blanket, my laptop, and a mug of horlicks!
It's been a long day....I get the train to work and this morning I waited an hour on the platform...so that was a 2 hour journey. Then when the snow re-started this afternoon, I decided to leave work early. HA! Took me over 3 hours to get home...
However, on the plus side, the snow is very pretty - had a lovely little wander through the Cathedral grounds at lunchtime. Also, there was a bit of a Blitz spirit going on at the station this afternoon, and I had a nice chat with the station staff, who were doing their best to help us all - despite some people being unnecessarily rude to them.
Not sure I'm going to go to work tomorrow though, the snow is still falling and I imagine the trains will be even more chaotic tomorrow - all the trains and crew are in the wrong places! We'll see.
I'm just so thankful I had a warm home to come back to tonight - I can't imagine how cold it must be on the streets overnight...
BB

Bargain_Rzl

rosieben wrote: »

well at least its given the media something else to try and work up a national panic about - I've only watched a few minutes of the news of 2 different channels and they're so busy totting up how much this is going to cost! so I turned off ....... I was hoping to see some pretty snow scenes :rolleyes:

I already posted this on another forum but... why is it that the BBC News is reporting it as "the worst snow in London for 20 years" when they would be no less accurate and a lot more positive by calling it the BEST snow in London for 20 years? It's all a matter of opinion, surely?