Its tough, it will get better and guess what its freezing brrrrr!

dollydaydream07

Thank you PLP, that actually helps loads, have only been driving 20 months and never had any lessons when it was snowy/icy and in Feb when we last had snow, i refused to drive in it at all but i need to get over my fear as i need the car incase school contact me about DD - can't well be carrying her a 20 minute walk home after she's had a seizure can i?(it'd be even longer in the snow lol)

oooh it's blowing a gale out there, doesn't look like it's snowing now though, think we shall set off in 10 minutes - it's only a 15 minute drive normally but i just don't know how long it will take!!
depending on how i calm i feel when we get there, i might have to nip in Asda and get myself a bottle of something for later(calming purposes lol)

Thanks again PLP

Kitcaboodle

NualaBuala wrote: »

Must feel like home when it's cold and snowy!

Kitcaboodle, your recipe sounds yummy. I haven't got round to making the quinoa yet but I have saved the recipe.

One problem I have with quinoa is rinsing it as it seems to be too small for the holes in my sieve. Wondering is it just my sieve or how to other folks rinse it?

My sieve is fine, so it's probably just the one you have. You could always stretch out an old (clean!) pair of tights or stocking I suppose if you needed an old-style solution. Or you could probably pick up a finer sieve fairly cheaply!

NualaBuala

Kitcaboodle wrote: »

My sieve is fine, so it's probably just the one you have. You could always stretch out an old (clean!) pair of tights or stocking I suppose if you needed an old-style solution. Or you could probably pick up a finer sieve fairly cheaply!

Thanks Kit, I think I'll shun moneysaving this time as my hosiery doesn't appetise me and splash out on a finer sieve - would probably come in handy anyway!

jediteacher

dollydaydream07 wrote: »

daren't look out the window in case it's still snowing, can feel myself starting to panic at driving in it deep breaths and count to 10 and repeat to self: 'you can drive in the snow, just drive carefully and slowly' and continue to repeat!!

Dolly I am the same in driving in snow. A few years back I lost control of my car round a round about in snow fall and since then I am terrified. I drive really slowly in snow and I can feel my heart beating soo quickly. I do panic. My friends all think this is strange as other than in snow I am a very confident driver.

Piglet I will try your advice as it no one has ever told me any of that and I've been driving for over 15 years!

Right, best get the little girl up. She's had a nice long sleep. Had to take her into the doctors yesterday as she was up all the previous night and a real pain all day. She kept pulling her ear and when I looked it was really red. She has an ear and throat infection and has been put on antibiotics.

She's 4 in two weeks and I'm dreading her dropping her afternoon sleep as she sleeps for 3 hours and still sleeps 8:30pm until I wake her in the morning for nursery. Will have to phase this out next year as she will start school in September.

Was really organised for prezzies this year and thought I had them all. Hidden them around the house and now I have to find them all! :eek: Also realised I had forgotten my hubby's prezzie. I looked on the grabbit board and there was an offer on luggage from debenhams. My hubby has just started travelling for work and has been using one of my old gym bags so I've got him a light weight holdall that should have cost £49 but I got it for £13.50. :j He'll be thrilled to get it as it's black and does not have pink trim all round it. He'll look far more business like!

kidcat

I can really sympathise with the snow driving issues, I struggle dreadfully, and am very nervous after taking my husband to work a few years ago whilst I was pregnant, it was late and dark and as I went round a bend The car spun and just missed a security hut on the opposite side of road!! It shook my confidence and I really prefer not to drive in snow at all, if I can help it.

Jedi - be very careful with you DD ear infection, my DD had one last year that perforated her ear drum, and our GP said its becoming more common!! He also advised taking her back to have her hearing checked after the antibiotics were finished just to be safe. And its a shock to t he system when littlies drop the nap!! I have never got over it.

Pitlanepiglet

There are some articles about driving in snow http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/seasonal/winter_motoring.html (towards the bottom) and http://www.thewestmorlandgazette.co.uk/news/8709869.Winter_driving_tips/

Don't be scared of it though, just take it easy and keep a good look out.

NualaBuala

I found this article about how to drive safely in the snow in case anyone's interested.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/1130/1224284431416.html?via=rel

Crossposted with Piglet!

the_cat

It is horrid driving in the snow but looks worse than it is as long as you are careful. I've just returned and although we have about 6 inches on snow and we were in the middle of a blizzard at the time I can honestly say that if you follow the excellent advice from Piglet, you should be fine

A couple of extra points.... try to never come to a complete standstill once you have got the car moving. Slow down LOADS earlier than normal at lights etc and try to keep crawling. This will minimise the chances of spinning wheels and getting stuck.
If you do skid out slightly, don't panic. Steer ever so slightly 'into the skid' ie turn the steering wheel slightly in the direction that the back of the car has slid. Aim to drive as if you have a very full glass of water balanced on your head and an egg under each pedal! Like Piglet said - no sudden moves!

Sorry if I'm teaching people how to suck eggs. Many years of traipsing to my job on a farm in a regular (not 4x4) car from the suburbs 12 miles away has given me more practise in snow and ice than I ever wanted! The horses could not be left, so we just had to get used to driving in and getting on with it

[Deleted User]

me too re driving in snow and ice and I think that is why my cupboards are so well stocked. I was 30 and with 3 small children and a dh with flu so I went to drive to the chemists and this was 32 years ago. The lane had been snow ploughed and it was a bright day. I was going very slowly and steady and then I met a lorry on a corner and neither of us could stop. The car, a new cortina was a right off and it all happened in slow motion. I was fine just shocked but it must have affected me psychologically. I know what to do in snow etc but it doesn`t take the fear away, however life cannot stop when children need to be picked up. Soon after that I had to pick ds up from primary school and before I managed to leave, the rain turned to freezing rain and the ground just froze and I got home safe. This was all in the lake district. Since then I have had various cars and the most safe I felt was when driving a land rover but sods law in that there was very little snow when I had it

Dh and I have decided now that our next vehicle in 2 years time will be a skoda yeti 4 wheel drive as we live in a tiny village and the 2 lanes out are up extremely steep lanes

The main thing is not to panic and keep your feet under strict control and to learn and follow the excellent advice in the posts above

lostinrates

the_cat wrote: »

Sorry if I'm teaching people how to suck eggs. Many years of traipsing to my job on a farm in a regular (not 4x4) car from the suburbs 12 miles away has given me more practise in snow and ice than I ever wanted! The horses could not be left, so we just had to get used to driving in and getting on with it

It never hurts to repeat it, and you have my sympathy, having done much the same. Now we have a landrover, but it still troubles me that some people think they are ''safe'' without changing driving significantly in 4x4s. I was towing people out of the snow last year literally every day in our old LR....and even went into a ditch myself when someone else lost control of their four wheel drive. :mad:

Even though I consider myself ''ok'' at driving in ice and snow usually I repeat the mantra ''steer into the skid'' steadily to myself and drive very, very steadily. My main fear is other drivers, particularly other drivers of large vehicles. I also feel shocked when people are reckless around pavements/roads ..still trying to nip across in front of cars on roads they could slip and fall etc.

I love the snow and ice and to be honest the reason we don't feel we cope with it well in UK IMO is not because we grind to a halt but because we don't accept life can continue at a slower pace...the people who rush and sneer are the frightening ones to me!