Preparedness for when

pineapple

kittie wrote: »

What freezing weather? do you mean when the express needed to sell papers and headlined minus 15. Don`t believe a word. Just cold is normal for decenber

No I mean the met office and other sources :huh:.
Actually it is forecast by some to be colder than normal but in any case just because we are dipping to seasonal temperatures doesn't mean it isn't worth a mention
Some people may have been lulled into a false sense of security by the recent mildness and it doesn't harm to be prepared with fuel, lagging of pipes, car etc.
It's easy to be sneery about 'normal' winter weather but in my windswept outpost, we take it seriously because the local hilly roads become treacherous with just the lightest covering of snow and simply a hard frost can make it difficult to get up our unadopted lane. And they are forecasting possible wintry showers up here in the Pennines for later in the week.

[Deleted User]

yes of course pineapple, pennines, shap fell, highlands are always at risk of snow in december but nothing unusual about that. I hate the way the express uses a wooden spoon for scaremongering and now what about all the people who have had winter stores ruined, they could do with knowing the absolute truth about the weather they are going into. Met office hasn`t got a blooming clue, except for maybe very short term ie hours. Notice the way they change the forecast slightly day by day and the terminology like `unsettled` that can cover all eventualities.

Today in express
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/360818/Icy-blast-will-last-a-month

remember that in december. If they are right then I`ll eat my words

GreyQueen

pineapple wrote: »

No I mean the met office and other sources :huh:.
Actually it is forecast by some to be colder than normal but in any case just because we are dipping to seasonal temperatures doesn't mean it isn't worth a mention
Some people may have been lulled into a false sense of security by the recent mildness and it doesn't harm to be prepared with fuel, lagging of pipes, car etc.
It's easy to be sneery about 'normal' winter weather but in my windswept outpost, we take it seriously because the local hilly roads become treacherous with just the lightest covering of snow and simply a hard frost can make it difficult to get up our unadopted lane. And they are forecasting possible wintry showers up here in the Pennines for later in the week.

I live in the balmy south of England but there is a lot of unpreparedness for even the relatively-benign winters which are the norm here.

The slightest bit of ice or snow (which quickly compacts then is frozen down into ice on well-trodden city pavements) see people of all ages falling like skittles. Observation reveals that a lot of them don't appear to be wearing shoes or boots with a decent tread on them, which isn't helping.

And plenty of adults seem incapable of dressing themselves sensibly in hat and gloves for cold weather. Winter happens, people; you can get a fleece hat, scarf and glove set off the market for £2.99.

A pal who dispatches ambulances for a living tells me that the crisis in falls for the older citizens starts on Day 3 of a freeze-up. For a couple of days, retired people are prepared to sit tight, then they run out of bread and milk and venture out then the ambulances are picking them up and taking them to hospital. Broken limbs are very bad news for older people, much worse than they are for the young or the middle-aged.

So, if you aren't too good on your pins (or even if you are and don't have to venture out for work/ school runs/ other duties) it's sensible to have some cartons of longlife milk in the storecupboard and either bread in the freezer (assuming you have a freezer) or the makings of bread. And if you have older friends, relatives or neighbours, it would be good to check they have what they need so that they don't venture out on ice.

The winter of 2010-11 turned central Provinicial City into a skating rink. Whichever route you took in or out of the Towers, you had to cross sheet ice.

Two of my neighbours fell outside the block, a fifty-something man broke his arm and a thirty-something woman broke her ankle. She was on crutches and then a stick for months. I nearly went base-over-apex in hiking boots as I picked my way up to town. Have treated myself to YaxTrax and gifted them to parents and brother since then.

I just think that we Brits tend to be complacent about winter, although those in the higher elevations are more experienced out of necessity. I'm sure the parts of the world where several feet of snow for several months of the year are normal must look at out struggles to cope with our climate and think that we're absolutely pathetic.

maryb

When you actually look at the Express weather stories for winter they all say the same thing (they must have a fill in the blanks template). But take out the scary exaggerations and what it boils down to is: It will be cold in December (you don't say!) Scotland and the North are very likely to get snow (surprise surprise!). We could get a few days of "wintry weather" further South and snow on higher ground (the Chilterns, Cotswolds, Downs - not exactly the centre of London)

With that forecast they are covered for pretty well any eventuality. If we do get a bit of snow in the big towns they can say I told you so, because the buses and trains are bound to grind to a halt more or less instantly. And if we don't, well they can still run headlines about the Big Freeze because there's bound to be some unfortunate souls somewhere trudging through the snow that is a normal part of winter further North than Fleet Street (not that the Express are in Fleet Street anymore)

elisamoose

GreyQueen wrote: »

I live in the balmy south of England but there is a lot of unpreparedness for even the relatively-benign winters which are the norm here.

The slightest bit of ice or snow (which quickly compacts then is frozen down into ice on well-trodden city pavements) see people of all ages falling like skittles. Observation reveals that a lot of them don't appear to be wearing shoes or boots with a decent tread on them, which isn't helping.

And plenty of adults seem incapable of dressing themselves sensibly in hat and gloves for cold weather. Winter happens, people; you can get a fleece hat, scarf and glove set off the market for £2.99.

A pal who dispatches ambulances for a living tells me that the crisis in falls for the older citizens starts on Day 3 of a freeze-up. For a couple of days, retired people are prepared to sit tight, then they run out of bread and milk and venture out then the ambulances are picking them up and taking them to hospital. Broken limbs are very bad news for older people, much worse than they are for the young or the middle-aged.

So, if you aren't too good on your pins (or even if you are and don't have to venture out for work/ school runs/ other duties) it's sensible to have some cartons of longlife milk in the storecupboard and either bread in the freezer (assuming you have a freezer) or the makings of bread. And if you have older friends, relatives or neighbours, it would be good to check they have what they need so that they don't venture out on ice.

The winter of 2010-11 turned central Provinicial City into a skating rink. Whichever route you took in or out of the Towers, you had to cross sheet ice.

Two of my neighbours fell outside the block, a fifty-something man broke his arm and a thirty-something woman broke her ankle. She was on crutches and then a stick for months. I nearly went base-over-apex in hiking boots as I picked my way up to town. Have treated myself to YaxTrax and gifted them to parents and brother since then.

I just think that we Brits tend to be complacent about winter, although those in the higher elevations are more experienced out of necessity. I'm sure the parts of the world where several feet of snow for several months of the year are normal must look at out struggles to cope with our climate and think that we're absolutely pathetic.

I fell over in January ( nothing to do with weather was a paving slab) and fractured a bone in my wrist along with damage to my face and teeth.i am at home recovering from an op on wrist due to ligament damage from the fall. All in all it will have been 11 months of pain and inconvenience. So please everyone be careful!

mardatha

Can I ask about YakTrax - can you walk in them on ordinary road surfaces and on frozen grass ? The RV has to take the ash out up to the top of the back garden and keeps slipping, also when he walks half a mile along the road to his pals house it's sometimes sheet ice on the road and there's no pavement, just the verge which is hard to walk on as its rough and narrow. Would it be an idea to buy him a set of yaktrax?

ALIBOBSY

kittie wrote: »

What freezing weather? do you mean when the express needed to sell papers and headlined minus 15. Don`t believe a word. Just cold is normal for decenber

The land won`t dry now until summer and that is a very scary thought

I know I posted a link to an express story re the cold winter, but its not the only place I saw the predictions. The met office is making noises in this direction and a number of the weather prediction/forecast sites are also saying the same.

Mind you I also read a few scientific papers/theories where there is a new theory that from historical records and current studies that suggest we are in fact in a period of global cooling and that our actions re carbon have just delayed the big freeze lol.

At the end of the day its up to the individual if you want to prep for anything, or nothing and how much you do. For me the case is looking stronger for a very cold early December if not the whole winter so I am prepping for that, but having food stored up also will help me when food/wheat/flour/bread prices shoot up next year.

Ali x

mardatha

It's absolutely bloody baltic up here today anyway. North wind is terrible, it cuts through all clothing like a knife. I'm in for the rest of the day

maryb

Alibobsy, I'm with you on the preps notwithstanding my cynicism about the Express. I'm retired now so I don't have to worry about getting to work or home from work but DH still has to commute and now our eldest has started work there's that for me to worry about as well

I've often wondered whether, if it IS true that human actions are affecting the climate,it wouldn't turn out to have been reducing the impact of natural cooling. Trouble is, it ain't necessarily a straightforward amelioration. I'd be happy with it being a bit less cold than it would otherwise be but wetter and windier and floodier is not much fun as many can currently say

pineapple

mardatha wrote: »

Can I ask about YakTrax - can you walk in them on ordinary road surfaces and on frozen grass ? The RV has to take the ash out up to the top of the back garden and keeps slipping, also when he walks half a mile along the road to his pals house it's sometimes sheet ice on the road and there's no pavement, just the verge which is hard to walk on as its rough and narrow. Would it be an idea to buy him a set of yaktrax?

There are various different makes - as well as differences in price, quality and sizing!
They do 'stretch fit' but I still find it best to try them in the shop with the shoes I am likely to be using. After our lane turned into sheet ice one year we all went out and bought some. What a godsend! I don't like to wear mine on hard non slippy surfaces though as I suspect the studs have a shelf life and I don't want to wear them down unnecessarily. But the bonus is you can whip em off when it is safe. And vice versa.
By the way, re taking the ash out, one of my best investments was a metal ash carrier. It means I can riddle and empty my multifuel stove while it is still going. No gingerly carrying a pan of hot ash across the lounge, no having to find somewhere to dump it, no ash blowing in your face when outside! You just slide the ash pan into the carrier and dump the ash/hot coals. Quickly flip the lid closed and carry it outside where you leave it till cool (and you can safely decant it into a refuse bag or wherever).