General Chat

I hear so many people moaning about ‘a little bit of snow and the whole country stops! It never used to be like that.’

But how many of us have notice just how much life has changed since the days when snow didn’t stop us?

For instance, school closures. We can all remember still going to school through feet of snow, the coal or wood burning boiler would keep us all warm, though I do remember sitting in a classroom in hat, coat, scarf and gloves. So what changed?

Well for one, teachers do not live near the schools these days. At my primary school, the headmaster actually lived in the school, at my secondary, he lived just down the road. All the teachers lived in the village or at worst, a couple of miles away. No commuting forty or fifty miles for them, so road closures simply didn’t affect them.

The knock on effect of school closures is that many can’t go to work because they have to be at home to take care of the children who would otherwise be at home, or can’t get them to childcare facilities. When I was young, mums were more often at home anyway, so that wasn’t a problem.

We didn’t travel miles to the next town to shop at the biggest supermarkets, we shopped locally, walking there, lugging the shopping back, probably several times a week.

What about people getting to work. Well believe it or not, most people lived near their work, commuting miles every day, either by road or public transport wasn’t usually done, they could actually trudge through the snow and ice and get to work anyway, regardless of the road closures.

So the reason the country comes to a standstill is that we expect to travel to wherever we work, we expect to be able to carry on through all weathers, and are shocked when we find that we have forgotten, as they just said on the news, that nature is more than capable of overwhelming us.

WE have loads and loads of snow
but its not stopped me doing anything i normally do
though its very very cold you just get on with it

Oh Teresa, how I agree! I get so sick of people 'moaning' about how this country comes to a standstill, when other countries don't. Well, actually they DO! Or parts of them do! We can't always expect to travel 'freely' these days - the roads are running at such high capacity, it doesn't take much to cause gridlock.

Sheila, there were reports from USA a week or so back, and the situation there is worse than here, everything has stopped, they just can't cope with it, so we're not the only ones.

I do wish people would remember that nature will outwit us regularly, we can't beat it, we can't better it. So just get on with it and accept it. lol

Joy, we've been very lucky in Norwich, only snow showers, and though very heavy, there's still only a couple of inches laying. More on the way later though.

we have had snow everyday since the 17th december
i have been clearing a path to Strays up to six times a day
i have now given up
her cat stayed here for 5 days
refusing to get her feet wet or cold
we carried her home yesterday lol

spoilt cat

Same here Joy, but in little bits at a time, the first day was the worst for us, though as I say, we have it forecast over the next 24 hours, then again on Saturday.

We also need to remember that there was a lot less traffic back then to get gridlocked, which also made it easier walking anywhere, this weather nowadays if you walk near roads that are icy you have to be aware that cars etc can skid out of control.

Our footpaths are like glass here, but that didn't happen either. Everyone cleared the footpaths outside their own homes, so it would all be clear for people to walk on, rather than compacting it. Why dont' people sweep the little bit of path outside their homes any more?

We have had snow for nearly three weeks now. Its not moving due to it been as cold as -16 some nights. It starts the thaw then freezes.
Council have been very slow in clearing...even in the high streets.
Car just cant get parked easy due to piles of snow.

Theres going to be a lot of damage after too,once the snow comes off the roofs no doubt slates will come off too. There will be flooding too.

Our slabs have all risen up about 2 inches in places and the same goes for the streets.

My MIL fell on Thur and broke her hip she is 83.

To be honest I am totally p*ss*d off with this ruddy snow.

Anyone who thinks snow is great, they need their heads checked lol.

We have done our bit of clearing, but if you clear a bit and somebody falls,they can claim from you.

We should do what they do in China, everyone who is able, gets mucked in,or get the bone idle ones who have never worked, out there and earn their money.

I wonder why they don't get those on community service round clearing pavements. Or offer a small sum to the unemployed to do it (without it affecting their benefits).

Am I right in thinking that a fall on snow or ice is an "Act of God" but if you have made an attept to clear the path then you can be held liable?

Ann some would probably 'fall' or hurt their back. I imagine it would be to do with insurance.
They should be made to help out in times like this though. some might even enjoy being given something to get up for in the am.
Could even give them 'Brownie' points when going for a job.

Marion

I dont' think clearing a bit of snow from footpaths will earn me any brownie points when going for a customer service office job, but I know what you mean.

I'm not sure about 'act of God', I thought that term had been abolished. But if I was to fall on a cleared path, there's nothing to sue the council for, but if I was to fall on an uncleared path, then I might try to sue them for not making any attempt to clear it.

The path at the bottom of my road is like a sheet of glass, outside the shops, because so many people have walked on it and compacted it, then it's thawed then frozen, it's really really dangerous. What's more, if you slipped on it, you're likely to end up in the road in the path of oncoming traffic. Scary stuff. At my end of the road, a mile away from the shops, it's walked on and slippy, but not glass-like, at least you stand a chance here.

Yes Claire, sounds bad lol

TW maybe not help you in every job but at least it would show future employers you were willing to work and would do anything rather than nothing.

I can see that Marion, though did you know you have to declare doing any voluntary work at all, and it could actually affect your jobseekers, because while you are busy doing voluntary work you are actually unavailable for job search, so you could lose money.

I'm sure if there were points awarded for volunteering while unemployed, that helped in your search, it would be better than being penalised for it.

No didnt know that TW.
I think in times like this though they should be made to help out..if they are fit enough that is. They probably couldnt get out to look for work in weather as bad as this anyway.
I dont know where the snow could go though lol

Hi TW re: village schools,

when I were a lad 1947 ish, in dockland e16
there were 4 schools within a mile of my house two primary (one RC)and two secondary, the '47 snow was nearly up to my knees, the pot bellied stove in each classrom of my school was all that there was.....although the others as far as I know had radiators.
Bob

Oh you've hit a nerve with me. Yes, why can't teachers get to school?? I have utmost sympathy with those that are truly snowed in, but the whole country???

In the 60s and 70s I would travel to work 12 miles each way from a small village in a car far less safe than modern ones and very little gritting of the roads and travelled in my job seeing banks of snow on either side higher than the car at times where the snow plough had pushed it.

My OH travels a minimum of 130 miles a day to his work base and has been doing this for over 15 years now and never had days off because of snow.

Remind me again why teachers cannot get to school because, forgive me, I don't think most travel 130 miles to work. I think in most cases it is an excuse to get extra holiday for which the taxpayer foots the bill and children lose a day's education.

Yesterday was the first time I have ever been snowed now because I could if I wanted walk from my house to get any where we wasnt really snowed, I still couldnt get to work and fretted all night about the big freeze and again being unable to get in today I could but others havent bothered some are geninue and some are not...