General Chat

Yesterday, my daughter's partner, F, went to Basingstoke.
This wasn't a 'jolly', he runs a tree consultant/surgeon business, and his firm was called out to attend to some trees in a precarious condition.
Although F no longer actually climbs the trees, he went out to check on his men.
My 16 year old grand daughter, B. decided to go with him - to have a look at the shops in Basingstoke.
They left Basingstoke at about 3pm.
It took half an hour from Basingstoke to Winchester, (20 miles max.), and two and a half hours from Winchester to the village where they live (10 miles) :-S
Apparently, B was regularly texting my daughter with tales of cars in ditches etc.

They could possibly have taken less than two and a half hours if they hadn't stopped to check every car in the ditch, and every abandoned car, for occupants!
They did, however pick up 2 people who, having abandoned their car, were walking.

At least they checked, can you imagine if they hadn't then found out later someone was indeed trapped in one. Well done them.

How thoughtful of them Maggie, lots would just drive on.

It's dreadful Maggie.

Dtr got on the A66 the other night and stopped to check the snow depth as she was not at all happy. Decided to come back ... drove until she could safely cross the highway and had to slew the car round. Just got outside the snow gate and the road was closed. She then had a few hours queuing to get off the A66 and ques again on the A1M

The next day the police had to contend with numerous abandoned vehicles on the A66 and yesterday it was still closed.

Son took twice as long to get home from Aberdeen - all the trouble was on the A1M in Durham and Northumberland and last night the Northumberland stretch was still closed near Morpeth with vehicles and people stranded.

BRrrrr. :-0

It's sort of instilled in my grand daughter.
My daughter stops to check on motorcyclists who have stopped - in case they've broken down :-S
Once, with rugby playing grand daughter and 3 of her rugby-playing (girl) friends in the car, they were passing a remote cottage, where, it appears, a washing machine had been delivered - and left outside.
The occupants were struggling to get it in to the cottage.
Daughter just stopped the car, and told the girls to 'Go, go, go'!
Out they popped, lifted the machine up, deposited it in the appropriate gap in the kitchen, (with, of course, space to attach pipes etc - daughter checked on that when they returned) and left!

Rugby certainly develops muscles on these girls :-D

The M3 still has one lane closed, due to snow.
At least F and B didn't have to queue - just go very slowly along 'B' roads.

When we last had snow, a lot of cars got 'caught' on ice on a junction in the village.
A vast array of the 'able-bodied' villagers turned out with shovels and brute force to get the vehicles moving again.

Our B roads were worse, Maggie.

While dtr decided to stay on the A roads because there was more chance of being found if she came off the road, a colleague took the B roads and had to abandon her car and book into a Travel Lodge.

Although there are still a few odd flakes coming down, it is not as bad now as it was on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

The one good thing out of all this is that the kids are happy .... younger grandson is delighted to have three days off school. :-D <3

Unfortunately, most roads from Winchester to the village where daughter lives are 'B' roads :-(
We were okay until yesterday - quite a bit has fallen today, too.

No choice for them then, Maggie.

Wrap up and keep warm.

The wind is whipping up here as it did last night.

I sent Gnddtr a text saying I hope you have your coat,scarf etc and liberty bodice on. :-D

Got one back asking what a liberty bodice was. :-0

Oh to be a teenager today! They still have a lot to learn. :-D <3

Do you still not have tyres rated for driving in snow and ice??

Over here, if you do not have the correct tyres (shown by a snowflake and mountain symbol), or chains and you get stuck ................. the police stick you with a fine. It is against the law!

They will rescue you ........... but no pity regarding the fine!

We're driving on such tyres that are 2 years old, and had no trouble on the 8-10" deep snow on our unplowed lane and side street last week ............. but we wouldn't dream of leaving the city and going on any of the roads, main or side, without having bought new tyres first.

Its not the tyres so much as lack of experience driving in any depth of snow. as now days, only once in a blue moon. ,some young drivers have never driven in a few cms of snow and we are never prepared ,from gritters to transport.

I think many people just go with whats on the car till they need a change.

some drive with no tread at all.......... :-D :-D.




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They're probably available Sylvia, but they wouldn't (normally) get used more than 2 days a year.

Unless they live in an area guaranteed annual snowfall, people aren't going to go to the expense of buying them. For instance, this is the first year we've used our brand new snow shovel for the purpose intended....bought 4 years ago!
A few quid is different to several hundred pounds when it comes to 'just in case'.

Pretty sure they do, Sylvia, as well as snow chains but there's no law about using them.

The trouble is made worse by huge drifts in our open areas and encountering other vehicles stuck or abandoned. The police had to clear numerous vehicles from the A66 yesterday. It was the road that daughter stopped the previous evening in a lay-by just through the snow gate to check the depth of the snow and she decided to turn back. The snow gates were closed as she got through. The gates are between Bowes and Brough and they swing shut when access is impossible.

You will know Saddleworth Moor, Sylvia. It's a high desolate area and the wind whipped up the snow enough to make the M62 it impassable. Some vehicles were stuck there for more than eight hours.

The A1M is still blocked north of Morpeth, Northumberland.

We don!t have to go out to work now but we still have a 4wd which is a boon.

I know, when we lived in Shetland, Snow tyres were commonplace - but snow was guaranteed there!
We get it so rarely in the South, that by the time you needed them, they'd probably have perished!!

I surely do remember lots of snow when I was growing up ................ we used to have lots of snow where I lived, just on the edge of the Pennines. Several times during most winters, the snow would have drifted up to above halfway up the front door. I literally used to have to walk up through knee deep snow to get up to school, which had been built on the top of a hill. That's if I couldn't persuade Mum to let me stay home ................ and then I would get into a little trouble at school because "Miss Jones lives near you and SHE made it up that same hill, on time!"

There wasn't a penalty though, just shaming!

And I well remember Saddleworth Moor, Joy!

Where I live now has been through a long cycle of much lower snow than back in the early 70s .............. we've often had no or less than 5 cm snow in and immediately around the city whereas we used to have 100 cm or more. BUT the law is still in place .......... get stuck because you have the wrong tyres (or bald ones) and there will be a fine.

Of course, most of the rest of Canada, from about 50 km east of us to the Atlantic coast, is much more used to snow, and lots of it!