Winter Wonderland?

Growing up, I was always rather envious of the denizens of Beanotown and its equally fictional neighbours around Christmas. There I'd be, looking out of a window at a dreary, grey street scene in December or January, while Dennis, the Bash St Kids and their cohorts gambolled across snowy wastes on sledges, building snowmen and skating on frozen ponds in the pages of that year's Beano Book.

Over the past few days, my village has begun to look like a scene from one of those annuals. We have three foot high drifts down by the river, you can't tell where the pavements end and the road begins, and yes, I've even seen kids on sledges in the street. Real, honest to gosh sledges! There are even snowmwn, built several days ago, which not only are showing no signs of going anywhere but are actually putting on weight. I haven't seen anything like it in twenty years.

I have, however, discovered one vitally important fact which the Beano writers inexplicably failed to mention about this winter wonderland. It's bloody freezing!

Everyone else surviving the cold snap OK?

This is the most severe winter I have seen in about 30 years, but I think the scenery looks really beautiful, and I have been out and about savouring it. The house, however, is cold even with the heating on [normally, it's fine most winters] but I am dreading the oncoming tons of slush and sludge that creates such a mess once the 'thaw' comes...



Right now, however, it does appear to be like a permanent Ice Age.

MR X wrote:This is the most severe winter I have seen in about 30 years, but I think the scenery looks really beautiful, and I have been out and about savouring it. The house, however, is cold even with the heating on [normally, it's fine most winters] but I am dreading the oncoming tons of slush and sludge that creates such a mess once the 'thaw' comes...



Right now, however, it does appear to be like a permanent Ice Age.

It's starting to get slightly worrying here, in that we've had no post for a couple of days, the village shop hasn't had deliveries and the refuse collections have been abandoned. People are finding it extremely difficult to get in and out of the village, but the kids are loving it. Must admit, it is beautiful. I don't mind snow, but I'm not looking forward to when the streets begin to ice over.

I don't mind being able to get the car sideways on the way out of work... at 5mph with nothing to hit, anyway. It's not so nice on main roads, but ice can be indiscriminate at times!

I've been stuck indoors and running out of supplies. Because I can't see to well it makes going out impossible. Also last time I went out a kid thew a snowball at my face and I got snow in my eye- which is not a good thing be it I am recovering from surgery.

Hourglass wrote:I've been stuck indoors and running out of supplies. Because I can't see to well it makes going out impossible. Also last time I went out a kid thew a snowball at my face and I got snow in my eye- which is not a good thing be it I am recovering from surgery.

Hope you're OK, mate. I take it things aren't getting much better there? It's started thawing a bit here today.

On the plus side I'll loose weight

Hourglass wrote:On the plus side I'll lose weight

Always looking on the bright side...

I've just ventured into town for the first time in a fortnight. Came struggling back with eight bags of shopping and nearly broke my neck trying to get onto the bus with them as the street was icy. Ended up being helped by two very nice young schoolgirls who took my bags while I climbed aboard.

I feel about a hundred...

It has a way to go to equal 1962/63 I was eight years old in that B****R and it was "SO COLD!!" two and a half months of unrellenting Freeze! It was actually colder than the notorious 1947 fella! (Though 47 had more snow)

This one remind me of the 1978/79 winter! pretty bad-but not yet a truly abominable winter!

alanultron5 wrote:It has a way to go to equal 1962/63 I was eight years old in that B****R and it was "SO COLD!!" two and a half months of unrellenting Freeze! It was actually colder than the notorious 1947 fella! (Though 47 had more snow)

This one remind me of the 1978/79 winter! pretty bad-but not yet a truly abominable winter!

It's started to really thaw here, now (I was a bit ahead of myself in my earlier post: it snowed again that night!)...

the snow has cleared here in this part of Scotland , but it is still freezing, even with the heating on. I never knew tons of snow to clear so quickly! A very memorable winter thus far, however......

There is another snow belt expected on Wednesday (20th) but after that-according to the Met office-much milder air coming in from the South-West!

January 1963 was the coldest month of the 20th Century with an average mean temperature of -2.1 C for the month! Feb 63 was -0.9 and the notorious Feb 47 was -1.9 Anorak Al!

alanultron5 wrote:There is another snow belt expected on Wednesday (20th) but after that-according to the Met office-much milder air coming in from the South-West!

January 1963 was the coldest month of the 20th Century with an average mean temperature of -2.1 C for the month! Feb 63 was -0.9 and the notorious Feb 47 was -1.9 Anorak Al!

Who says comics forums aren't educational? I have no doubt that information will come in very handy, Alan. I can't imagine where or how, but I'm certain it will!

More snow on Wednesday?

Hopefully! this year won't be like 1979 when we had blizzards as late as 26 March and one of the coldest springs ever recorded!

All time cold winters are = 1683/84, 1739/40, 1962/63, 1946/47, 1939/40, 1894/95, 1916/17, 1813/14 and 1978/79 Brrr!

alanultron5 wrote:Hopefully! this year won't be like 1979 when we had blizzards as late as 26 March and one of the coldest springs ever recorded!

All time cold winters are = 1683/84, 1739/40, 1962/63, 1946/47, 1939/40, 1894/95, 1916/17, 1813/14 and 1978/79 Brrr!

I remember 1978/9. Bloody freezing! Along with the summer of '76, it's one of my strongest childhood memories. The summer of '76 seemed to last forever...

Tony! Summer 76 a classic-perhaps a bit `too hot` at times, but incredible! The previous year-75 -was a strange one of two halves! early June had snow, but the summer just got hotter and hottter! The August was scorching!

My favourite summer was 1967. It was beautifully warm without getting too hot and the music that summer was -for me- perfection!!

I really hope this year doesn't follow 1979 though! A terribly cold March and April and still snowfalls to mid May! The year with no spring it was called!