***** This thread is now closed, please CLICK HERE to go to Volume 4 *****
More weather related talk.
Last edited by: VxFan on Sat 19 Jan 13 at 01:25
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Absolutely marvelous. Here I am in the lap of luxury and gorgeous sun, 34 degrees and blue skies today, and someone decides we need to meet in England.
Godammit.
OK, so do I sweat fit to die in South America or freeze my backside off in the UK or carry half a wardrobe under one arm?
Just how bad is the M40 likely to get?
Last edited by: VxFan on Tue 29 Jan 13 at 00:49
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Dunno really, this weekend, perhaps early next week.
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Friday and Saturday- west of london will be a no go area. Should be ok by Monday.
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Thanks RP, right in the middle of my reply!
To repeat to Zero..
Thanks for that, I guess it'll still be damned cold though.
Although the 6X, Crabbies and at least one Kebab with my name on will be some compensation.
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I was going to shift the chat over - hang fire !
Last edited by: R.P. on Thu 17 Jan 13 at 18:32
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Details of those changes to South West Trains services mentioned in the previous volume:
nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/sa0f0de421c246aea4659fc6527bd1ee/details.html
My station (Earley) not mentioned, but I think I'll be working from home rather than try to get to Bath (and back).
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Just off to do some panic buying at Asda...
(usually do the weekly shop early Saturday morning, and that's looking iffy at the mo)
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I see a few supermarkets are already reporting that the shelves are bare.
I'll take my chances that the food in the freezer will see me through :-)
Off to Lyon next week, but looks to be just cold over there rather than snowy which is good. Don't fancy getting some crap rental in the snow.
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According to a mate the storm has touched the tip of Cornwall heading north east
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Should be up here in zummerset in time to disrupt my commute tomorrow. Shame, guess I'll just have to work from home :-)
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Should be fun tomorrow, arrive in the UK mid-afternoon and pick up my hire car which will not have winter tyres. I might slide off the planet...and by the sounds of it the supermarkets will resemble a Moscow suburb.
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>> ...and by the sounds
>> of it the supermarkets will resemble a Moscow suburb.
>>
Its like Christmas all over again!
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Its Nicoles day off tomorrow, I will drag her out of bed send her off to the supermarket at Sparrow fart.
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>> Its Nicoles day off tomorrow, I will drag her out of bed send her off
>> to the supermarket at Sparrow fart.
>>
I don't think you are that brave, or stupid, you would be sleeping in the shed and not get fed for a month. :-)
Last edited by: Old Navy on Thu 17 Jan 13 at 22:24
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>> >> Its Nicoles day off tomorrow, I will drag her out of bed send her
>> off
>> >> to the supermarket at Sparrow fart.
>> >>
>>
>> I don't think you are that brave, or stupid, you would be sleeping in the
>> shed and not get fed for a month. :-)
Think its too much to ask her to get a case of beer in as well?
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Little snow forecast here.
Soft southerners making a fuss as usual.
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>>According to a mate the storm has touched the tip of Cornwall heading north east<<
No sign of any storm here in mid-Cornwall at 22.15pm, light rain and +5°.
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Cornwall will just have rain apparently.
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Nothing new there then :(
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>> Just off to do some panic buying at Asda...
>> and that's looking iffy at the mo
Ah, so that's where he's working these days ;)
>> I see a few supermarkets are already reporting that the shelves are bare.
That'll be all the meat products they've had to return.
Last edited by: VxFan on Fri 18 Jan 13 at 00:40
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Top move Focusless! My nervous partner is thingking of driving to Newbury for an overnight stay; as it is social rather than essential she will probably stay home.
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Panic bought some petrol earlier :-)
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>> Panic bought some petrol earlier :-)
Good thinking, I'll squeeze a few litres in tomorrow.
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Just been out with the dogs - a brisk SW blowing, partly cloudy with a lovely moon hanging there - the lights on the mainland twinkling away merrily.Pressure is around 1015mb - decision time will be at 0700 tomorrow whether I go to work or not.
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Had a nice wander around Pendle today, walking half of the 36 kilometre Clarion House Way. Cold in parts, hazy views and plenty of frozen snow underfoot. Working the next couple of days but snowshoes at the ready for Sunday.Doubt we will get enough snow in the upper Ribble valley to make use of them.
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We got to Asda and thought it didn't look too bad, car park didn't seem especially full. But then we got inside and realised that we were a bit late - the panic had been and gone, leaving some big gaps on the shelves including fresh veg & meat, eggs and bread. The girl on the til said the queues had been enormous.
Snow here (Reading) forecast to start about 8am. Son's school has said it will be open but it's the parents/carers responsibility to ensure kids get to/from school safely. Son has said his friends will be staying at home to revise - true or not I'm happy for him not to go in (bus) as last time significant snow arrived during the day Reading just ground to a halt; getting home might be a real problem.
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-2C and no snow yet in Stamford. My partner is considering a trip from Wokingham to Newbury tonight for an overnight social stay but will almost certainly not go. Not essential and 3 inches of snow, even if it arrives and is cleared isn't going to make for a good drive!
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I can't believe these shopping idiots, what on earth do they think is going to happen ? Oh no snow at all, zero, nothing zilch here.
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Coming next, the weather forecast sponsored by Asda . . .
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Snow, just starting here in leafless N/E Surrey.
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Good 3 inches here....Dartmoor edges, nearest town 3 miles away is Ivybridge.
Unusual for this much snow to lay here.
Still snowing but lightly.
Will walk down the paper shop in a mo, in the nearest hamlet, about a mile away.
Don't know what the main roads are like, but small lane looks ok, but it's the hilly bits and t**** that can't drive properly that sod it up isn't it.
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It amazes me that, despite what the weather and road reports say, my village shop has the papers in at 07.30 every morning! Respect to the drivers!
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I dislike being whipped up in the weather frenzy, but seeing as my home town has already been mentioned, it is snowing reasonably hard now in Wokingham (and settling) - I gritted not long after it started and seems to be working well enough. I'm a bit concerned that it might stain the paving though (the salt, not the snow!).
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Right. I'm willing to admit it.
I didn't walk down the paper shop....I drove down.
A, I'm a man and a petrol head, so snow = fun
B, My wife's mate needs to get to a doctor's appointment at 11am and wifey asked me to do it, so i thought i'd do a test run.
I have a little Ford Ka in the drive, with brand new tyres....so took that.
Dartmoor lanes were bad, a hill was 'interesting', main roads thick slush. I saw a council tractor with a snow plough on it...in Devon!
Other drivers were remarkably sensible..and the Ka performed very well, as you'd expect with a lightweight front wheel drive, with skinny, new tyres. I obviously went deliberately 'off piste' and even uphill it just did it...and having to stop at an uphill T junction, then get going again, wasn't too much of a drama.
My old S Type is in the drive way as well and it too has brand new tyres on..and i didn't consider taking that for a second. It's dreadful in snow.
My wife's diesel X Type estate is now poor in snow, because although it too has very good tyres and is front wheel drive, the re-map has a good surge of power come in at 1800 revs...and it's wrong for snow because it gives you a surge of power when you really want to be gentle...so it lights up the front and starts them spinning, which then has traction control kick in.
So the Westpig family has allowed our 5 year old son to take a day off school, so we're just out to build a snowman....before my mate turns up in his LWB Landie crew cab pick up..and we go off for some fun.
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I have the Fiesta inn work today - it seems to have all-season tyres of a recent vintage. Reckon it should go places where Beemers fear to tread.
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>> I have the Fiesta inn work today - it seems to have all-season tyres of
>> a recent vintage. Reckon it should go places where Beemers fear to tread.
>>
I should imagine it'll go places that some 4x4's on summer tyres fear to tread.
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>> I have the Fiesta inn work today -
When I speed read your post...I initially thought you'd gone straight to the pub at the first sign of bad weather...hoping to get stuck there.
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I'm speed typing in between calls here !
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>> When I speed read your post...I initially thought you'd gone straight to the pub at
>> the first sign of bad weather...hoping to get stuck there.
Now thats a plan.
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Will walk down the paper shop in a mo
Paper shop will be a bit soggy in this weather ! :-)
Last edited by: R.P. on Fri 18 Jan 13 at 09:11
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Cold, still, clear blue skies. A pleasant winters day here. A pity the UK weather tends to be changeable.
Last edited by: Old Navy on Fri 18 Jan 13 at 09:16
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Snow is getting heavier, coming down well now.
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>> Snow is getting heavier, coming down well now.
>>
Haven't had a Sky signal for at least an hour either, so there must be a good cloud of it above us.
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Started here in Northants about an hour ago. Fall is light to moderate but persistent and coming down at 45 degrees on a stiff breeze. Settling.
Schools open so Lad has gone in but Mrs B declined a day's work in a primary in Corby.
Made exec decision last night to work from home today but atm the office laptop is failing to connect.
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>> Haven't had a Sky signal for at least an hour
Most likely the dish/LNB has snow covering it. I'm lucky, I can reach mine with a soft broom being in a bungalow if the snow builds up on it.
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Mine is still fine, but if it fills with snow I have freeview as well. If the aerial comes down under the weight of snow I can stream it on the net.
We may well run out of food but not tele.
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OK until the leccy goes off.
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This morning at various times we've had no Freeview, no Freesat, no water, no electric and no mobile signal - and hardly any snow, though it's bad only a few miles further inland.
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Vodaphone was down this morning ... and we do have snow. Not often it reaches this little area but has not stopped so far today, so we have a good covering for here.
Just in time for me to stay in and learn how to work a PC ... including this nasty little two sided (faced?) mouse. I'm not complaining really! In a random act of kindness, an old school chum of my husband heard I was without a computer and arrived on Sunday with this one.
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Time to get the inverter out to run the central heating?
www.maplin.co.uk/150w-12v-inverter-48722 good value when on special.
Probably need to leave one of the wrecks in the driveway running to keep a battery charged.
Is diesel or petrol going to be the most £efficient? Ok it probably only needs to run 30% of the (heating on) time. Can probably watch TV / internet during heating off times:)
Last edited by: pmh on Fri 18 Jan 13 at 11:53
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How is your soggy Beemer Rob?
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Forecast for today for Stoke on Trent was 1cm of snow tops - spread over entire day.
-5C overnight.
As I drove to Asda at 9am snowing heavily.
Asda deserted.
By 11am when I left carpark covered in 5cms of snow and the motorists doing their best to make Stoke - the city of lots of hills - look like a large car park.
Offenders ranged from the "drive at 2mph? not in this weather . 1mph is enough" to "oh my wheels are spinning and I can't move so I'll stand harder on the go pedal .. that will work".
Took a side road home with a 1 in 4 hill and 10cms of snow just got up the worst bit (1 in 4) at 1 - 2 mph with traction control on/off all the time and lucky to do so...
Uneventful really.
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Well, got iinto work this morning only for them to decide at 11 when the snow was properly settling that we could all go home again.
Broke my BMW snow duck driving the 20 miles home in some pretty atrocious conditions. M3 was okay-ish (lane 3 was white, the other two were fine), but clearly nothing round here has been gritted away from the motorways.
And guess what? With the ESP set to "TRACTION" mode as per the handbook's advice, and being very sparing with the horses, it was a complete non event. Even the side roads with 8-10cm of standing snow were no problem.
One big, long, lazy drift was done on purpose, I will admit :-)
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Here in West Cambs it has just started a dusting which has turned the road & paths white.... only few mm deep though. This is supposed to be the leading edge of the larger amount if the weather radar is correct.
Might have to go and wax the sledge runners ready for when the girls get home.
Waiting to hear some ordered in parts have arrived at local GSF so I can collect before commuter time in the snow... larger problem might be their lorry with my bits on has to get from B.Ham to P.boro first and the travelcams in B.Ham area show it's worse that way.
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Dried out nicely due to some afternoon sun at the start of the week. Not turned a wheel since Wednesday though.
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>> Most likely the dish/LNB has snow covering it. I'm lucky, I can reach mine with
>> a soft broom being in a bungalow if the snow builds up on it.
>>
Ah...seems obvious now..thanks for letting me know. Hadn't thought of that.
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Well SouthWest train couldnt run today, but this one could.
A proper train in proper snow.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcbNg_o6ZGY
I had good fun in the deserted car park to boot. 8mm of fresh tread on front and 3-4mm on rear makes for some fantastic oversteer
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Ah ah! - is that what frozen rain looks like, it's been sooooooo long since I've seen any, or frost come to that.
Good video BTW - I enjoyed it mucho.
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Now if you were to run frequent services with a train producing steam and a hot boiler at the front.... are you more or less likely to have a problem with snow and ice on the tracks? I'd have thought frequent running of such trains would avoid ice etc.
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Excellent work! No chance of "Cut! Take Two" in those circumstances!
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>>SouthWest train couldnt run today, but this one could
Fit a broom to wipe the third rail and hey presto!
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>> >>SouthWest train couldnt run today, but this one could
>>
>> Fit a broom to wipe the third rail and hey presto!
650 volts up your handle!
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>>Well SouthWest train couldnt run today, but this one could.
A proper train in proper snow. <<
Good video - the weather kept all the other twitchers at home then?
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One other bloke wandered up to me and asked me if a train was coming! Apart from him the only footprints on the platform are mine.
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>> One other bloke wandered up to me and asked me if a train was coming!
>>
>>
The one whose hat you filmed? It was HJ.
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>> >> One other bloke wandered up to me and asked me if a train was
>> coming!
>> >>
>> >>
>>
>> The one whose hat you filmed? It was HJ.
>>
>>
>>
2 possibilities -
Zero is HJ
or
HJ is stalking Zero
:)
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Zero,
What are your thoughts on left foot braking?
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>> Zero,
>>
>> What are your thoughts on left foot braking?
Dont have any, but I am off to buy a new wife next week.
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>>Dont have any, but I am off to buy a new wife next week. <<
Sufficient grounds to arrest at dawn and charge.......... people trafficing.
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>> Dont have any, but I am off to buy a new wife next week.
>>
Don't forget to check the tackle.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=D20hTAe5l-w
(youtube link NOT rated adult.)
Last edited by: John H on Fri 18 Jan 13 at 22:19
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Seems we had the worst of the snow in this area (within Dartmoor National Park). Stopped snowing a couple of hours back and it's 1.5 degrees.
Roads now all clear with the small ones that were bad turning to slush.
Went to the outskirts of Plymouth earlier and that was no problem at all.
Devon County Council have been well active, i've seen 4 or 5 tractors with snow ploughs and our tiny lane has had a gritter go along it.
We no longer have a snow issue, but a freeze tonight might be interesting.
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Still snowing here. A forecast of 1 cm and an actual of 8cm means a large error ...
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It's still snowing at dusk here as it has been all day. There were a few flakes at 10 last night but not enough to settle. That all started early this morning, 5 or 6 I would guess. Now there are perhaps 6 inches on the ground or a tad more (or perhaps a tad less).
We went out for a mimse just now, I to feed my addictions and herself to post a letter. We live about a mile from a main road in any direction, so the ungritted packed snow came at the beginning and end of the trip to both local small towns (everything was closed in the first one). Even the salted main roads were well slippery. Lots of traction control and lots of ABS but not many wriggles because I am cautious in my old age and we only have the one jalopy.
Worst thing is that the cold damp weather has at last rendered the battery too weak to start the car. It's always been slow to turn the starter but the car has usually fired on the second revolution and run perfectly thereafter. Last few days it has needed a touch of throttle to get it running and today we had to get a jump start. Cars will have their little joke. Damn!
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Fri 18 Jan 13 at 16:14
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>>Worst thing is that the cold damp weather has at last rendered the battery too weak to start the car. It's always been slow to turn the starter but the car has usually fired on the second revolution and run perfectly thereafter. Last few days it has needed a touch of throttle to get it running and today we had to get a jump start<<
Puddit on charge Sire, off car preferably, and use an arf decent charger.
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>> on charge Sire, off car preferably, and use an arf decent charger.
It's had it Perro. It was past its best when we got the car a couple of years ago, weathered last winter but is now more or less kaput unless the engine is properly warm. And taking the battery out and putting it back are annoyingly complicated operations which wd have to be performed out in the blizzard.
The battery doesn't hold a full charge overnight even after a long rapid run in daylight conditions. A new one is the answer.
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Okey dokey then, €uroparts do a good deal on batteries inc. delivery.
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>> The battery doesn't hold a full charge overnight even after a long rapid run in
>> daylight conditions. A new one is the answer.
>>
Just bought a new battery from these people for Lady D's car. V.good service.
www.tayna.co.uk/
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Its stopped here after 6 hours, more to come it seems, temp no been above 0c all day and now dropping.
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An inch of snow in about an hour in Stamford but, strangely to me, seems be on a Easterly wind when the snow is meant to be coming form the South West? Temp -1.5C but roads still clear except in the housing estates where the gritters don't come.
I was in Alnwick over the last weekend and the council there have little golf carts cum quad bikes with mini gritters on them to do the narrower streets. Worked well
Last edited by: Meldrew on Fri 18 Jan 13 at 16:20
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Just stopped here in Reading too; 3.5 inches on top of the dustbin on the patio.
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Good 3 inches - made good progress home, despite mimsing craphounds and a mincing idiot in a BMW !
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Cambridge car trial postponed (20/01), weather.
Clee hills car trial postponed (20/01), weather.
Exmoor car trial cancelled (27/01). Forestry commission withdrew permits due to tree disease Phytophthora.
Some hardy types could be getting cabin fever.
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leicester... 3 to 4 inches so far...roads treacherous where the cars have been , i nearlly went a*se over tip crossing the road ...the black lines in the road where the tyres have been are lethal, no doubt the 4x4 brigade will be out later causing chaos as usual
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Plenty of them creeping smugly round here, on their summer rubber bands. Just waiting for one to get a bit cocky. Like the Merc M Class that I found hanging out of a hedge three years back.
Mind you, I should be a bit careful of what I say. I've started to take a fancy to Citroen C Crossers and Peugeot 4007s. Yikes.
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Sucks BOOO!
I cant go out to play in the snow for the very first time in my AWD.
It will be just my luck it will not snow here again this year.
Been grounded since Tuesday with Vertigo. Never suffered from it before and am not amused.
Pills seem to be working so managed the stairs today.
( The pills are for nausea but they taste foul because they are not coated. Some bright berk in a lab should try taking them when lying down)
It all looks pretty out there. I guess its the wrong sort of snow cos Virgin cable has only just bee restored now the snow has stopped.
RTFM and it says no booze so its tea and sympathy.
I guess its better than doing a back flip en route to the shops.
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Birmingham airport closed. East Midlands snowed up. Been watching a Ryanair going round the hold waiting for EMA but he's given up and gone to Manchester. Another, from Tenerife, has gone to DSRH.
I assume Leeds will be snowed in too given its apron elevation of 682feet.
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>> Hope Ted's OK.
>>
Why, thank you Rob. Me fine. Nothing of note here. Woke up to an inch on the bitmac footpaths and parked cars but, strangely, none sticking on the road ( concrete ) or my drive, also concrete. About 1000 hrs the wind got up and the snow was horizontal but it didn't really settle. My boss came over from Leeds to do some car key and service book swaps....he had no problem except his hands were frozen trying to sort out a little job on one of our VW vans.
Wrapped himself round a mug of filter coffee with some enthusiasm....then off to York.
Did our Tesco shop later and filled up the Note. The 4WD hasn't been out for a coupla days now. Went down to check the garage locks an hour or so ago and it was flippin' cold with a bit of an Easterly blowing.
Ted
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Brother due to fly up to Edinburgh from Stansted about 8pm ish.
Whats his chances?
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EZY have an Edinburgh arrival ex Stansted at 2110 1950 Stansted departure. Just Google for the airport details. Getting to Stansted may be an issue
Last edited by: Meldrew on Fri 18 Jan 13 at 18:11
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Well, we had uhhh a good 7 inches in Wokingham, according to my tape measure on the lawn. Just been out clearing the front, that grit was OK but the snow shovel works well too. Still some "in the air" and I've no doubt more to come overnight.
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Met one tuther day head on driving down a single track road driving on the snow like a 4X4 has some sort of miracle traction. They had to brake hard and surprise surprise not a lot happened. I of course came off the anchors, steered on the verge sufficient to allow it to slither past. Returned to the road and in the mirror saw it was now sideways across the road. Richard Head!.
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There's a Corsa abandoned on a roundabout at the end of our road. This is on a stretch of road I've driven along three times today without problem. I couldn't understand why it was there. Then I noticed that the front wheels are pointing in opposite directions....
Snow that has fallen on the car this afternoon has now frozen. Had to scrape the windscreen to go out a couple of hours ago. Still very lightly snowing now. It hasn't stopped at all since 8:00 this morning. An easy 7" on the ground now.
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We better get used to it winter means cold weather. Chance of snow and frost is high.The weather girls on the television are telling people to put warm clothes on.
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Here is the 320d outside the house at about midday, just after the 20 mile schlep home. We've probably had best part of the same again fall since this picture.
Note, the number plate didn't need Photoshopping - this is effect of the salty slush spray from trucks on the M3.
i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv196/DP_75/20130118_115026.jpg
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>> We better get used to it winter means cold weather. Chance of snow and frost
>> is high.The weather girls on the television are telling people to put warm clothes on.
>>
Have you seen the dresses they wear?
Forecast snow here 1cm. Actual now 12cm..
And that's for one day.. Now about that forecast for 2100, I want to speak to the Met Office about their margin of error...:-)
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Just been down to the corner shop to replenish the scottish wine stock. It's about a mile round trip. took the pooch on a lead. He saw a cat on the way back just as we were crossing a well tyre polished stretch of snow covered road...
In the end it was great fun ! Sort of primitive Husky racing in a way. Dog's lead in one hand, bottle of Grouse in the other and me kind of skiing behind bellowing obscenities.
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>>n the end it was great fun ! Sort of primitive Husky racing in a way. Dog's lead in one hand, bottle of Grouse in the other and me kind of skiing behind bellowing obscenities.
>>
Shirley the cry is "FENTON" not obscenities !
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Sod the cat and dog -hope the Grouse survived! ;-)
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Itsh absholutely fine thanksh...
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Pal of mine flew out to Brittany on weds pm to collect a car he had left there when he sold up. Caught the 20:30 out of St Malo last night, disembarked Portsmouth 07;30 this am, then home mid afternoon to Settle.
Not a problem at all. Think he was just ahead of the snow all the way.
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Weather forecast - No FM2R
