How are you guys doing over there?

[Clip]

Saw the news on your weather, I know that you guys don't have triple pane windows, insulation and other house/cold weather designs, or winter tires I suspect. So I was wondering? My Aunt (88) in Isle of Wight is snuggled up to her coal fire, and has neighbors keeping an eye out her.

[Mike]

Hi Clip

Thanks for your concern. Most folk have double glazing these days but just how good it is at keeping cold out is debatable. It is nothing like the quality I've seen elsewhere in Europe, let alone that used in the Scandinavian countries.

As for our heating systems, they are lamentably out-of-date in many homes with gas boilers that struggle to achieve a 50% efficiency rating - this when there are makes on the market that deliver close to 90%.

In my view, the problems here are not so much about weather as they are about infrastructure - or rather a distinct lack of it.

Last year we again had housing areas that were flooded after rain, yet we are drinking water that is recycled sewage. Go figure! We need dams but all the water utilities are now privatised and in foreign hands. PROFIT is all they look to. People simply don't matter.

The same applies to energy companies - bar one that I know of. We pay through the nose for electricity and gas yet our supplies cannot be guaranteed beyond a few days of moderately poor weather conditions.

As for keeping our roads, rail and airports free of ice and snow, it is a joke compared to elsewhere. It seems even our emergency services, Police included, have not even heard of snow chains or snow tyres. I had to laugh the other day when I saw a news item on TV that showed a coach that had slid on black ice and rolled over into a ditch. The first Police car on the scene did precisely the same thing and ploughed into the bottom of the coach. :)

Like I said, it's all about lack of preparation and infrastructure in particular and far less about our unusually poor weather.

Paul,'member pjl83', lives on the Isle of Wight. I'm sure he would be happy to check on your aunt if you ask him to. Why not send him a PM? Failing that, you could PM me with her phone number and I'll try to contact her to ensure she is safe. Let me know if I can help in any way.

Best wishes

[Clip]

Paul,'member pjl83', lives on the Isle of Wight. I'm sure he would be happy to check on your aunt if you ask him to. Why not send him a PM? Failing that, you could PM me with her phone number and I'll try to contact her to ensure she is safe. Let me know if I can help in any way.

Best wishes

Thankyou for the offer but I would suspect she would be upset over any attention in that regard. The neighbors are keeping an eye on her, and I certainely got the impression she had prepared, as she went shopping to get supplies when she heard the forecast. She reminded me of the Christmas I spent in her house back in 1963 when it had snowed.

I do know in UK the houses and damp air tends to multiply the effect of the cold though. I have the clothing and gear for it, re. the picture from last winter- Liner boots, Padded Bidded pants, Parker Coat, Head Gear, and elbow length hand mitts nearby, all good for spending a night out at -40C if required. But if you don't well... things just get miserable. If you I didn't use regular, I most probably wouldn't buy it. I suspect your townships may look at the same.
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[Mike]

Thankyou for the offer but I would suspect she would be upset over any attention in that regard. The neighbors are keeping an eye on her, and I certainely got the impression she had prepared, as she went shopping to get supplies when she heard the forecast. She reminded me of the Christmas I spent in her house back in 1963 when it had snowed.Hi Peter

I wasn't sure from your first post above whether or not you were seeking some support for her. Glad to hear now that she is getting along okay. At 88 years of age, things can go awry fairly quickly in the present conditions.

I do know in UK the houses and damp air tends to multiply the effect of the cold though. I have the clothing and gear for it, re. the picture from last winter- Liner boots, Padded Bidded pants, Parker Coat, Head Gear, and elbow length hand mitts nearby, all good for spending a night out at -40C if required. But if you don't well... things just get miserable. If you I didn't use regular, I most probably wouldn't buy it. I suspect your townships may look at the same.Absolutely agree with you. However, emergency services, in my view, should be prepared and equipped for all emergencies. To not be so is perhaps negligent for it kind of defeats the purpose and makes their function impossible in some circumstances.

I can recall there being little stockpiles of salt/grit available in bins throughout our communities - but they ain't there nowadays. Why? Likewise, I can recall the days when shopkeepers on our 'High Streets' would clear the snow so that we could walk safely when trying to go shopping. Again, this ain't happening and the reason seems to be fear of litigation.

Whatever the reasons, it seems to me there is something fundamentally wrong with the way our government and our lawmakers are dealing - or failing to deal - with the realities of what is nothing more than a few days of adverse weather.

I would be interested to know how you Canadians deal with heavy snowfall. Do you go out and spread salt and grit on your roads or do you simply switch to snow chains and snow tyres? As I see it, tossing salt and grit on main roads and not on side streets and housing estates is bizarre. We can't fit snow chains without having to take 'em off once we reach a main road. And temperatures below about -5C mean that even salt will not cause snow and ice to melt so that safe progress can be made.

Wouldn't we be better to suitably equip ourselves and our vehicles for the kind of weather/temperatures we are presently experiencing instead of tackling the problem in a cack-handed manner like we do? Saving the expense of salt and grit distribution would pay for an awful lot of the right gear to just handle what confronts us - as I think you people and others most sensibly do.

Just my own thoughts, of course, though I will concede I am rather grumpy about things happening here in the UK - in general. Ten days or so of bad weather, mishandled, are just the 'tip' of a far bigger 'iceberg'.

[Philip]

cheers clip , we are in hampshire uk and have had 1 foot of snow and more to come!! . all major roads salted but in are neck of the woods none! lucky we have a mate with a 4x4 for shopping as we are fairly grounded with the ice . my transit wont go anyway and are car is not much better as we live on the downs , first year l havent had a 4x4 and really miss the landy not just because of the wheather but for me to get out hawking and shooting . anyway keep those boats snug while its like this . atb phil

[George Waite]

Mike
Two points: One of the reasons for a potential gas shortage in a seemingly short time would be consumption (dont forget all those empty schools still have to be heated or the (non-lagged) pipes freeze. The other reason is that British gas or whatever the name is today have been systematically scrapping gasholders all over the country and switching to the line-packing system of storage. This involves raising the internal pressure over a fixed length of line to cram in more volume. Quite incidentally of course a lot of land is "freed up" for brownfield developement. The other point is that if you made plod fit snow chains to his vehicles how could they indulge in such thrilling "hot pursuit" tactics as we witness on telly every night? Oh and I nearly forgot to mention, I called my local highways depot this morning to ask them to drop off a few bags of salt to make our busy acess lane safe for cars and people, the lads at the depot told me that they had just had to go out and get some more from another area as someone with a truck had been driving round in a truck nicking the salt sacks and selling them. Death would be too good for such as them. Anyway I looked out earlier and the lads have dropped a couple off god bless em!
George

[Mike]

George

Oh, I just love your sense of humour. You really ought to write a book once your dory is on the water. Perhaps we should collaborate in doing so?

I think the phrase 'Grumpy Old Men' is rather hackneyed following the TV series by that name. Perhaps we could think of a title more suitable anyway, since I think it is less a case of us being grumpy as it is of us simply being right on the button - if just a touch cynical with it.

I will say that I seem to be in complete accord with the views you express. This gives me heart insofar as it really is comforting to know that others feel much the same as I do. I am so happy, and relieved, to at last know I am not alone. ;)

Incidentally, there is nowt wrong with 'the lads', in my view. If things were left to them they would get done - and get done right. The real problem seems to lie with those in administration above them. Bet those boys 'n gals all have pieces of paper from some 'new' university that says they can do the job - even though they cannot now and never will be equipped to properly do it.

As to the 'truck driver' of whom you speak, I agree that such types ought to be stood against a wall and machine-gunned (always reasonable, aren't I?). Such greed and selfishness can so easily result in the death of innocents.

Regards

[Mike]

cheers clip , we are in hampshire uk and have had 1 foot of snow and more to come!! . all major roads salted but in are neck of the woods none! lucky we have a mate with a 4x4 for shopping as we are fairly grounded with the ice . my transit wont go anyway and are car is not much better as we live on the downs , first year l havent had a 4x4 and really miss the landy not just because of the wheather but for me to get out hawking and shooting . anyway keep those boats snug while its like this . atb philSounds like you will be forced to take that break you are needing, Phil, whether you want to or not.

Take it easy for a few days. It'll be over soon enough and you will be back to normal, reinvigorated and raring to go. It's only a bit of pesky weather. Note that the days are already slightly longer as the sun climbs northwards again. Roll on the spring - my favourite time of year and just a couple of months away. :)

Best wishes

[Clip]

The plowing of roads over here really depends on where you live. In central Canada, main routes and fire routes are plowed or sanded when needed. Salt is only used when the temperature is above -15C. Side streets etc are cleared far less frequently and are usually packed down snow/ice. Intersections are always slippery. Winter tires in this area are on 50% of vechiles, with all season on others. No chains are allowed due to wear to the tarmac.

In BC and Quebec snow tires are manditory, BC allows chains in the mountains. In the Atlantic areas heavy snowfalls cause highways to close until plowed and salted.

For the last 20 years I drove a front wheel drive car and got by, even going in areas closed off. This year I did get a crossover (RAV4) and found it far easier for driving and now worry about getting lazy with my skills. Oh well, age does allow some allowances.

Here on the Prairies I have seen only one really true blue killer Blizzard, which blew my roof vents off, lasted for 4days, dropped 2 ft snow at -80C windchill. It killed about dozen people locally when they froze in their cars or got caught out in it. That was in 1997, the melt from it caused the big Winnipeg flood. The drifts were 8 to 10ft high and hard as concrete. No fun.

Hope things warm up for guys, got to get back to boatbuilding, eh.

[pjl83]

I've not been online for a while, only just seen this thread. The weather on the island is no worse than anywhere else in the UK, but the councils lack of effort means that no grit was laid and only "essential" roads have been done since the snow first fell. East cowes, where the red funnel ferry docks is one big hill from the ferry port up to the main road, this meant that ferries were cancelled the other day as there was nowhere left for the cars to go as they got off the ferry. We've had big chunks of ice sliding down the roof so there are signs of it thawing......... even if it is slowly.

I've not been in work since tuesday as the car is stuck on the hill and no buses are running locally. Where does your aunt live clip? just as a matter of interest?

Thanks
Paul

[Clip]

She lives in Brighstone, and stopped driving a few years ago, much to the relief of the locals. She now uses the buses. I remember that road down to the ferries, my wife and I got on the upper section of the double decker to go to the ferry. As the bus was coming up to the stop it swayed back and forth, and just at that point, the wife's bag split open pouring her undies down the stairs ontop of the driver.

Still has me laughing thinking about the shouts and screams as we were trying to hang on for our lives (better than a roller coaster) and the wife trying to gather her stuff, and the driver almost loosing control as he tried to negotiate the corner at the bottom of the hill with undies hanging of his head.

[pjl83]

Brighstone, one of my favourate fishing places on the island. I'm not sure what the roads are like out west but the main roads aren't too bad over this side. It's thawing quite well today...... just hope the forecasted snow doesn't materialise :(

[Mike]

Still has me laughing thinking about the shouts and screams as we were trying to hang on for our lives (better than a roller coaster) and the wife trying to gather her stuff, and the driver almost loosing control as he tried to negotiate the corner at the bottom of the hill with undies hanging of his head.This yarn has me laughing too, Peter. We used to own a few buses in Oz and I am qualified to drive 'em. The old double deckers were great fun, especially when they were off contract to the school runs and used for pub crawls, hens' nights, and stag parties into the wee small hours.

Ocassionally, I drove in the evenings to keep my hand in and the kind of things that went on were much like your story. We even had strippers (male or female as befit the particular event) meet us on some runs and the drivers had to handle the goings on, the music, and the driving too. Never had anyone's undies actually fall on my head, though I did see more than my fair share of same on occasions. A lot of fun. :approval: