snow

It's the sunny non-season here, but then we don't have seasons anymore.

I've never been sure which type of snow Spearmint are talking about in their song "Isn't it Great to be Alive".

I've never seen them in the same room together! QED!

Do not doubt the powers of a librarian who knows how to search for information. Like lyrics. ;-)

Not a picture thread because I have no camera with me. It was really gorgeous early this morning, though, before it started raining. However, I was under the impression that the city owned a few snow plows. Houston was pretty slushy, and Prince, Sullivan, Thompson, Mercer et al were covered with about 2 inches of slushy snow early this morning- I guess the theory was that the rain would just clear up the streets later?

Anyway. Very pretty if you squinted and ignored the slush.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmanchester!

otm - at least 6 inches where I live (4 miles north of the centre) and still coming down like the snow queen's cape.

still bucketing down with snow here in warrington, seen nothing like for about thirty years

Manchester snow made me think of this...

http://bakedbeansandglitter.files.wordpress.com/2009/01/joy-division.jpg

Imagine that picture, but with snow up to the hem of Hooky's coat.

I've just been for a two hour yomp round the local park and the grounds keepers have opened up the highest tee of the golf course there, so that all the kids can sledge down the massive slope below, it was a lovely sight. Where's your Broken Britain now, The Daily Mail?

http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/corporate/pressoffice/2010/images/20100105.gif

Are there any ilxors in Wiltshire?

40cm! Blimey.

My folks are in Oxfordshire but about 4 miles from the Wilts border. My Nan is in Gloucestershire and is just being sent home from the hospital after a fall, so the prospect of cold and ice there is making me a bit nervous. But still childishly excited to see snowflakes through my Oxford window.

(typed that and looked up and they seem to have stopped during the course of typing the post)

Work closed early, mayn't open at all tomorrow. Keep it comin'.

What's the best way to make an improvised sledge?

front door. screw driver. old candles for lubrication.

actually that's ridiculous. try an internal door first.

Large plastic bag e.g. concrete, fertilizer. Casual disregard for own life.

I like the sledge/bodybag idea. Nice and clean for the ambulance boys.

upturned landrover roof:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1213913/Girl-15-died-brain-injuries-60mph-sledge-careered-barbed-wire-fence.html

:(

sorry i'm just bitter that i don't get to go home early.

Actually it sounds like an awesome idea for a sledge, just not such a great way of stopping.

Mr Mills said the slope was packed with people sledging on a range of items from carrier bags to a washing basket.

is it that rare for people to own a sledge these days? society is in the gutter, because it couldn't stop its improvised sledge.

Sledges aren't that expensive, really.

They're a couple of quid from our local pile 'em high. sell 'em cheap shop. Mind you they're not very good and tend to crack in...erm...freezing conditions, we have discovered.

http://www.sledges.co.uk/Portals/3/Babylugewebbig.jpg

baby sledges: what could possibly go wrong?

>is it that rare for people to own a sledge these days?

Sledges I saw today: many, many garage forecourt style moulded plastic ones - these were clearly the most common. Lots of plastic bags and inflatable dinghies, tractor inner tubes and the like. One or two old-school wooden toboggans with proper metal runners - these were noticeably faster than the modern tat and extra points to a group of Polish lads who had one which comfortably sat six of them, bobsleigh fashion. Further points to the group of teenagers who had hauled a massive sheet of tarpaulin out with them.

(ahh yeah, x-post to Ned, I saw a couple of abandoned plastic sledges that had ruptured)

Heaton Park, Manchester this afternoon. Ruddy steep slope just in front of these waiting sledgers.

http://i48.tinypic.com/20axums.jpg

Nice!

Okay, I have learned something today. I'd never ever seen the words "sledge" or "sledging" before today.

Obviously not a cricket fan.

Hah, nope. I mean, I've probably heard it somewhere... just never in reference to flying down a snowy hill on some object.

I very muchly want it to snow overnight in London so I can have the first snow day of my life tomorrow, but I'm scared it's going to start snowing soon, before I leave central London, and I'll be stranded here and have to sleep at work and miss out on my chance at real actual day off from anything due to snow.

I don't think it's going to snow in London until much later tonight. It's not even snowing here (Surrey) yet.

tbrr anyone walking on frozen lakes in a place where lakes don't usually, or properly freeze is kinda insane

where are you, gbx?

maybe the thames could freeze over?

really awesome account of that in the faber book of reportage

my friend's sister and dog fell in a lake couple weeks ago, emergency services had to get em out. sister went after dog.

poor deer
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1340156/Children-dead-deer-entombed-icy-lake-magical-trip-Father-Christmas-country-park.html

http://books.google.com/books?id=iTkaAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA655&lpg=PA655 (24. The frost still continuing...every moment was full of disastrous accidents &c.) xxp

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1340156/Children-dead-deer-entombed-icy-lake-magical-trip-Father-Christmas-country-park.html

this is my favourite URL ever

footloose deer park

who makes the icies

i am in minnesota, usa. we got a couple feet of snow pretty recently, and it broke the roof of our local american football stadium.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAyLX2hY7E0

we like our frozen lakes here v much (good for fishing, snowmachining), but ours freeze up real good. rivers, less reliable. my dad and his dog have both broken through the ice on separate occasions. last time was two years ago---he's 65yo+ and got himself up and out and back to the house w/o incident. O_O

holy shit @ metrodome vid - it looks like some sort of reverse birthing process

It looks like a breakfast cereal commercial. They should try it during the interval at next year's Superbowl. (bah dum pish!)

Hell, you're absolutely right. Shame it's only 31 seconds long.

― State Attorney Foxhart Cubycheck (Billy Dods), Monday, 20 December 2010 15:52 (Yesterday)

seeing as it took 9 minutes to record, could try slowing it down to 9 minutes

I saw an actual fox in the actual snow on my way back from town today. I sang a wee song to myself. Twee is me.

― ailsa, Saturday, 18 December 2010 17:01 (4 days ago)

i just did the same, twee scottishes represent.

rip snow

it's alive and well I assure u

snow can't make up its mind about london

Shit is slowly melting here. And the snow too.

Plane angst update: airport automatic parking system has charged us for the week's parking we originally booked PLUS the 3 days' parking we actually used and will not refund the full week because it's the airline's fault (but I am betting the airline won't either). Don't know about the 3 days as they didn't answer that part of the email.

On the plus side, the snow and burst heating pipes at work mean today is to be spent "working from home" which I am hoping means "looking at work email once every 2 hours while playing Braid", except that some people there actually seem to be emailing me questions which require thought and research to answer. How very rude.

In my garden. Our partridges have made it to another December. It's a Christmas miracle!

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5086/5283206990_2efb0d9ef5.jpg

omg cheap xmas dinner, right there

haha j/k partridges ur fine beasts and it is cruel 2 exterminate ur lyfe 4 the purpose of whimsy

that said u appear 2 b red-legged partridges, i.e. non-native partridges, hence less integral 2 the fauna of albion, hence mebbe blind eyes can b turned 2 violence against immigrant populations

<3 partridges

don't think I've ever tried them

they're nice, a lot of flavour

aw 4 a second I tht u meant the <3 ornithologically

but now I see u as a gore-jawed savage rending the flesh of our plump adorable featherballs w/o compunction

mind u I wd quite like 2 do the same now

they're great birds either way

The snowman kebab looks like a poor option either way.

Oh hark, an echo!

*polite chuckle*

http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/294/cache/train-trip-sweden_29429_990x742.jpg

"close that window u grokkbard"

Caek are u on the Polar Express with Tom Hanks and the dead-eyed children?

Ned needs a couple of pair trees.

That would be like four trees?

partridge family needs a bus imo

xxxp, i am on the national geographic photo of the day website

what do you look like

naked eritrean w/ hoops iirc

almost regret not having to take a train cross country

overground halfway across the city on friday when the snow's pretty much all gone really not the same

bristol to sheffield for me tomorrow. should be lols.

xxxp, i am on the national geographic photo of the day website

― caek, Wednesday, 22 December 2010 19:08 (54 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

what do you look like

― conrad, Wednesday, 22 December 2010 19:16 (47 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

naked eritrean w/ hoops iirc

― caek, Wednesday, 22 December 2010 19:18 (44 minutes ago) Bookmark

:)

intercity trains were running fine from bristol through cheltenham and to the north on monday. but i spent 3.5 hours in cheltenham station waiting room waiting for a 9 mile journey north on the local train. 4 inches of snow on all the roads - ok where they are busy, not so where they aren't and the buses and taxis had called it a day.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-AvCFskYIY&feature=player_embedded

SNOW DAY

Can we say a big FU to Wendy's for not even pretending to shovel and salt their sidewalks, ever. it rained onto old snow early this morning and my walk past their lot was a death defying skitter over black ice.

it's snowing

tuesday was 80degrees, wednesday 28, today 42

THIS. IS. DENVER.

today 32, visibility 100 ft.

THIS. IS. WEST TEXAS.

yeah sign me up for 4-5 more months of this shit