Are you making any plans for the Snow?

[SiWhite]

There seems to be a good dump of snow coming over the next 36 hours, in addition to what may already be laying in your area. We've had a dusting, but there is no snow to speak of in our bit of the South. I was not surprised to hear of empty supermarket shelves in some parts - do people not have stocks of food put aside?

We have booked a cottage in north Devon starting tomorrow - we'll set off as early as we can to beat the weather which is predicted to start around lunchtime. We've got 72 hours worth of food and drink, a load of logs for the woodburner waiting for us at the house and loads of books and outdoor gear for snowy walks on Exmoor. We are fully expecting (and rather hoping!) to get snowed in for Thursday evening and Friday...

Are you making any special plans or preparations for the weather?

 

[Paul_B]

No I just cross the clear road to a supermarket. It might be snowing but it's a bus route that always gets cleared early on. It would take a severe snowfall to cut us off. Ppl living near work struggle more to get in than I.do.

 

[Nice65]

Though we're out in the country, we're on an A road. I don't have any journeys planned so I've got some food in for a couple of days.

Car at this time of year has a shovel in it, a gas stove, can of soup and a tin of bacon grill, extra layers and an old down bag and a blanket. Oh, and couple litres of water.

 

[oldtimer]

I was a boy scout 65 years ago. The most important lesson I learned from them was their motto. I therefore do not have to make any special plans: I've been prepared since November. I may not have learned much over the years but I have noticed that in England it gets colder in the winter and sometimes it snows.

I have also noticed that everyone in England complains about the weather yet no one ever does anything about it.

 

[Nice65]

I love having a few extra bits in my car during winter, it makes me happy. I've got wellies, an army goretex, army mitts in there too.

 

[daveO]

I might put on a thicker jumper

 

[sunndog]

I was a boy scout 65 years ago. The most important lesson I learned from them was their motto. I therefore do not have to make any special plans: I've been prepared since November. I may not have learned much over the years but I have noticed that in England it gets colder in the winter and sometimes it snows.

I have also noticed that everyone in England complains about the weather yet no one ever does anything about it.

Yep, already prepared for the worst

 

[bopdude]

I might put on a thicker jumper

I might do tomorrow, jeans and a hoodie today with about a foot of snow overall, more to come

As per title, Am I making any plans, yep, to get out in it this weekend

 

[Toddy]

I've dug out more quilts and hot water bottles. Found the heavy hiking socks and everybody's wellies. We've brought one snow shovel into the kitchen, so we can get out tomorrow morning (it's drifting to nearly two feet deep here, we've had a bit more than a foot snowfall so far) and it's still snowing.

My pantry is stuffed to the gunnels. I just cannot imagine not having enough food to feed a family for at least a month (okay, it's Winter, make that at least three) on hand.
My menfolks laughed at me a fortnight ago as I squirrelled again, and refilled everything and laid up another dozen kilner jars of dinners.
No one's laughing now though.

I was a child through the Winters of Discontent, no bread, no flour, no sugar, no coal, no paraffin, no power, folks chopping down every tree around; it kind of sticks with you.

As for sport in it, well, if the kids were younger I'd pull out the sledges. Last time we had really really good and deep snow my brother built his nephews a snow fort. It was six foot high and even a month later was still a mound of slowly thawing ice/slush. He rigged up a rope harness and his alsation dog pulled Jamie home from school on the big sledge the day the snow really started to come down heavy
I think the most I'm going to do in this stuff is stay in and warm mostly. I don't think I ever mind a Red Alert, risk to life, warning on the weather before.

Have fun Stay safe

M

 

[Robson Valley]

You're in good shape. We get those "Snowfall Warnings" when 8+" is expected.
Usually sets off a round of profanity. Maybe learn some new words.
Oddly, when it snows in the city there is very little wind. In my village (McBride),
it snows from left to right in drifts and sticks to the windows.

Most so far this winter was 60 cm/24" over 48 hours. That was a traffic-stopper.
The worst was that it got cold ( -20C) and stayed cold (-25C) for what seemed like weeks on end.
-5C the past 2 mornings and a little bit of melt at noon. Winter as I like it.
Happiness is paying the neighbor kid to shovel the walks & drive.

 

[Toddy]

Funny you should mention that because this snow seems odd to us, and you're right, it has stuck to the windows. It's like trying to see out through heavy white net curtains.

Son2 says he's having another snow day off work tomorrow. No trains running until after ten tomorrow morning apparently.

 

[Nomad64]

Popped out yesterday to stock up with extra petrol, bread and milk, feed, coal and bits and pieces from the farm stores as looking at the forecast, we may not be going very far for a few days.

Only an inch or two of snow here at 1200’ in mid-Wales (more forecast) but we are very exposed to the east winds we have been getting all week and now the sun has gone (for the last few days it has felt like summer out of the wind), and the wind has got up its a bit chilly and the animals’ drinkers keep freezing up.

We have a few Black Welsh Mountain ewes due to lamb in the next few days - they are happier out on the hill but I might try to get them into a field shelter, if only to make my life easier when checking in them. At least they show up well in the snow.

If all else fails, we should be able to survive on eggs, despite the short days and cold weather, our nine girls are averaging 7-8 eggs a day.

 

[Robson Valley]

Ha! When you are not accustomed to months of this white crap at a time, your priorities are so different.
I'd be doing what you're doing. But no trains running? Huh?

Just about our sole worry is the dumps of snow and the creation of weak layers that allow slab avalanches to take off.
Many, many people back up top: Renshaw, Belle, Castle and other places, conditions permitting. Then some shy idiot
falls into a tree hole.

 

[Broch]

Yep, living up here on a hill looking out over the Shropshire plain to the East and on a 1 in 4 slope it looks like we may get a bit this time. The 110's been loaded with shovel, snow chains, spare blankets etc. but I think the best plan is get the logs in, check the wine stock and settle in. If the wind drops and we get any clear weather I'll be out in the wood but with it blowing strong and from an unusual angle (for us) the woods are too dangerous at the moment.

I hope you all stay safe.

 

[Robson Valley]

Some spoof decided that here in Canada, this is " National Drink Wine With Your Cat Week."
I'm sure you could follow our lead quite easily.

 

[Tengu]

Urgh! Its freezing here in sunny Cornwall.

The wind is continually from the east and its between -3 and -5...

Management are frantic as pipes keep on bursting...I have had no water for over 24 hours and have sorted out containers, fetching it from the well insulated toilet block.

My gas fire is continually on and has a heat radius of about 6 inches.

I have three jumpers on, three pairs of thick socks and you can forget about me changing my long johns.

No snow but it is threatening it. If I dont wake up to white in the morning I will be sad.

I am well stocked up on food and fuel.

I dont normaly feel the cold but I am chilly now...Imagine how grim it must be for delicate cornish folk.

 

[daveO]

Some spoof decided that here in Canada, this is " National Drink Wine With Your Cat Week."
I'm sure you could follow our lead quite easily.

Sounds good. Is it red or white wine to go with cat or does it depend on the recipe?

 

[Toddy]

Hot water bottles Tengu
Very good things indeed

Fill one and stuff it up under a couple of those jumpers. It warms the core of you and saves a lot of the heating in a cold place.
Basically you heat the person and not the whole room.

If you don't have one, an ordinary glass jar or bottle that seals well works fine, wrap it up in some towels or pillowslips, or socks. If you're worried about it leaking seal it up inside a polybag before you wrap it up.
It's a very good thing popped into the bed half an hour before you get into it. Totally takes the chill off and makes going to bed a cosy pleasure when it's below freezing.

M

 

[Toddy]

Sounds good. Is it red or white wine to go with cat or does it depend on the recipe?

M

 

[Robson Valley]

So far, the cat hasn't decided. Being a red fan, I'm happy.
Cat's being indulgent, I'm sure they will acquiesce to your choice
After decades of slop, BC is actually turning out some very nice big reds.
I didn't think we had the degree days.

Must ask my pickers. I think they had plans to use 100lbs of my grapes for a bucket of red.
I got my usual boxes of bartered vegetables so away they went.

Find an old country song by gravel-voiced Hoyt Axton, about " Della and the dealer and a cat named Kalamazoo."
Explains a lot about cats, I think.