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AIBU?

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Original poster

To feel this country should be able to cope with snow fgs?

197 replies

QueenEagle · 02/02/2009 08:14

Why does everything come to a standstill in this country when we have a bit of snow?

We don't even have half of what we had when I was a kid when we just got on with it even when we got snowed in for days on end.

Are we soft or what?

OP posts:
PeachyBAHonsPRSCertOnRequest · 02/02/2009 09:38

Well I hope they do send them home- snow just coming in here.

I understand why some aprents would be upset, I think we have the opposite heere- dont close early enough i the name of beng seen as resilient. 3 ways into our village, some marked with headstones: one via the river as a sheer drop, one with a big drop into trees and river, and the other is 'just' a very steep hill.

Wish they'd just give in and choose minimum risk over bieng seen to keep going (and I'd happily take a few of the WOHM's kids, though most will be home today so they can get abck home later also)

pagwatch · 02/02/2009 09:40

But I haven't seen snow like this since I was achild and I am farkin ancient.

I had promised DD that we would walk to school as usual but I stepped out this morning and the snow is up to her thigh.

As It turned out the schools have shut anyway as so many cars blocked in and the railway is shut down. But I have seen about five cars this morning and i am glad about that as pedestrians are having to walk on the road as the pavemants are a foot under.

I think the bad humbug stuff when this much snow in this part of England is a very rare event is just miserable shits who always like to have something to complain about.

I went out on the street this morning to take pictures of the house as not sure how often we will see so much snow again and a couple of guys that were filming the town centre came over to have a chat. People walking past were chatting and smiling.
It was nice. If snow shuts down some roads but makes people chat to each other and step outside the humdrum then it is nice

IamLeticiaDean · 02/02/2009 09:40

Ok let me explain myself. This is the worst snow in London for years. Have only known it snow like this once before in the last 10 years. Wish I was 20 but alas no.

Reallytired · 02/02/2009 09:40

I don't think its a matter of being cissies. Although its not unheard of for the South East of England to get heavy snow its not as common as scotland, North Yorkshire or other countries.

Ofcourse it would be possible to get to work if we were prepared. Ie. we all had snow chains on our cars, all the roads in our area were gritted etc. The council had snowploughs. However all of this costs. Its more economic sense for people in our area to have a day off than for taxes to be spent on making it possible to get to work

Oblomov · 02/02/2009 09:41

Thunderduck, your dh may be o.k.
Dh drove from Surrey to Birmingham this morning. He said it was fine. Once he was out of Surrey. Birmingham had not had that much, and the roads were clear. They are expecting, what London and the south has already had, later this pm. So your dh may well be o,k to drive home.

Thunderduck · 02/02/2009 09:42

TY. I hope so. I miss him and can't bear the thought of him spending another day with his ghastly sister.

nuttysquirrel · 02/02/2009 09:43

Sooo............Heathrow is shut, trains are cancelled, roads are shut, tubes aren't working........... disruption across the south of England......... must be about 10ft of snow by now......to cause all that..........

ScummyMummy · 02/02/2009 09:44

Och- you killjoys you! If we were better prepared we would have to go to work and school instead of having a wonderful family day in the snow. It last snowed like this in London in 1991 so it's no wonder we are soft and underprepared. The few stupidos trying to claim a "stiff upper lip we can do snow" toughness are skidding around like bananaheads in their cars.

chocolateteapot · 02/02/2009 09:45

Dorset isn't coping very well but it gets snow so rarely it isn't much of a surprise. The main roads are open but there are 3 abandoned cars in the next road along and the school bus had to give up trying to get through.

Our upper school (heating is off) and one middle schools are the only two schools open round here for a fair few miles. DS is home but DD has had to go in and is gutted. The head was out in the car park when we arrived with a press photographer and a group of children playing, I'm guessing because they are just about the only school open round here.

I'm off to the woods with DS and a sledge to make the most of it before it all melts.

psychomum5 · 02/02/2009 09:46

it is not that we cannot cope with it, it is because, as a country, we don;t get this type of snow often enough to justfy spending out on the right type of equipment to cpe with it.

how many of you lot have snow tyres fitted to your cars, or have them to be able to fit them??

how many have snow chains?

how many of us have the clothing to walk in it??

we went to luxembourg a few years back, and drove thru blizzards on the way, and the continent is far better able to cope with snow because that HAVE snow, every year, and so buy the equipment to deal with and shovel the snow out of the way.

we, as a country, don;t, as we dn;t have to.

this is the first snow my children have seen, in 11yrs/ever!!! (not withstanding the snow on holiday).

MABS · 02/02/2009 09:46

lhr isn't actually closed yet, the 2 runways are closed at the moment tho.

BoffinMum · 02/02/2009 09:47

I honestly think we don't get snow often enough to put much in place to cope with it. We are talking about 1-2 days a year. In Bavaria where I spend a lot of time you can get 50cm in an hour or two, and this happens regularly, so people are much more geared up for action. For example, you are obliged to take a turn clearing the pathway in front of your house for the public good. Trains run and heating works. But as I say, it happens all the time there.

chocolateteapot · 02/02/2009 09:48

Psychomum, are the schools open down by you ?

psychomum5 · 02/02/2009 09:48

chocteapot.....I have just walked mine to school.

tried to drive, but the road was closed with a teen in a car upside down (clearly thinking he knew how to drive in it.........he was ok I hasten to add!!).

our school is about the only one open, bar flames school.....

chocolateteapot · 02/02/2009 09:50

I've walked DD in, she really was so sad. DS is delighted as he can play in the snow.

BoffinMum · 02/02/2009 09:50

Better than snow chains

I bought some of these (along with a snow shovel!) after the M11 fiasco a few years ago - they are textile covers you put over your tyres. They are much easier for ladies to grapple with, they stick to the surface of the snow, can be used in slush and allow you to drive a bit quicker than with snow chains. I would strongly recommend them for anyone with a survivalist instinct like mine!

Lazycow · 02/02/2009 09:51

I agree I am 44 and I have not seen snow like this in London that I can remember and I have lived her all my life.

It is VERY unusual to have THIS much snow in the capital. The snow came well over the top of ds's wellies (he is 4.2) and when we go home from our morning foray his feet were little balls of ice . He wants to go out again now !

We live on the London Surrey border.

MrsY · 02/02/2009 09:51

It took my husband about two hours to drive a 40 minute journey home from work last night, because other people ignore the conditions and drive like ejits. He passed 5 crashes in that time, and there were still people speeding past him.

nuttysquirrel - We've had about 4 inches of snow, and it's only going to get worse, and I for one would rather they cancelled trains and planes than risk a serious accident. Heathrow and Gatwick are closed because planes landing on a frozen icy runway is plainly asking for trouble.

But the tubes I don't get - they're underground!

mm22bys · 02/02/2009 09:52

Agree, we don't have the resources for life to go on as usual

I live in London, and we have had bucketloads. DS1 is home from school today.

DLR is up the creek
London buses are off the road
Most of the tube is down

Our streets haven't been salted or cleared

We don't have snow tyres or chains.

Sorry, but I am not going to push DS2 in his stroller there and back...

DS1 loves it, he's really enjoyed playing outside in it and building snow men.

DS2 was meant to go to GOS this afternoon but with tube down we can't get there.

I don't see it as a big deal that we're taking one day out - I'm sure we as kids used to love the odd day off school for reasons such as this (not that we got much snow in Brisbane

herbietea · 02/02/2009 09:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

verylapsedrunner · 02/02/2009 09:54

Psychomum5 I am indeed feeling smug. I live in the SE but have winter tyres on my car and snow chains in the boot . But not venturing out as don't want everyone else to slide into me ......should probably add that winter tyres are a left over from 5 years on the continent so thought I may as well have them on here in the winter as well..

mysterymoniker · 02/02/2009 09:56

we cope with plenty of things - like the credit crunch, our fuel bills or public transport

snow is not to be coped with, it is a present from the Universe, it is to be enjoyed

DaisyMooSteiner · 02/02/2009 09:59

The woman next door is clearing away her snow from the garden so that her kids don't play with it - now that's pathetic!

Thunderduck · 02/02/2009 10:00

Snow is not a gift, it's bloody awful stuff, almost as bad as the ice it usually leaves behind.

ContainsMildPeril · 02/02/2009 10:01

I left my 5 year old having a snowball fight - the teacher just turned them all out again saying she knows what she's rather have done at that age .

Thing is - i was quite that some of the parents were actually moaning about it.

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