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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:
KerryMumbles · 02/02/2009 10:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

IamLeticiaDean · 02/02/2009 10:02

I want to take my DD to play in the snow. But she is 7 months old and sleeping.

SoupDragon · 02/02/2009 10:08

"the world is going to hell in a handbasket and it's freezing over.... " Isn't hell, I dunno, kind of warm ??

VinegarTits · 02/02/2009 10:09

It's snow joking matter

OrmIrian · 02/02/2009 10:09

Not when hell is freezing over soupdragon.

DaisySparkle · 02/02/2009 10:09

My maternity leave finished today and so I reluctantly got ready for work. I was actually a bit pleased when my school closed due to snow; kids school still open though ahhhh, quiet day! . I do think we are a bit soft though - we all seem to panic, or is it that secretly we all just want a day off to make snow angels?

SnowDragon · 02/02/2009 10:11

Isn't there some exam answer about hell freezing over that does the rounds via email occasionally??

MrsSeanBean · 02/02/2009 10:11

I have said on another thread I can't understand why the tubes are not running?

Surely they can't be affected (well, not the underground ones anyway)? [simple naive emoticon]

KerryMumbles · 02/02/2009 10:11

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

optimisticmumma · 02/02/2009 10:11

Neighbours DHs out at 630, back at 830 having tried to drive into London.
All trains in West Kent cancelled, so my DC and my DH can't get in.
Hurrah I say . Make most of it!
I don't want to pay even more in season tickets/ council tax etc so we are completely prepared for something that hardly happens.
I love 'snowdays'.
By the way I'm a teacher and reason why most schools are shut is cos teachers live miles away and can't get in not beacause children
can't walk!!And I think children should be able to enjoy rare good snow . Nat Curric will be there tomorrow!

compo · 02/02/2009 10:13

my lightweight pushcair is hite at pushing through snow on unsalted pavements and there is no point buying a heavry wheeled one for 2 instances of snow a year, if that
so it's a pain in the a**e getting up the hill, but school is still open cos the roads of fine

ruty · 02/02/2009 10:13

same here, dh on his way back home after trying to get into london. his meeting cancelled as nobody could make it. If we had snow all the time we'd cope, as we have it once or twice a year we can't. Personally quite pleased as dh going to build a snowman with ds...

clam · 02/02/2009 10:15

Tubes only underground in central London. They're parked overnight above ground.
I sympathise to a degree with those saying fgs, let's get on with it (although it's loovely to have a day off) but it's not as simple as that - with schools, particularly. If staff can't all get in (or the people holding the keys) who's going to supervise all the kids whose hardy parents walk them in? And if it's forecast to continue all day and get worse, it's not simple to shut down and send primary kids home during the day. Not easy to contact parents necessarily (hundreds of, and who may be stuck somewhere themselves. How will the staff get home too? Heads have to make their decisions early. Having said that, both my DCs schools sent texts before 7am today, but my own school didn't decide til well gone 8 - too late for staff who'd set out and had to turn round and go home again.

PeachyBAHonsPRSCertOnRequest · 02/02/2009 10:16

Our school last closed for snow for a hal;f day in 2007; and thats south ewales, no exactly a major issue really? Seems to me that it's very much a novelty.

DH was glad though to get his lorry fleet out of London )from the newspapers so classese as an emergency delviery apaprently- you know what they say LOL, 'Yesterday's news.... today' [wink[ just in time for it to be smooth running.

Our car though is apaprently quite safe in the snow but I won't be trying it, alst time I did that was in 1993 and I spun the car on the coast road just before Porlock, another metre and i'd have gone over the cliff wall... no ta!

PeachyBAHonsPRSCertOnRequest · 02/02/2009 10:17

clam that's why ours chool closes if it does- teachers living out Tredeger way, welsh valleys.

RustyBear · 02/02/2009 10:27

I work in a junior school; we are one of the few schools open in the area, though there's not that much snow (about 3 inches) Both the infant school and the secondary school next door are closed, so the kids with brothers & sisters there were a bit cross, but the head took them all straight out to play & now they are saying it's much more fun than staying at home - I think it'll be the ones who stayed away who will be envious tomorrow when they see all the photos.

All the staff are here, including the one who lives 20 miles away (he was here by 7.15, but then he's a lunatic sailor, so he's used to being out in all weathers) but we've only got about 50% of the children.

ScummyMummy · 02/02/2009 10:29

But you live in the countryside, herbie. Tis different. You are used to snow and no public transport. We're not and so rather enjoy the everything grinding to a halt effect. Especially as it only happens once in a blue moon. My children's schools have never been closed before and they are 10.

Anyway, hope everyone has fun in the snow, or, if that's too much to ask, enjoys grumbling about how awful it is that the snow ploughs have disappeared.

Eowyn · 02/02/2009 10:32

Hello, I'm in Surrey & there are at least 10 inches/a foot here. Don't remember snow this deep.
Last night none of the main roads were gritted, I had to drive down the A3 etc at 20mph max & was skidding all over the place when trying to turn etc. So seems fair to say stay at home for once.

mrsruffallo · 02/02/2009 10:34

What's wrong with children having a day off school? Surely they would prefer playing in the snow anyway.
It is so beautiful!
There is such a thing as being too efficient

mrshammond · 02/02/2009 10:34

My take is that the kids are having a whale of a time so that makes me happy.

However, I was a bit peeved to see at least 3 facebook gloats posts from teachers at DSs school saying "yippee - we're going sledging - no school!!!" when I am having to pay for 2 DCs at the childminder all day.

I know they can't help it, I know the school can't open and I know it's not their fault but still.....

Rant over, I'm not bitter, honest!

Madmentalbint · 02/02/2009 10:35

All the schools round here are shut except for my youngest two DC's school. I took them out to play on their sledges assuming the school would be closed and then passed all their friends in their school uniforms. Ooops! So we built a quick snowman, had a hot chocolate, and I've just dropped them off at school now. I had to promise to pick them up on sledges though

It doesn't snow here very often so I'm hoping we get some more!

BouncingTurtle · 02/02/2009 10:41

Dh is now working from home, he did set off but it was pretty bad on the A19.
I'm housebound anyway due to DS's chicken pox! But am planning to take him into the garden to look at the snow when he wakes up from his nap!

wannaBe · 02/02/2009 10:48

imo a lot of people use this as an excuse to not have to go to work.

When transport systems shut down it is horrendous and obv people then have no choice. But this snow has been forecast for days. Authorities were well aware it was on its way and have had ample time to prepare for it. And yet they have chosen not to do so.

The reality is that we're not actually equipped for anything in this country. If it snows the country grinds to a halt, if the temperature gets above 25 degrees we have a heat wave and trains etc are delayed because the rails buckle (despite the fact railways don't seem to grind to a halt in countries like India and in the African countries where temperatures get well above that), and if it doesn't rain for two weeks we have water shortages and hosepipe bans.

dilemma456 · 02/02/2009 10:48

Message withdrawn

Tortington · 02/02/2009 10:50

i woke up this morning, found dh at home and teenagers in bed.
school was closed.

"bloody southerners, first bit of snow in 6 years and it all comes to a stop"

first words i said

'course, oop north, this amount of snow is quite common, we would walk barefoot to work with children on our backs

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