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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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:

KingRolo · 02/02/2009 10:52

Someone said it earlier, but it is a novelty - we don't get snow like this very often. It's the first snow day at my school since 2000! Sadly, I'm on maternity leave so don't really appreciate it.

KingRolo · 02/02/2009 10:53

But then, my school is in the north.

Cloudhopper · 02/02/2009 10:53

I think there are some parts that have had a lot more than others. Surrey/London borders have had at LEAST 10 ins if not more. We are almost snowed in, but we had a good laugh earlier when we went for stroll in wellies.

As someone earlier said, there are bananaheads everywhere with cars stuck in piles of snow.

Just give up, give in and enjoy........

Even essential journeys here would have to be on foot. All my silly colleagues who tried to get to work have got their cars stuck somewhere (or so their texts say - I bet they are sat in front of the fire really!)

PaulaMummyKnowsBest · 02/02/2009 11:32

none of the local schools here are open

The children are loving the time at home!

I have a doctors appointment that I can't cancel so will have to go out. Hopefully the main roads will have been gritted

elkiedee · 02/02/2009 11:38

I'm not very impressed that all London buses have been cancelled. Tumtumtetum, your work is being totally unreasonable, though, if people can't get in they can't get in.

kiddiz · 02/02/2009 12:06

Well it's still snowing here so it looks doubtful that I will be able to drive to work at 5pm. They will, however, expect me to turn up so I will walk there. It will take me about 45 mins. I will also walk home again at 10.30pm. If I phoned and said I wasn't coming in because of the snow they would laugh at me because they would think I was joking! Do teachers still get paid if they don't go in. When my Mum used to teach (she's retired now) if she couldn't get to her school she was expected to help out at a school she could get to.
I grew up in rural Shropshire and I can never remember the local village school being closed because of snow but I suppose more people lived closer to their workplace then.
The reason for all the drama is because it is snowing in London. And if it's snowing there then the whole country will grind to a halt

MrsFreud · 02/02/2009 12:11

Well I'm in Surrey and I measured 34cm out there. That's got to be worth closing everything down for a day hasn't it?

Only 4x4s can cope -

MrsSeanBean · 02/02/2009 12:14

[innocent question]

How do you measure snow accurately? Do you dig a hole and use a ruler (not meant to sound rude)?

MrsGrahamBell · 02/02/2009 12:17

The DC schools were shut because the teachers could not get there - all the DC live walking distance and so could have made it in.. The dc were out this morning before it as light playing in th scnow in the garden - magical! I was supposed to drive to cambridge from london today - did try to set out @ 6.30, but could not get off my driveway - got stuck halfway, and had to get aout a shovel to get back on again. Then DH told me he had been online and there are lorries jack-knifed on the m25 - did not sound like a good idea to go..
I have now put snow chains on the car in case we have to go out later to rescue Dh who set off on foot to work 7 miles away (his business so has can't just stay @ home & watch Jeremy Kyle). (Have broken fingernails in the process, but at least I and the DC have learned a useful new skill

tumtumtetum · 02/02/2009 12:38

elkiedee we have now had an email around saying that we will either have to work from home (not really something I can do with my role), take it as holiday or unpaid leave or make the time up.

I'm glad it's not just me that thinks that's rather cheeky...

giantkatestacks · 02/02/2009 12:53

yep - surrey/london borders as well and we have easily got a foot - am off out into the garden with the ds to measure the amount on top of the garden table...

oh and mrsseanbean - the tubes are underground but they dont drive themselves do they

we tried to push the neighbours car out of the drive for her to go to work (in A&E) but there was nothing doing and now its stuck halfway across the pavement.

BouncingTurtle · 02/02/2009 13:02

'nly 4x4s can can cope'

Like this one?

biskybat · 02/02/2009 13:07

I would have said you were being unreasonable but a friend of mine who drove into work this morning (mad, I know) was told by a man in a council truck not to go down a certain road because it hadn't been gritted and that our council has run out of grit....80% the roads are not done at all. That is ridiculous I think, esp since we all had warning!

Habbibu · 02/02/2009 14:09

You don't stockpile gritters just for snow, though. Here they have them out when icy conditions are expected, which is more frequent. I'm English, but live in Scotland, and Scotland does just deal with this better - the public transport keeps going, people generally know how to drive safely in snow if they have to, and the gritters are out ahead of time.

DaphneMoon · 02/02/2009 14:13

To be fair we really don't get snow like this very often. I can't remember the last time it snowed as much as this. It has hardly stopped all day where we are. I was relieved when I heard the school was closed as I really did not fancy driving in it, it was like a blizzard. We have had 3 or 4inches today. Did have fun later bulding snowman and snowball fight however!! When did the mumnet site change I'm sure I was only on last week and I thought I had gone on the wrong one to start with!

Rhubarb · 02/02/2009 14:15

They were predicting this much snow as early as Wed last week. It's all the weather reports were babbling on about. So it was hardly unexpected.

sprogger · 02/02/2009 14:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

wabbit · 02/02/2009 14:18

Humph... feeling totally left out of the deep snow transformation of the rest of the country - in Warwickshire and the snow is a piddling 1cm deep

Is snowing a little more now though so fingers crossed

wheresthehamster · 02/02/2009 14:26

Don't want to make you jealous wabbit but it's 10 inches here and it's snowing again

Looking forward to another snow-day tomorrow if we get the predicted big freeze.

clam · 02/02/2009 14:37

Coming down thick and fast again here in Herts!

southeastastra · 02/02/2009 14:38

i'm bored of it now

wheresthehamster · 02/02/2009 14:43

Yes I'm in Herts as well and it's HEAVY!!!

The only thing that spoils it is that dp got to work in Victoria this morning on his normal coach but I'm worried he won't get back if the M11 is blocked.

GrimbleTheResourceful · 02/02/2009 14:44

But I love it that everything comes to a standstill.

We have about 1/2 cm here in Somerset, I may have to keep the DCs off school tomorrow.

NormaJeanBaker · 02/02/2009 15:02

My children's school is closed but even if it hadn't been I'd have let them stay at home. DD1 has been waiting for literally her whole life for snow like this (she's 5) - who wants to be at school when you can be outside on a day like this? In for hot choc and warming up and then back out again all day. Off to go with her again now. Fantastic!

wheresthehamster · 02/02/2009 15:05

Dd1 said the same thing norma! And she's 17!!

I haven't seen dd3 all day. The last I heard she and a friend were building an 'igloo' somewhere. What fun!

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