It's snowing!

[rafletcher]

Well I gave it best this morning, -14C in Aylesbury Vale, and roads not gritted, so I U-turned after 5 miles. Hope bosses don't think I'm an ureliable contractor with my 60+ mile commute    But, when I got home, no cold water - a frozen stop-cock in our outside cupboard, so was able to defrost that at least.  Extra insulation and bubble-wrap added.

[andygates]

Plucky Fail here, have had to revert to working from the local site.  I don't have slidey-stuff skill, and it's deep enough that the stuff my bike grips is sliding on the stuff underneath it.  Full on people-in-the-streets stuff.

[Regulator]

I made it in to work.  From a department of 23 people, 4 have made it in.

I'm now responsible for all ambulance divert requests and hospital escalation requests... 

[Jaded]

about -11 last night, and -5 now. Even though it is cloudy.

I made it in to work.  From a department of 23 people, 4 have made it in.

I'm now responsible for all ambulance divert requests and hospital escalation requests...  

Better get off the forum sharpish then!!  

[Wowbagger]

No snow here overnight but -7°C when I let the dog out about 20 minutes ago.

[andrewc]

Our sister sites in Croydon & St Albans are empty as no one can get in. My site in Liverpool has been evacuated due to flooding on the 7th floor. 3 fire engines here at the moment.

[border-rider]

Very, very cold here but no new snow since Friday night, and even our little lane is clear

But we're forecast a mega-dump for later this morning.  Mrs MV has gone to work; it  may be some time before I see her again 

[toekneep]

Our sister sites in Croydon & St Albans are empty as no one can get in. My site in Liverpool has been evacuated due to flooding on the 7th floor. 3 fire engines here at the moment.

The combination of lots of water and current temperatures could be interesting.

[Regulator]

about -11 last night, and -5 now. Even though it is cloudy.

I made it in to work.  From a department of 23 people, 4 have made it in.

I'm now responsible for all ambulance divert requests and hospital escalation requests...  

Better get off the forum sharpish then!!  

Yay!  One of my colleagues has arrived.  I've handed the ambulance and hospital escalations over to her...  

[Bledlow]

I hope the heater is working in the car. It was probably about -16C at the time when Mrs B was passing through Benson on her way to work, having bottomed out around -17C (the 7am reading from the Met Office). Only went down to -9.3C in Reading according to the university weather station*, & only -7 just outside my back door.

*I do like it when people put their weather stations online.

[mattc]

Yikes, it's still -12C here.

Down here too, Andy. We're near Benson-ish, so that -16c looks spot-on.

Oddly, last night's forecast said -4, 5-ish. So in pure numbers, that is an epically wrong forecast!

[Dinamo]

Minus 9 last night.
Snowing here in Bristol now  

[Jaded]

about -11 last night, and -5 now. Even though it is cloudy.

I made it in to work.  From a department of 23 people, 4 have made it in.

I'm now responsible for all ambulance divert requests and hospital escalation requests...  

Better get off the forum sharpish then!!  

Yay!  One of my colleagues has arrived.  I've handed the ambulance and hospital escalations over to her...  

Normal service resumed. 

[Jaded]

Mrs J was supposed to be flying up to Edinburgh today for work, and to collect her mother to come back for Christmas. We decided to cancel: none of us were happy with the thought of an 85 year old stuck at an airport for ages, or worse, stuck in a car. We think this will be the first Christmas on our own since the year I was out of work, 20 years ago.

[jogler]

the year I was out of work, 20 years ago.

Coincidently so was I at that time

[border-rider]

Very, very cold here but no new snow since Friday night, and even our little lane is clear

But we're forecast a mega-dump for later this morning.  Mrs MV has gone to work; it  may be some time before I see her again 

<started>

[Wombat]

the year I was out of work, 20 years ago.

Coincidently so was I at that time

And me!  (and I will be again, at the end of March)  Is it an unreasonable observation to make that both times I have been made redundant, the conservatives have been in power?

[clarion]

All the times I have taken redundancy have been under a Labour Govt.

[L CC]

No snow here, rain and sleet washed it away yesterday.
Disappointingly Southampton Airport is open too, so I have to come home.
The drive back to Suffolk looks to be bloody awful.

[jogler]

the year I was out of work, 20 years ago.

Coincidently so was I at that time

And me!  (and I will be again, at the end of March)  Is it an unreasonable observation to make that both times I have been made redundant, the conservatives have been in power?

Ifn the absence of new works I fear the same fate

[Feline]

Just got back from Bristol after a 3rd night shift. Took about 90 minutes to drive what would have been 40 mins normally. There is a blizzard here at the moment. Some bits of road are very scary out there.
I am supposed to be on call tonight from home (for a practice 14 miles away) but I suspect for the pittance they are paying me it will not be worth the risk trying to get there if I did get called out. Going to phone them in a bit and suggest they put their closest vet with a suitable or practice-owned vehicle on call instead. If they ask me to go and stay there overnight then I am going to demand at least the minimum wage instead of £40 for 15 hours!!

[jogler]

My daughter drove from Stoke to Bristol on Saturday afternoon & back on Sunday afternoon.
My son drove from Oxford to Blackpool on Friday night & did the return journey last night.
I'm amazed they had no difficulties

[Feline]

My daughter drove from Stoke to Bristol on Saturday afternoon & back on Sunday afternoon.
My son drove from Oxford to Blackpool on Friday night & did the return journey last night.
I'm amazed they had no difficulties

The roads here were much better on saturday and sunday day time than they were on friday night or now. The traction control on my car just got a real workout trying to keep control on some of the ice, and that was on the main A38 driving at about 7 mph!

[Jaded]

at 7mph you are probably better turning the traction control off and driving in second or even third.

[Exit Stage Left]

We had to walk to the cricket club quiz last night, alongside the West Coast Mainline. We saw a Pendolino crawl past at 15mph. It was absolutely packed, and every table was stacked up with Christmas presents. We could feel the waves of misery emanating from it as it ambled past with a feeble yellow arcing from the pantograph.
The rest of our walk was quite pleasant as the distribution depots and disused foundries looked quite magical in the moonlight.