UK airports closed

[PeteC]

This may be the year we see the Thames freeze (when was the last time?), and ice skating on Holland's canals. I think in Holland they used to have a great cross country skating race when the canals froze? Pete

[margaretcarnes]

I think the last time the Thames froze was 47 Pete - although there's doubt as to whether it actually froze right over? Maybe someone older and wiser can confirm this!
But it's still snowing here in the UK and the main problem is a shortage of sand and grit for the roads. Public transport is coping pretty well on main routes - but getting to a bus stop can be a problem! (dream on)

[redzonerocker]

But it's still snowing here in the UK and the main problem is a shortage of sand and grit for the roads. Public transport is coping pretty well on main routes - but getting to a bus stop can be a problem! (dream on)

it seems it's not just the uk that is suffering, brrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/8445613.stm

[STEVE G]

I just walked into work again this morning and it's about minus ten, but at least it's still and not actually snowing although it's very icy underfoot and to think I once actually paid money to go hiking on a glacier!
To be honest, if I'd known it was going to be like this I would have stayed in Thailand.

[sandman67]

The last Thames Ice Fairs were back in the 17C. In Victorian times they rebuilt the bankings and narrowed the river to accomodate the amazing sewer works. This narrowed the river and speeded up the flow, so it freezing over totally and enough to walk on is a very very rare thing now.

see..... TV can be educational

Heres the weather report from Bolton

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH! Theres a frickin polar bear in my garden and my nephew has built an igloo!

about a foot of snow that has now frozen into a sheet of solid ice. -17C last night at Manchester airport.

my advice - bunker down

Nanook of the North West

[Big Boy]

I just walked into work again this morning and it's about minus ten, but at least it's still and not actually snowing although it's very icy underfoot and to think I once actually paid money to go hiking on a glacier!
To be honest, if I'd known it was going to be like this I would have stayed in Thailand.

Were you the only one there?

I struggled in to work today to make sure I brought home enough work for next weeks chaos.

[richard]

BB

Thought you were a civil servant close to retirement

Workload??????????????????

[Big Boy]

BB

Thought you were a civil servant close to retirement

Workload??????????????????

The retirement is still an aspiration. When I say work , the emphasis is on the emoticon.

[richard]

[Khundon1975]

STEVE G The least they could have done is send a chopper to bring you into work.

[STEVE G]

I just walked into work again this morning and it's about minus ten, but at least it's still and not actually snowing although it's very icy underfoot and to think I once actually paid money to go hiking on a glacier!
To be honest, if I'd known it was going to be like this I would have stayed in Thailand.

Were you the only one there?

No BB probably about 75% are getting in, particularly all the other contractors like me who don't get paid if they don't show up!
At least Yeovil is a compact town so anyone local can walk into work without going too far.

[PeteC]

No BB probably about 75% are getting in, particularly all the other contractors like me who don't get paid if they don't show up!
At least Yeovil is a compact town so anyone local can walk into work without going too far.

I hope you're in a hanger doing what you do. When time, look up Loring AFB, Maine. I used to watch men working on B-52's up there in -60F windchill. I'm sure today many have missing fingers. Pete

[STEVE G]

Yes Pete, it's no problem as we're working inside.
In my last job in Luxembourg we would get a couple of weeks of this kind of weather every year and there I was often working outside which was obviously much worse.
Many years ago I was working on the flight deck of a ship off the coast of Northern Norway in february, in winds that actually took the wind-chill factor off the bottom of the chart we had.
You could only stay outside for about twenty minutes at a time, after which you were too cold to do anything useful anyway!

[migrant]

I hope you're in a hanger doing what you do. When time, look up Loring AFB, Maine. I used to watch men working on B-52's up there in -60F windchill. I'm sure today many have missing fingers. Pete

I remember many times when I lived in Maine of -50 to -60, including one time a buddy and I refused to postpone our ice fishing outing. We went, but didn't last too long!