# Too old for cold



## dither (Feb 27, 2018)

It could be worse. I could be working this week but I'm not so I shouldn't complain. Trouble is, when I'm off work,  I really don't want to do anything or go anywhere at the best of times. With the weather how it is right now and with talk of snow on the way, we haven't had any snow yet, fingers crossed, leaving the house, or rather MY leaving the house, isn't looking very likely. Grub, and the need to read will, eventually, force me out of doors and onto a bus to Asda's. At least the weather's dry and fine right now. It's just bloody cold. I've just drunk my first, one and only, cup of tea after getting out of bed and man that cuppa is to die for. A  cup of hot strong  PG , everything else tastes like cigarette ash as far as I'm concerned, for me there is no better way start to the day and then, before my mug has had a chance to get cold, a strong coffee chaser get's my  motor running. Well, sort of.

But this weather? Forget it. Brrr! I'm going back to bed. Night'night world. I shall rise when I'm hungry. So glad I'm not working this week. Snooze-time.

Yeah, I know. I just felt like posting that's all.


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## Olly Buckle (Feb 27, 2018)

Let the cat stay in last night when it started snowing, she woke me to go out a 4am, but she was straight back in when I got up at six. Asleep on a cusion now, a good  way to deal with this weather.

Btw Two cups of tea before starting, and marmalade, real marmalade, not shop stuff.


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## escorial (Feb 27, 2018)

It's here


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## BlondeAverageReader (Feb 27, 2018)

*It’s here too*

Where did l put those wellies?


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## escorial (Feb 27, 2018)

3 new residents in the road...looks like two adults and a small child each standing in a garden waiting for kids to return....


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## dither (Feb 27, 2018)

BlondeAverageReader said:


> Where did l put those wellies?
> 
> View attachment 20923



Ugh! The very thought of such a scene sends me running for the duvet. You can have all of that. It IS snowing here right now but very fine dry powdery stuff. Hopefully it won't come to much. I'd really like to go out tomorrow, visit a library and go to Asda's. We shall see.


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## Larry (Feb 27, 2018)

Growing up in Montana and upstate New York, cold didn't bother me. Skiing, ice hockey, winter sports were the thing. I've lived in Texas now for 20 years, and at age 63, my tolerance for cold has slipped to an all time low. Co-workers laugh at me when I pile on the layers, and even the short Texas winters are too long for these aging bones.


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## JustRob (Feb 27, 2018)

The problem with pictures of snow scenes is that the world apparently becomes monochrome and hence quite literally monotonous. Many years ago my angel and I holidayed in the Swiss Alps in June, when there was snow only at the higher altitudes. We have never felt the need to return there in the more popular winter as sliding down mountainsides, even intentionally, has never appealed to us and the scenery would be monotonous compared to the colour of the alpine flowers in the spring and early summer. We have holidayed in Iceland, even camping there, but even in June snow was virtually unavoidable except in the lowlands. In the UK freshly fallen snow is a brief novelty but if it outstays its welcome it quickly becomes a dirty nuisance and no longer photogenic or appealing in any way.

Apparently we have yet to experience the next aspect of this meteorological import from Russia, a biting cold wind. Currently all is still and quiet here but such a change is forecast. Our larder is fully stocked, our open log fire laid ready to supplement the central heating and further stocks of coal and logs are just a short distance away in the garage, so we are ready to retreat from whatever the weather throws at us for a few days. Often in our river valley that actually turns out to be very little as weather systems seem to skirt around us. Our house is "ideally" positioned to be exposed to the full force of our usual winds from the south-west, sometimes the ghosts of former Caribbean hurricanes too tired to haunt anyone, so a less common but eager east wind from the cold continent may also not have so much impact on us. Whatever happens it will no doubt soon pass. That is the soul of British weather, its variety, and the reason why we are seldom properly prepared for it, except maybe with our cameras.


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## dither (Feb 28, 2018)

Well,
I finally got myself into gear, had my half-weekly wash and shave, and got out there. Jeez it's cold out there and here, deep in the heart of the midlands, we're the lucky ones. So far so good I suppose.


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## Ralph Rotten (Feb 28, 2018)

Heh, I just got back from a glorious weekend of snow camping.  My friends and I literally drive across the state, find a spot with a foot of snow or so, and set up camp.  Temps got down to just above ten, but we are totally geared up for that kind of camping.

See, for guys from Arizona, snow camping is such an alien experience that it's a little like going to another planet entirely.  Any butt-crack can camp in blue-sky weather, but few ever practice adverse weather camping.


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## Ralph Rotten (Feb 28, 2018)

...and yes, I took my laptop and did some editing while I was up there.


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## Olly Buckle (Mar 1, 2018)

The cat is personifying the way the inhabitants of this house feel. She is most reluctant to go outside, and returns asap, but being cooped up has left her full of beans, She is chasing bits of string at every opportunity rather than sleeping quietly on a chair.


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## Pete_C (Mar 1, 2018)

Don't think I'll be doing any gardening. Mind you, the Missus put the sun bed out, just in case!


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## Plasticweld (Mar 1, 2018)

There is a certain irony here.  We are at the tale end of winter in up-state New York.  In the logging business I rely on the cold weather to last as long as possible. We are expected to get a warm rain and then 5 to 10 inches of snow tomorrow.  The rain will help drive the frost out of the ground "making it too muddy" she snow will insulate the ground to keep it from freezing. We will now have snow on top of mud.  I wish we had just another two weeks of really cold weather left. 

I will  work at the sawmill the next few days...praying for cold.


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## dither (Mar 1, 2018)

And here's me praying for rain. Apparently rain is forecast for weekend, hopefully that'll wash the snow away. 

Mr.Buckle, 
I wouldn't disagree your cat although  my chasing days are long gone.

Pete_C,
Not a pretty sight imo.

And Ralph,
I think your mad but if that's your thing, well, good luck with that.


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## Pete_C (Mar 1, 2018)

I actually like the snow. We're currently cut off but I have a wood filled with trees for the burner, a brewery filled with beer, enough pheasant and rabbit to overfeed an army and some truly excellent rum. Plus, no visitors can arrive and annoy me.

I say let it freeze and snow all Spring and Summer.


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## sas (Mar 1, 2018)

Pete_C said:


> View attachment 20935
> 
> Don't think I'll be doing any gardening. Mind you, the Missus put the sun bed out, just in case!




Beautiful view. Learned something new: sun bed... here it's called a lounge chair. Like your name better.


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## dither (Mar 1, 2018)

Pete_C said:


> I actually like the snow. We're currently cut off but I have a wood filled with trees for the burner, a brewery filled with beer, enough pheasant and rabbit to overfeed an army and some truly excellent rum. Plus, no visitors can arrive and annoy me.
> 
> I say let it freeze and snow all Spring and Summer.



If I didn't work nights in a  freight haulage yard I'd be in total agreement with you.
I wouldn't mind being cut off for a while.


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## sas (Mar 1, 2018)

End of the month I leave in search of snow. My Spring ski trip to the Colorado Rockies starts. Snow has been poor there, though. In the last 7 years it can't be counted upon like in my young years. Now ice skiing in the morning, slush in afternoon. I'm too old for that crap and may give it up. I like golf and rock climbing and will settle for that. Plus, the fucking boarders hit too many on the slopes. They have a blind side and no sense.


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## JustRob (Mar 1, 2018)

The threatened icy wind didn't materialise in our area after all. Friends down in the south-west tell us that they've got it instead. The national news reports that the electricity and gas suppliers are feeling the strain of the unusually high energy demands. They are asking big industrial consumers to cut back on their usage to give the domestic supplies a chance. Despite there being no wind it is bitterly cold here in the south-east, so I think it's time to bring some logs in from the garage and light up our open log fire to supplement the central heating.

It's supposed to be the first day of spring today. All I can say to that is bring back Christmas. It was much warmer then.


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## dither (Mar 1, 2018)

Well, I'm in the south east, there's a wind blowing and it really is biting.


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## Olly Buckle (Mar 1, 2018)

We moan, it's the little ones who suffer this weather. The smaller you are the higher the ratio of surface area to lose heat through to the body mass to retain it. Three and four year olds last  about five mins at most, it'sprobably the first time they have experienced it too, must be intense.

The missus worked in various child care situations, one of the early ones was based in a local farmhouse. The farmer's wife who ran it observed that you could tell when weather like this was coming, the small children and cats ate more in the days before it. Anecdotally, our little cat certainly seemed to stoke up.


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## Olly Buckle (Mar 1, 2018)

JustRob said:


> The threatened icy wind didn't materialise in our area after all. Friends down in the south-west tell us that they've got it instead. The national news reports that the electricity and gas suppliers are feeling the strain of the unusually high energy demands. They are asking big industrial consumers to cut back on their usage to give the domestic supplies a chance. Despite there being no wind it is bitterly cold here in the south-east, so I think it's time to bring some logs in from the garage and light up our open log fire to supplement the central heating.
> 
> It's supposed to be the first day of spring today. All I can say to that is bring back Christmas. It was much warmer then.



It's an unusual direction, sure you are not just a bit sheltered ? There is certainly an easterly wind here. I went to visit a friend on the east coast yesterday and when I parked up had trouble opening the door against the wind, but I can see it moving the bare trees still today.


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## Aquarius (Mar 1, 2018)

JustRob said:


> . . . It's supposed to be the first day of spring today. All I can say to that is bring back Christmas. It was much warmer then.



The first day of spring is the day of the spring equinox when the Sun moves into Aries, which in our part of the world this year takes place on 20th March at 4.16pm. Sorry, but there are still three weeks of winter ahead.


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## dither (Mar 1, 2018)

I should have been working this week but holiday dates got switched around weeks ago and I got this week. How lucky is that?


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## Olly Buckle (Mar 1, 2018)

Aquarius said:


> The first day of spring is the day of the spring equinox when the Sun moves into Aries, which in our part of the world this year takes place on 20th March at 4.16pm. Sorry, but there are still three weeks of winter ahead.



I think 'Spring' is a bitof a movable feast, the announcers on BBC news have been calling it the first day of Spring all evening, forme May day has always seemed like the first day of Spring, but I suppose it could also be Lady Day.


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## dither (Mar 2, 2018)

Well? Whatever, the beast from the east doesn't seem so fierce this morning. That gusting wind is barely a breeze now and I can see earth through the thin covering of snow on next door's garden. Maybe we're on the up now.


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## Kevin (Mar 2, 2018)

Having grown up deep in the midlands...
of Reseda, snow is something we had to drive to. It did once every five years coat the nearby mountains as low as 3000' so we could look at least look at for a day or two.


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## Olly Buckle (Mar 2, 2018)

dither said:


> Well? Whatever, the beast from the east doesn't seem so fierce this morning. That gusting wind is barely a breeze now and I can see earth through the thin covering of snow on next door's garden. Maybe we're on the up now.



That earth is where the wind has blown away the snow, it is probably drifting just down the road and cutting you off from all  contact with the rest of humanity. We are all doomed


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## Ralph Rotten (Mar 2, 2018)

Get used to the strange weather and super-storms.  They will only get worse as warming trends increase in speed.  Our climate is like a runaway express train going down a hill without brakes.  The warmer it gets, the more greenhouse gases released, the faster the process gets.  If you wanna see where we'll be in a decade then watch Soylent Green (twas a global warming scenario.)


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## LeeC (Mar 3, 2018)

You've got it all wrong. Global warming is going to wait till the fat cats squeeze every last ounce of fossil fuel profits out of complacent Joe Schmoes.
Same goes for all the plastics in the food chain, nonsense, it's shelf life and profits that matter, not health. And for that matter anything that might hinder cannibalistic capitalism, get with it.

If you have doubts, you haven't read an important component of political science curriculum. 




[ I warned you dither  I'm gonna get an assault rifle with a grenade launcher to protect my garden. A bigger problem is how to protect the air I breathe.]


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## dither (Mar 3, 2018)

Well.

last night I thought I might still get to do my Saturday shop. Now ?  I don't know. We've had another couple of inches of snow, that might not seem a lot to some of you guys but for me, It looks bleak out there. Assuming/hoping that the main roads are going to be kept moving, I might just go and checkout the main road and see if buses are running. They're forecasting rain for tomorrow so maybe things will look a lot better on Monday. So glad that I'm not desperate for supplies. A weekend confinement won't be the end of the world but after that supplies are going to be running low. We shall see eh?


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## LeeC (Mar 3, 2018)

Be brave dither  To maybe help you feel better, here's a couple pics from a few years ago. They are of my wife clearing the driveway because I was confined to a wheelchair. Wasn't as much snow this year, and I was able to clear the driveway myself now that I can walk again.


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## Olly Buckle (Mar 3, 2018)

Good start to the day, find the spanners, turn off the water supply and take out the pipe to  the outside tap that had a split in it where it had frozen up, put the tap back on behind the split. Shows how cold it has been, I put that in twenty years ago and it is the first time it has been a problem. I'll find a new piece of pipe and fix it properly later, but there is no urgency to water the garden


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## dither (Mar 3, 2018)

Jeez LeeC,
I can't even begin to imagine what that must like. I actually find that scene quite frightening.


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## Ralph Rotten (Mar 3, 2018)

Hopefully the storm doesn't cause a power outage.  Thermostats don't work without power, so even if you heat your home with propane or natural gas, the heater won't work (in most cases.)


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## Olly Buckle (Mar 3, 2018)

Ralph Rotten said:


> Hopefully the storm doesn't cause a power outage.  Thermostats don't work without power, so even if you heat your home with propane or natural gas, the heater won't work (in most cases.)



Know that one,  we have a gas oven that will not work with out electricity. Power cut equals beans on toast


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## dither (Mar 4, 2018)

Well the ice seems to be melting in dithersville. A drop  of rain, as forecast, would be favourite now. No _too _​much mind.


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## Olly Buckle (Mar 8, 2018)

MUD!!   You wait, there will be a drought next, then sun so hot you can't go out in it, possibly wind, followed by more rain.


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## LeeC (Mar 8, 2018)

Well, another couple feet of snow. What happened to the promise of spring? Guess I'll be out relocating snow again this afternoon, instead of working on my illustrations. Mother Nature must have known I needed the exercise


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## Plasticweld (Mar 9, 2018)

*Camp*                       A foot and half last week, 3 feet the other day and 8 inches tonight :} 


*The road in*


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## Olly Buckle (Mar 18, 2018)

It's doing it again, please won't someone give me enough money to purchase a small island in the Carribean where I can go and live in winter?


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## JustRob (Mar 18, 2018)

Olly Buckle said:


> It's doing it again, please won't someone give me enough money to purchase a small island in the Carribean where I can go and live in winter?



There must be one somewhere going for a knock-down price after being devastated by a hurricane. You could hardly expect to turn up in winter and find the house that you occupied there last winter still there. Have you considered living on a yacht? If so be careful where you leave it moored.

Friends in Devon told us that this weekend they got the right kind of snow to build a snowman. The last batch that they had was too powdery and wouldn't hold together. 

Some people do seem to find life complicated.


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## dither (Mar 18, 2018)

Olly Buckle said:


> It's doing it again, please won't someone give me enough money to purchase a small island in the Carribean where I can go and live in winter?




You and me both mate. Brrr!


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## BlondeAverageReader (Mar 18, 2018)

*Time to Sacrifice a Tree to the Gods of Comfort*


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## Olly Buckle (Mar 18, 2018)

I remember the days before central heating and wall to wall carpeting. The fire used to draw the draft up through the floorboards, it would be roasting in front and freezing behind. I expect we will find that the mites it allows to breed are giving us all lung disease, BUT I DON'T CARE, IT'S WORTH IT!


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