Early Risers.

[jamie92208]

1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

Morning all from Estuary-Land. @grandadbob Only two inches of snow! we have twice that here. Trouble is that I have to go out later and will have to take great care with my dodgy legs.

What with global warming people are less used to this sort of weather. This has led to such tragedies as the six children falling through the ice on a frozen lake in the midlands (three critical, one dead and two missing).

My sympathies go out to the families and especially  to the emergency services. These incidents are horrible to deal with. I had to deal with one that resulted in the death of a child and two adult, would be rescuers. There were very nearly some more fatalities among others who attempted  to rescue them.  

 

Anyway a new LED light bar has been put up in the utility room it has made a huge difference.  It has also earned enough brownie points to be granted oermission to go trainspotting.

 

Jamie 

[Coombe Barton]

latest from Sky - absolutely terrible

 

Three boys aged eight, 10 and 11 have died after falling into an icy lake in Solihull, police have confirmed.

A fourth boy, aged six, remains in a critical condition after the incident at Babbs Mill Park on Sunday afternoon.

A search of the lake is continuing after reports up to six children had fallen in, but authorities have warned it is "no longer a search and rescue operation".

[simontaylor484]

Horrifying events in Solihull 

I remember something similar happened in Hemsworth happen it is the same incident @jamie92208 mentions 

[grandadbob]

That is absolutely heartbreaking news.  I cannot even begin to imagine what the families are going through.

[New Haven Neil]

The incidence of inverted Manx cars is mainly due to our roads outside towns and villages being mostly bounded by raised sod banks.  They lose control, spin or veer into the bank, run up it and over they go.

 

Looking beyond the two bikes, this is a typical Manx road sod bank.

 

 

 

[Dave Hunt]

2 minutes ago, grandadbob said:

That is absolutely heartbreaking news.  I cannot even begin to imagine what the families are going through.

 

When I lived in Germany in the early 70s a colleague's young son died in similar circumstances and I don't think he and his wife have ever really ceased grieving. 

 

Dave

[grandadbob]

The Boss has just reminded me that about this time last year two sets of twins aged three and four died in a house fire just over a mile away from us. It's always terrible when something like this happens but it does seem far worse near Christmas.

 

[DaveF]

It hasn't snowed here since yesterday morning but there were some sleet showers, the water has frozen so everywhere is covered in a layer of ice and it is still freezing.  "Our" snow is forecast for later on in the week.  It is cold enough for the locals to think they might need to wear a long sleeved shirt (you may need to be a Geordie or Northumbrian to appreciate that). 

 

This morning I've been in touch with the solicitors with a series of phone calls and e mails, I was told firmly not to venture outdoors as the ice is far too dangerous.  I am taking their advice.  I've already seen a young man fall over and a dog having difficulty moving with its legs going in all directions.

 

Yesterday was also very icy, the car had a layer of ice all over it.  It took 15 minutes to warm it up and deice it, then on the way to church I got up to 20mph at one stage.  The roads had been salted but there wasn't enough traffic to clear the roads.  I ended up parking near the flat out of the way of any traffic, I had difficulty in staying upright walking across the road to the church.

 

The service started late as people had problems getting there.  When we started the first hymn the congregation sang one hymn, the choir a different one, fortunately the music fitted both.  That got sorted out then someone realised that the hymn board hadn't been changed from the previous week.  Later the organist got mixed up with the sung responses, starting to play after the congregation had started saying them  We all managed not to laugh out loud.

 

The usual coffee was cancelled as the path to the hall was a sheet of ice.  Coming out of church it snowed for a while.  When I got home I decided not to go to my m---l r-----y meeting as it was still so icy and I didn't fancy 30 minutes driving back on icy roads in the dark.  All I missed was running trains on the modular layout.

 

So I spent the afternoon writing e mails in connection with Mum's flat sale and making a note of jobs for today.  I had a very rare phone call from one of my cousins to tell me that an parcel from Amazon is on its way to me, I was able to tell him that his Amazon token is on its way to him.  He and his wife like to buy books so they like a gift token.

 

In the evening I watched "Wirtshausmusikanten beim Hirzinger" on Bayern TV which had some very nice traditional type music.  That was followed by Strike then an early night.

 

David

[Tony_S]

1 hour ago, New Haven Neil said:

The incidence of inverted Manx cars is mainly due to our roads outside towns and villages being mostly bounded by raised sod banks.  They lose control, spin or veer into the bank, run up it and over they go.

 

Looking beyond the two bikes, this is a typical Manx road sod bank.

 

 

 

Thank you. I can now see what it is about Manx roads that made me wonder about so many inverted vehicles. Do you have to avoid free ranging sheep there as well?

Edited December 12, 2022 by Tony_S

[Tony_S]

3 hours ago, PhilJ W said:

3 hours ago, Tony_S said:

 

Momentum usually. If a vehicle is off balance for whatever reason it just needs to hit an obstruction such as a kerb to male it roll over. About twenty years ago my car was hit by a truck. The initial impact point was on the rear wing where there was a small dent, the paint wasn't even broken. But th

I realise that but wondered what was peculiar to the Isle of Man that caused it to be a frequent occurrence. Neil has now posted the explanation  

[southern42]

3 hours ago, southern42 said:

' morning all from red dragon land.

Remaining snow kept from freezing by 2.1C temp. It was 2.6C when I got up. Quick mathematical check and I see the temp is going DOWN. UH? Well, it would. Wouldn't it? I mean, most of the cloud has gone and let in all that cold air up there! Brrrrr!

Ray had to nip out so is posting all my cards-for-posting. 👍

It is wrapping-presies-for-posting day, now, so that will be good. It means I get to do a job in front of the sitting room solid fuel stove. 🔥 <<Little Polly Flinders sat among the cinders warming her pretty little toes>>

Quick toot-on-the-flute before Ray comes in...

 

Keep warm (or cool). Be good. Take advantage of those little things...

Polly

 

Never mind the maths, it seems I should have gone to Speck-savers. The temperature readings were minus! The word "freezing" should have enlightened me. Oh, well! It was first thing in the morning!

 

PollyWollyDoodleAllTheDay

[Gwiwer]

4 hours ago, monkeysarefun said:

Something for everyone here today, reaching 29.6 in Sydney at 10am while around the same time down on the NSW border it was minus 7 and snowing.

It is also very much higher at the border than in Sydney with the typical altitude atound the border at 1200m and the summit at 2228m; most of metropolitan Sydney is below 100m. 
 

The border is also nearer to the Sarf Pole 🥶🤣

 

In other news …. 
 

 

 

 

A different look to the birch forest which is growing on the disused fast-line platforms at New Malden 

 

 

And a proper Christmas tree complete with sner. 
 

.

 

Edited December 12, 2022 by Gwiwer
Rogue image removed.

[New Haven Neil]

14 minutes ago, Tony_S said:

Thank you. I can now see what it is about Manx roads that made me wonder about so many inverted vehicles. Do you have to avoid free ranging sheep there as well?

 

Not too bad on most roads, and of course the TT Course is well fenced.  On high ground roads there are some that are entered via cattle grids, should be sheep grids as free ranging cattle aren't a problem, but sheep are.  However it is noticeable the local sheep seem to have pretty good traffic sense.  Unlike the drivers.....

[Gwiwer]

1 hour ago, New Haven Neil said:

The incidence of inverted Manx cars is mainly due to our roads outside towns and villages being mostly bounded by raised sod banks.  They lose control, spin or veer into the bank, run up it and over they go.

 

Looking beyond the two bikes, this is a typical Manx road sod bank.

 

 

 

If it’s not a daft question why do Manx drivers lose control?  Or is it overseas drivers on Manx roads? 
 

I must have driven tens of thousands of miles along sod-bank lined roads, although none of them on Fraggle Rock, without incident. 
 

I have also managed to avoid any ovine contre-temps. That being no mean feat up on the Cornish moors at night, trying to keep to a challenging timetable in the fog. Was that a swirl of fog ahead or a sheep in the road?  Can’t turn the main beam on in fog to check. 
 

Our timetables must have been devised by a Ferrari driver. There was no way you could drive three miles in three minutes on urban or twisting country roads. And that’s before you were expected to stop for passengers, red lights and other things.  You did your best but being 100% legal meant you just got later and later. Did they pay overtime for a late finish?  Heck no. It was your fault you ran late and any complaints about late running also went on your record. 

[45156]

Afternoon All,

 

Such a sad news of late, what with kids going through the ice, and flats exploding in Jersey.  Why does it always seem to be at Christmas, or is it just that these things are more poignant and significant at the festive season.

 

We have no snow to speak of, compared to the "massive and disrupting" 4-6 inches of snow further South - I wonder what our overseas ERs (like Ian A) think, where 4-6" does not really even count as significant.  There was a lorry driver on the radio this morning, who crossed from Ireland to the UK - suffered the chaos here, and crossed to Europe, where he found the roads being ploughed and gritted 24 hours a day - thought provoking indeed.

 

I was due to be away today to Cirencester and back via an old Sussex Spaniel friend in Gloucester, but we took a snow check - so I said I COULD go to Oxfam this morning, and rang them on Saturday accordingly - only to wake this morning to a splitting headache and a very runny nose, and a cough - so another call to Oxfam to recancel.  Instead, 30747 indicated that the hoovering needed to be done - which is a lot more pleasant than it used to be, due to the addition of a Vax Blade 4 Pet to the household appliances - and it is very good - very strong suction, and very light - and of course, no trailing leads. 

 

And here's something to cheer us up a little.

 

 

Regards to All

Stewart

[Winslow Boy]

3 hours ago, Compound2632 said:

 

Manxwomen, one infers, are impeccable drivers.

 

That is sexist remark. Manxwomen are just as capable of screwing up a car crash as a Manxman it's just that they are usually the ones giving the directions. Whether or not that may have been the contributory factor  to the crash i couldn't possibly comment.

[New Haven Neil]

28 minutes ago, Gwiwer said:

If it’s not a daft question why do Manx drivers lose control?

 

Incompetence.

 

Driving standards here are, well, learned when things were quieter, and test standards were shall we say, rather lax until very recently.  Don't forget there's no overarching UK legislation, so things change more slowly.  The test now is pretty tough, but is undertaken entirely within the Borough of Douglas - even in a place 32 miles by 12.  So not even out of a 30 limit, in a town you would consider small and quiet.  There's no dual carriageways here, or motorways. But locals think they can do 90 on the mountain road (no 70 limit here either) like wot the racers do. In the rain.  And dark. Or snow.

 

You can drive at 16 here too, but ALL new drivers/riders are limited to 50 (yeah, right) for a year and display R plates.  I once dealt with a young person who had been done for speeding over the 50 limit, with an educational response.  A week later he overtook an unmarked police vehicle and gave the officer the finger when motioned to slow down a bit. That cost him his licence. 

[New Haven Neil]

Manx R plate driving skills.  I presume they're taught to read road signs, but.....

 

[Gwiwer]

8 minutes ago, New Haven Neil said:

Manx R plate driving skills.

Not so different to Australian (well VIctorian from personal experience, but I hear the same from allover) driving skills.

 

In a nation where mandatory lessons are not required it is traditional to learn to drive at a young age being taught by a parent or friend around a paddock.  "Learn to drive" being a rather loose term which might better be described as "Being shown what the controls do".   Unless you learn and test within the City of Melbourne you don't get to drive with trams - the same being true of British cities of course - but you meet them when you drive into those areas.  If you learn in the City you don't get "bush" experience of avoiding kangas and other wildlife and how to cope if caught in a bush-fire or flood emergency.  Those can spring upon you in moments with little or no warning, surprising though it might sound.  

 

There is strong advice to complete a minimum number of logged hours with a professional instructor but it is not a requirement.  Some people present themselves for testing having had no formal lessons at all.  Provisional and Learner drivers are permitted on freeways there meaning you can have zero experience and road skill but legally drive at up to 110kmh (subject to posted limit) or around 76mph.  

 

Odd rules which no-one teaches you in the backyard and not everyone teaches correctly on the road are:-

1. The hook turn: at designated intersections along tram routes you must not perform a direct right turn across the tracks but are required to pull in on the left, join the queue waiting to cross the road you are leaving and wait for their green light.  You then go first before that queue.  Signposted as "Turn right from left lane only".  

2. Stop behind trams: when a tram stops you MUST stop behind it; not pull alongside it and definitely not attempt to overtake it.  Most tram tracks are along the centre of roads meaning if you overtook you would pull into the oncoming tram lane with no clear vision ahead.  If you are already alongside the tram (for example waiting at traffic lights and the tram pulls up beside you) then you must wait for it t go first unless "waved through" by the driver who might be waiting for right-time.  That never happens.    

3.  Pass emergency vehicles attending incidents or any other accident at no more than 40kmh and be prepared to stop.

4.  Never ever turn off when you see a booze bus ahead (breath testing unit); the police will chase you and test you anyway.  Random stop and test applies unlike in the UK.  The limit is lower than the UK version at 0.05 (UK 0.08) 

 

And - as it always is - driving is a privilege not a right.  Even if you live 50 miles from the shop and have been driving the ute since you were 9 years old.  It happens.  

[polybear]

Bear here.....

A very early visit to the Co-op - I wasn't altogether hopeful that they'd have milk (it being early - and yesterday being Sunday so I wasn't sure if they'd get a delivery) but all was well.  I did note it's now £1-85 for a 4 pinter now - it was only a couple of years or so ago when they sold 2 of them for two quid.  The "Five items for a Fiver" in the freezer cabinet is now five for six quid - still a very good deal, despite one of the items (Chicken Nuggets) being donated to Buddy over the road.

 

Washing done - tick; I also decided that it would be rather a good idea to clear the sloping driveway from the road into Bear Towers - I've learnt from experience that getting the Bearmobile up the slope when covered in snow can be a pig - especially as the entrance to the drive thru' the gates is at an angle too - "taking a run at it" isn't an option if you want to be sure of avoiding the steel gate posts.  The Met website is also claiming that it'll be -5C here overnight - so the roads tomorrow will be a real skating rink.

By the time I'd cleared the driveway - and then a neighbour's front path cos' she asked to borrow my yard broom  so she could sweep it, but I knew she wasn't really up to the job - and then NNND's drive as it's right next to my drive and there's no way she would've managed it I was totally fu.....sorry, shattered.  I'm starting to think that such activities are not such a good idea after all.

 

In other news.....

The Co-op run did result in a certain goodie though - not something I'd normally succumb to, but today I just thought "Buggeritt, why not.....":

 

 

Unfortunately the use-by is today (I can string it out a bit) but it does mean I'll have to dispose of it in obscenely large wedges 😁  It was either that or landfill.....

Right, time to play Templot....

Bear gone.

 

 

[DaveF]

I went into the garage after lunch to put the non recyclables wheelie bin onto the drive so I can put it on the pavement this evening.

 

I managed to stay upright by holding on to the bin.  I have salted the drive which hasn't made much difference, I am definitely not going anywhere while it stays cold.

 

David

[Mike Bellamy]

4 hours ago, jjb1970 said:

A truly remarkable musician.

 

 . . . like Eric Morecambe teaching Andre Previn who was playing all the right notes but not necessarily in the right order.

.

[BoD]

25 minutes ago, DaveF said:

I am definitely not going anywhere while it stays cold.

 

David

 

Probably a wise decision.

 

Having done a fair bit of serious walking/climbing on mountains in winter conditions,  I used to be reasonably confident on snow and ice whilst still appreciating how dangerous it could be.  Ironically,  a couple of years ago, I managed to slip one morning when going for my morning paper and fell in a way that I really winded myself and cracked a rib.  I was in some pain for a week or two but more seriously it knocked my confidence on snow and ice for six.  I am still wary and far less comfortable when it is icy underfoot.

[Barry O]

Christmas tree has been put in its stand and decorated. That's 3 hours of my life I won't get back.

 

Lummy @DaveF  long sleeve shirts.. either they are getting soft or it is really cold!

 

Zooooommmmming to a committee meeting tonight. A lot warmer than going to the club and freezing!

TTFN

 

Baz

[Coombe Barton]

... no obvious cause from the data ,...

 

https://johncolby.wordpress.com/2022/12/12/sounds-of-the-season-2022-23-16-north-south-divide/