We got the Snow

[Beefsteak 305]

I've just ran SWMBO into work. I de-iced the car , left the engine running , went back in to the house and finished my coffee, went back out and had to de-ice it again, it then froze up again as I drove the mile and a half to her nursing home. I then realised why,,,,,,, it's -14 degrees!!! I kid you not.. No snow to speak of (Still can't make a snowman) but bloody hell it's cold!!!

[katyjay 5,091]

Lightweights! LOL. We've had -30F here [-34C], now THAT was cold. You thought your nose was going to fall off! My friend who's from Minnesota said as a kid, schools would close because it was -50 outside, too dangerous for the kids to be out in.

[Beefsteak 305]

The teachers are pretty peed off round here as all our schools are open !!!

It's getting dark as I type , the kids are in the back garden throwing handfulls of light powder at each other, but nothing that ammounts to a proper snowball. I had a look at the thermometer in the car, and even in the shelter of the house it's still -4.5

Oh and just to add insult to injury, the inlaws are in Adelaide for the 2nd cricket test (Having also been in Brisbane for the first test) and they tell me it's quite balmy there, I rekon she's on about the army!!

[firbeck 860]

It's doing my head in, we can't work on site, it's costing me money that I can't do without, even the planners and associated people can't get in to deal with enquiries, or so they say, but then, that's Civil Servants for you, cry off, but still get paid.

[firbeck 860]

You'll like this one, Ian and Rog.

The other morning, I came downstairs from the bog and found Jerry, our young Jack Russell scratching at the back door, I let him out into the snow where he started chasing a bird round the garden. Nowt unusual about that as he hates pidgeons, it wasn't a pidgeon, he'd disturbed a Sparrow Hawk under the Budlieagh.

After chasing him round at low level, the Hawk flew straight towards me, standing behind the patio doors. At the last moment he put out his wings and screeched to a halt in mid air, just tapping into the glass, he was carrying a rat in his talons that he dropped neatly onto the patio chair outside, he then turned and flew low over Jerry as if two fingers and dissapeared, Jerry went for the rat, but I picked it up and found only the rear part with two legs left, our friend had clearly been having a nice lunch, the rat was still warm, I was quite amazed that a Sparrow Hawk had taken on a big rat and clearly won, but the bird was a big bu99er.

[OLDACE 196]

It has been thawing nicely all day here in Shetland, but while S.E England has a bit of snow lying it will be all over the media.

Now don't forget folks, Global Warming is about climate not the weather LOL.

I liked the story about the sparrowhawk Firbeck, up here the most common raptor is the merlin, and during last winter's snow I saw one with a mouse in it's talons. Like sparrowhawks, merlins normally prey on birds, and seeing either with a rodent is most unusual. Maybe it's because rodents are more visible in the snow.

[Ayupmeducks 1,730]

The most common bird of prey around my parts are Red Tailed Hawks. I've lost several chickens to those birds, who are only about a third the size of a chicken. They swoop in from behind breaking their preys neck with their talons.

We also have Americas largest owl around these parts, they are not afraid of cats either! Many a cat falls to them at night. We also have Golden Eagles and Bald Headed Eagles.

[plantfit 7,665]

Lovely bird the Sparrow Hawk, you're lucky to see one so close, we have one in our back field and I'm caught in the middle here because I feed the birds like everyone else but when the Sparrow Hawk is hungry he just flies down from the tree and helps himself to either a blue tit, great tit, robin, chaffinch or whatever takes his fancy, still that's nature I suppose and small birds are the Hawks staple,

Don't forget to feed the birds and give them fresh water daily

Rog

[Beefsteak 305]

Unfortunately , I haven't seen my resident *Wolf whistling" Jackdaw for a few weeks, I feel he may have fallen foul to some prejudiced local 'Chav'' crow family, who just felt threatened by the precence of a local "Clever bogger"

[firbeck 860]

It started to thaw very quickly in the early hours, but now it's freezing again.

Feeding and watering the birds is a real problem, while we have feeders, the table food gets covered with snow very quickly. I have had to pour hot water into the water bowl every morning, the other day it had frozen within minutes.

Fortunately we still have plenty of grapes left on the vines which seem to be popular with the blackbirds and thrushes, they like jumping into the air to pull them down.

[Fynger 841]

soon as we clear a feeding spot its all covered again...the feeders on the windows are well visited tho.

[mick2me 3,033]

I just got back from Egypt.

There was no change in temperature!

Sharm 30c

Luton 30f

[OLDACE 196]

We have a window feeder that holds mixed seed, the starlings are messy feeders and a lot of seed falls to the ground.The sparrows, which are still very common here,eat those on the ground.

Three days ago I decided to buy another feeder, this time I got a peanut holder. None of the nuts are spilt,the sparrows like it, and I haven't had to fill it twice a day like the other one.

Apart from starlings and sparrows, the only other birds in the garden have been the local blackbirds,for them I have been spreading soft cheese on crusty bread, cutting it up and putting it under the hedge, also have been putting stilton rind in the bushes.

Four greenfinches turned up yesterday, but they were only interested in the hips off the wild Japanese roses.I grow these for the birds, and had waxwings on them a few weeks ago.

Haven't had to worry about water for the the birds, as there is a burn that runs into the sea just a short distance away.

[Beefsteak 305]

It's just dumped a load down on us , some real 'goose feathers' and real 'snowball fight snow' if you know where I'm coming from . It lasted for about 15 minutes, and then disappeared quicker than it appeared !!

[OLDACE 196]

It's been snowing on and off since early hours in Shetland, it's now blowing a bizzard, visiblity down to 25 yds at times.

I had to take the wife to the dentist this morning, we made it there and back, but will not be taking the car out again on snow covered ice.

We are supposed to go to a wedding reception on Saturday at a hall that's at the bottom of a hill, it's looking doubtful.

I suppose that when the weather gets to Notts, the winds will be less violent and the temperature a few degrees warmer, but it may well be snow on ice. I really recommend that you do not drive under such conditions.

I nearly had cause to regret doing so this morning.

[firbeck 860]

It's been a reet blizzard here for an hour, driving back from Dunmow was pretty dodgey, mainly due to the other pillocks on the roads.

By coincidence Oldace, we've got a wedding reception to go to on Saturday night, it's in a marquee!!! at the Victorian country house I've been working on. As it's down single track country roads that I've been told were hardly accessible by Landrover during the last snow blitz, I'm not enthusiastic about going.

[OLDACE 196]

Best of luck with your marquee reception Firback.

The couple getting hitched up here on Saturday have travelled all the way from Langley Mill, where they now live, I think a few Notts folk are also coming up here for the wedding. The bride and groom are Shetland born and bred, but are enjoying living in Notts.

It's still blowing a gale up here, more snow forecast, ground temp -8, but -20 with wind chill, so the salt isn't working. We've got plenty of food in, if the the power lines hold out we'll be as snug as bugs in a rug.

Just heard that the ferry from Aberdeen is cancelled tonight, the Notts party would probably have been on that.

[Fynger 841]

Langley Mill will be covered by the time they get back judging by the snow we've been getting.

[Beefsteak 305]

We have finally had a decent amount of snow , enough for snowballs and snowmen , (Well for half an hour till they got too cold!!)

It started to come down as I took the family out for a drive round to look at all the Christmas lights on the houses (You can see a few flakes on the ground in this picture)

Then as I drove around town it got scarily worse and worse , so much so that as I pulled down our Crescent, it was difficult to see the kerb!!

All in all I would say there's about 4 inches out there !!

[firbeck 860]

We didn't even attempt to get to the wedding party, we couldn't even get up our road.

It started snowing heavily here at 14:00 on saturday and about 100mm was dumped in just an hour. By evening it was still coming down, about 250mm by then, we were listening to Radio Essex and Braintree was virtually cut off, traffic was stuck for 5 hours on the A120 by-pass, the main London Road in the town centre was impassable, and a friend off ours phoned in to say they were stuck trying to get back from Colchester, so any thoughts of trying to get down 4 miles of single track country lanes was knocked on the head.

I took the dogs down the river walk early yesterday morning, the Blackwater was completely frozen over and some branches had come down over the path due to the snowload, the dogs loved the snow though, being little Jack Russells, they were cruising through the snow like little ships, up to their chests in it, I'll see if I can download the photos.

This morning I got up early to thaw out the cars, it was -14C, I'm supposed to be over at the Victorian house dismantling an early 19th century wall which is falling over, no chance, I doubt whether I'll get there and don't intend to die of exposure in the attempt, I'll stay at home and deal with some planning issues instead.

Lovely picture of your young un's Ian, aaah, the age of innocence, I've forgotten all about it.

[firbeck 860]

Strange, my last posting hasn't registered, or has it? Oh, it appears to have done now, I'm getting some wierd messages on here, I keep getting told that the web page has expired when I try to post.

[Fynger 841]

I get them messages too...just hit refresh and they seem to post ok tho.

[OLDACE 196]

Hi Firbeck, We didn't get to the wedding reception either. There was a slight thaw on Saturday, then it started to freeze again when it got dark, ie 2.00 o'clock, I wasn't prepared to risk single track roads under those conditions.

It's snowing now,but I might try to get the car out later as we are running out of beer.

It isn't as cold here as it is down south, in fact Shetland is quite often the warmest part of the UK during December and especially January.

[Beefsteak 305]

I took the kids to school this morning and my beard froze (I kid you not !!) glad I've got it now, as it's -14 here too!!!

[firbeck 860]

I took the kids to school this morning and my beard froze (I kid you not !!) glad I've got it now, as it's -14 here too!!!

Pleeeeeez can we have a photo of your good self with beard, is it of Santa proportions.