curiouswombat | Husband survival report!

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Husband survival report!

S2C made it to work last night - he slipped, slid, and staggered down the steep slope of our street to the main road, where there was no sign of any buses - but a taxi was trying, and failing, to go up the next street to ours.

When the driver gave up, and the passenger got out to walk the rest of the way, S2C flagged the taxi and was, therefore, able to get down to town to work.

There were no buses this morning either - however, a colleague who got in by car for 8am finally gave him a lift up to the village about 9am when it was clear that he was stuck down in Douglas. (The bus problem is caused by us all living on steep slopes - the bus routes, naturally, are through the housing estates which soon become impassable!)

So - he got there, and home, and by tonight, we hope, he will be able to take our car down.

The west of the island is cut off from the rest of us, though, as they have had the worst snow - and with the high winds the drifting has been a big problem.

This is the webcam picture of the seafront at Peel - so at sea level, and with the heavy salt spray effect...

Snow, Peel, Webcam

Pretty - but chilly. Parts of the west of the island are without electricity - high winds coupled with snow and ice on the powerlines - and may be until Monday. I really don't envy them.

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Yes, icy conditions and steep roads do not make for a pleasant way of getting around. Hopefully, he'll have an easier time tonight.

Keep warm!

We haven't had much more snow this morning, and it seems to have stopped now - so hopefully he will be able to take the car tonight.

At least it is nice and warm in the house.

Wow! That is a gorgeous pic, though.

The ruins of the castle look rather scenic when covered in snow!

Yay for successful journey!

And, erm, very pretty... brrrrrr

The castle ruins look rather pretty in the snow. But chilly. Very chilly!

Urk.. keep warm and be careful!

I am nice and warm, with no intention of going anywhere as we have plenty of food, milk, etc. Hopefully the route down to the main road will be fine for S2C to take the car tonight.

Oh dear. Sounds nasty. Yep, hills are lovely to look at and fun to have, but when the ground is slippery..... Good to know he made it there and back in one piece. Hope they've got the roads cleared by tonight.

There is never any clearing or gritting of the side roads - we just have to rely on enough traffic driving up and down to clear them. So the problem is always getting to the main roads. Even the main roads snarl up badly to start with, but as long as the traffic either keeps them open by using them, or becomes thin enough for the gritters to get through regularly, they remain fairly passable.

But this time the high winds have certainly not helped.

Yikes! Glad to know that S2C made it ok.

::sends hot chocolate::

Hot chocolate is being drunk even as I type!

Oh, no! S2C didn't hurt himself, I hope. Spring cannot come soon enough.

**sends virtual hot drink to you both**

No - he kept his feet - but I think he was probably very glad to see that taxi - the driver of which was happy to take him down to town, as he had just come up and was going that way in any case.

Good heavens, that looks frigid. So glad S2C is making it around safely.

Snow that deep at sea level is unusual - the salt spray usually means that it tends to thaw as it hits the ground. So it is a sign of how bad it was over that side of the island.

Hopefully S2C will be able to take our car to work tonight. Our road is pretty passable at the moment - and it leads straight to the main road.

I'm glad he managed safely on both ends, and I hope things improve for everyone - being without power when it's cold just stinks - very soon.

I feel very sorry for some of the people over the west side - there are farms, and small villages, that are without power and that the electricity engineers can't get to at all. It will be very cold in many of those houses, although some still have a fireplace to light a fire, at least. But, of course, there is also the problem of thawing freezers and things, too.

Oh gosh, it must be an eerie feeling to be cut off like that. I hope your power stays on, and everyone stays safe.

*tight hugs*

I think we will be fine - there has been no more snow today, despite the forecast and so I am warm and cosy. Poor husband has to go to work again tonight, though.

*shivers* I was over in the North West, yesterday, and it was heavy crossing back over the Pennines, but not as bad as that. Although I suspect I was simply lucky in my timing and route.

It's funny, isn't it, that an hour or two, or a mile or two, can make such a difference to whether you get caught in the weather over the Pennines, or it is a pleasant journey.

Glad he got there and back safely. I think I may have said this before, but for dealing with the "just get to the main road" problem I could genuinely recommend these (http://www.autosockdirect.co.uk/shop/product/22872/Autosock/AS540/?gclid=CKKz0MKfk7YCFcHHtAodOScAYA)...

You are quite right - you have mentioned them before - I remember the discussion about them and then you actually buying some and saying how well they worked; and I really did mean to get some. I actually saw some in the tyre-fitters last winter, but didn't get them... I promise that I will get some ready for next winter.

The webcam pic speaks volumes. I'm glad S2C made it back and forth safely.

I hope it all stops and Spring comes back!

Peel castle looks rather good with the snow on it - but yes, the webcam does give a good impression of how chilly it is!

It looks as if we are going to continue t have high winds and low temperatures for the next few days. Hopefully spring will get back eventually.

Keep S2C safe - no need for him to crash in a snow bank. Here we had rain all yesterday and all night, then snow all morning. And it's cold! Brrr.

So much for March and Easter Bunnies.

I feel I can look the rest of the British Isles in the eye, now that we've had some snow, too. But I think we could all do with a quick thaw and some sunshine - at the moment the rabbit comes ready frozen!

Poor S2C - having to go to work in a blizzard! I'm glad he made it safely home.

Stay indoors and keep warm :-)

I have happily stayed indoors most of the day - it is quite a nice excuse, to be honest!

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It seems to have been very, very cold for so long - a nice 20C would be good...

Oh my! Stay warm and safe.

It is nice and warm indoors - and by this morning our road is pretty passable - although there is still snow to either side of it.

Brrrrrr... I'm far enough south to have had a paltry 2-3" overnight and even that has pretty much melted off the main roads. I certainly don't envy you those icy winds, they're bitter enough here where its comparatively mild.

And I was planning to cycle these icons out to make way for Spring ones!

The winds haven't really eased much since Thursday night - we are still getting a steady 35+mph. It looks quite calm on the picture of Peel because the winds have been dues East all the tie - and Peel faces due west, so that is the most sheltered bay on the island at the moment!

And yes - looks like you'll need your wintery icons for a few days yet...

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kortirion.livejournal.com - 2013-03-24 13:54 (UTC) - Expand

For some reason, water looks so much colder than snow when I see it in wintery photos! People who don't live in windy areas can't fathom the impact it has on the weather. Wind can take a few inches of snow and make remarkable drifts and even whiteout conditions.

Glad you are snug and safe!

The wind has definitely been a major part of the problem this time - we have had steady 35-40mph winds since Thursday night, it is now Sunday morning, and they don't expect them to ease very much until about Tuesday - and then only to 18-20mph.

The sea in that picture is calmer than it is anywhere else on the island as the winds have been due East all the time - and it faces due west.

I always find buses + snow + hill to be a worrying combination. I can see why they would stop running them in these circumstances.

Glad you and yours are staying safe/stocked up on hot cocoa!

I always find buses + snow + hill to be a worrying combination.

Yes - they are really very sensible to stop them - apart fro anything else just on place where a bus gets stuck, in that weather, and everything grinds to a halt for miles in no time.

I am nicely warm and cosy - and he got to and from work fine last night.

Oh, this is rough weather! I'm so glad your husband made it work OK, but such struggles get harder as we get older! Is this kind of winter weather typical for your area? It sounds like a commuter's nightmare!

but such struggles get harder as we get older!

Absolutely. Even ten years ago I can remember him walking it with no real problems, in similar weather.

We get snow like this maybe once every couple of years - so, although we do have snow ploughs and things, we are not terribly well geared up for it. The biggest problem is that so many of us live on steep slopes - in church this morning I asked the children who were there about their roads - only two out of eight didn't live on a road with a steep slope up or down to the nearest main road.

That sea picture looks bleak!

It does, doesn't it? I was glad it was a catch from the webcam rather than me being there in person!

Aaaaaaahh, that is terrible. What sort of weather is this? grumble, grumble, etc. Good luck surviving it (and getting your electricity back!); you seem to be getting the worst of it up there.

We are fine from the point of view of power - but I don't envy those who are without. A friend made it to church today, who's had no power for about 36 hours - she said she came, mainly, to get warm! Actually she has an open fire, so has been keeping her living room warm, and her cooker runs on bottled gas as she isn't on the mains - so she said it wasn't too bad.

I'm glad your husband made it. I hope the weather improves soon. It's been wintry for long enough for you.

Yikes! I'm glad S2C made it there and back again safely! I hope everyone gets their electricity back soon!

We are lucky that our power wasn't affected - but there are some houses that have been without for four days and the electricity people don't know if they will get them all back on by tomorrow night even. I feel very sorry for them; we are so reliant on the electricity supply, and the temperature has not risen above about 3C for so long that they must all be feeling it very cold.

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