PM: The Official Blog of Blizzard '09. Send your snow photo to pm@bbc.co.uk
All day listeners have been sending in their photos. While we're on the air I won't be able to post any more...you know...what with the programme an' all. But PLEASE keep sending tonight and tomorrow to the email address above....we will get round to posting them!
There are also more snow words and pictures here. Enjoy.
1644: Alex says: "Eddy, Yet again we seem to be escaping the bad weather that summer and winter always hits the rest of the country and not us here in North-West Scotland. No snow today and virtually none all winter and last summer a stretch of almost 6-7 weeks with no rainfall and certainly no flooding at any time."
1642: "Snow! Snow! Snow! "tropical" Somerstown a little while ago... Aaargh... me date palm!!! Alan Slater"
1640 Katherine sends this from Andover:
At lunchtime Ben sent us a photo of a rather unsnowy Warwick (see below...) - he's sent a snap from his mobile more recently, saying "Looks as though I spoke too soon earlier..."
From far afield at 1623: "Darling Eddy, Just to let you know we've not had a drop of rain or flake of snow here in Beijing since the last rainfall in October. I am unfortunately certain that nothing will stop me from getting to work on time for my performance review in time tomorrow morning. Love and hugs, Nick"
1620: "Dear Eddie. Thought you might like to see a picture of my dog's first experience of proper snow. He was simultaneously overjoyed and confused; although that's not difficult for a Springer. His name's Magic. Kind regards, Ana"
1616: The Parakeets of Catford, South London. 14.00 hours, from J. Webber:
1615: An email (from someone who asked us not to use his name) says: "Do you know that employers are telling employees that work 50 miles from home and in Sheffield that they have to go home and not book a hotel room. Many schools in Sheffield were closing at lunchtime and some before. The bus routes are passable, but some are not, with care but the by-roads are poor and there are many steep hills. It is snowing heavily and my daughter is still at work (4.10pm)fifty miles away and has to travel home."
1610 from France we've received this: "The current snowfall is completely unacceptable. Surely the time has come for the government to legislate and pass a bill to Ban Snowing in a Public Place. This snow which has apparently arrived from Eastern Europe is displacing British snow, which is the right type of snow, and proves yet again that the UK Border Agency is incapable of preventing invasions of foreign snow. All foreign snow without the correct documentation should be rounded up and deported.
Snowing should only be permitted in private under the supervision of an adult who has been trained by the Health and Safety Executive in relevant matters, such as the correct way of using Wellington Boots. Each snowflake should have a health warning attached, and a label indicating its origin.
The government should also set robust snow reduction targets, thus sending a clear message to the world that Britain will be trail blazers in "the War on snow".
Best regards, Eric Bowyer-Wilson."
1608: Sid sends this snap of "Mr Squirrel, waiting for his nuts ..."
1605: Mark sends Jacob in the snow:
1530 Norman Fitch in the London Borough of Croydon says: "The table is 2m diameter so note the height of the snow on it":
1522 from Rosie: "Hi Eddie, We were coming to a recording of Old Harry's Game this evening at Broadcasting House. Just had an email to say it has been cancelled. Do you think that Hell has frozen over?"
1515: What architects do at lunch: "Dear Eddie, My husband built this with his architect colleagues during his lunchbreak. At least someone's building something during the credit crunch.....Charlotte, Romsey, Hampshire"
1513: "No school. It's snowing in Winchester. "The best day of my life" Jessica aged 6."
1455 and Steven Piercy asks: "I don't suppose those of us who drive 4x4s who made it into work and are contributing to the economy whilst the eco-warriors are sat at home with the heating on will get any thanks"
1448 Eileen sends: "Emily (16) during a break in her study leave (Higher prelims) in Kinross, Scotland."
1445 brings this from "Algy Keuneman, Popes Lane, South Arctic":
1438: Eloise sends "my kids with a rather disturbing snow-lady (look carefully) in Kensington High Street. we didn't build it.. "
1437: "A heavily-laden yew tree outside our back door. Over a foot of snow here - enough to keep my children busy all day! Perky"
1427: "Dear Eddie, I attach a picture of the SnowHoward I just made in the garden. (Howard Moon from the Mighty Boosh). As appropriate he has raisins for eyes. I also attach the snow angel I made. Love, Mary (Age 31 and a half)"
1423: "Hi Eddie, a weather related replacement for a sandwich board, attempting to attract customers into a cafe on Eastcastle Street. Perhaps one of the sadder looking of Oxford Street's local snowmen, especially with that gammy eye, but I like his intent. The others are just lazing around being photographed. This one's proactive at least. Kyla"
1420: "Wandsworth Common Station this morning and tracks alongside Wandsworth Common leading to Clapham Junction; Wandsworth Common pines and pots in my back garden SW11....from Denise Mueller-Brown"
1410: Nils is having to work from home today and will do his Upshares Downshares via his ISDN line. He's just sent this photo of himself as he recorded an interview at 1400 for tonight's programme:
1404 David Tribe: "Waiting for Victoria train in vain at Cheam Station"
1403: Simon Tocker says "I see no snow. I came equipped with shovels, waterproofs and a flask of coffee and work was like this , next to nowt. Most disappointed."
1355: Clare Parkinson sends these of Crystal Palace this morning:
1345 Brian says: "Henry Moore...an original work?"
1342...sent from a mobile..."Here's the picture in Warwick. What little snow we had is thawing and the race course (in the background of the photo) is still mainly green. Slippery underfoot but still business as usual! Ben N (Mittfh)"
1338: "Brrr indeed, we couldn't get through to TfL's website this morning so heeded the radio warnings and stayed tucked up under the duvet with copious quantities of tea. Photos attached of the street outside on the edge of Epping Forest, taken from the bedroom window. Cheers, Gaye Monhollen-French" The first two are from last night then this morning:
1324: "...it's snowing, and I'm ill. Isn't it great? Don't know if it was a snow day at school but hey, I'm off! happy days, from Megan."
1322: Huw sends "The Clyde and the SECC in Glasgow, in the snow":
1315: Taken from the third floor of the Maths Building looking towards the
clock tower that is now a museum. The other is as it is now. Complete with snow falling! Enjoy, Lonnie"
"Here's our dog Jake in Milton Country Park - he had a great time. Paul Oldham"
1300: Annie McKie STILL reading the news on Radio 4.
1256: Just been sent this from the newsdesk: "The helicopter is on the ground until further notice because of bad weather"
1255: "View out of my office window at 12.40. The sun does sometimes shine on Northern Ireland! From Qualified Loon":
1231: "...here are a few views out of my square windows in East Lothian. Snow was bad enough that he couldn't get his car up the drive, but mine's a 4 x 4 so he's away in that instead - share and share alike. The photo with the witch hazel would have been far more interesting had the jay, the woodpecker, the robin, the 2 great tits and 3 blackbirds not all flown out of the picture just as I took it :-( ValeryP"
1220: Andy Williamson - fit as a flea after his transplant...sends this: "Hi Eddie, arrived at Guy's Hospital at 10.30 for a Dermatology check-up - us transplantees are prone to skin cancer due to the immunosuppression drugs. Glad to hear that my skin is all clear.. (and, incidentally, that all those expensive 'blackhead removing exfoliating face scrub creams' are a complete waste of time - how many other such things are still allowed to advertise such claims? IPM perhaps?). Here's a pic (about 11.45am) of the site of 'The Shard' next to London Bridge station. It's normally a deafening hive of demolition (sadly no huge ball-and-chain action - all seems very precise, almost surgical). But today all the huge yellow Tonka-type machines were eerily silent."
1130: A BLOG POSTING BY ANNIE MCKIE, WHO'S BEEN KEEPING RADIO 4 ON THE AIR...Annie was on shift yesterday afternoon and evening...and then this morning, and she'll be on this afternoon too. Here she is after her 1100 bulletin...along with her words:
"Got into work from my cold but snowless isolated cottage up a track, on top of a hill in the middle of a Forest in the middle of nowhere at 5 pm Sunday.Worked the Late News shift, during which this huge efficient,frantically busy and well populated major European city became stilled by swirling blizzards.Finished shift at 12.30."Slept" (lay down for a couple of hours on a sofa in a boiling hot, brightly lit glass box (not THAT glass box, this place is full of them.) Started Early News shift at 4.30 am., carried on into Day News shift at 11.00. Might get out at 4.00. That's almost a twenty-four hour shift! Back tomorrow morning at 4.30 am. Hey Ho...it's not exactly coal mining though is it? Oh, and news from the Home Front....still no snow in the Forest!"
1130: Our editorial meeting has finished. Reporter Jon Manel (who came in on a van...see previous posting) sends this of his neighbour this morning:
1051: Annie McKie has been keeping Radio 4 on the air all last night and all morning. She slept here at work. Peter Donaldson should have been with us on PM tonight but is also stuck in the snow. Annie will write something for the Official Blog of Blizzard '09 a bit later.
1050: Nils Blythe stuck at home and will do Upshares from there tonight.
1047: "Eddie, I took these this morning (Monday) when going to buy a newspaper. We got 4-5 inches of snow in St Albans. David McNickle"
1035: "Eddie & huskies...Here's a photo taken just about 10am to prove that the south east of England aren't the only ones getting a bit of snow. This is the view from my sick bed (if I lever myself up a bit) across the south side of Glasgow...The Stainless Steel Cat."
1016: Our last producer, Sophie, has just made it in,
1015: Rachel Gooch writes: "Children off school, hurrah! Made the best snowman for several years. But at 10am it is already starting to thaw, boo.....>"
1013: Our tip top news organiser Laurie Margolis writes: "The "Snow Event" we keep hearing about will hit around rush hour. The area affected at first will be southeastern England from Norfolk down to the south coast, into London and the Thames Valley, and there will be "heavy and persistent snow", with strong winds. The snow will later move through the Midlands, into the North and Scotland."
0959: Snow in the Isles of Scilly
0957: ALL BA flights from Heathrow cancelled till 5pm
0940: People in the snowy areas are being told not to travel unless it's necessary. Did you heed that advice? We're thinking of doing an item in the programme tonight.
0930: Amanda (the World at One deputy editor has just arrived. From Basingstoke....she's normally here before 7am):
And here is a close up of Amanda's wellies: 
0931: Steve Mitchell, who's in charge of all of us and then some, has also just made it in. 
0920: Crowthorne @6am:
0915: 
Andrew Willis sends this: ""May", 7-months old Lhaso Apso encounters snow in "Her" garden earlier this morning in Taplow, Bucks"
0913: When I came in there were already people hard at work inside the TV Centre complex, clearing paths for us. Our thanks to them. And one just went by the window:
0910: Meeting over. Among the things we're looking at for tonight: reports that lots of travel websites have been down...so that people looking for train/bus etc info online have been rather stuck. Any experience of that?
0830: The PM editor Briony has just arrived! So has Jeremy, the Commissioning Czar. Some people who don't normally make programmes are being drafted in. Off now to the 0830 editorial meeting. If you have a snow pic sent it to pm@bbc.co.uk.
0811: Reporter Jon Manel has arrived having hitched a lift in a Halal delivery van. The World at One's Martha Kearney is here after walking from home for more than an hour. Here she is, and yes that's the Glass Box in the background: 
0805: They're having trouble getting people in to look after Radio 4 continuity in Broadcasting House. The Today studio (which after 0900 becomes the World at One production studio) might be used for continuity purposes for a while here at TV Centre)
0753: Still no more staff. Have decided to turn this entry upside down. Send photos to pm@bbc.co.uk
0750: PM deputy editor Mark has made it in. WATO has an editor and one producer at the moment.
0746:
"Eddie, Its fairly deep up on the North Downs. As you can see from the picture out of my front window. Regards, RJM"
0745: Martha Kearney is walking to work as her car was cancelled. And she doesn't live round the corner. Tune in at 1 to hear if she makes it.
Below is the view from my office window at 0735 - the radio car is outside. PM and World at One staff are on the phone all the time, trying very hard to make it to work. Many are reporting that public transport has pretty much ground to a halt.
Send your photos to pm@bbc.co.uk...and leave your "white hell" stories here by clicking on Comments.
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Everyone must be at the Snow EVENT.
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I took a photo of Alder Hey Children's Hospital when I got into work but unfortunately I brought the wrong USB lead in so I can't download it from the camera. Durrr!
Anyhoo, there's enough in Liverpool to make me skid going round the park and for a snowball fight! Not too much chaos here though, clearly we're all well 'ard in the NorthWest! :-P
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Eddie, how on Earth did you manage to get in? Are you at the studio 24/7? (Or in English, 3.42857)
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The snow may be cold and slippery but not as cold as Lord Mandleson's heart or as slippery as his tongue.
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Oh dear, BBC reporters are now having to dodge snowballs while doing outside broadcasts.
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SSCat @5 - have you been listening to Radio Derby then? I thought you were much further north. But perhaps snowballing is obligatory for all BBC reporters today.
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Crisis! Crisis!
Yet, as Britain grinds to a halt, the calm, measured tones of Eddie and Martha will be on hand to reassure and inform.
Well done, Eddie and Martha! Well done, those of you who have managed to make it to work!
And thanks, Eddie, for the lovely photos of Television Centre under the snow - all very tranquil and still.
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Snow! What snow?
It's lovely where I am. A tad cold I'll grant you but not a sign of the white stuff.
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My Snow Hell. Got up 10 minutes earlier than usual. Forced kids out of bed. Using the Phrase "Its Snowing!" Works every time they think its great.
Logged onto the local radio web site for school closures. The schools in our villages, one of the highest in yorkshire, not listed. If our schools are open the rest of you should be there.
Cleared 2 inches of snow off car. Got to main road, Its clear. esay drive to work as everyone has taken Beebs advice and stayed home.
First px there at 9.00 am. So far rest have not turned up. Two have cancelled.
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Eddie - it that a milk float?
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Weather Chaos Cripples Britain
Southern Britain is at a standstill today, with unprecedented heavy snow causing travel chaos.
Up to 5cm of snow fell across southern England, resulting in the complete shutdown of Heathrow, London City and Luton Airports, the suspension of bus services in London and most motorways impassable.
There were scenes of panic across the country, as vital public services collapsed under the Polar conditions. News stations have been carrying rolling coverage of the devastation, and emergency disaster procedures are being implemented to prevent further catastrophe.
Rioting broke out in London's financial district after it was discovered that due to the exceptional climactic conditions, Coffee Republic could not serve customers. There have also been reports of panic-buying in supermarkets, as people rush to prepare for an apocalyptic next few days.
The hellish conditions - the worst snowstorms in eighteen years - are believed to be the first sign of the 'End of Days', as predicted in the Book of Daniel. Many God-botherers are openly praying in the streets, though there is disagreement over whether The Beast will manifest himself in cold conditions.
Prime Minister Gordon Brown appealed for calm, saying that he was "getting on with the job of protecting people in these times of troubled weather". He added that the Cabinet were considering a 'snow bailout package', and refused to be drawn on whether he would meet with the Four Horsemen should they arrive in London this week.
More snow is expected in the next week, and BBC weathergirl Carol Kirkwood said, "well, basically, we're screwed. We can expect another 5cm of snow over the next three days, which the Met Office believe will lead to the complete breakdown of society".
The Met Office has released a Severe Hyperbole Warning for forecasts over the next three to five days.
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Stewart - did you consider heeding the advice about not travelling? We're thinking of talking about that tonight. Who considers themselves to be "essential"?
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Stewart M (9) - practically all schools in Essex are closed. Not much snow (5cm-ish round here) - it's the steepness of the hills that causes the problems.
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Crikey !! I had not a jot of an idea of a clue who that was until you explained it was Martha Kearney !
Remember, when the people on the radio say 'unless your journey is essential..' making WATO and the PM programme is jolly essential - well to me anyway..
p.s. I wonder if Martha will have to kip down in the office tonight in her 'sleeping bag' - or maybe you could all bunk up in the building 'Big Brother' style ?
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Well, I did the drive from South Oxon to Southampton as normal, and it wasn't fun on the A34. Most of the time, we were all in the slow lane doing a little over 50mph. Usually you'll see hordes of sales reps screaming past at 90 plus, but even they were taking it carefully. There were a couple of cars off the raod, but that was about it. I just hope I can get home again this evening.....
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Well done all you BBC people. Many schools in the west of Suffolk are closed, mainly because most children get to school by bus and many of these aren't running. Also the forecast for later means headteachers are worried that they won't be able to get the children home again. Our village school opened but many of those children can walk to school. I do hope they are allowed out to play in it though.
The Suffolk CC website page with school closures on it crashed this morning which was unhelpful, but BBC Radio Suffolk (to which I can only bear to listen on days like these) did its usual good job of letting us know what is closed.
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Me (5):
The reporter who was previously getting pelted with snowballs by the refinery protestors is now standing by a big mob of police. No snowballs this time.
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It's snowing here again now, but there was only a couple of centimetres overnight. Enough to give us a great view of the paw prints going over the back garden. Our cat's prints, going to and from his cat flap into the cellar, and a very clear series of much bigger prints which must have been a fox, going all around everywhere then ending by going to the cat-sized hole in the side fence, which he must have squeezed through to go off down the drive. It's lovely soft snow.
SO and mpb have gone off to a nearby suburb in Derbyshire which is a bit hilly, to her piano lesson. I hope the road has been gritted! No doubt she will be full of their adventures when they get back.
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I see from the Martha Kearney photo that you still have your John McCain posters up. Better luck next time, eh?
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And if you look closely (19) you'll see an Obama one above it.
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Eddie, 12. I'm not essential. Eye exams can always wait. But someone needed to be here to fend off the phone calls. I half expect the 90 year old booked in at 11.00 am to turn up for her appointment.
Forecast is bad here for tomorrrow but again I will have to try and get in. Even if its only to cancel bookings and come home!
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Eddie (12) My husband thought it was essential - he's in charge of the bin men who are starting a new collection service today.
If they can do their jobs, then he'd better be there, too. He did take a shovel with him, though.....and no, it's not for picking up the rubbish that gets left behind!
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And if you look closely (19) you'll see an Obama one above it.
Easy, tiger!
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Eddie (12): Funny you should say that.
In my life as a teacher, I would make every effort to get into school during severe weather conditions, often to be turned away once I'd arrived. This used to irk me because I was always careful to ring ahead to the deputy head in charge of staff to check the situation at the school and would then sometimes face appalling cross country driving conditions to get to work.
In 1987, on hurricane night, having been kept awake all night by breaking glass, falling trees, howling wind, and even (in the case of the house opposite me) a whole side of the house being destroyed, I phoned in to say that, given that the air was still full of flying objects, I didn't deem it safe to drive 15 miles cross country to work. The DH told me that 'he' would be going in and that he hoped all other staff would consider their responsibilities. On that one occasion I decided that I would not risk it, and have no regrets.
In the event, a handful of staff managed to get into school in spite of roads being blocked by trees and all manner of other hazards. Needless to say, the school was closed.
My point is: Is it not extremely irresponsible for employers to put moral pressure upon staff to endanger themselves at such times? If the police say 'avoid travel unless it is absolutely essential', surely that should be heeded?
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Oo-er, the blog has transposed the posts!
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My 90 year old is only 86 but she has just arrived. Obviously, she feels that her appointment is essential.
The 25 year old and 23 year old who have not come must think otherwise. So this suggests an age approach to the risk of travel!!
i.e. some just take the opinion its a day off!
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Eddie:
Can you and the team make an Official Blog Blizzard '09 snowman for us and post up the results, please? Pretty please?
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And please can it wear Amanda's wellies?
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... and Amanda's hat, Martha's pink scarf and be carrying Stewart's briefcase?
Pretty please?
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I seriously considered not going in to work today. But, as the office is just along the hall from the bedroom and doesn't involve going outside at all, I was not confident that my boss (me) would wear it.
I am available for Continuity work if anyone wants me...
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I hope someone's made Annie McKie some coffee.
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Hope the Line to Nils is good. Or will you be doing Crackly Mobile phone reports from your not so roving reporters today?
I suppose in this day and age of Broadband/ISDN one can broadcast from almost anywhere.
Obviously you need the "kit" there in the first place.
Oh! Phone just rang
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well no snow here. but that's not all that surprising really!
We did have amazing rain this morning though which was probably just as much a driving hazard as the snow in the UK. Had to inch along the road to work and arrived a good 45mins late. Given that the office is less than 10 mins drive from my house you could suggest some of the lateness was due to hitting the "sleep" button on my alarm a few times. you'd be right)
As a result of the rain things are much cooler here. Which is good because yesterdays sunburn (I know, it was far from intentional) is glowing somewhat!
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Fifi, Like you, I walk to work, but it's from sleeping outdoors to working nearby and (sort of) indoors...here's someone else with a "home office" - off topic, maybe, but just Fine
Who won, anyway? Do we care?
Y'all take care, y' heah!
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Where's Neil Sleat when you need him?
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Interesting to see all these centimetres popping up; I thought snow-depths were the last bastion of Imperial measures.
Up to two inches on my hedge now...
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A spokesman for Gordon Brown said:
"Its British Weather for British Workers".
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Mrs Eff (35) - He's stuck in traffic with Mariella Frostrup and Peter Snow.
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I think this snow will have saved the economy millions of pounds.
Adults were actually playing with their children who learned more about friction and trajectories than they ever would at school. Neighbours chatted to each other, even the ones who I had not spoken to for 20 years.
The manic workaholic got his skis out and made a piste for the children to sledge down.
All that and its only 1 p.m.
And one for the mathematicians:-
If it takes two people 4 hours to dig to the end of the driveway, what is the probability that either of them will be at work tomorrow?
Answer: Nil. They have both done their back in.
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"The helicopter is on the ground until further notice because of bad weather"
Ahah! So that's how Eddie managed to get in so early. But now, how will he get home?
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Boris says he came to work on his bike!
Yo Boris!
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Eddie
Some Cristmas Tree lights would look good on those trees at the BBC Centre.
Go on, you got a couple of spare moments...
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I'm sure one of the sports presenters did his spot on the Today programme from a cupboard under his stairs once when the weather prevented him from getting in to work......
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RJM (39) How strange. I appear to have done my back in this morning, through over-enthusiastic snow clearance. Now I will probably not come to work tomorrow; I had been planning to visit Reading (TVP).
Mrs. F (35) I don't own any leats. Hope that doesn't make you apostrophic with rage.
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Not much snow in Kenilworth or Warwick - the racecourse is still largely green, as evidenced by a photo I took a few minutes ago from the office, which is currently en-route to PM...
Meanwhile, looking at all the footage of Londoners attempting to cope with this strange white stuff (which must be quite alien for them!) on BBC Breakfast this morning, I spotted the weather team have built a snowman in the Blue Peter Garden...
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Gosh, the phrase 'Much Ado about Nothing..' really springs to mind.
A few flakes of snow and the hyperbole machine goes into overdrive...
'Blizzard...' 'Massive disruption...', 'Country at a standstill...'
Anyone would think people had never seen snow before. And the idea that every one seems to think that this is such a rarity that they are entitled to a free day off work...
Can you imagine if Scandinavians had the same attitude ?
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Well, it's back on again here in East Lothian, but the dog needs walked, and to be perfectly honest, as you can see, there's not much to get worked up about here. I wish I had a photo of the February when we could sledge down the drive and over the top of the fence because the snow was so deep. Mind you we had a power cut for 3 days, which wasn't nearly so much fun.
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Val,
Would that be '96, when we had a foot of the white stuff, even here by the SW coast? Brilliant, and it lasted for days....Ah, the memories of sledging and riding my neighbour's multiple occupancy hugely over-inflated Tractor inner tube....totally un-steerable, so a real case of going with the flowwwwwhhhheeeeee,....thump!
;-)
ed
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There was a chap from the Scottish Borders on the telly showing us how much snow had fallen..
But they had to get him off PDQ as the fact that people were driving around on the road behind as normal didn't really fit the 'country is grinding to a standstill..' script mandated by the fact that london is disproportionately affected.
This like the closure of the mines and the recession 'up north' getting little or no coverage, but when workers in the 'City' start to feel the effects, the media go into overload.
A more circumspect approach and a bit of perspective wouldn't go amiss - as would reminding people that in many places the gritters have been working and people are carrying on with business as usual.
But of course that isn't really news...
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My good Lord BG: I couldn't agree with you more (and I speak as a resident of the home counties). It really is about time we started distributing the madness that is our capital around the country, where it might simmer down a little and begin to do some good.
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This is the dictionary definition of blizzard..
"blizzard noun a severe snowstorm characterized by low temperatures and strong winds that blow large drifts of dry powdery snow upward from the ground, resulting in much reduced visibility.
ETYMOLOGY: 19c: probably imitating the sound of one."
Of course, I'm sure you are just being a bit tongue-in-cheek, but the truth is that real news is being obscured by this story.
I hope you will be reporting PROPER news on PM tonight, like what is happening on the 'British Jobs for British Workers' strikes, and the Sellafield walk out. Or might that be a bit too tricky for the Labour Government ?
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All power to martha kearney for getting in to work (Big Sister @ 7), but I was profoundly unimpressed by her rudeness while interviewing the Mayor of London in the one o'clock news.
Not only did she seem to expect him to make prophecies about the weather (not his job) and to have provided more grit for buses than there was available, she interrupted him not just once but repeatedly while he was trying to announce that the congestion charge was being waived for the day (which was a lot more interesting and important than anything *she* was saying) and finally said 'on yer bike' at him in order to shut him up in mid-sentence.
He may be a buffoon, but what's *her* excuse? Nasty journey in?
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The picture at 14:23:
British jobs for British snowmen?
And at 14:27:
Inspector Clouseau!
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How very odd I seem to have been referred to the mods for mentioning that Radio Derby was involved in snowball throwing this morning!
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Please can Nils say something like -
In The City there was mayhem, misery and chaos, so at least some people aren't letting the weather effect them.
Snow exclusive: it’s both cold and wet
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Anne P. (54):
I was beginning to wonder just what it was that had you still moderated after all this time.
Still snowing in Glasgow, but the builders working on the new house down the road are still chugging away with their pneumatic drills etc.
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Well I have been and done an essential home visit (yes in a 4x4) Only needed the 4x bit in the nursing home car park. Back at work now to hopefully see last two patients. Not been able to contact them so we assume they are turing up. Then I'll shut up early.
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Chris (52):
I'm not so sure. The congestion charge is of purely local interest, entirely irrelevant to the majority of the nation, whereas politicians' lack of preparedness for extreme weather is a serious and important matter across the country.
We've known this snow was coming for what, four or five days? Questions should be asked of any local authority unable to acquire grit and salt at that kind of notice *during the winter*.
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Oh! Children! Come and look out of the window! We are having a snow event! Isn't that exciting? A great raging ville-burying snow event! Put your coats on! You can go and buld a snow event man. Then you can get a Throckmortons Farms carrot and shove it in his snow event boat race for a carrot event garden hose! Isn't that fun! And if you like, you can shove a besom up his snow event Astrakhan coat and pretend he is a snow event witch. Be quick now! Soon the snow event will thaw event and we'll be back to chucking it down events and currant bun events! And then afterwards, you can come inside and watch that nice Mr. Mandy on the telly talking down to us as if we were blobs of intellectually-challenged plankton in exactly the same way, telling us that if we are having an unemployment event, we can go to Patagonia.
Isn't that wonderfully patronising saucepan lids!
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SSC (58) Grit and salt are only ever useful when they are not covered by snow.
It would have been pointless having our road gritted today - even our footprints are being covered over very quickly.
This was the Mayor's point when I heard him on the radio earlier today.
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The information highway is snowbound....
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A snowplough passed me on the C road, whilst I was out walking the dog. An unusual event normally, and not altogether welcomed because I was on the *wrong* side :-(
The most interesting part was that although he had a truck full of grit, he wasn't spraying it. My take? I suspect he was on his way to somewhere more important, and didn't want to waste it, but felt obliged to use the plough just to impress.
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We are all at home in deepest Leicestershire today - two of us (me a teacher and my daughter a Year 13 student) because our respective schools are closed, and my husband because he realised if the roads are bad enough for schools to be closed, then they will be too bad for him to get to work.
Not impressed by my village shopkeeper (and friend) who suggested that teachers should have a day's salary docked.
I got a text message at 2.30 telling me my daughter's school was closed for the day. Phew! Glad we didn't send her!
It is now four o'clock and, after intermittent snow this morning, it has now been coming down solidly for two hours. Oh dear. School might be closed tomorrow too. Oh gloom (not)
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Gillianian (60):
Fair enough, snowploughs then. A bit more expensive to have "just in case" but if all this hoo-hah has any justification and isn't just the media whipping up hysteria, then wouldn't it be worth it?
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So, one snowman says to the other: 'Can you smell carrots?'
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Prize for the best photo must go to Jessica from Winchester for that gleeful face while sledging. And, having grown up on the south coast I know what a very rare thing it is to have snow there. Lovely!
(Obviously, there is no prize and, if there were, BBC terms and conditions would apply and Eddie would have filled the relevant forms out in triplicate cont. p.94)
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I see that Nils has "bbc hands" even when he's working from home. And he's dressed. I think he's missing the point.
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I was thinking that it would be useless to have snow ploughs because, after 20 years without use, they probably would not start and would be out of date technology wise. Something like the Green Goddesses fire engines the army roll out when we have a fireman's strike. But then I thought, no, that's rather British isn't it. Like something out a story by John Wyndham.
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Those of us who've heard of the Younger Dryas are investing in longjohns....
Cool!
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RJM (68):
I always though a snowplough was just a great muckle bit of bent metal hooked onto a suitably large lorry. Say, a gritter or bin-motor (dustcart if you prefer).
But that would probably involve forward planning and be dead against the "just-in-time" culture that business people seem so enamoured of these days. So I'm sure we won't hear from any business types complaining about how much money they've lost today...
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If all these people being interviewed "had to work to walk" then it's obviously possible. Why do they only do it when it snows?!
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SSC
That works OK in the countryside but in towns you have to remove the snow rather than push it on to the pavement. This requires sucking it up and compacting it in the back of the snowplough. Nice bits of kit but quite expensive.
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Oops, obviously I meant "walk to work".
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Cynique,
Decades ago...;-)
ed
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Your reports about the 'snow event' (more pointless jargon) missed the main point about national paralysis – the national sport of malingering.
Most of the transport companies had put in place measures as a result of the weather forecasts. You reported that they were content with the effectiveness of such measures. The failure seemed to be down to lazy people who used the snow as an excuse not to turn up to work.
My receptionist spoke to her sister, who would not leave her house to drive 1 mile down a dual carriageway to her workplace at Heathrow airport. I had driven from Worcestershire to Heathrow that very morning with no problems. Thank you to the Highways Agency and the various councils for their efforts which enabled me.
I spoke to a friend who works for Kent County Council, one of whose managers (28 years old) did not show up to work despite living less than a quarter of a mile away from his office.
Schools close immediately a sprinkling of snow appears, placing unwelcome childcare pressures on parents and cutting national productivity. No wonder our children are ill-educated and inculcated with an ethos of bunking off.
The default setting in the event of snow in UK is automatically to absent oneself from one’s duties without even trying to reach or undertake them, possibly citing health and safety legislation as a weak excuse. It is feeble but perfectly summarises the prevailing 'victim' attitude in this country. GET A GRIP AND PULL YOUR WEIGHT YOU PATHETIC PEOPLE.
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Less than a teacup full here, cannot even make a snow ant, let alone a sonwball.
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While all the pics here - and indeed most of the news stories - are a bit of a much needed lark, but this whole story is a good illustration of much bigger climate related issues.
As reported, this snow was well forecast at least 3 days ago so it should have been easy for people to either plan not to try to travel last week - or to arrange to be where you needed to be on Sunday. For the operators of things like public transport, I'd expect that to mean them getting staff to where they needed to be on Sunday rather than waiting until Monday morning to say 'Everything was well planned - but the staff didn't turn up'.
Of course, as I write that, I can already hear people saying, "But we couldn't tell exactly what it would be like could we? So how do you expect us to do all that stuff?".
OK - fair enough - a bit of fun in the snow, and some delayed hospital appointments, meetings - and lots of business for hotels at airports and in city centres.
But for years, highly educated, intelligent people in the relevant sciences have been (without any financial motives) have been warning about the likely effects of continuing to use - and depend on - fossil fuels. At the same time, lots of people, most of them NOT highly educated or intelligent in these areas (and with large financial motives through selling advertising or goods) have pooh-poohed these warnings and muddied the waters to the extent that large numbers of the population believe that there's not much to worry about and that the current economic 'downturn' will bounce back like they always have before.
The extreme weather we are going to have to deal with as a result of ignoring these warnings is going to have much more severe effects than a few inches of snow (even if it does last all week). The hardships we would have to put up with if we really did try to reduce our energy consumption now (even if it may be too late already) - and redesigned our economic system to cope with all of those effects - are as nothing to the hardships we will face if we just carry on "doing the recycling" but still living in hot houses, flying and driving unnecessarily.
As for people like me who depend on expensive (currently NHS-funded) drugs to survive - I expect that these are some of the first 'luxuries' that will become impossible to get. Perhaps we should be among the head-in-the-sand crowd now and just enjoy life while we can, as it seems that not enough people are really facing up to what's coming.
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Trying for the umptieth time to post here....
Commenting on this thread is a bit of a challenge: trying to scroll down through all the pictures crashed the programe five times in a row, and I have sneaked up on it from the Glass Box and 'next', followed by 'go to end', in order to get here... :-) Clearly it's an attempt to make us feel we are really trying to get to work.
Snow-ploughs are expensive bits of kit that will probably sit around unused for 995 days out of 1000 in much of the south of England, so if London had lots of them no doubt Boris would be being accused of stupid extravagence.
I was highly amused, though, when the new county of Avon suffered serious snow (ie about an inch and a half over a day or so) a couple of decades ago and ground to a halt, at which point it was discovered that they hadn't bothered to buy any snow-ploughs because if they needed them they could always borrow them from Somerset or Wiltshire. Snow clearly falls only county by county and only in one county at a time!
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I can't believe you've spent the whole programme covering the snow in the southeast.
Did anything else happen today?
Or did the whole world grind to a halt because southeast Britain had a bit of snow?
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RJM (72):
That's a good point. I remember as a young 'un trying to cross the road through a ploughed drift almost as big as me because it had just been shoved aside. Of course there were fewer cars in those days* so there was room to shove it to the pavement.
* The only chap up our close who owned a car had a lovely wee Hillman Minx. That should date it (and me).
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I do agree about the south-eastism of today. Yes I know it's been bad down your way, and that it had to be reported, but next time we have a weather crisis in Cumbria, like the terrible winds we had before Christmas, please will you show you care by giving us just a little of your time?
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Hi,
Why have we all gone soft? When I were a lad we went to school whatever the weather. We had snowball fights in the playground and made ice slides. The buses (London Country Area RTs) kept on running. Southern Region ran trains through the night to keep the lines open. Now the schools chuck the kids out because they don't want to be responsible for them, so the kids go and muck about in the streets instead. Privatised bus operators don't want to damage their buses and their profits, or is it that the buses we have now don't handle as well as the older ones?
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Snow In London!
...so, there wasn't any actual news today, then?
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SSC @ 80, but the Hillman Minx was *huge*! Are you sure it wasn't a Hillman Imp?
(Got here via 'volunteering' this time, and signed in there as well)
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whizzofan @ 82 - you were lucky! It's true though, I don't remember my primary school ever closing for any reason. I have an abiding memory of socks steaming on the radiators. There were 45 kids in my class, 1 teacher, outside toilets. Eh, they don't know they're born nowadays. Lightweights
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Three cheers for Annie McKie, I say.
Mind you, as one who's lived in Scotland for a fair bit of her life, and has heard this snow predicted for days... why was it so much of a surprise for the transport authorities?
But to be positive, it is rather beautiful. Last night, with the new old-fashioned lamp-posts and the snow falling, it looked a bit like Narnia. If you closed one eye and ignored the car-shaped snow heaps.
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I am an English teacher in Slovakia (spoken english not writen so exscuse my dyslexia). I teach the national manager of a waste/services company. His company won the tender for 'winter maitanace' in Bratislava (the capital) snow clearing etc. One thing he has mentiond recently is that due to the unpridictable nature of the weather and the high cost of maintaing enugh trucks, traind personel ect he must soon make a desiction about weather to compet for the tender agein.
So the moral of this story is, you might not be able to find companys who will clean snow off the streets. Local authoritys would have to maintain a stock of equipment and maintain skills with in there existing work force to cope with snow.
Also if exsperenced companies choice not to offer this service to privatised rail companies those companys would have to create them in house. Providing an exscuse for yet another fair increase.
No amount of warning will help if theres no company who whants to clear snow.
Hear in Slovakia during the gas crissis there were tempratures of -24 (I have to go out on to my balconie to smoke so I felt it). THere were also upwoulds of 50cm of snow in some of the more rural mountanus areas. Most of wich still have centralised govenment road maitance services. So amagin how that felt and how dificult it was for them to get to work. The skiing was grate though.
So, in conclution: Its all a lot more complicated than white bits falling out of the sky!
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Well took me an hour and a half to get home. Just as I was about to turn off main road the Snow plough coming down nearly rammed me. Its a push snow to one side one (and in a city). Interestingly the main road where I live at 350 M above sea level was clearer than the hill up to it. I wonder if thats due to the grit depot being just along the road and the grit spitter is a little too generous!
The country got the pleasure of Paul The Weatherman. He's our local Beeb weather man.
But the whole country seemed to decide it was not essential toady and took the South East's lead and decided to stay at home.
Currently not Snowing here.
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It's not fair! I'm listening to the news at ten, and they are saying that the schools plan to shut tomorrow as well as today. We didn't get days off school for the snow in 1963, we simply had to walk in -- which was great fun, climbing over the mountains of snow people had shovelled off the pavements and drives and roads and which then froze so one could walk over them, but it made the usual ten-minute walk take more than half an hour...
Speaking of clearing pavements, a lady from Germany was saying that by law, everyone there has to clear the pavement outside their house. I was told last time there was icy snow here for more than two days that if I did clear it off the pavement, if anyone slipped outside my house I might get sued, because snow is an Act of God but clearing it means I am responsible. Can that be right? Does anyone know? It sounds completely daft, but that doesn't mean it can't be true.
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Hi
thanks for the fab pictures and the running comentary, blitz style like it was a disaster movie!
Still it was good to see people pullign together or just having a laugh instead of working - maybe if we'd had more snow stopping folk in "the City" working we wouldn't be in such dire financial mess!!
Still it has been a light story for you guys after all the doom and gloom of the lat 8 months (I know you love it really!)
Living in Aberdeenshire it's all been a one big joke today watching you london based folk struggle, I'm sure I'll not be laughing tomorrow when it reaches us.
Unvelieveable to hear boris telling everyone to get to work - why didn't he drive a snow plough or do something useful?
Never looked at the PM blog before but was enticed by hte offer of pictures of snow which I love but loved the 'insider' nature of it and especailly the pictures of those behind the scenes - producers, editors that we never know or hear and what ho martha kearney is human after all and doesn't always look as impeccable as she does on newsnight - or do you all slum it on the radio?
Wrap up warm now!
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Eddie:
I saw those pictures regarding the PM the official Blog of Blizzard of 2009...They were beautiful...
I feel sorry for Nils who, was unable to make it to the studios...and, had to work from home.
~Dennis Junior~
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I love the Howard Moon snowman. He needs a Vince with boots and a sparkly catsuit tho!
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