Snow

I trust sir is wearing a hat or cap, and cosy scarf: one long enough to wrap round your jaw? If your face is aching, you need to protect it just like you do your body and your paws, OTB. I got given one for Christmas (unwrapped as it happens) and, crikey, it's one long mother! Very light and verrrry warm - can't wait to use it now!
 
Having been to Yellowstone, the fact they have hot springs means there's always some unfrozen water somewhere and the ferking animals have free access to SNOW to drink, so they're not exactly going to die from thirst are they!!!???

Funny but because they're shedded, cattle can't access snow to convert to water - I knew we were missing a trick by putting roofs on the berluddy things....

Ain't no documentary makers here looking to see how fecking difficult life is for the average farmer - some of my friends oop North in Yorkshire and Cumbria have had a catalogue of weather-related farming disasters this past twelvemonth that make me even colder than I already am at having to go through what they've had to. Snow, flooding, then unusually dry weather just when you want crops to be really growing, now excessive cold, more snow and, inevitably, flooding in a few week's time when the thaw sets in. Lovely. Not!

Now, to cap it all, I'm hearing that oil prices are going through the roof. I ordered mine for delivery on Dec 13th at an agreed price of 45/litre. Didn't pitch up, so I telephoned the company and was told it would be delivered last Friday. Fair enough. Friday comes, they put the delivery on a six wheeler, which they know they can't get down the lane (it even said on the delivery note use 4 wheeler but they'd crossed it out!), so driver telephones to say he can't get in - wow, no shit, Sherlock! Oil prices of upwards of 70p/l now being bandied about, so call has already gone into Western Fuels to make sure that is not the price they think they'll be charging me, because a verbal contract was in place and they'd better honour it.

Luckily I've anough for the next couple of weeks or so and can get some from the other farm if necessary but can't believe just how inefficient some of these companies are and how many are proper cowboys over-charging because of the weather!
 
I'm taking a train to Manchester tomorrow late afternoon, before flying back to Ireland from these Friday morning. Both parts are far from certain, but I see Virgin are cancelling every second train at the moment. They seem to be leaving the trains running at 40 past the hour as they are, which is good in that I am on the 4.40 train tomorrow.

A quick question for anyone in the know (I have only taken trains around the south east and south west, and to Oxford and Cambridge) - I have booked a seat - is it realistic/naive to expect to still be able to get this with all the cancellations, and is this train going to be a near fight to get on?

Thanks.

Feel more comfortable about the flight - they seem to be alright at the moment and not much you can do anyway. There is still a chance I could be spending xmas in Manchester Airport's finest hotels! Regardless, I am quite lucky - I got to the confirm payment stage for a flight from Heathrow and changed my mind at the last minute as I was far from keen to pay nearly 300 pounds for a one way flight to Cork - if I was leaving from there I would be an odds against chance you would have to think.
 
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Check the website - but I know that East Coast were letting people get on trains earlier or later than the one on which they are booked because of the cancellations. Therefore it might be prudent to aim for the one before and negotiate with the conductor?

That said, I was stood in Leeds station for an hour yesterday as they cancelled train after train to Kings Cross. I soon gave up...
 
Cheers. Have been on the website several times and national rail is open most of the day to see how it's going.

May well do that but imagine it's always a positive to get on the actual train I have booked? I don't mind standing if I have to at all.

It really is a mess. It's hard to understand how they were so unprepared when you consider the weather last Winter - Hammond should be moved on as it is unacceptable to have a situation like this. You are hardly talking billions to be properly prepared, and they have failed in every area of transport.

The Tory's have spoken time and again of learning from successful policies etc from other countries (for example, Canada escaping from recession), yet they couldn't show the foresight to study the airport management in Finland or the train system in Switzerland, and how both of these deal perfectly well with snow, and suffer almost no interruption at all. They can't blame labour for this one. Someone needs to be made accountable.
 
The one you booked is obviously better. Not getting on the one before, only for yours and every subsequent one being cancelled is the law of the sod though. I'd just build as much contingency in as you can when there is a connection involved. There are always bars in airports if you get there early.
 
Hamm,
The West Coast main line seems to be ok so if need be you can get the Glasgow train from Euston and change at Crewe for a train to Manchester Airport. These are direct and take around 30 minutes.

The West Coast trains that have been running the past few days leave Euston at 30 minutes past the hour - and as far as I know there've been very few if any problems with them.

Due to take the Virgin train that goes through Crewe back to the North West myself later today so hoping there are no further problems.

Martin
 
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Cheers IS, fingers crossed you get back without too much hassle.

Betsmate, the law of sod has followed me around all my life. I'm not flying till the following morning, and early, so there will definitely be no drinking!
 
It's been one of the worst weeks I've ever had at work. If this is going to be the way of things weather wise from now then things will have to change. The rail network is running way too many trains and the winter timetable badly needs overhauling. It's ridiculous where I am that we're running four trains an hour to Manchester. People will have to stop travelling in such large numbers. One of the things I keep hearing is they cope with these conditions in other countries. That is true, but a comparable town to Preston in Norway or Sweden isn't handling thirty trains an hour. Stay at home people, you know it makes sense.
 
Euronymous said:
It's been one of the worst weeks I've ever had at work. If this is going to be the way of things weather wise from now then things will have to change. The rail network is running way too many trains and the winter timetable badly needs overhauling. It's ridiculous where I am that we're running four trains an hour to Manchester. People will have to stop travelling in such large numbers. One of the things I keep hearing is they cope with these conditions in other countries. That is true, but a comparable town to Preston in Norway or Sweden isn't handling thirty trains an hour. Stay at home people, you know it makes sense.
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Probably one for a separate thread, but why aren't train companies raking it in?

I use two trains regularly.

One is the local Northern rail metro. 2 stinking, dirty old carriages, 2 staff and crammed to luggage racks with 200 people. I pay circa £1000 per year for the privilege...

The other is the East Coast mainline I sometimes get to work. £230 return. 60 other people on my carriage, 12 - 14 carriages. They run every 20 minutes and a seat isn't guaranteed. They are probably taking north of £150,000 every 20 minutes and I don't even get a seat!

And when I needed it this week, cancelled, cancelled, cancelled.

Don't get me started! Grrr.
 
betsmate said:
Probably one for a separate thread, but why aren't train companies raking it in?




And when I needed it this week, cancelled, cancelled, cancelled.

Don't get me started! Grrr.
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Costs and running trains on poor infrastructure.

Why were your trains cancelled?
 
Network Rail have made cuts so they haven't the workforce to get things sorted. We have had cases of frozen points not being attended to for an hour because they haven't a gang of workers nearby.
 
The last two winters have been outrageously cold, in the context of all winters since 1990-91, or most probably 1962-63.

Although some of the points made above are most probably valid, please realise that it is expensive to legislate for outcomes like this and that disruption occurs even in countries like Finland and Switzerland when the weather is severe by their standards.
 
Bar the Bull said:
The last two winters have been outrageously cold, in the context of all winters since 1990-91, or most probably 1962-63.

Although some of the points made above are most probably valid, please realise that it is expensive to legislate for outcomes like this and that disruption occurs even in countries like Finland and Switzerland when the weather is severe by their standards.
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Well said.
 
Bar the Bull said:
The last two winters have been outrageously cold, in the context of all winters since 1990-91, or most probably 1962-63.

Although some of the points made above are most probably valid, please realise that it is expensive to legislate for outcomes like this and that disruption occurs even in countries like Finland and Switzerland when the weather is severe by their standards.
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I look forward to posting something you don't disagree with.. :rolleyes: :p
 
betsmate said:
The one you booked is obviously better. Not getting on the one before, only for yours and every subsequent one being cancelled is the law of the sod though. I'd just build as much contingency in as you can when there is a connection involved. There are always bars in airports if you get there early.
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Leaving work now and going to try and get one an hour early. I expect Euston will be hellish.
 
Turned the news channels off now because I'm sick of watching people being interviewed moaning about the weather

I KNOW YOUR PLANE HAS BEEN CANCELLED/DELAYED

BUT It is an airport terminal building; it is not 'like a warzone', it is not 'like a third world country', it is not 'like a refugee camp'.
Bloody people, make my blood boil. Get a sense of proportion.
 
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Know so many people that have damaged their cars by skidding into kerbs; my son in law got a quote of £150 that had incresed to £230 the next day..wonder if the garages are being a bit canny with their charges? Means our insurance premiums will go up yet again next year.
 
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