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If anyone doubted that some elements of Bike were true, I attach (I hope) a photo taken by the present Captain of HMS Victory - yes that one - Nelson's flagship, and passed on to me by Gabi.
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She didn't look like that ...
... when we went aboard in 2009 (I was about to say last year :) ). Mind you, it was persisting down with rain. A visit to Portsmouth Dockyard is strongly recommended to all. Not only can you visit Nelson's flagship, but there's HMS Warrior - a Victorian steam/sail powered warship that was the most advanced in the world when she was commissioned and the Mary Rose, Henry 8th's warship that sank off Portsmouth. There's lots of other stuff too. However, I think the Mary Rose herself may not be accessible this year as the restoration project has moved to a new phase that makes a visit awkward but there will still be lots of Tudor artefacts in the museum.
Our snow seems to be melting in the Midlands right now but we've had some lovely cold snowy walks these last few weeks. Going to horribly wet and slushy now, I fear. The lanes are still unfit for cycling though which is getting to be a pain.
Thanks Angharad. No wonder Cathy and Tom thought it advisable to walk to the Uni.
Robi
In 1963 (I think)
We had about half an inch of snow in Portsmouth, and virtually the whole city came to a grinding halt.
Funny that Canada and Switzerland (to name but two countries) regularly have snow and life goes on.
Susie
Planning and preparation
I imagine that Portsmouth, like the area of the U.S. where I live, can not afford to budget for something like snow that happens rarely. The fact that Canada and Sweden regularly have heavy snows means they can budget large amounts of money for snow removal equipment without being figuratively lynched by the taxpaying public.
I always found it funny that the small amount of snow needed to shut down services here was considered negligible when we lived in Belgium; and snowfalls that paralyzed Belgium were normal when we lived in Norway. It's all a matter of perspective.
BTW, according to my cousin, this last cold snap was so pronounced that she says the oil in the bus engines in Oslo became so thick due to the cold that the buses couldn't be started. :-)
KJT
"Being a girl is wonderful and to torture someone into that would be like the exact opposite of what it's like. I don’t know how anyone could act that way." College Girl - poetheather
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
My area at moment
I don't know what area you are in Karen but here in north east PA it is cold, 16 F, and we have had periods of light snow showers late this afternoon into evening. We might have gained less than an inch but as you say in some areas that is enough to cause problems.
***sigh*** Oh to be retired and be able to do the snowbird routine.
Bye
Still Snowing
Hello All.
I left home in Portsmouth (Southsea, really) this morning at 05:20 and it was snowing again.This will give another excuse to the council not to collect the refuse for another week. I have also had no post for several days, how i hate Health And Safety jobsworths.
Luckily i only saw one cyclist, and passed them on the other side of the road. You never know who the cyclist could be.
The picture reminds me of someone visiting HMS Victory who saw the plaque on the deck stating that Nelson fell here. 'I'm not surprised, i tripped over the bloody thing myself'
love to all
Anne G.
Even the Midlands...
Normally when we have snowfall, the Midlands gets off quite lightly - often we're left wondering what all the fuss is about.
However, this time we've actually had a decent amount of snowfall - even here in Warwickshire.
It had all started melting yesterday, so the list of 180 schools closed in Warwickshire had dwindled to 9.
However, we've just had a significant overnight fall, and the list has risen to 53 (as of 8:20am).
If you're interested in what it's looked like around here...
http://picasaweb.google.com/mittfh/SnowJoke#
(And no, I'm not going to apologise for the gallery's punning title!)
--Ben
As the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, then only left-handers are in their right mind!
Hi ben, im from the midlands
Hi ben, im from the midlands too and you're right snow normally passes us by and all the warning of severe snow usually end up as rain, but for once we've had actual snot not just a flutter followed by heavy rain but actual snow, I was a kid last time we had snow like this.
YOUR RIGHT ITS SNOW JOKE LMAO
Megumi :)
Bailey's Angel
The Godmother :p
Old Wooden Warships
Back in days of sail, the U.S.A. never had ships of the line, like H.M.S. Victory. Frigates, like the U.S.S. Constitution, were the biggest ships commissioned. A link to a photo follows immediately.
http://www.atpm.com/13.04/new-england/images/USS-Constitutio...
Victory and Constitution are part of the legacy those of us alive today are blessed with. May the governments on both sides of the Atlantic have the good sense to continue preservation efforts.
G/R