Print

[ChrisJC]

....all a bit hilarious, given Sky News announcing as "Good News !" that New Years Day was the warmest on record, ever.

Obviously that is not true given there are 4.6 billion years worth of New Years Days that have already occurred, some of them in geological epochs when it was a darn sight warmer than it is now all year round.

What they mean is since records began, which is an absolutely minuscule proportion of overall time!

Chris.

[Genem]

^ Probably why "on record" was quoted ....

 

[Larry S.]

In some countries "winter tyres" are mandatory.
When the bad weather comes drivers just swap over their set of winter tyres. In some places studded tyres can be used.

These days no one would be *&%^$ around with 2 ancient dubious tyres trying to save a few quid 

I last saw snow chains in use on a PO van going up Woodhouse Lane in Leeds, 1979.

 

Snow chains are still a common sight around here, in the rural areas at least, on some vehicles.  Just saw some for sale the other day that had spike plates attached.

[LN11AAB498A]

Channel 5, Thursday 24th February @ 2100 hours.
"The Big Freeze: Winter 63. Snow began falling on Boxing day 62 and barely stopped for the next 10 weeks in the coldest recorded winter since 1739 when temperatures plummeted to minus 22 degrees".

This should be worth watching, lots of footage of the conditions many of us remember and had reminisced about in this thread. Those of you not around in 1963 or who were too young to remember, might find it interesting to see what we oldies have been talking about.
I've set it to record just in case I forget 

[Alan Drover]

Thanks Fred. I'll record it just to remind me what it was like. I was in my mid teens then.

[Exile]

Thank you for the heads up.

I'll watch that.

I remember standing on our front doorstep on Boxing Day evening thinking how exciting it was to see the snow falling.

Wasn't so excited ten weeks later.....

[Richard]

Serious winter over here also. Not that I remember any of it. I was 3. It was the winter Reinier Paping famously won the Elfstedentocht (Eleven Cities Tour), starting well before dawn with (unadjusted for windchill) -18 degrees celsius. There even was a car rally on the IJsselmeer, which was frozen over, from Stavoren to Enkhuizen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7Kv_WQVhdk. No Land Rover fever for me either that winter. My father worked at the national railway company and the whole family, my father, my mother and I, we traveled for free (in trains) throughout Europe. At the age of 18 I was the first in our household to own a car. An Austin Mini 1275 GT. Not excepting to be left behind, my dad immediately got his drivers' licence and a car of his own. A Vauxhall Viva, if memory serves. He (and I) have always driven English cars. With 2 exceptions. My father once owned a Renault 30 and a Citroen C5 Break, which he bought new acting on his brothers' advice. An awful car. Ab. So. Lu. Tely. Aw. Ful.

I hate winter.

Richard

[GHOBHW]

my theory is, the people who enjoy winter are mad men or people with heated garages

[Larry S.]

my theory is, the people who enjoy winter are mad men or people with heated garages

I actually like winter, and don't have a heated garage.  What I don't like is when the seasons can't make up their minds what seasons they want to be and when!  Last Thursday - Saturday we had snow storms, Yesterday was in the high 60s° and today hit 73° - tomorrow's high is supposed to 28°!!!  It plays havoc with my sinuses.

[w3526602]

Hi,

To be pedantic  ... fingers crossed that I'm right ...in the English speaking world there are ESTATE CARS,  STATION WAGONS, and SHOOTING BRAKES. I'm happy to be corrected.  We Brits also drive SALOONS, while the Australians drive SEDANS. Is there a place on this forum for language lessons?

On a personal lesson, I was given two plane tickets from Penang, in July 1967, and a month's repatriation leave. Don't ask me how, but we finished up living in a bleak "holiday" flat on the sea front at Pevernsey Bay (Eastbourne) Horrible! I'd found a flat in Croydon, and we'd given notice on the flat in Eastbourne, when Barbara decided it was time to "drop a sprog", in Eastbourne General Hospital/ Our daughter was born on 4th December 1967, which coincided with the South Coast being cut off from the rest of UK, by snow, for three days.

My 1959 Singer Gazelle convertible got me from Croydon to Eastbourne, and back, over empty but "interesting" roads, until Barbara and daughter were discharged. The Ward Sister gave me dispensation to arrive late for visiting hour.

Winter of 1963?  I was at RAF Barnham, near Thetford. That snow did not stop me driving home to Croydon and back, 100 miles, every weekend, in my lo-buck (£2) 1932 Austin 7 (no heater, no brakes, and I think 13BHP when new). The bike size tyres tended to be a bit skittish on black ice, but no real problem. Fog, couple with my "Toc-H" headlamps (think Alladin's lamp) were a greater problem.

I can no longer afford a pre-war Austin 7 ... not even a bare chassis.

"My Austin had a 75" wheelbase, but the later, over-bodied, Austin Ruby was 81".

602