Could be summat to do wiv not a lot of us use aitches ere so they think we don’t need one 
Thought you were basking in sunshine there Jem. Seems to be those Red Alerts are going up for Scotland as well but they are a hardy lot…well you have to be wearing a kilt in this cool weather.
Not forgot 1963 when it was the right kind of snow that could be dealt with
It’s blasphemy, that’s what it is. I can understand changing the Yo to Yeo, as the Yeo Valley company offices are just outside Cheddar, near the Cheddar Yeo river, which is how the company got its name.
The farm and yoghurt manufactory however are in the Chew Valley, adjacent to Blagdon Lake, nowhere near the Yeo.
But to miss out the h in the ghurt is a misuse of the English language, up with which I will not put!
I just about remember the winter of '63. I was nine at the time.
I also remember other winters but can’t be sure of the exact year, but I think '82 was one of the baddish ones.
I had driven down from Bristol to Torquay near the end of January a-cause it was my Dad’s borfday.
I had booked the following morning off work, planning to have a lie-in and leisurely drive home. We awoke to about 15cm of snow, and warnings that many roads were impassable. I 'phoned the police to ask for advice about my journey, and they told me one lane of the M5 was passable with care.
So, armed with extra blankets, a borrowed shovel, and a vacuum flask of hot soup I set off Northwards.
Virgin snow greeted me from my parent’s drive to the main road, so was fairly easy to negotiate at low speed in high gear.
At the junction I spotted a gritter heading my way, so waited and tucked my self a-hind it until I got to Newton Abbott. There I settled in the wake of a Landrover that was cutting nice furrows along the dual carriageway all the way to the Motorway.
I then proceeded at a steady 20-25 mph all the way to Bristol, and then the last mile to my house. I parked up then walked to work, arriving at lunch time.
After a while, my colleagues started to trickle in from the canteen. The same conversation was then had several times.
I thought you were going to Torquay.
I did.
Oh, when did you come back?
This morning.
You drove back from Torquay this morning?
Yes, why?
Well many people have 'phoned in to say they couldn’t get in to work today because of the snow. (Some of them lived less than two miles away.)
Well (says I,) they obviously weren’t trying hard enough.
(I had driven a hundred miles and walked the last mile.)
I really enjoyed that video Solo, thanks, I love trains especially the old trains, my dad and his father before him were train drivers so it’s in the blood.
Fair play to you braving the elements Fruity.
Something you said there (a-hind it) reminded me of being in the picture house as a boy, when the ghost or the villain was creeping up on someone all the kids would shout out “Look out, he’s a-hind ya” 
Don’t worry about your missing ‘H’ Pug, as long as you don’t miss your Tea you’ll be alright.
A thought has just flicked through my mind, with everyone thinking recycling these days why do people have to be buried with clothes on? As you can only see the face of the dearly departed in the coffin it would make perfect sense to bury folks in their pelt and give the clothes to charity.
God, do you remember those horrible old brown habits they used to bury folks in, is that where the saying “I wouldn’t be seen dead in it” comes from?:shock:
I bet Cheddar Man has more to reveal, than his DNA:lol:
ah the lovely winter of '63 heh - I had left home for the first time and last - and was workin darn seth in 'ampshire with the 'ampshire hogs. I was also walkin out with a Ja -mai -can girl and it was here first winter in UK - but one amazing transformation among many others I can recall vividly was seeing her beautiful brown skin - starting from the lips turn blue/purple - it was a strange experience - so I had to keep her warm somehow and quickly - well that’s another tale
and then there was another year - fast forward must have been mid to late '70’s perhaps when for some reason there was an extreme shortage of petroleum and I had planned to drive back up t’north lad to spend a few weeks with the parents. as my departure time with them drew closer petrol stations were running out of fuel rapidly - fortunately my dear mama worked as an accountant at a local garage and through various nefarious means got me a full tank of fuel - I also remember there was a national rule of no driving over 50 miles an hour on the motorways as a means of conserving national fuel sources??? can anyone fill in more details???
men of steel in those days!
which then reminded me of steeley span - god read the wikipedia on THEM - changed band members and themes more than they changed their underwear and kept going in some format up to the mid 2000’s
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steeleye_Span
over to uze spittie?? oh and pugsy can’t forget the other musician on board!!
Some interesting sharing there about snow and petrol shortage but it was the Great British Sugar Shortage that almost brought this country to it’s knees. Imagine your morning cuppa without a spoonful of Tate & Lyles:confused:
It didn’t affect me as I was enjoying a very sweet continental drift but on hearing how sugar was off the menu for family and friends because of our good housewives panic buying habits I legged it down to our local friendly BX knowing full well if they stocked Camels they would stock sugar. And they did. So packing the car up to roof without realising how heavy sugar is I took off down the Autobahn and headed for home.
Our rightly maligned Customs Officers seeing how my car was down on its axle insisted on seeing what I was trying to smuggle in. I thought better of offering to sugar their tea and as usual let them find out for themselves.
The highlight of that trip was to watch the look on their faces as they uncovered box after box of the white stuff. Priceless.
I too remember the fuel shortages in the '70s, along with the hike in price, 50 mph speed limit, and three day week.
I was at college in my home town of Swindon at the time. We gave up free periods, severely reduced the lunch break, and by various other methods managed to cram five days worth of lectures into three.
I much preferred it that way.
I shared my learnin’ between apprenticin’ at a large manufactory just norf of Brizzle, and book leanin’ at collage for six months of the year.
Steeleye Span was introduced to me at the same time. I even went to see them live in Brizzle.
This is the song that first got me interested in them.
What with this red alert thing in place I thought I wouldn’t be able to open the back door this morning with all the snow we were to have, this is all we got so far, thank God for that, everything is closed down here, lord help us if we lived in Siberia.
If you want to keep warm during this icy spell follow Harry Belafonte’s advice ladies, not only does it keep you warm it also shakes off any snow you may have accumulated whilst outdoors, you know, like a dog shaking off water.
Shake, shake, shake, Senora,
Shake your body line
Shake, shake, shake, Senora,
Shake it all de time
Work, work, work, Senora,
Work your body line
Work, work, work, Senora,
Work it all the time.Dhttps://s26.postimg.org/kch9uc6ft/IMG_1647_copy.jpg
Are you not planning to sit out on your swinging seat then?
Not sure about these Lerts anymore. Our snow resembles a bit of dandruff which is OK but now they are Lerting that Gas may run out so you keep an eye on that garden stuff Jem.
You know what folk are like so I am listening for sounds of axes chopping up wooden furniture. :shock:
oh wot a lovely site Jem - I could just imagine a cosy cigar and brandy evening in there - that would melt the snow pretty quickly! [women members included of course!]
A brandy could do you and your vital organ a mischief .
Acting as a vasodilator, alcohol causes the blood vessels just below your skin’s surface to dilate, creating a false sensation of warmth, stealing heat from your vital organs and decreasing your overall core temperature. This effect is exacerbated when the body is exposed to cold temperatures.
Normally, the body protects itself against the cold by constricting those same blood vessels, allowing more blood to be used to maintain a warm core temperature. Because alcohol causes the blood to concentrate close to the body’s surface, external temperatures can quickly sap the body of its heat, further decreasing your core temperature, but not before giving you that false feeling of warmth.
Snow? What snow?
ref Sunny Jim Callaghan
Gizza a clue Rj .
I am back home at last.
Almost recovered.
Frozen lock on the front door as we eventually got home at 1 am!
Heating and hot water packed up! Now fixed - just!
But, glad to be home.
I blame the Russian’s for all this snow!
Yeah But, after a few units, you don’t care what your body is getting up to.