Milk float - you were lucky! I lived in a village in Northamptonshire at the time - whole village street had a carapace of 1/2" ice from gutter to gutter. Canals well frozen (it was Braunston on Oxford and GU Canal junction) - just as well as sledge hill led down to canal. Proper winter that was, as you say. Kids today, don't know they're born.
Old Fart
So did I. I was 12 at the time. I lived in Plaistow, where did you come from?
Nothing could move in our street, it was a minimum of four foot deep. It took us 2 days to dig out a channel to the main road. We found a car that nobody knew was there (maybe the driver did but we have no idea who's it was, it had a dent in it from a shovel though).
Thought you were in Bristol? :-)
No, no! Balham is the *gateway* to the south ... ;-)
It goes back to a previous post of mine some time ago. I had a car with ABS but as it was one of the early versions the ABS did not switch off/modulate below 10mph. I could not stop the car as I drove past my house as it is on a hill, the ABS just kept the car moving. In the end I pulled the ABS fuse and was able to stop the car on my second drive past.
Adam
Oh indeed. But since it's already in South London - and by quite a margin
- that south I presume refers to the south of England.
A borough which was the gateway to south London would need a river border.
IME ABS units have improved in recent years. The first one I experienced used to cut in at the wrong moment. The one I have now does not.
Hmm, I remember regularly walking along frozen canals as a kid - last time I can recall doing that was probably '86 or so, and it's been too warm ever since. I remember quite a lot of snow in '86 too, and I think that's the last year I saw real snow in England (there was a bit in whichever year it was where everyone lost the plot and the M11 became a car park, of course, but it was nothing like a "lot")
Now I'm on the other side of the pond where they have proper winters still - it was at -50C one morning a couple of weeks ago :)
cheers
Jules
Obviously, otherwise it would be the gateway to the sarf.
Owain
Best thing to do - keep well clear. I used to drive rear-wheel drive cars and they're good for slowing on the engine - sort of hang it on its back wheels - and the brakes hardly ever used.
I'm about a mile from Stoke Bruerne; same canal. One day there were 3 or 4 cars stuck on the bridge, including a Range Rover that couldn't get moving. I had a 2-wheel-drive trike (opposite of a diff.), so made sure that nothing was going to slew sideways and just rode up the bridge between the vehicles. Chap in a Volvo estate asked how I could do it - 'don't have a ton of useless junk!'. Plan B: pick it up and carry it if necessary - try that with a Range Rover!
I tried that once going down an icy hill and bugger me if the back didn't start coming round to overtake the front.. wuite a dichotomy really. is I want to crash on oversteer (engine/rear braking) or understeer (front wheel braking)..then I remembered it had ABS.. smart bit of throttle to get it straight, full brakes to reduce speed and just crept round the bend at the bottom..
I did manage to spin it on slush though, XJS is not a very good car in terms of balance..
But the schools and collages didn't shut, I remember walking my younger sister across Clapham common to her school and then getting the tube up to Kensington and the RCA. Only a couple of inches 40 years later and the whole of the south east comes to a stand still.
-
It was a bloody sight more than a couple of inches in parts of Kent (although not here).
The schools situation is largely because teachers no longer want to live near the schools where they work (too many bricks through windows, etc.). So they have to travel - if not enough can make it in, then the staff/student ratio becomes unacceptable.
I remember walking along the canal one winter, and since I would have been four in 1986 I very much doubt it was that one. This in north Hampshire.
My parents said the canal was frozen to a similar thickness this year. but ten years of health and safety attitude change meant they wouldn't consider walking on it :-)
Pete
It was only 3 inches in this part of E-Sussex and had not even frozen overnight. yet Monday morning there were no buses or trains running even the postman couldn't be assed to get up and go to work.
This from the BBC, is why "Bear in mind there is a potential health and safety implication. If authorities are telling people to stay at home unless their journey is essential then, potentially, you may not want to put too much pressure on people to return to work."
-Rubbish!
Well, that's our problem. I put bin out for Tuesday, but not emptied. Not exactly a surprise, but in the absence of any other information, we have to follow their 'rules'.
Contacted council who said to leave it out until it is emptied. Neither the council web site nor that of our beloved local rag had any information. Isn't the ability to carry this sort of dynamic information one of the major advantages of the internet?
Funny how they are happy with our blocking pavements like that now, when they already hazardous with snow. Previously been telling us to put it out just before 07:00 on day of collection - and take back in asap. Or else!
With the result that some of the kids are turned away to roam the streets with no parents at home. The kids are then in a situation where the staff to student ratio is zero but the school no longer has to worry about being held liable for anything that happens to them.
Likewise I remember struggling through snow up to my knees (age 11) that year to get to school. Seem to recall having to share the girls loos cos ours were frozen.
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