Chesterfield Online Forum
General Category => Chesterfield Discussion => Topic started by: Old Cruser on December 08, 2017, 07:45:01 AM
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Here we are flipping winds that cut through you and snow which came earlier than expected - looks like Sunday and Monday are going to be really bad days. :-?
Super market shelves will be empty! ::)
Shovels out!
Hope it doesn't stay too long. :(
Stay safe if you are driving (y)
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the thing that fills me with amusement at this time of year is going into tescos on christmas eve where you see shopping trolleys absolutely heaving, the shop is only shutting for one day and everybody appears to be stocking up for a possible nuclear attack, and before you think i am being overly judgemental i was bought up in the era where shops used to close for a few days over christmas so i have been as guilty of doing this as everybody else up until the last two years where i have been more a bit more carefull.
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I have never shopped on Christmas Eve that I remember - maybe for ordered bread rolls from a baker but otherwise no.
It's done generally at the beginning of December.
As we don't have the children now I don't really buy much extra for Christmas food wise either.
DCC appear to be taking tomorrows coming snow quite serious actually from the email I have had, so just be aware!
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Residents urged to take care as we gear up for snow
8 December 2017
Derbyshire residents are being urged to prepare for heavy snow which is forecast to fall across the county on Sunday, 10 December 2017.
The Met Office has reported that while some sleet and snow showers are expected in parts of the county on Saturday afternoon and evening, widespread heavy snow is expected to arrive during Sunday morning. Around 10cm is expected although in some parts of the county it could be as much as 15 to 20cm.
We're gearing up for the expected snowfall following the Met Office Amber Warning and has a number of measures in place to keep the county moving and ensure older and vulnerable residents are cared for and safe.
Our fleet of 36 gritters, which can all be fitted with snow ploughs when needed, are ready to work around the clock from six depots around the county and we have a stockpile of 27,000 tonnes of salt (generally referred to as grit).
Around half of the 3,500 miles of road that we're responsible for are on gritting routes, and major roads, known as primary routes, will be gritted first and where necessary ploughed, followed by secondary routes which include bus routes in residential areas and well-used main roads through housing estates and villages.
The gritting teams will be backed by a team of farmers and other contractors who are on standby to help clear roads where needed and a number of volunteer snow wardens will also be out helping to keep pavements and public spaces clear and safe.
Highways officers have warned road users not to assume that roads have been gritted when driving and to check our website for the latest updates.
Our frontline care staff are also making plans to ensure they can reach older and vulnerable people in the community, and extra staff have been drafted in to work on Sunday to help organise services.
We're preparing to:
use 4x4 vehicles to help health and social care staff reach residents in their homes
prioritise visits to ensure the most vulnerable receive the care they need
help other agencies, including those in the independent sector, reach their clients.
We're urging residents to be prepared and take some simple steps to make sure they stay safe and well during the cold snap and snowfall. These include:
ensuring you have enough medication you may rely on and other supplies, for example food and baby milk
keeping your home warm − your main living room should be between around 18 to 21C (65 to 70F) and the rest of your house at a minimum of 16C
being a good neighbour and checking on older neighbours and relatives.
Our Cabinet Member for Highways, Transport and Infrastructure Councillor Simon Spencer said:
"Latest forecasts suggest widespread snowfall across Derbyshire with at least 10cm or more on Sunday.
"Our gritting teams work extremely hard day and night to keep roads clear and make sure the county is safe and moving.
"It's not realistic to be able to grit every single road so we target our gritting on the roads that benefit the greatest number of people and the most important services.
"If the weather is as predicted on Sunday, we'd urge motorists not to make journeys unless absolutely necessary and use public transport where possible − but check services are running before you leave home.
"We'd also ask people to keep an eye on elderly and vulnerable neighbours.
"We'll be monitoring conditions closely and we're on standby to help co-ordinate emergency help, if conditions are severe, such as helping health and social care workers to keep services running where necessary, transporting heating fuel to elderly and vulnerable residents, taking emergency medication to residents in 4x4s and helping residents get to emergency medical and hospital appointments."
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the one ting not mentioned is when snow does come it does make everthing look pretty, and when it goes dark with the orange street lights it looks really nice, that is not to say i do not sympathise with te elderly or disabled as having a disabled partner myself i am aware of the increased risks.
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We know weather forecasters can get it wrong but what has peed me off this time is that DCC and the Police have issued warnings along with various other organisations who have offered shelter for the homeless.
It has been taken very seriously.
In light of these warnings I have put precautions into place.
I don't care that we didn't get the deluge which we were told to prepare for.
Instead I have read posts with people moaning about the lack of gritters on their streets and pavements.
Then when the deluge didn't come they moan about that!!
The fact that we didn't get as much is a bonus as far as I am concerned and I would rather be given the worst scenario - some moan for the sake of moaning.
I agree with you it does make the scenery so pretty but hard for some as you say.
We seem to have a Nation of moaners at times!!
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Chesterfield was right on the northern edge of the snow. Apparently even Wingerworth got the expected 10cm. I looked at a satellite picture online, and there was a great cloud mass to the south, with fingers of it pointing north. It was pure luck whether you were under one of the fingers or in a gap between them.
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We have been to my daughters today .who lives about three miles northeast of Nottingham I expected to see plenty of snow but there was very little.The roads were all clear so we had no problems.
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I think overall we did have a lot less than was forecast. That's the norm though isn't it, always fear the worst :)
It hasn't cost me any time off work yet, and I ain't been stuck anywhere. Let's hope it stays this way (y)
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Well, Snowpocalypse Unprecedented Climate Armageddon Cyclone Storm Hitler, was a bit of a let-down really.
If I remember right, we just used to call it "Winter", back in the day. And get on with our lives... :(
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'Winter' eh, a good old fashioned word lol :))
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It is known as 'Panic' these days!!. Couldn't beat coming home from school having tea and out for a snowball fight ;)
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The headlines from the likes of the Mail and Express suggesting we are about to enter some kind of ice age Armageddon probably dont help.....every year we see headlines about the worst winter since whenever with arctic temps and feet of snow yet every year we get a bit of a sprinkling and it may get a nippy its nothing dressing accordingly doesnt sort.
Then if we do happen to get a decent amount of snow we cant cope with it....councils etc dont have the road clearing kit and if we're honest shouldnt be expected to fork out for it in these times where budgets are slashed. Can imagine the uproar if the local or county council announced they'd spent millions on snow clearing kit instead of other stuff only for it to sit unused most of the time. Secondly people dont know how to deal with it very well....they panic that they might not be able to get to the shop for a couple of days and then as for them dealing with driving in it the less said the better.
Its probably best that forecasts do go on the side of caution about it all and then if it doesnt come its not so much of an issue. Does seem that in the days leading up to the forecasted snow the council were well on top of gritting etc and main roads were all easily passable and folk kept moving and able to enjoy the little bit we did have. I know for a fact our dog loved his walk in it on Sunday!!
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Agree with you bransoj.
Budgets are tight and the purse needs looking after at local councils.
I'm not sure when or why this has changed but as a child I remembrr my grandfather having a hand held snow plough for the pavements in our village.
Any council workers back then stayed in our village and cleared the paths.
Mind you the village is much larger now so would take longer.
I am not sureawhere they go now if their work is stopped through snow.
Snow wardens are asked for but response isn't good.
Also a lack of grit bins don't help these again come down to money!
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Grit bins are a help but then they get emptied by folk using them on their own drives who then moan because their little side road hasnt been cleared by the council.
Whilst its not everyone for a lot of people these days working from home should stop any issues with snow. The technology is there now for people to access work systems from home etc so dont even have to leave their houses to worry about roads being iffy.
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Meanwhile, in Japan...
(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/9e/8b/df/9e8bdfb283e2338301a80d74b8c2add0.jpg)
:)
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We were with a group of people in Newbold tonight for a Christmas meal - mass exodus as the snow came thick and fast.
I felt like Cinderella being rushed out for the taxi an hour early!! :(
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Was never going to settle tonight after all the rain we'd had. Now had it been a clear day and it'd come down with snow to settle on it would have been more of an issue but there was never anything to worry about. I even walked out with the dog at 10pm in shorts and trainers with no socks....now admittedly i had a very big coat on my top half but i didnt expect to be walking out into any settled snow.
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Not many on here will remember the winter of 1947.I lived in a terraced house with a 5ft. wall between us and the neighbours.From mid December to the end of March the snow was nearly at the top of the wall for all that time.
My Dad was a bricklayer and could not work for all that time.He was on the dole for much of the time and had to work shovelling snow into lorries mainly in the town centre.Anyone who refused did not get any dole money.
I recall I did not miss one day at school as all the teachers lived within walking distance and very few could afford cars.
If anybody went into the pub at the top of Owler Bar there were numerous pictures on the wall and they unable to get out for at least two months due to the snow.
Those were the days or were they?
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No-one can take those memories from you ;) (y)
I have some too, but not from 1947 :))
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Bransoj I agree with you and I couldn't see why they were panicking, it had given rain with some sleet. Bitterly cold though you must be made of strong stuff to venture out with socks!
Umpire I was but a Twinkle in my dads eye in 1947 but I have been told about it and as you say the streets in our village were also flanked by deep piled snow.
I cannot remember the year but possibly late 70's early 80's when I made my young daughter an igloo. Terrifically cold weather which after the snow it was cold the air was being frozen. You could see the ice particles if you looked up.
Interesting account of your father having to help with the grit lorries - whilst I certainly do not condone what has happened within the DWP these last years, I think there was a lot of practical sense in people having to help with the snow shifting in whatever way they could.
It is similar to my account of my council workers staying in their own villages to clear pavements.
Does anyone actually know what happens now when workers are snowed off their outdoor work?
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My grandad was a plumber and in that three month period there were not enough hours in the day.Most of the houses were terraced with outside toilets which in cold weather froze up unless you put a paraffin lamp in them. .I can picture him walking down the road with his blow lamp and loads of solder and spanners in his plumbers bag which was slung over his shoulder and smoking his pipe.
I doubt whether he made much as very few had any money and he was as daft as a brush.
His patch was mainly Lower Brampton and Brockwell.
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I remember the Paraffin Lamps. I also remember our wash basin pipe frequently being frozen in the mornings. Dad would put a small fire in a metal bucket near the pipe outside whilst we had the job of carrying hot water upstairs to pour down the wash basin. Windows iced over inside and we slept with an old Army Coat on the top of our bed clothes.
I'll bet the plumbers never stopped in bad weather.
Until we bought our first Terraced house I never knew really why the toilet was called 'The Throne'.
Outside loo in that property had a step up to the toilet itself.
The good old days were not always so 'good' but we were happy
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I had a brilliant childhood even though we had very little money.An apple and a orange plus one main present at Christmas and that was it.When we were not at school we spent almost all of the time outside playing all manner of games and playing pranks on neighbours.
They were indeed happy times.
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Life is so different now isn't it Umpire.
Like you we were not flush with money although dad always worked. With three children and mum at home tending the house things were tight but we always had food on the table and shoes on our feet - even if the shoes were got by the use of a Provident Check! ( is that facility still going? )
By the age of 11 years I was helping mum ( i was expected to!! ) with cleaning and shared the care of my brother who had just been born.
It was always a strange kind of relationship between us a sort of brother sister - mother daughter thing. I guess that's what happens when you share care.
I remember the men forming a small queue outside the local pub at 11.55am on Sunday's if they were not working ( my dad was one ;) ) - waiting for that much needed pint after a week in the pits -
I was fortunate enough to go a pit ( or maybe not ! ) It looked a terribly hard place to earn a crust!
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Were you at the Old House for a christmas meal.If you were what did you think? We were there on the 8th for a annual family meal(we went at lunch time)'
I thought it was average .Just one or two small things.No Yorkshire puds,sprouts could have done with a bit longer and the rolls with the soup ought to have been warmed through.
On the 10th a friend of ours took us to the Lockeeper for both our birthdays and that was far better..We have been there a few times recently at lunch time and it has always been ok.
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Yes that is where we went. Have to agree with your opinion of the meal. I was told another guest complained to the manager.
We are going to the Three Cottages over the weekend so hoping that is better0
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Well the Tree Cottages gave a delicious Beef dinner so no complaints there.
We also returned to the Old House New years Eve and have to say were served a splendid meal - certainly no complaints this time !!
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Thankfully snow is no longer a problem to me as I am now retired any white stuff the car stays on the drive and I just gaze out of the window with that "I wonder what the poor people are doing" expression on my face {and I smile a lot}
As for 47 being a bad winter I can tell you of two of the worst winters we had last century...... punch line anyone??