Snowing

[slowcoach]

Snowing here, Work open 

[Stilldrillin]

Wahooo - snowing. Work CLOSED 

Just started here. No problem for me....... 

Why did school never close for snow in my day?  

We always had to get through......  

David D

[slowcoach]

6" of snow here in South Yorkshire. All buses stopped, many schools closed  . I'm at work drinking coffee and watching articulated lorries getting stuck in the white stuff. Might go out at dinner and build a snowman 

[Darren]

Wahooo - snowing. Work CLOSED 

Well we have come to expect schools to skive at the first sign of a excuse snowdrop these days ...


Like myself there will be millions of parents suffering after the already strenuous xmas two week holidays. Made worse of course by the fact that they were looking forward to the peace finally this week.

Bah, get off ya backside and go to work ya bum .... 

[Stilldrillin]

Many Young Mums now passing by, after having to go and collect their little treasures.....

As the teachers haven`t turned up/ want to go home!  

David D

[Darren]

I think it's rather a sad state of affairs. If the kids and mums can manage to get there then it can only be an excuse on the authorities part.

I wonder how many other workers will be given the day off so off handedly.

The main problem of course is all the parents that "have" to go to work with kids now at home.

The schools and coledges are shut here and there is not even any snow on the roads 

The postman has just delivered.


in my day etc, etc,  

[slowcoach]

Yep, one flake of snow and the whole country comes to a grinding halt. I blame the media for most of the hysterics. I'm afraid to say we live in a health and safety world these days  
(oh no, I'm starting to sound like my dad    cue Hovis music)...

[Fred Bloggs]

oh no, I'm starting to sound like my dad     cue Hovis music)...

SHMBO has been saying that I'm starting to sound like my dad "through gritted teeth when she does", and I'm only 43,I dont feel that old, probably due to my youngest (daughter) only being 5 years old and "full of it"!!!!!

PS keeps trying to snow in Stoke (at work) but not sticking , go 5 miles further north and there's 6 inch's, typical

[AdeV]

FINALLY, it's started snowing here in the Wirral - having missed out on all the pre-xmas snow. First snow I've seen in 3 years (but then, this is the first UK winter I've seen for 3 years, having successfully avoided the last 2).


The reason schools close the instant there's a threat of snow is simple: insurance. If little Johnny or Chavette fall over on a snowed-up playground & hurt themselves (whether it's just bruised pride, right up to broken limbs), Miss Chavette - the single mum - will sue the school/LEA for everything they can get; and, given the court's predilection to pay the "victim" in such cases (q.v. the McDonalds "hot coffee" case in the US, and a similar one here in the UK), not to mention the ambulance-chasing no-win no-fee lawyers making it a no-brainer to try to claim, means that insurance costs for schools must be through the roof; and probably stipulate when the place has to be closed due to inclement weather.

So, as much as I'd love to blame the schools & teachers.... I can't, because it's really OUR fault for letting the scumbags get away with claiming compensation for everything & anything.

[Bernd]

6" of snow shuts you guys down. 

Here in New York state near Lake Ontario they got 52" of snow just over the weekend. A few schools closed but that's all.

What the heck would you guys do if it snowed that much over there? Hibernate till summer? 

Bernd

[75Plus]

Bernd, I am always amused that North Central NY gets all the snow while Buffalo gets all the press!! 

Joe

[AdeV]

6" of snow shuts you guys down. 

Make that 1"! Sometimes, even the threat of snow is enough to close schools & other public "services"...

Of course, part of the problem is, severe snow is not a common problem over here; and in places where it is frequent (think: Scotland, North Yorkshire, etc.) they're generally much better prepared for it. The UK media is notoriously "southern centric" - so the only time snow really makes the news is if it's due in or around London - when it's a catastrophe...

[John Hill]

Sunday was another scorcher and we had a six hour drive just when the air con decided not to work (Ford of course).  It was a nice warm 38 degrees C in the cabin most of the way.

[raynerd]

I`d just like to make a point in defense. It isn`t the lazy arse teachers who can`t get into work, I was there at 7am shovelling snow!  It is the health and safety brigade that close the school. The school H&S officer makes a decision as to whether it is safe for 1300 kids to be walking around the pathways and also they take into consideration wheather parents will be able to collect students after school! Especially a high school, some of our students live up to 10 miles away which is fair treck. Last thing they want is kids stuck at school with parents not able to get their cars out to collect them. It is also much harder to close a school during the day when kids have been dropped off and that is why they have to make an early decision.

If I`m being honest, they decided at 4pm today that our school is also closed tomorrow! I have to say, I`m not complaining, would you be?  

[Gerhard Olivier]

State of our country-

I drove in to work 1hour no probs

Sat there while most of my patients canceled or just didnt bother to show up. And drove home 1 hour no problems.

The bit worth thinking is the 4 that did show up on time for their appointments where between 70 and 81 years old!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And all of them could ---The rest couldn't.

Gerhard

[John Stevenson]

All H&S officials, lawyers and the rest of the scumbags ought to be forced to doing one winters term driving a heavy good wrecker, think about it these guys never get called out until all else has failed.
That sorts the men out from the boys.........................

John S.

[Darren]

I often wonder who the H&S will blame if one of the children sent home comes to any harm.

Either on the way home perhaps knocked down by a car loosing control on the snow.
Or perhaps trying to cook some food when parents are out at work thinking their child is safe at school.

Or any number of other scenarios one could think of, remember some of these children sent home are very young without anyone checking that they will be in safe hands.


It's only a matter of time.

[mcr]

Tried not to get involved but can't help it, children are NEVER sent home without contact being made with parents or guardians.
By the way if the roads are so dangerous that children are at risk being sent home then they are clearly at risk coming in to school.

[Darren]

Tried not to get involved but can't help it, children are NEVER sent home without contact being made with parents or guardians.
By the way if the roads are so dangerous that children are at risk being sent home then they are clearly at risk coming in to school.

Your first statement is false as our 10yr old turned up at home yesterday just as we were about to go out for the day.

As to your second statement, he was taken to school by his mother and sent home by his own devices.

Not wishing to get involved of course ....

[raynerd]

...well that is wrong and should not have happened I`m sure.

Anyway, once again I seem to have created another issue with multiple view points that are getting heated. Balls to that....I just wanted to say "I`m off" and more shop time all thanks to the snow. and of course to make you all a little jealous at the same time    . Hurray!

[Darren]

No not heated Chris, just the facts.

We were horrified yesterday as we really were about to go out for the day. In fact we did, flask made along with sandwiches off to photograph the snow.

Except we took the lad with us, 10 min later and I might be telling a different story. We were not impressed.

But deff not a heated discussion. 

[mcr]

I would save the heated discussion for the Head teacher way out of order.

[old-biker-uk]

Here you are - my patch of Somerset this morning

Just have to clear the 40 yard pavement to the village shop for supplies then I can spend the day in the workshop.
Mark

[slowcoach]

That looks nice and wintery. lovely garden you have, Perfect size for a live steam 16mm garden railway 

Rob

[rleete]

given the court's predilection to pay the "victim" in such cases (q.v. the McDonalds "hot coffee" case in the US...

This is one of the most often misunderstood cases, and also often used as an example of people getting one over on big corporations.  That couldn't be further from the truth.  This particular McD's had been microwaving the coffee to the point of superheating, reaching temperatures well in excess of boiling, and had been cited for it before by the local health dept.  The woman was subjected to deep tissue 2nd degree burns requiring operations and skin grafts and over 3 months in the hospital.  More than just a mild scalding.  Hospital costs alone amounted to more than $180 thousand.  Yes she was wrong for trying to hold the cup in her lap.  But the store had heated the coffee to the point that it melted the cup designed for hot liquids!  McDonalds tried to recover some of the costs by suing the cup manufacturer, who promptly dropped them as a customer.  Faced with no cups, they dropped the suit (which I know because I worked for that company at the time).  Testing showed that the coffee had been heated to at least 230 degrees equivalent by microwave.

The lawyers got the lions share, ending up with roughly 65% of the money paid out.  If anything is wrong with the system, it the lawyers.  Most politicians start out as lawyers.  Shakespear was right.