The End of the World is nigh
The meeja here are going into overdrive announcing Armageddon.
Light the fires: More snow and cold weather expected tonight
Snow falls as Met Éireann warns of rain, sleet and thunder
November surprise? People have been rushing to their phones to document the first snow
So the country has come to a compete standstill as we battle our way through six foot drifts?
Well, no. Not exactly. There have been a few flurries and flakes around the country but that’s about it. In fact I would say there has been a drop of sleet but little snow. Up here in the mountains the sun is shining out of a blue sky all day with the occasional bit of rain but that’s it. There’s probably a bit of a dusting on the higher peaks but that will only bother a few sheep and deer.
I had a look at the Weather Radar and in fairness they seem to be getting some of the white stuff over in Scotland and a bit in the north of England, but here they are showing a patch of sleet around Fermanagh, and the rest is rain. Just rain. In spots.
But we love to dramatise everything here. The mere mention of the word and the country goes into panic mode. Drivers will drive on clear roads at ten miles per hour, just in case a two foot thick slab of snow suddenly falls out of the sky. Little cheeeldren will probably be kept out of school in case their fingers and toes get chilly. People will rush to fill their oil tanks and over stock their larders just in case.
Even our dog is getting neurotic. I opened the door this morning so she could have her morning piss. She stepped half out the door and sniffed the air. But a drip from the eaves fell on her head and she bolted back to her couch in the sitting room. She still hasn’t been out.
God help us if it really does snow.
I remember the white stuff from 1947, 1960’s and 1980’s. Not much fun, but very few problems. In reality, it made driving difficult but not impossible. Just had to remember the warnings, drive carefully and always carry an ex-army colapsible shovel, blankets and emergency food/drink supplies. (I still do). The latter usually consisting of brandy, whiskey and any other spirit you might fancy.
Oh happy days if you found yourself (even temporarily) in a snowdrift! But then the police were far more understanding when they dug you out. So sad I moved to the extreme South of England, with virtually no record of snow. Should I go back to Newcastle-upon-Tyne? Or enjoy this odd climate of sun and heat? At least I can enjoy my friends’ problems from a distance.
’47 was a bit before my time but I well remember the great freeze of ’62. ’82 wasn’t a bad year either. I don’t remember anything to beat those since though. Seeing as I live at the top of a [very] steep hill I tend to notice such things as icy roads and heavy snowfall. We actually haven’t had much snow here since the year Herself bought me a set of snow clamps for my boots. Who says climate can’t be influenced by small events?
Shit Grandad, we have had earthquakes, floods and assorted mayhem. I’m waiting for the plague of ferrets and then I’m assured of the second coming. Take your pick from assorted religions, various.
Indeed you have. Our meeja just wouldn’t be able to cope with all that. Today they are pleading for people to send in photographs of snow presumably to demonstrate how serious it all is. The fact that they can’t see any from their own windows sort of indicates that there is very little of the stuff actually around.
Late to the table as always, we folks in the NorthEast Kingdom of Vermont just got our first snow of the season (it’s a bit late but not very) and the forecasters pretty much announced the same thing. It’s a bit ironic that some places in southern New England (MA, CT) got up to 18 inches while up here by the Canadian border have a around 2 inches on the ground. Go figure.
End of the world indeed.