UK'S SNOW CHAOS

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

MY township owns my sidewalk as well, but I shovel it when it gets covered with snow. That's what all of us who live in colder climates do. You don't sit on your favorite chair and wait for the city to do the work; you get out and you clear the walk.

A snow shovel costs 20 quid? Seems a bit dear to me.

I feel you have missed my point. It's not about doing the work, it's about the question of why something which you are usually expressly forbidden to interfere with suddenly becomes your responsibility when it snows. Especially when, like me, you live in a converted brewery with one access and 50 foot of paving up and down the hill either side.

I'm quite happy to clear the access to land I own but the pavements in general are expressely the preserve of the Council for the rest of the year.

[HoreTore]

I feel you have missed my point. It's not about doing the work, it's about the question of why something which you are usually expressly forbidden to interfere with suddenly becomes your responsibility when it snows. Especially when, like me, you live in a converted brewery with one access and 50 foot of paving up and down the hill either side.

I'm quite happy to clear the access to land I own but the pavements in general are expressely the preserve of the Council for the rest of the year.

But still, if it bugs you, the very simple solution is to do something about it. It takes about 10 minutes tops.

There's principles, and then there's stupidity.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

100 feet of pavement? As well as the road which hasn't been gritted, should I do all the intervening pavements between here and the university, that's about half a mile.

I am talking about a principle. This government has taken away my right to trial, eroded the presumption of my innocense, watches me with cameras, would fine me for cutting the grass on the roadside verge and yet they won't hire someone to come for half an hour with a shovel and make the pavement safe so that we don't break our necks.

As I said, I fail to see why something I am expressly prohibited from interfereing with has suddenly become my problem. I'm pretty sure someone was fined for filling in a cracked pavement with grit and tar a few years ago as well.

[Adrian II]

[..] last time I got to see two really fast trains passing by while I was waiting for 40 mins and they whirled up snow and it was just beautiful to watch and made me really, really happy, so it was worth the wait.

This is so true. Husar, I love you.

Had a wicked 2 days out in the snow, loads of snowball fighting today, it was great.

Attaboy!

Did you know that 15.000 British people called emergency services to complain about snowball-throwing?

Amid the general hysteria over a few inches of snow which is bad enough, this really takes the biscuit. What a bunch of wusses. I think you guys should scrap the 'Great' in Great Britain.

[LittleGrizzly]

Did you know that 15.000 British people called emergency services to complain about snowball-throwing?

Grumpy sods no doubt!

In fairness we really aren't used to this much snow, worst for 18 years i heard... i think people need to lighten up and enjoy the snow, we don't get it often so make the most of it well its lasts...

My teacher actually refuses to use the term 'great britian' we are britian, not great!

[InsaneApache]

We used to get snow like this a couple of times a year when I was a kid, nobody batted an eyelid. The trains ran, the buses ran, nobody stayed off work and all the schools opened. (Much to my dismay)

In fact my brothers and I had sledges in the outhouse that we got out every year. Towards the end of my schooling the headmaster would read the riot act about throwing snow(ice?)balls at people as, I quote, "You might take someones eye out with that!"

Nowt new there then.

I just wish my grumpy old man antenna was a bit more finely tuned and I'd had the gumption to report all those criminal teenagers chucking snow about.

I must pay more attention in future.

I forgot this. One of my first jobs was on a building site, sometimes it was that cold we had to scrap the shovels and use pickaxes to dig holes. It warmed you up anyway. One of the things we used to do was chuck snowball at each other, paying particular attention to the chargehand. Except that for him we used to put little stones inside so that it smarted when it hit him.

One joke we pulled one particularly snowy day was when we hid his motorbike. He had to go into town for summat or other and we seized our chance. Getting the block and tackle we hooked up said motorcycle and raised it about 20 feet into the air and manoeuvred it into the branches of a tree. You should have seen his face when he got back! He wasn't a happy chappy. He started shouting at us, so we pelted him with (aggregate ridden) snowballs.

It took him yonks to get his bike out.

[LittleGrizzly]

As long as you crush the snow tight enough you get a pretty hard 'ball' anyway, my one friend has an awesome throw on him, he's got a great aim and he gets a hell of a lot of power into it, the snowball will suddenly curl into you sharply building up speed throughout the curl, even with jeans on you can really feel it if he hits you in the leg...

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

I rather feel that misses the point, causing actual pain is not really what I call fun.

FYI, you can tell your teacher that "Britain" is geographically incorrect, because Britannia is the main island, "Greater Britannia" is the whole bunch, including Ireland really.Of course these days we don't usually point that last bit out.

[InsaneApache]

The term Great Britain is used to differentiate between Brittany and the island to the north. Nothing to do with propaganda or jingoism.

Your teacher is an idiot who should know better. It's amazing that they let these cretins loose on kids. No wonder an A level is the equivalent of the 11+ these days.

[Adrian II]

The term Great Britain is used to differentiate between Brittany and the island to the north. Nothing to do with propaganda or jingoism.

Nope. If you were right, it would be called Greater Britain. But then you never are.

Your teacher is an idiot who should know better. It's amazing that they let these cretins loose on kids. No wonder an A level is the equivalent of the 11+ these days.

And they call me grumpy.

I rather feel that misses the point, causing actual pain is not really what I call fun.

Are you a girl? Boys between age 5 and 18 are constantly testing their own limits as well as those of others, animals and inanimate objects. It's their way of exploring and conquering the physical world and building prowess. The best snowball fights I remember were those in high school when some of us were actually bleeding afterwards in class from the effect of 'iceballs' as we called them.

Ah, the good old days - before everybody got 'sentitive' about kids, animals, family values, smoking, fatty foods and all that bovine excrement.

[InsaneApache]

Nope. If you were right, it would be called Greater Britain. But then you never are.

I stand in awe at your intellectual prowess. Oh hang on...

Great Britain is the term used for the island containing the contiguous nations¹ of England, Scotland and Wales. Great Britain is used to distinguish Britain from Brittania Minor, or Brittany, in France

http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/home/scotland/britain.html

It's not often you're right, however you're wrong again.

[Strike For The South]

It's all England to me

This thread makes me want to make a snowball. I feel like my childhood was somehow robbed because I didn't make on of these things. We used to play in the dirt and cactus.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Nope. If you were right, it would be called Greater Britain. But then you never are.And they call me grumpy. Are you a girl? Boys between age 5 and 18 are constantly testing their own limits as well as those of others, animals and inanimate objects. It's their way of exploring and conquering the physical world and building prowess. The best snowball fights I remember were those in high school when some of us were actually bleeding afterwards in class from the effect of 'iceballs' as we called them.

Ah, the good old days - before everybody got 'sentitive' about kids, animals, family values, smoking, fatty foods and all that bovine excrement.

Turns out IA was right and I was wrong, oops. Actually, it would be "Brittania Maior" in Latin I believe, which is Greater Britain to go with Lesser Britain. Given that it has been about 1500 years since anyone said that in everyday conversation, however, it's not surprising it's been shortened really.

Oh, and I'm not a girl, I just don't like gratuitous violence, if I want to prove myself manly I shall chop down a tree.

[InsaneApache]

A lumberjack eh? We all know how that turned out.

[Adrian II]

It's not often you're right, however you're wrong again.

I forgot to mention your lack of humour which explains a lot.

Anyhoo, always glad to debate someone as grumpy as myself. How was it for you?

Oh wait, you never knew you were being had..

[LittleGrizzly]

Your teacher is an idiot who should know better. It's amazing that they let these cretins loose on kids. No wonder an A level is the equivalent of the 11+ these days.

Ya know i think he might have just been making a little joke about the state of the country... but out of interest what economics did you study at the age of 11 ?

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

A lumberjack eh? We all know how that turned out.

Worse, a sheep farmer.

Ironic really, given that I live with a Welsh girl.

[InsaneApache]

I forgot to mention your lack of humour which explains a lot.

Anyhoo, always glad to debate someone as grumpy as myself. How was it for you?

Oh wait, you never knew you were being had..

You got caught with your pants down. Live with it.

[Papewaio]

Worse, a sheep farmer.

Ironic really, given that I live with a Welsh girl.

I think ironic would be being a pig farmer and living with a Jewish or Muslim girl...

Sheep and Welsh go together like lamb and mint.

Just joking mum .

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

I think ironic would be being a pig farmer and living with a Jewish or Muslim girl...

Sheep and Welsh go together like lamb and mint.

Just joking mum .

Well yes, except this particular welshwoman is verging on vegetarian.

[InsaneApache]

In that case you've got more in common with the sheep then you realised.

[Banquo's Ghost]

Well yes, except this particular welshwoman is verging of vegetarian.

It's my understanding that very few girls in Wales remain verging for very long.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

I'm shcoked, really I am.

Sir, I challenge your understanding. I believe you are confusing mountain girls with city girls, she is a mointain girl.

[Banquo's Ghost]

Deletes obvious punnery about mountain girls.

[Fisherking]

I'm shcoked, really I am.

Sir, I challenge your understanding. I believe you are confusing mountain girls with city girls, she is a mointain girl.

Did I miss something here?

Is this like a Will and Grace relationship or something?



She is Welsh, but you love the sheep???

So that was your irony!

[Adrian II]

Regardless of who mounts sheep and who mounts girls, all bets are off as soon as it starts to snow over there. To an outsider this, um, verges on the improbable.

[Major Robert Dump]

I thought this thread was about a new album by the rapper Snow. Pfffft

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Deletes obvious punnery about mountain girls.

Ouch, didn't even see that one coming.

Did I miss something here?

Is this like a Will and Grace relationship or something?



She is Welsh, but you love the sheep???

So that was your irony!

She comes from the Welsh mountains, which is an area with more sheep than people, yet I am the one who grew up bottle feeding lambs.

Nevermind. Just for clarity when I said "live with" I meant in a non relationship, non sexual way.

Yeesh, you guys have filthy minds. It's like being surrounded by soldiers.

[Evil_Maniac From Mars]

Yeesh, you guys have filthy minds. It's like being surrounded by soldiers.

And you know what "being surrounded by soldiers" is like?

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Sorry.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

It's rather like being here.