Metropol

In my job running Tesco deliveries across a large swathe of Liverpool, it never fails to amuse me that so many people seem to think that, if they can't safely get their cars out, then surely the best alternative is to invite a three and a half ton van onto their (usually ungritted) side roads.

It's fine if they WANT their porch and car remodelling, but not so great when they start whining because we run even five minutes late, not thinking for a second that it might be because we can't safely get near them!

Three more days of this madness out of my store at any rate. Deep joy!

I had to work from home today, I've never done that before. But then we have more snow here than I've seen in my lifetime - there's around a foot of the stuff. We just don't normally get that here as we are jutting out into the sea on the peninsula.

People on the radio are endlessly complaining about the roads ("I've not seen a gritter in a fortnight!") and in particular, the footpaths. While, yes, there is a ridiculous situation here where the local council says it is the responsibility of the Roads Service, and the Roads Service say it is the responsibility of the council, just how many people would it take to clear all the footpaths?!

The last little bit of Christmas shopping was delivered by the postman a little while ago. I do need to get into work tomorrow, and will probably have to drive as the buses in this area were all suspended today. I'm not looking forward to that.

But right now I'm looking out at a park full of trees covered in snow and a full moon shining down on it. It looks magical.

It's the sunspots, Sputty.

Even if it is, marksi, kudos to the met office for spotting it months ago without counting sunspots

Tsk @ the met office for having PR people too stupid to dare publicise it until 30 days before.

marksi wrote: But right now I'm looking out at a park full of trees covered in snow and a full moon shining down on it. It looks magical.

That's metro.

And double tsk @ the Met Office press office for publishing - on the day the cold weather set in - a press release telling us it was probably the warmest year on record.

Even if it was, it's really not the way to explain anything to a stupid, Daily Mail-reading public.

I want gav to run their PR. He can dish out FACT ATTACKS with a healthy helping of "NO" to whining people.

Can I just point out that having been driving for five and a half years I finally learned this year how to rock your car out of snow, I'm very proud of myself re: this.

Applause please.

Clap.

Chie wrote:The simmering saucepan of war threatened to boil over and erupt on the Korean Peninsula last night

Simmering water doesn't boil over, Chie. It continues to simmer.

*SLAP!*

I'm sorry, but you were being hysterical.

I'm sure Chie would be the first to complain if the British Broadcasting Corporation covered something abroad at the expense of something he considered more important at home.

I too had to work from home today, as although my area was lucky in the way the snow wasn't too bad, the gritters never come around my area. Therefore, with thick snow and ice abundant and around me, I really had little choice. A rather bizarre experience, and with it came the reluctance to work at all, as I was at home, with no boss or colleagues.

Saying that, most of the work I did today is hand-written, with graphs all neatly drawn out on paper. The backlog of transferring this all over when I can get back in will be horrid.

We as a country always over-react to these things. Everything grinds to a halt.

We are just not prepared for conditions like this. I'd have preferred to see a few more snow ploughs on the roads. Gritting isn't going to work when there's 7 inches of snow falling on already compacted snow from the weekend.