Sunday, October 23, 2005

Brass Monkeys.


According to the Met Office, there is a two out of three chance that this winter will be the coldest for forty years. Changing pressure patterns will, they believe, lead to prevailing winds emanating from Siberia with associated high levels of snow fall over the entire British Isles.

This will be very unpleasant for the elderly poor, who have trouble paying to heat their homes during normal, relatively mild winters. I suppose the government will increase winter fuel payments for those most in need.

I’m hoping for plenty of snow. I love the stuff, and there has been so little over the last few years that I can hardly remember what a snow covered landscape looks like. Most people assume that Scotland gets a lot of snow. This is not the case. The warming effect of the Gulf Stream keeps our temperatures at a level were high levels of snow fall are unlikely. When it does snow, it only stays for a couple of days before melting.

If we get lots of snow this year I will dig my skis out of the attic and head for the Anoch Mor ski centre outside Fort William. I might even have a go at snowboarding.

The photograph above was taken from my front window. It should give you a good indication of why I like snow.

14 comments:

Sniffy said...

A) I hate you
B) They've been threatening "The worst winter in 50 years" since I was 12 and we've yet to have more than two days when it's snowed. I'm not holding my breath on this one, although I'd love a bit of weekend snow so I can go out and play in it rather than get stuck going to work and back.

S.I.D. said...

Brrrrrrr! Shut that window you lucky sod.

I love the snow too. 1 inch of snow and NI comes to complete shutdown. Yay!

garfer said...

The one plus point up here is that there are loads of snow ploughs. The higher roads do get blocked, so the council has to be prepared.
If I get snowed in for a month I suppose I'll have to shoot a stag.

Wyndham said...

You lucky bastard. I haven't seen snow, proper snow, for years. As soon as we get a decent splash this winter I'm off up to the Heath with Dexter - sod work.

garfer said...

You can make a proper snowman with a real carrot nose.

M said...

Can I move up there with you. I'll help you run the joint. The views from your property have been just gorgeous! I'm so jealous!

Sniffy said...

Hows about a carrot willy too?

pissoff said...

Now...maybe I'm daft but I never thought of Scotland as a snowy place. Then again, here on our Island we rarely get snow either. The rest of Canada, now that's another story. Having said that we did get quite a bit of snow last year. That is a beautiful picture mind you so I can see why you enjoy it so much.

Now... get your ass over to Cold Earth and answer the questions.

surly girl said...

ooh, snow. we don't get now like we used to, do we? blah blah when i was a kid etc etc. the minute it snows here i'm nicking small person out of school and heading over to hippy hill with some binbags for an afternoon's polybagging. wheee!!

Anonymous said...

I love snow too. Love, love, love it! I turn into a 5 year old at the sight of the first snowflake, driving Tazzy insane.

Elderly people should be put to sleep in the winter, it's easy to tell them it's time to hibernate. They only end up clogging up the hospital beds with their colds in the winter when WE need them to recover from our drunken nights out.

Can't afford the heating bills? Don't the senile old fuckers realise why we send them socks and jumpers every year? Oh no, they can't remember can they.

Rowan said...

I never thought Scotland would get ANY snow. I thought you were the lands of the mist and rain....whatever....if you lived ina place such as, oh I dunno, Canada? You'd hate snow, believe me.

garfer said...

Plenty of mist and rain I can assure you. Too much snow would be a pain in the arse, but it would make a pleasnt change from howling westerly gales and horizontal rain.

Faltanus said...

that view is gorgeous! it looks like a postcard. it's got to be pretty good without the snow too, no? you don't even want to know what kind of view i have out my front window.

garfer said...

Eventually I'm sure that everyone will have wall sized LCD's displaying whatever takes their fancy (like in Total Recall).
It still won't be the same as stepping outside and inhaling the air though.