Today I've mostly bin...

[giraffe]

Tell them to stay where they are! (I mean not get the plane)

I've been feeling a fraud for keeping the girls off, but a blizzard has just started. According to Kingsley it's SNORING (SNow pOURING)
earlier it was just SNIZZLING (SNow drIZZLE)

Little man has just spent two hours fiddling with the computer and has now taken it to the hospital for sick computers. OH hooked this old one up to the internet for us at the weekend, so that K and F could do their homework.

[gill216]

Tried that one at 9am. Daniel is coming to grandma's even if he has to walk. Son has to be at work in Leeds tomorrow and he's very conscientious. Have investigated National Express coaches and if their plane is not delayed they will catch the last coach. Otherwise they can stay overnight in East Midlands and we'll see what tomorrow brings. Our main roads are fine, its just our estate(and I'd imagine a few others in Leeds). 41 schools closed.

There could be a bonus. My mother is supposed to be arriving from Newcastle tomorrow. She cant get out of here estate either

[SparkOut]

Monkey was bitterly upset this morning that his school seems to be the only one in Kent that isn't closed, and we have 5 minute walk, so can't even blame the roads for not getting there. As I dropped him off, the Headmaster said that he might have to close later on today (so as to make sure of staff being able to get home - not so much a problem for parents to actually collect their children!)
It makes it worse that Pumpkin's school is closed (and they're in the town where the roads are pretty clear, plus that one almost never closes) so I know he'll be upset that he didn't get to play in the snow all day while Pumpkin is having a sneaky day off school.

How far is it from you to East Midlands airport Gill? I suppose it's not worth investigating whether there's any means of getting "into the vicinity" from "outside in" and then walking the rest of the way? (Even if it means sending people out with sledges to help drag the luggage home.)
A taxi will probably be hugely expensive but are there any other services - airport shuttle bus, for instance - that haven't been cancelled?

[gill216]

82.6 miles to be precise Sparkout. Luggage is not a problem, Daughter is bring an empty suitcase so she can spend spend spend when (if) she gets here. Son went out with only hand luggage. Its the time of the flight thats the main problem. If its delayed the last coach is 22.40 and she doesnt land until 9.45pm. To catch a train they'd have to get a bus to the centre and then get the snail express which doesn't arrive until 6.30am with a change in the middle of the night with a 3 year old.

I dont think I'll have a problem unless I really cant get out of the estate. I can see buses and traffic on the main road.

[MBH]

Ended up over 80 schools in the area not opening. Questions raised on the radio seemed to come back to the answer "The Health & Safety Police"

[giraffe]

Kingsley's school is shutting at 2pm and not reopening tomorrow, I haven't heard about Lally's, but I won't be going just for one if the roads are bad tomorrow.

I've just been down to Asda, which is a mile down a straight road, (Quite a steep hill, so might not be passable tomorrow) to stock up on essentials just in case. The main road was fine, but I couldn't get onto our front drive when I got back. After about 6 attempts and much sideways slithering, but no significant forward movement I had to get the snow shovel and a broom to remove the worst of it.

A couple of years ago I went to the supermarket in the snow and started to unload the car when I got back. As I was taking the first lot into the kitchen I heard a low rumble outside and found the car had slid off the drive and ended up on the other side of the road, despite having the handbrake on.

[Bunnylump]

YAY! Result!! My school was closed today, so I didn't have to go in AND I'll still get paid! I was fully prepared to walk the three miles in my wellies, but it is a village school and takes kids from a wide area including a lot of other villages, so the school buses aren't running. (Probably a good job too, it's right at the top of a massive hill).

So, yes, I have been out to play in the snow. The shame is that I can't find any kids to take sledging with me. Last year I still took my neice, but now she's 14 it's "not cool". Anyone got any spare kids that they'd like me to take out sledging??

My son is disgusted. I think he's in the only place in the country with no snow (Cornwall) - when I spoke to him last he said they had brilliant blue skies and sun!!

[kingsley]

Last year I still took my neice, but now she's 14 it's "not cool".

It might not be cool (it's freezing instead!) to go out in the snow when your 14 but I've just had a lot of fun with fernando and Lally (little sister) out in the garden. We destroyed the back garden with a snowball fight and then destroyed the front garden building a snowman.

Definitely more fun than school!

[gill216]

If I manage to get my grandson here tonight we are going to have such fun tomorrow.

The slope on our garden at the back is steeper than the one on the road to the front. We've split the back garden into 4 levels with decking etc but there is a clear run about 3' wide from top to bottom.

We are getting into bin bags at the top and sliding all the way to the bottom. I've even blown up his mini bouncy castle so we can crash into it at the bottom.

I have the shovels out to build snowmen etc. and buckets out to make snow castles.

I really am a big kid at heart!!!!

Gill

[kingsley]

Sounds like great fun, am I invited?!

[gill216]

Anyone who can get here and is happy to bring a sleeping bag and sleep on the floor is welcome

[Bunnylump]

OOh can I come too? Mind you, second thoughts, if I slept on the floor for a night I may never get up again...

[MBH]

Sounds like great fun Gill.... Bags-I the Bunny shaped sledge lying in the middle of your floor

Love the idea of the blow-up crash area

[LAT]

Did you just say what I think you said MBH?

[Bunnylump]

That's what I thought when I first looked at that. I though "WEY HEY my luck is in!" and then I realised he just meant that he could use the sledge she had put by for me. Oh well. It livened my day up, however briefly!!

[MBH]

Actually you were both right 1st time. I figure after sleeping on the floor she'll be stiff as a board

This must be the first time you two have taken something naughty and cleaned it up

[Bunnylump]

We're slipping, LAT. Can't let that happen! We'll have to enrol on "naughtiness classes", to keep us on top form!!

[kathlyn]

[LAT]

sounds like fun to me

Actually, can you imagine you and me at naughtiness classes Bunny?

[Bunnylump]

I think it sounds like wonderful fun. Would anyone like to run them??