Today I've mostly bin...

[giraffe]

Two of mine live 17 miles from school and it's not the getting close to school that is the problem so much as getting to the main road at this end. That said we don't very often get snowed in.

It's a 3 mile walk to the bus stop for my children since they changed the bus route. That would also involve crossing the motorway junction on foot and walking about 2 miles down a country lane with no pavement and trees that meet overhead so it is dark in the middle of the day. I argued the toss with the bus company about the changes to the bus route, and the accomanying 62% price rise in fares, but it made no difference.

[LAT]

Primary school was about 400 yards with a lollipop lady across the main road. I always walked there as well (not sure what age I started walking alone - I bet it was before 9).

By the age of 9 I was cycling to school on my own - a distance of about three-quarters of a mile. But not until I had passed my cycling proficiency test I think.

[Looby]

I used to walk the half mile to school at the age of 4. A group of 5 of us walked together in the care of the 'big' girl who lived round the corner (she was 8!)

[Bunnylump]

I must admit I used to walk to school when I was in infant school (5 to 7), which involved crossing two roads. But then those were the days when we were allowed to "play out" in the road from about the age of 4 - we'd have our breakfast at the weekend and then disappear out, playing with all the other kids in the street until dinner time. My parents wouldn't have a clue where I'd got to. Oh, how times change...

Mind you, I did have to laugh the other day. I said to a group of students I was speaking to that if they forgot to use full stops and capital letters I would rip their arms and legs off and beat them about the head with them...like you do... . One of them is on the Autistic spectrum, and takes things literally. She looked really shocked and said "MISS, you can't do that! It's illegal! You might have been able to do things like that in the 1970s, but NOT NOWADAYS!!" Now, I remember being smacked, and having board rubbers thrown at my head, but I don't remember arms and legs being ripped off with impunity...

!

[giraffe]

...worried that K's school might be closed tomorrow. She has her Maths A level in the afternoon, and if the school is closed she will have to take it in the summer. She was hoping to be able to drop Maths and concentrate on the other three.

[gill216]

Not looking good in our area for snow either. We've already had enough to make our drive and road lethal by morning if it freezes. We've swapped our cars around so the old banger is the accessible one and it wont be the end of the world if we (or anyone else) slide and bump it. Our fence is usually our first port of call if it gets icy. Everyone else's too!

We have 2 funerals. One tomorrow in what is probably the worst part of Leeds to get to if it snows heavily and the other in Newcastle on Monday. Not sure we will make it to either.

[Bunnylump]

Oh, crikey, Gill, that doesn't sound good!!

To Giraffe: our school is opening for exams come hell or high water. On Monday (when we got the first lot) the rest of the school was sent home but the kids doing exams stayed. The school paid for taxis to get them all home. They will be doing the same tomorrow.

[giraffe]

K's school says that there are three options Green the school is open, Amber exams are on, but nothing else, Red it's closed. They don't normally close for anything, but they are expecting a foot of snow tomorrow, and at least half the pupils are bussed in from Wolverhampton, 20 miles away. A couple of years ago the busses got stuck on the motorway, so they have decided to be a bit more cautious.

[Bunnylump]

That's really horrible for her, not knowing. Especially after having done a load of work beforehand. How frustrating!

[LAT]

Oh dear, that is a pain for Kingsley. Hope for green or amber - as long as it is safe for them.

[giraffe]

or should I say

Website says green!!!!

[kathlyn]

Hope the maths exam goes well Kingsley.

It started snowing about 1am this morning but it's very fine snow so it's only about an inch deep and has only just covered the area where OH car was overnight and he left 4 hrs ago. Just spoken to OH and in Derby you can't see through the snow that's falling outside his office window.

[eirian]

there was a light coating this morning when I left home. It's currently snowing outside here in the centre of Manchester, but I don't think it's heavy enough to cause problems. Just hope it's not too bad at home - I need it falling, but not enough to mean the car needs digging out/defrosting, so I can get Sigur to come and pick me up from the tram stop!

[Bunnylump]

It's very fine snow here, but has kept going for a few hours now. Roads are still just driveable at the moment but are gradually deteriorating. Our school is shutting (main school) at 12 30) but the exams are continuing. Fortunately for me I've finished the ones I'm concerned with for today and am home OK. K managed to convince her Head to let her come home from the school she teaches at. She works in Chorleywood, which would involve a massively steep hill on a little lane back up to the main road through the common. She would then either have the M25 to drive along plus another 5 or 6 miles across our town, OR travelling all the way back down single track lanes. So I am relieved she's back safe. D has just had a callout from the DCLG because they have a humidity alarm going off. He's said he'll WALK there to have a look at it!! Very wise, I'd say, but of course he won't be able to take many tools with him.

It's completely crazy the way this country grinds to a halt at the first sign of bad weather, isn't it?

[giraffe]

Lally's school closed at 11,30, so glad I didn't send her in, and F's is closing at 1.30. Was feeling like a bad mother, but not any longer. K's exam is starting half an hour early so they can leave a bit early.

[MBH]

A few flakes of snow to add to the little bit of 'frosting' we had earlier in the week. Roads are fine.

It was commented on the local radio about the fact that SNOW is only national news when it falls in the South

Does anyone think that the media is now OVER-reacting with all the weather warnings? It's actually putting people off doing things for fear of bad weather than never materializes.

Everybody stay safe, and look after yourselves

[Bunnylump]

Yes, I agree, MBH. The dire warnings which have been being given have been very OTT. Having said that, it IS still snowing here and it's getting heavier, so I might yet eat my words!! But I suppose it does remind people to do things like check on elderly neighbours, etc.

[LAT]

We have fairly heavy snow here and it is still falling. Managed, just, to get my car down to the village where I have left it so it will be easier to get out next time we need to go anywhere. At one point I had to veer to the wrong side of the road when the car in front of me slowed too much going up a hill and I didn't fancy having to stop and restart! There was already one car on the wrong side of the road there looking stuck!
Then we went in N's car to do the weekly shop - picking our route carefully as the normal road we would use looked blocked. Coming home we again had to detour and have left the car a short walk from the house, not where we would have liked to but we decided against riskin the hill where I'd had to take the avoiding action.

It seems unlikely we will get to the funeral.

We certainly hear plenty about the snow wherever it falls but I suppose if it falls heavily in the south then the travel disruption etc affects more people so it is considered of greater interest.

[eirian]

I'm not sure that it particularly affects more people in the south, it just affects the people who make the news...

But that sounds awful LAT. Please take care!

I do hope Kingsley's exam has gone ok.

We seem to have escaped the worst here, but for all those caught up in it, keep warm!

I agree that the warnings do seem to have been a bit OTT for most of the country, but it's better for people to be over-prepared than under-prepared and get caught out. Although I suspect there are quite a few kids really fed up that they won't be able to build the promised snowman!

[Wulfruna]

We've not had any snow yet here down by the coast, but it's usually the inland areas that are most affected in the South West. I agree that the media reports are way OTT - and they imply that we are unprepared and helpless when the snow appears. They ignore the fact that many other countries are similarly affected but don't panic about it - they just "shut up shop" for a couple of days when the snow first causes (normal!) disruption and don't worry about it - it is perfectly ok for schools and offices to close so that people don't feel guilty about not trying to travel on those days. It is all only temporary after all!