Proper Winters

[Derekflint]

Re: Proper Winters

Toughest winter I remember was 1962-63, and internet research supports this.
I was taken sledging on my local lake, and that has never supported people again.

More recently London around '80, with all traffc brought to a halt with a decent amout of snow. I hiked in five miles to work and had several cushy days as I had virtually nothing to do.
Working at Marble Arch, Hyde Park and the Serpentine were spectacular.

Where I live now snow is a rare event, though when it comes it can be in massive amounts.
We got enough over a few days this year to take decent photos, at least.

Excellent photos - I love the sound and feel of my shoes in snow - the cold and damp I could do without, but that scrunching sound just makes me feel like I'm out in real weather, not this mealy mouthed garbage that we get for most of the year.

In terms of weather, nothing breaks my heart more than when you step outside and see slush.

[kazboot]

Re: Proper Winters

I only remember once when I was about 9 or 10 it snowed on Christmas Day. I'll never forget that magic moment of waking up and looking out of my bedroom window early while it was still dark.

We were always expected to go to school whatever the weather unless the heating packed up.
You were expected to walk to work if there were no buses because of snow if you lived within 5 miles of the office I worked at in the 80s and 90s.

I love your pics Emettman. It hardly ever snows in Cornwall, but when it does it's beautiful.

[rossobantam]

Re: Proper Winters

growing up in the countryside, and having a half-mile driveway to our house, meant that when it snowed, we ALWAYS got cut off. My comprehensive school was a 10 mile bus journey...an old double-decker collected all us kids from the outlying scattered houses, so it had no chance of getting down the narrow lanes in winter...LOTS of school missed, even if school was actually open, we just couldn't get there!

1979/80 winter was a mean one...mum has photos of us with drifts behind us of at least 8ft in height....not just snow, but blizzard-like biting cold wind
Our pipes froze, dad went in the loft to check, and he came through the living room ceiling......cracked his rib. Spent the rest of that winter in a caravan on the drive...now THAT was cold
Two rivers within 100yds of our house..both froze THICK so we played ice hockey using old walking sticks!

No central heating back then at our house, so my bedroom walls usually had a nice thick coating of ice in the corners...getting up for school meant a mad dash to the living room fire !

[Marine Boy]

Re: Proper Winters

What beautiful photos!

I certainly recall many more snowy winters as a child. We lived at the bottom of a hill, and like Kiop, sledging down it at speed was just brilliant. To look out of the lounge window at a heavy snowfall and then back to where the Christmas Tree stood in the corner of the room, is a picture that will stay in my mind forever.

[Emettman]

Re: Proper Winters

What are you memories of proper winters? Bet you have some great stories to tell?!

Toughest winter I remember was 1962-63, and internet research supports this.
I was taken sledging on my local lake, and that has never supported people again.

More recently London around '80, with all traffc brought to a halt with a decent amout of snow. I hiked in five miles to work and had several cushy days as I had virtually nothing to do.
Working at Marble Arch, Hyde Park and the Serpentine were spectacular.

Where I live now snow is a rare event, though when it comes it can be in massive amounts.
We got enough over a few days this year to take decent photos, at least.

[Kiop]

How can we forget proper winters when there seemed to be snow on the ground permanently from December until March?

I remember really decent temperatures where the maximum was no higher than minus 7 degrees and I used to love watching the cars struggling up the hill in deep snow and getting stranded.

Many times the school boiler would pack in and we were sent home - thought it was great.

Sledging was brillaint - I had a proper ordanary sledge but always prefer the good old bin liner to go shooting down the banking to end up in the middle of the snow-bound road.

Kids today don't seem to know what real snow and what real winters are and I feel sorry for them. I will dig out my old photos of winters gone by, scan them and post them on here at a later date in the hope that they will generate some real nostalgic memories.

Weather forcasters today seem to get their knickers in a twist when we are expected to have the grand amount of an amazing 2cms - wow, makes me laugh!

For the record, I don't wish this thread to turn into a global warming debate.

What are you memories of proper winters? Bet you have some great stories to tell?!