Barry are you affected by the flooding?
Lou
Thankfully no Lou,I live high up on top of a hill and the water literally runs down into the valley,many homes affected in the Surrey area and it must have been a miserable christmas for many,we have high winds today and I understand flights to the USA from Dublin hub have been cancelled due to the extremes of weather,flights incoming diverting to Heathrow.
Barry.
We have been lucky also. Many of my countrymen have no power and will not get it back for a few days.
Lou
The same here in the UK Lou,the flooding has knocked out the power to a few thousand homes,I had a pleasant surprise last week a refund from the water authorities,it said in the letter 'As your water does not run into the main sewers we are refunding you from the time that you moved in a year ago' how they work that out is a mystery to me ? answers on a postcard !
Barry.
I heard on the weather channel that Cliff(Winnipeg) had recorded their second coldest 31 Dec with - 34. The record of -34.3 was recorded back in the 1800s. Keep those long johns handy Cliff and a hope that 2014 will be a bit warmer.
Lou
Blizzard conditions today and -20s windchill. Forecast + 10 for Sunday. The world has gone mad!!!! Saw flooded streets in Kent, UK.
Lou
Howling gales in the UK,Wales on serious flood alert as river banks overspill,fields are sodden and like a sponge when I went for a walk earlier,more rain coming down now,prices of vegetables has shot up as the farmers are unable to get into the fields.
Barry.
High 20's low 30's here . Heatwave conditions in Queensland high 40's across the state.
Possible rain next week for me.
I don't think I could handle blizzaed conditions
Gordon
Gordon,
All the Canadian members will happily mail you a box of snow in exchange for a box of sunshine!!
Peter
Indeed, an exchange would be nice if we could just even things out. Today is somewhat sunny and it only took me an hour and a half to dig myself out. That included the generosity of my next door neighbor who has a tractor and plow. Most communities in eastern Canada have used up 1/2 of their snow clearing budget and we are in the first week of 2014. However, I consider my self lucky to be warm and dry.
Lou
I'm still hoping for February's Bonspiel Thaw or Festival du Voyageure's Thaw - it's still too cold for old guys like me.
Cliff
If I could mail you blokes a box of sunshine I would.
Gordon
Thanks Gordon. I could sure use it today. It was -37C this AM (-35F). I'm at the main branch of the library this afternoon. Just to use their computers. Soon it will be equal where -40C = -40F. But maybe it won't get that low. After all I did have some good luck - someone cleared my parking space for me. Now if I could only stop shivering . . . . It would sure be nice to be young again!
Cliff.
Sunshine? Amazingly the sun always shines when it gets this cold!
Barry, just saw a report on continued flooding in England. How far away from this are you?
Lou
Thankfully Lou I live some distance from the worst flooding areas in Devon,Cornwall,and now the Thames estuary in London which has broken its banks,on top of this I live on top of an hill with open farmland at the back of me which acts as a natural earth sponge very important as more people place concrete frontages in the front of their homes to park vehicles which causes many problems of water build up into the sewers which are having problems in coping.
Yes this is a national emergency which so far has been handled very badly by the government and authorities who are totally un-prepared and unable to fully cope,there is much unrest on the news this morning as people are suffering and having to vacate their properties,the weather forecast is also not helping as there is yet more rain on the way to add to the current misery,its going to take months to drain off the water and the damage must have already ran into millions of pounds,what is worrying a lot of people regarding their insurance is the 'Act of god' escape from paying up,we will just have to see what happens.
You probably saw the damage to the railway network from Exeter to Cornwall with the sea walls washed away and the railway lines literally hanging in mid air,that is going to take months to re-instate and not possible until the weather improves,its ongoing damage like this which is adding to the big problems throughout the UK.
Barry.
Hi Barry. The only news that I've personally seen was in today's Globe and Mail where they showed a photo of flooding due to the Thames. However, the same newspaper had a full center section devoted to the water shortage and heat wave currently taking place in California. It goes on to say that not only with respect to agricultural productivity but also in regard to politics we have been more less forewarned. Almost 67% of California has been affected by this extreme weather condition.
Meanwhile, in our area of the globe it has been cold and snowing so long that even I'm getting fed up! But we still have big all terrain vehicles, or off road trucks! Years ago I went up the Dempster - in a Volvo - all the way to Inuvik! (That was about 1975. Never again!) Hang in there, Barry.
Cliff.
Such extremes of weather worldwide,we certainly do not get snow the likes of what you have there Cliff,this is only the tip of the iceberg what we are getting now there is more rain and some snow on the way to add to the misery for many.
Licking my wounds here after emergency hospitalisation on Friday evening,not wishing to put a finer point on things but I was in much pain after not being able to pass water,a throw back from the prostrate cancer rearing its ugly head,the outcome was a catheter which is very uncomfortable and I have to wear it until the 19th February at least,its certainly curtailed my activities,these things happen when we get older and have to deal with them,at least I am warm and dry unlike many poor souls out there without electricity and even clean water,its going to take months to clean up the mess in the UK and I think this will either make or break Mr Camerons term of office,challenging times for him.
Barry.
Hi All,
Barry, glad to hear you live on a hill, so do we luckily as the north side and northern road out of town have been flooded. Some people have been evacuated from their homes and businesses had to close. Our dog hates it (see photo) and our 2 daughters are disappointed that school is still open, we just have to go a loooooong way round.
(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-Hi_VdEDL74w/UvuWS-c6FTI/AAAAAAAAAUs/9PwB8syS32A/s800/tilly%2520on%2520fishlake.jpg)
Houses and the town on the left side, on the right side its normally 10-12ft drop to the water meadows*, but they're now completely waterlogged, so all the rainfall up the valley (up to a mile wide and 20-30 miles long) now backs up with this road acting as a dam. It will be a while before the level drops and the "redundancy" of the meadows soaking up the water will take until the summer to come back - if we have one this year!
Will
*water meadows - traditional land management of low-lying grazing land that would flood or could be deliberately flooded, either to control water levels or to irrigate the pasture - the level of the land is just below the level of the river which has built-up banks.
Will, called flood plains in our part of the world. You can't believe how many developer build home in these plains as they are fertile and close to the river. The province of Alberta has finally made rulings that they will compensate for the flooding this time and will help you relocate. If you rebuild in the same area, no further compensation will be available to you should the flooding happen again. About time!!
Lou
Hi Barry, I want to assure you that you have my support and empathy entirely. But, no a catheter is indeed uncomfortable. Far simpler for some of our younger members of SMM to have their annual medicals - including the PSA test and the DREE. (Although they don't like it one iota. In fact its an area in which I completely lose all feelings of envy I might have for the medical profession - his job is one that I wouldn't want to have.) Having said that, which as you're aware, I'm bound to express as a member of another Group, I would like to acknowledge the terrible weather that you are having in the UK. Again this AM the Globe and Mail had a more detailed account of the severity of the weather that you are encountering. It really seems that there may be more to what the world is experiencing. But please don't use the expression: "tip of the iceburg." He may be listening! And considering that yesterday we got a bit more snow while of course today it's clear and cold we are now at the stage where we are finding it difficult to find a place to pile it!
Cliff.
Barry
Glad to hear you're OK.
Cheers
Gordon
ARRRRG
Are you OK Lou ? are you snowed in with weather problems too.
Barry.
Just 25 cm or so. All of it in my drive way. Gone now. Saw some more flooding video from your end of the world. What is all this coming to. Winter continues to have its grip on the North American continent.
Lou
Its brought with it untold problems Lou,the raw sewage creating an health risk,400 tons of debris being removed from a bridge entrance this morning,power lines and railway infrastructure which will take months to restore,and now we are getting land slips and large holes appearing out of nowhere,as you have seen the hard pushed Army lads have been drafted in to handle areas where normal vehicle access is impossible,although it has not been said the government now realise that some things are hopeless and beyond the largest of manpower being in place,nature has the power to destroy things so quickly that have been built for years,many of our bridges and railways were built by Brunel but even he could not have envisaged the damage that could and has been done to his masterpieces.
I have seen the snow that you have had to put up with these past months,thankfully we never see things like that but snow cannot be ruled out here for the coming weeks.
Barry.
Spring is technically here. Some blue patches and I did see the moon this morning. Let's hope for mother nature to realize what time of the year it is.
Lou
Quote from: lastvautour on March 21, 2014, 11:42:14 AM
Spring is technically here. Some blue patches and I did see the moon this morning. Let's hope for mother nature to realize what time of the year it is.
Lou
Hi Lou,
Here it is nice and sunny one day, and cold and wet the next day.
Mother Nature seems a bit confused.
Jorrit
Today in the UK we had hailstorms,then sunshine,then some rain,and now back to sunshine again ! its a cold chilly wind out there.
Barry.
You saw the moon! Coming home - I hope not! It reminds me of when I was young. ;) Out here it seems that if we don't fall into a pot hole Spring may be just around the corner. That is, if it ever stops snowing. By the way, just where do you guys down east put the snow.
Cliff.
I believe that an administrator of our Group, Garet or Oceaneer and also Ray, live in the vicinity of Seattle where there has been a great deal of flooding just north of that area. With 108 missing and 14 confirmed dead I believe that it is appropriate to recognize this tragedy and hope that all is well with our members.
Cliff.
Heavy rainfalls made the area unstable and searchers are unable to get to many areas. Ray and Garet, I also hope you and your families and friends are safe. Views on TV are unbelievable.
Lou
I hope that everyone is staying safe and if they get a minute check in to let us know that they are not affected.
Barry.