Kids being wrapped in cotton wool

[middleagedmadness]

We have just had a sprinkling of snow and I mean a sprinkling here in Wolverhampton , got the boy up for school only to get a message that the school is shut for bad weather ,what happened to being kicked out of the house to go to school no matter what the weather, only thinking about after reading on another thread about kids being a bit softer these days ,maybe it's just me but this time of year was the best for going to school skidding down the road and wearing out your shoes ,rolling in the snow ( and yes I still do this) getting the cane for soaking the class room with snowballs and generally having a great time , possibly I'm lucky cause my young fella has jumped on his bike to skid round the trails at sandwell valley but his buddies won't come out as school have said it's too cold to open so it's to cold to go out

[Moder-dye]

All schools closed at lunch yesterday here (Shetland) and will remain closed today. Council staff were sent home at 3pm unless essential service. Pretty lengthy power cut in the evening.

Silly, I mean we only had winds gusting to 93mph, the hens are still in our own garden, so what's the issue.

Back down to more normal 45-55mph wind today.

Oh there has been the odd gable end blown down, road washed out and bus blown over, and generally debris blowing everywhere other than that...

[Bearbonesnorm]

It's not just kids wrapped in cotton wool but society at large.

It gives me hope when I see the likes of young Tom, Joe and Dillon out there.

[middleagedmadness]

Got to admit young master pipps is absolutely brilliant and my young fella loves reading his exploits , he knows he doesn't have the same dedication as Tom in cycling ,but he loves to get out it just takes us longer to get round a route as he likes to take in a few pub stops ( he is Irish )

[whitestone]

Reminds me of a friend's brother who works for a major oil company. He got posted to Anchorage for three years. At the time he and his wife had a young toddler so one of the things he had to arrange was kindergarten. He got a note/email from the school: "The children aren't allowed to play outside when the temperature falls below zero." "A bit soft for Alaska" he thought, then realised that this being America it was zero Fahrenheit, i.e. -18C!

My sister-in-law lives next to the local primary. Most of the pupils live within half a mile. It gets shut when it snows because the teachers all live miles away and can't get in to work.

I was lucky as a kid. I grew up on a farm on the edge of the Lake District and my brother and I would just head off on our own little adventures wherever and so long as we were back for tea then mum wasn't particularly worried.

[Single Speed George]

ye we just cant cope with winter , this morning i was getting anoyed driving allong in my 4x4 over shap summit with winter tires, getting stuck behind idiots in bmws that cant drive in the snow ... why dont we all just have sensible cars :D ... but ye when i was young i got taken on many long distaince wwalks , cost to cost , WHW etc etc etc, climbing, caving , sailing , mountain biking, cycle touring.... every holiday from before i could walk till about 10 or12 was cycle touring in the hebridees initially in a trailer hahaha

[ScotRoutes]

It gets shut when it snows because the teachers all live miles away and can't get in to work.

This. While kids tend to be local, teachers often aren't.

[middleagedmadness]

I grew up in the inner city so the only access to the outdoors was through school and scouts , but even though my parents couldn't understand me wanting to camp out when in their words I have a perfectly good bed at home they always made sure I sent on every school trip to Snowdon and the lakes , until I was 13 then a few of us would get the train to Cannock and spend most weekends in the woods not really wilderness but the cheapest ticket to somewhere green , I have to be careful with my young fella and let him think it's his idea then he enjoys it ,first time he went up the rangers path we got half way and he said he's only going 1/2 way so we sat down and could just see the summit through the clouds ,I told him that was halfway and the top was way up in the clouds ,when we got there he was a bit miffed that I'd tricked him but we'll chuffed he'd got to the top ( he was only 6 so tricking him was quite easy ) on the way down he said when he grows up he's gonna trick his kids the same way .he has now asked to do a bikepacking trip so I thought that wrt would be great as we can swap and change our route and there's other people about to.

[Bearbonesnorm]

Growing up we didn't do anything outdoorsy as a family. Life generally revolved around working / house renovation, etc which did instill a slightly over active work ethic and an inability to sit still for long. However, it was a different time and a different culture existed ... as Bob says, we'd simply take ourselves off for the day (or sometimes days) up into the fields and woods or hop of a bike and see where it lead us. Everyone carried a knife, wore wellies 24/7 and yes, would sometimes go home sporting a cut, bruise or broken digit but it was normal.

When I were a girl, this were all fields. etc, etc.

[NewRetroTom]

the hens are still in our own garden

I assume you keep them all tethered on a bit of string?

[Bearbonesnorm]

ye we just cant cope with winter , this morning i was getting anoyed driving allong in my 4x4 over shap summit with winter tires, getting stuck behind idiots in bmws that cant drive in the snow ... why dont we all just have sensible cars

Ooh, me, me I know. Is it because it snows very rarely in this country, so most people would prefer not to saddle themselves with some agricultural crap for 364 days, purely in the hope that they'll get to be smug on the other day?

[Moder-dye]

the hens are still in our own garden

I assume you keep them all tethered on a bit of string?

No, but it has been considered

[Pete-G]

ye we just cant cope with winter , this morning i was getting anoyed driving allong in my 4x4 over shap summit with winter tires, getting stuck behind idiots in bmws that cant drive in the snow ... why dont we all just have sensible cars

Ooh, me, me I know. Is it because it snows very rarely in this country, so most people would prefer not to saddle themselves with some agricultural crap for 364 days, purely in the hope that they'll get to be smug on the other day?

Whilst I agree with you mostly (my boss has thing for land rovers, which whilst cool I certainly wouldn't want to drive for anything much more than 20 minutes) , we in the UK seem to be like magpies and can't resist big shiny wide alloy wheels with low profile tyres which are useless at dealing with a bit of snow. The fact that they also tend to ruin the ride and given the state of British roads...
Its why so many low spec hatchbacks and the like get through and the big shiny 4x4 BMW gets stuck in a couple of mm of slush.

[whitestone]

ye we just cant cope with winter , this morning i was getting anoyed driving allong in my 4x4 over shap summit with winter tires, getting stuck behind idiots in bmws that cant drive in the snow ... why dont we all just have sensible cars

Ooh, me, me I know. Is it because it snows very rarely in this country, so most people would prefer not to saddle themselves with some agricultural crap for 364 days, purely in the hope that they'll get to be smug on the other day?

I just learnt to drive properly. (searches for smug git smiley!)

Actually it was being in the right place at the right time. The farm was on top of a line of hills and when I was learning to drive and for the years just after I passed my test there were a number of harsh (for the UK) winters. Basically I got a lot of practice driving on snow (in rear wheel drive cars as well) at a time when I hadn't developed loads of bad habits. These days it's unusual for there to be more than a couple of mornings a year with lying snow so people just don't get the practice required.

[Moder-dye]

It gets shut when it snows because the teachers all live miles away and can't get in to work.

This. While kids tend to be local, teachers often aren't.

Yeh this is the issue. In used to teach at an infants and was one of only a few teachers local to the school.

The other issue is transport for kids in rural areas in high winds or when there is actually snow worth talking about with coaches and single track lumpy windy roads. Transport providers often just don't want to take the risk with a bus full of kids, never mind the LEA.

[Bearbonesnorm]

Fiat Panda 4x4 for the win Pete ... the old style one mind.

These days it's unusual for there to be more than a couple of mornings a year with lying snow so people just don't get the practice required.

True Bob. I also think the wide tyred 'urban 4x4' mentioned by Pete doesn't help as it can make people believe they're better equipped for the conditions than they really are ... a skill compensator if you will.

[Single Speed George]

Its why so many low spec hatchbacks and the like get through and the big shiny 4x4 BMW gets stuck in a couple of mm of slush.

i have a jimny it is not big or shiny but is handy around the cumbrian laines and helpfull getting accross feilds for fishing , and up tracks for climbing haha , pluss great in the snow as when sking in in in the lakes its handy to be able to get to it , my fiesta with winter tires was good too though , just not as good


a sunny shap november day

[Dave Barter]

Don't blame the schools blame the lawyers.

This has become a ridiculously litigious society where the slightest knock sees little Jonny's parents off to Claims Direct. This in turn means schools have a latent duty of care to clear playgrounds of ice, turn the heating up to 11 and ensure that not one snowball arcs through the sky for risk of head injury. Schools and hospitals are sued every day and so have to constantly mitigate this risk.

In my opinion it has nothing to do with the "tough old generation of knarly wildlings...boring boring boring" and everything to do with the modern legal system and our need for pecuniary justice in the event of the slightest scratch. This in turn causes the results that we see today. Everyone would disagree with me but come the glorious day I am banning sueing full stop across the board everywhere. Accidents and incompetence happen, fact. Our ancestors sucked it up and I don't remember the baker in London getting sued in 1666?

Rant over no smilies death to the lawyers.

[benp1]

Re schools I agree with the comments above, they're probably shutting as the teachers can't get to school. So if they can't get the kids taught they can't open

Any tips from the snow driving masters then?

[Single Speed George]

Any tips from the snow driving masters then?

winter or 4 season tires are great basically , had them on my fiesta now on my jimny just night and day compared to normal summer tires. and then normall stuff like using gears to engine brake down hills etc haha , teachers should be able to get in then haha

[Bearbonesnorm]

Don't blame the schools blame the lawyers.

Ooh, can we also add, ' and peoples greed and unwillingness to accept responsibility for their own actions / decisions' -ta.

This has become a ridiculously litigious society where the slightest knock sees little Jonny's parents off to Claims Direct. This in turn means schools have a latent duty of care to clear playgrounds of ice, turn the heating up to 11 and ensure that not one snowball arcs through the sky for risk of head injury. Schools and hospitals are sued every day and so have to constantly mitigate this risk.

In my opinion it has nothing to do with the "tough old generation of knarly wildlings...boring boring boring" and everything to do with the modern legal system and our need for pecuniary justice in the event of the slightest scratch. This in turn causes the results that we see today. Everyone would disagree with me but come the glorious day I am banning sueing full stop across the board everywhere. Accidents and incompetence happen, fact. Our ancestors sucked it up and I don't remember the baker in London getting sued in 1666?

Any tips from the snow driving masters then?

I'm saying nowt .... I might get sued

[whitestone]

Re schools I agree with the comments above, they're probably shutting as the teachers can't get to school. So if they can't get the kids taught they can't open

Any tips from the snow driving masters then?

Smooth is good. Things like gear changes should go unnoticed by your passengers.

Low engine revs, high gear. You need really good clutch control when setting off - people spin their wheels which basically melts snow and turns it to ice. What you want to emulate are those massive transporters that move at about 1 metre a minute.

Anticipate things. Look ahead a long way, if the car 200 metres ahead is braking or you can see it slowing down then take your foot off the gas and begin to slow down yourself. Try and do all your braking in a straight line not in the corners, it's too late then.

Give yourself space - lots of space, it's the fear of hitting something that makes your driving jerky, i.e. not smooth.

If you do lose traction point your front wheels where you want to go, don't brake but apply a little power to try and regain control, again it's small corrections you need.

Smooth.

Edit: if you want to practice find some shallow soft sand. I worked out in the Middle East and had to do an off-road driving assessment (we had 4.8L Toyota Landcruisers to play about in). Within a minute of me taking the wheel the instructor noted "You've driven in snow haven't you?" Apparently soft sand and snow require very similar driving techniques.

[middleagedmadness]

It's not just the local authorities with the claim culture , I was doing some chassis work on one of the vehicles at work , couldn't be bothered to swap to a grinding disc and the grinder jammed bouncing off the tyre into my hand leaving my thumb hanging , when I got back from being stitched up I had the area manager questioning me for a hour whether the tool was faulty , it took the whole hour for me to convince him the only faulty tool was the one using the grinder , it was like he wanted me to put a claim in

[Zippy]

, this morning i was getting anoyed driving allong in my 4x4 over shap summit with winter tires, getting stuck behind idiots in bmws that cant drive in the snow ... why dont we all just have sensible cars :D ...

I actually find it easier to control than my FWD car as the power and steering inputs are separate, so it's more controllable - you just have to get used to oversteer and the fact it does step out a bit more...and you might have traction issues. I also couldn't afford this time round winter tyres - which I sortof regret at the moment. Pratting round as a kid (and an adult) on both bikes and cars brings proper useful life skills - and is fun

ye we just cant cope with winter , this morning i was getting anoyed driving allong in my 4x4 over shap summit with winter tires, getting stuck behind idiots in bmws that cant drive in the snow ... why dont we all just have sensible cars

Ooh, me, me I know. Is it because it snows very rarely in this country, so most people would prefer not to saddle themselves with some agricultural crap for 364 days, purely in the hope that they'll get to be smug on the other day?

I just learnt to drive properly. (searches for smug git smiley!)

Actually it was being in the right place at the right time. The farm was on top of a line of hills and when I was learning to drive and for the years just after I passed my test there were a number of harsh (for the UK) winters. Basically I got a lot of practice driving on snow (in rear wheel drive cars as well) at a time when I hadn't developed loads of bad habits. These days it's unusual for there to be more than a couple of mornings a year with lying snow so people just don't get the practice required.

Yes, these two posts exactly. My bimmer is ace for making progress across the country at a ridiculous rate, whilst going by unnoticed - I suspect I couldn't do that (or have the inclination to) in a Jimny!
Also - yes wide tyres, why the hell do you want 355 section tyres on an X5.
Oh, and modern cars - the electronics are quite impressive. But the trade off for this, is you don't get to "feel" what the vehicle is doing and adjust driving accordinly, unfortunately elecrtonics then just mask everything, so you don't realise it's as slippy as it is, continue driving faster than you can drive and the electronics compensate, then physics kicks in - and electronics whilst being impressive, they still have to obey the laws of physics, boom you're in a hedge. Also - my car has an open diff - which is waay tricky to control when spinning up - LSD is coming when funds allow, but that does not help!
So yeah, basically electronics don't give you the chance to sod about - so nobody really has the chance to learn.
My biggest fear driving on slidey roads is someone crashing into me.

Its why so many low spec hatchbacks and the like get through and the big shiny 4x4 BMW gets stuck in a couple of mm of slush.

i have a jimny it is not big or shiny but is handy around the cumbrian laines and helpfull getting accross feilds for fishing , and up tracks for climbing haha , pluss great in the snow as when sking in in in the lakes its handy to be able to get to it , my fiesta with winter tires was good too though , just not as good


a sunny shap november day

I'd get along that road in my beemer on summer tyres - might even go all driftzilla if I learn that proper before I stack it

Back to cotton wool - when I was a kid we used to be running round the pavement, and seeing who could slide the longest on the ice patches. Don't they do that these days?

[Bearbonesnorm]

It's not just the local authorities with the claim culture , I was doing some chassis work on one of the vehicles at work , couldn't be bothered to swap to a grinding disc and the grinder jammed bouncing off the tyre into my hand leaving my thumb hanging , when I got back from being stitched up I had the area manager questioning me for a hour whether the tool was faulty , it took the whole hour for me to convince him the only faulty tool was the one using the grinder , it was like he wanted me to put a claim in

Accepting complete responsibility ... it makes me happy