Most folk reading this probably know we are having a bit of a cold snap in the UK at the moment. Truth is all that has happened is that the warm weather we come to expect coming off the Atlantic has stopped for a while so we are experiencing the sort of weather most folk would expect this far North. We are after all as far North as the Hudson bay and there the sea freezes over and they have polar bears. Anyway the weather normally only comes from the East for a week or so at a time and now we have had 3 weeks of it which is quite memorable. When my kids are older I hope they will remember this winter and tell everyone how we don’t get proper winters like we used to any more.
Anyway, this is the main road up the village outside our house.
And this is Nicolas office in the old police station, we fitted a woodstove a few weeks ago and lots of insulation so I am quite pleased that it keeps warm and the snow on the roof shows we are not loosing the heat.
Tomorrow I have a train booked for HCA meetings in London and I have been a bit unsure about whether I could drive to Macclesfield 20 miles away or not. I have to go out over roads like this so today I bought some winter tyres. In many countries it is illegal to drive in winter on normal tyres and having experienced the difference in cold weather grip I can understand why.
This is Sparrowpit which I pass on the way top the tyre place. Pretty in the snow.
This is the road out of the valley, Mam Tor a Bronze Age hill fort is in the background. I took the children up there after school and we climbed up the landslip face. It felt like scaling a mini Eiger, right up to the little cornice along the top left edge then jumped off and slid all the way down, 20 minutes up 30 seconds down, quite an adrenaline rush but a lovely big drift to land in.
Well that is a bit of a contrast to tomorrow which involves a train to London for various meetings including another visit to DCMS and supper with Tanya Harrod an astute writer on Crafts who amongst other things wrote the definitive “The Crafts in Britain in the 20th Century” Then Saturday is a quick visit to the V&A, an HCA committee meeting then late train home. Whenever I go away and I return then I feel grounded by this landscape, this is the view I get when I come over the hill into Edale, home.
Stunning, that's proper snow. We've been snowed in here for a few days, there's not as much as you have though by the looks of it. It is beautiful, but I'm bored of it now, it's getting in the way of my work. My car's stuck three miles away at my workshop and looks like it'll be there for a while yet. Anyway that's me moaning, have a safe trip to London, hope the journey's not too difficult, cheers Doug
Well, here I am in Alaska. My official snowpole claims 30cm of snow. Looks like you have more than that! Snow tires (or tyres) are highly advisable for deep snow, although chains are better. High clearance is a very good thing to have, too. Most vehicles today scrape the ground. Totally unsuitable for snow. I carry a snow shovel in the car. It has gotten me out of more unpleasant situations than I care to think about. Snow tends to jam up under the car; the wheels are essentialy in the air and can't get traction. You have to shovel out under the car. I carry many other things in the car, including a "come-along" or ratechet winch, food, and a kerosene (paraffin) stove. Lovely photos. Straight out of a Dickens novel!
Hey Robin.Nice pics! I live in London and the snow has been pretty rubbish. Ah well.I am just about to venture in to the world of woodwork. My wife and some friends clubbed together to get me on a 2 day course to learn basic jointing etc and then a bit extra to get some tools! My very kind landlord has also said I can used half of his garage which is a minutes walk away from my house for free! So I have been reading your blog, and many others to get me inspired and to pick up tips. I have one burning question for you though. Where does one buy good sustainable wood? I need somewhere that can deliver (as i don't have a car). I am wanting to build small bits of furniture that combine found pieces and new materials. But I can't seem to find somewhere where I can get good wood that isn't a building style timber yard. Any tips would be very appreciated.ThanksDave
I am afraid Dave I don't know anywhere doing good locally sourced sustainable wood mail order. Most of us who are into sourcing local timber go to tree surgeons local city parks departments, etc and work the wood fresh. There are various groups around the country where furniture makers are getting into using locally sourced wood and milling and drying timber cooperatively, my Local one is Working Woodlands Ltd.
RobinI stopped by just to see how you are doing..That certainly is not the kind of weather you normally have. But then much of the "north" (around the world) is having a bad winter, I guess it's not a surprize.My younger sister lives in Montana-USA, where the winters are normally harsh, but this winter is very bad with some highs around -20 and lows going to -40 (at that point it doesn't matter if it's F or C).Even were I live (more like your climate) with rare snow, we have snow "tires/tyres" on the car all winter. DaveOne problem Robin might not have seen is much Urban sourced wood has nails/spikes/etc in it (at least in the USA). The other problem is Urban trees that have been pruned for shape often get some odd stress's in the wood (sometimes called reaction wood)TTFNRalph