General Chat

We are on a RED alert here in Devon.

Has James got home safely Jane? Please let us know.

Just a silly bit of info if you keep an 8 hour night light in your car and should you get stuck light it and it will keep the cold out of the car without running the engine.

Oh i see they are in the cavity ,not a lot you can do then ,just hope the temp warms up in the next few days to thaw them out.

Yes i saw on the weather your on red Mel, is it still coming down?

So OH has a plan for your pipes then Liz hope it solves your problem .

Yes Mandy it is still coming down but not as hard as it was. Oh said the temp has gone up a couple of degrees at the moment. They are saying we may have that freezing rain and then snow again.

I have left the frozen drinker in the big girls house and when I went to check them tonight it seemed as though it was thawing out a bit. Must be with the warmth of their bodies. The two old girls hav'nt been out of the house today at all. One came out yesterday but the other stayed indoors.

We've had supper and I've washed up!! OH is relaxing after a 'busy' day!! Cas has had a quick walk by torchlight! I think it's an early night for us. Tomorrow we must organise a proper wash, but for tonight, it's hands and face, and an early night!!

James has just arrived after more than a 2 hour drive. (pretty good going in this weather ) .He did say that it was pretty hairy getting to work this morning and some wonderful snow sculptures where the wind had blown the snow.He was so glad though that he took Chris's car as it went into 4x4 mode.

Dishing up dinner now

Glad he's home safe and sound .

Pleased he is home safely Jane now you can relax. Is he going in tomorrow?

I think so Mel :-S Lick and a promise then for you tonight Liz(I think that is the saying)
I am off now .Thomas is on the range thinking he is going out... No chance there .
I can see he is going to be a blooming pain in the early hours :-S :-S

Night Night x

In bed now watching a bit of TV then snuggling down! Yes Jane, a lick and a promise it was. Hopefully tomorrow we can get straight again!! As you say, 4X4 mode is a godsend. We have a big hill going into our village and I think getting there would have been a real challenge in an ordinary car.
It's still blowing hard and freezing sleet - very unpleasant. These poor homeless people, I do feel for them. There but for the grace of God!!

Yes I have been thinking of the homeless. I hope you little man is ok Jane and Niko if he is still out on the streets.

I have just had a pic sent to me from Em next door of the boys out in the garden with the sledge I gave them. It was my sons and we had great fun with it so I hope they will put it to good use tomorrow.

Still blowing like mad here. My bedroom window is covered in snow on the west side. I took a pic.

Morning all

I'm still full of cold but starting to feel a little more human now.

Yes, we have snow Mel, but unfortunately it's far to cold for Sandra to build any snowmen. She would freeze in a matter of minutes. To be honest most of the snow has turn to ice now apart from the snow drifts by our back door.

I see some of you had power cuts and frozen pipes. I hope all is okay now and that your plan works today Liz so you have your water back soon.

Nothing to report from here, I've been sleeping pretty much all day and night lately. I've been so bad with what ever I've got. OH thinks it's a virus with it taking so long to go, so I'm just keeping as warm as I can and taking paracetamol, plus keeping my fluids up. Like I said I'm finally starting to feel a bit better so hopefully will be okay soon.

The living room wallpapering has been put on hold, but there is only the two alcoves to do in the pretty cream and red paper I bought, so that can wait a little longer.

Going to get a warm drink and a tissue as my nose is running again.
Hope everyone is okay. I'll try and pop back on here later.

MORNING ALL, I won't say GOOD.

What a bitter cold wind we have, every now and again it gusts and the bush in the front garden almost gets blown over.

Martine and Simon rang. DON'T you dare try to go out anywhere today. !! That's told us lol. Jonathan rang last night. He has offered to go and get any shopping we want. Nicola his wife is a head cabin crew with Virgin Airways. She is stuck in New York, as they can't land in the U.K. So don't know when she will be home.

You are getting your share down there Mel, Have you got plenty of grocers in ?? I would hate you to get stuck going out in this lot.

Martine rang the solicitors this morning. Answer phone message "Due to the weather conditions, the office is closed until further notice" What an excuse from a professional body. !!!

Did James manage to get to work today Jane. ?? regarding the pipes in the cavity wall. Could you not get someone to fill it with WALL INSULATION (FOAM) ??

All fed and watered. Ros is having her breakfast now. I will find some more food for the birds, then get back to my book, that is almost finished.

STAY SAFE AND WARM xxx

All ok here this morning! We've got outside water thank goodness, so we've filled all our big containers that we had left over from our camping/sailing years! Good job we didn't chuck them out!!
Very slippery here so apart from going down to Merlin and taking Cas a very little way we won't be going anywhere. I'm making fish pie for supper and having home made soup for lunch!
Cas went in the field after breakfast with OH and he said she jumped into some deep snow and didn't seem to know how to get out! Apparently it was up to her chest!! mind you, she is quite little!!
Talked to E again this morning as he is off school for the duration! He told me that its too cold to make a snowman so he's helping his Mummy today :-S.
OH is looking very pleased with himself after all his running repairs in icy conditions!! I think he thinks that he'll somehow be in for a commendation!! He'll have to think again! ;-)
Glad you're feet my better Gill, you sound as if you have been 'proper poorly'. Hope everyone got the pics I sent!

Morning all,

Yes got the pics Liz, thank you. Was that solid ice on your windows Liz?

Still loads of snow about here this morning but the wind dos'nt feel quite so cold. Its all been blowing off the trees. We hav'nt seen the deer today yet. We have had a load of starlings on the bit of grass under the box hedge where the snow has blown away. We don't usually get them as they spend most of their time up at the farm up the road.

Glad you seem to be on the mend at last Gill. Keep warm and don't overtax yourself. Poor Sandra not being able to make a snowman when there is so much snow out there. Give her my love please. <3 I hav'nt made a snowman either. As you say too cold to stay out longer than nessisary.

Well I must fill the birds feeders up as they are eating us out of house and home.

Frank we have all we need for a week at least by which time the snow shoud have gone I hope. I only do a weekly shop as you know and anything I did'nt get I got at the local shop before the snow arrived. Be sure to tell Ros she is NOT to go out in this weather. We can't have her getting stuck anywhere.

Em emailed me the recipe for those biscuits she made me for my birthday. If anyone wants it here it is. It makes 20 and they are delish.

Anzac biscuits. ( Made for the Australian and New England Army Corps)


3 Oz porridge oats
3 oz desicated coconut
4 oz plain flour
4 oz caster sugar
4 oz butter melted
1 tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp bicarb of soda
Takes 35 min. makes 20

Preheat fan oven to 160
Put the oats coconut and flour and sugar in a bowl .
Melt butter in a small pan or micro and stir in the golden syrup.

Add the bicarb to 2 tablespoons of boiling water then stir into the syrup and butter mixture.
Make a well in the middle of the dry ingedients and pour in the butter and syrup mixture.
Stir gently to incorperate the dry ingredients.
Put dessertspoonfulls of the mixture on to buttered baking sheets, about 1 inch apart to alow for spreading.
Bake in batches for 8 to 10 minuets until golden.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

They are quite sweet and like a hard flapjack and very morish. Mandy the kids would love them.

It's freezing rain on the outside of our double glazed windows!! It was where the wind was coming from, the windows at the back weren't affected!
It's still very windy here, OH has just taken Cas up to the field for her midday run. She's now lying quietly by the woodburner!
Soups on the go, and fish pie is made. We shall have it with rice!
OH has just said that its a bleak old day! that just about sums it up!

Whoops, it's snowing again!! OH has just said he doesn't want (allow??!!) me to go out today. I don't think he could bear it if I went over!! Luckily I don't want to, else he'd be told to keep his instructions to himself!!!

Afternoon All

I braved the wind and cold this morning and did a trip to Tesco.The main road there is fine as long as everyone just takes it steady. It was heaving there. I think maybe being the beginning of the month a lot of people will have been paid and they certainly were stocking up. Trolleys piled high. The car park was a bit dodgy and cars were parked at some very odd angles LOL taking up more than the one space. I think we are due more snow later this afternoon. Thomas has been out since 5.15 !!!! Heaven knows where he gets too in this. I have put the heater on in the summerhouse so he can pop in there if I dont see him to let him in.

Yes James has gone to work wearing HAT :-D. He sent me couple of seconds video of a road he was travelling on and it looked horrendous.

We can't put insulating foam in as the pipes are not actually bricked in.Just boxed in.The heater is on again in the garage. Still neither shower working this morning.

Thanks for your pics Liz. I too wondered if it was ice on the window . Cas looks cosy in her crate. Ian has done well hasnt he. Maybe a nice pat on the back and a gold star for all his effort :-D :-D

I am glad you are being to feel much better now Gill . Just dont try running before you can walk. We all know what you are like :-D :-D . I think you are right about it being too cold for Sandra to be out making a Snowman. I see Liz's Grandson says it is too cold for even him to make one.

Those biscuits sound good Mel but I dont think I shall be making them. They would be good for kids lunch boxes.

I think I will light the fire now.It's all set ,just needs a match to it. This wind seems to be getting worse again now.It has blown all the snow off the hedges. How are your Girls and Bantoms Mel? Staying warm in their bedrooms I hope.
The horses across the road were let out in the field this morning. You should have seen them !!!!! Running,kicking and just having great fun. I was worried they might skid or slip on the icy snow they way they were all prancing around.I did notice that their owners stuck around for quite a while ,probably just keeping an eye on them to make sure there weren't going to be any injuries.
Time for the news and some lunch now.

Pat on the back Jane? gold star? He'll be getting a big head!!! Actually I am secretly impressed, and grateful as we would have been really snookered but for his efforts and expertise! You're brave driving in this! gold star for you too!
It's snowing hard now and we're watching the PM's speech, interesting!

Afternoon all,

That wind cuts right through you ,like you Jane we braved the weather and went to Tesco's to get some bits as we might be in for more snow ,our road was very bad but once we got down to the main road it was nice and clear ,the car park at Tesco's was bad we had no idea if we were between the white lines or not as you couldn't even see them .
Since we have been home we can now see the road so there must be a bit of a thaw going on.

Glad your feeling a little better today Gill ,if your snow is like ours it's really fluffy so i don't think it would make a good snowman but i bet Sandra wishes it wasn't so cold so she could get out there to try and make one , just keep in the warm and don't try to do to much to soon .

Liz seeing that ice on your window took me back to years ago when we use to have the ice on the windows when we woke up and we use to scrape a hole in the ice to look out and see what the weather was like outside .
Yes give OH a pat on the back for getting things sorted ,he's right a bleak day really sums it up.

I might give that recipe a try Mel i think the children would like them as they like Flap Jacks .

So " Hat " has gone out in the cold with James today :-D i hope his journey home is better than yesterday , did you see all those poor people that have been stranded in their cars over night .

Some of the roads to the villages round about are a bit dicey ,the snow keeps blowing across the roads and blocking them ,a lot of the roads are one track only ,snow ploughs have been out over night but as fast as they clear the road the snow drifts again .