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My mother lives in deepest highlands just below a snow gate on the moor and is pretty used to getting snowed in. The sight of the highways snow plough coming is a mixed blessing - on one hand the road is clear(sih). On the other he is totally indescriminate about what happens to the snow. A 5-6ft pile of dense ploughed snow across the drive is a pretty standard experience. Leave it and it thaws just enough to refreeze as a waist high ice block that will be there for days, dig it out and the git will be back the next day to replace it.
Fortunately local farmers are brilliant - once they have their animals safe they drive around the community with a plough on their tractor opening up driveway entrances and delivering essential supplies if it goes on beyond a few days. The postie has been known to hitch a ride on a tractor to deliver post. Proper community spirit.
And the paths thing - since a visit to Iceland we have been equipped with these things:-
(no idea if those ones are any good - random google). There are less agressive ones with wee spring like steel windings (on their sides) on the bottoms instead of spikes that are almost as good but not so harsh that you can't walk around a shop in them. Makes post snow pavements soooo much easier. Mum has a pair permanently on her outdoor slippers (crocs) for fetching logs - she is a game bird for her mid 70s.
One road in and out to quite a few houses round here, nicely sloped. Don't have enough grit to do pavements and roads so as it's quiet enough to walk on the road I cleared what I could and carefully gritted some parallel wheel tracks rather than use all the grit up with two more days of snow to come. Came back an hour later to find someone had dumped the whole of the rest of the bin massive piles in between where the tyres would pick it up and spread it. So that's us done until.it thaws, apparently.
Figured my neighbours are paying my salary with their council tax so I might as well make use of myself while school is closed
Good on ya. My mum (teaching assistant) was moaning that she was being asked to do some online training from home while her school is closed...
I only managed half of the pavement outside my house before I decided that there was little point as it was already compacted with more snow forecast, so I went out on the bike instead.
Im regretting starting this.
Of course, always do, its only decent.
That didn't stop the little shits next door using the pile as an excuse to kick it down again all over the pavement I'd just cleared, even though there's a whole street full of it to play in
Nope, spotted my 82yr old neighbour* popping out for a paper this morning, figured if he can make it to the shops on foot the rest of the street** in their chelsea tractors can survive.
*I did ask how they were coping and if they needed anything, I'm not a complete dick.
**we're the last one before a new development with an electric gate, they all bring their bin bags down to be shredded by the foxes at the end of our drive/garden on a Thursday night and never clean up afterwards, they can swivel on it if they think I'm clearing snow for them!
NIce one bearnessesities!
I am beginning to think its a Sisyphean task however given another load has fallen. I shall nip out and see what its like now and see if any other neighbours have done a bit
Ours gets stomped into ice before I can get to it, but I do clear next doors path when I'm doing ours
I am beginning to think its a Sisyphean task however given another load has fallen.
Salt helps.
Also if you shovel now, it'll be easier to shovel later...
surprisingly it wasn't bad when I went out - a quick brush and a bit more grit and it was clear. No other neighbours have cleared anything bar a couple of feet outside the door of the pub at the end of the block so we have 50m of nice clear pavement and entrances to two buildings cleared and the rest is compacted snow on top of refrozen slush
Dug my neighbours drive and gritted it as he was stuck in the middle of the road, had help from my son, my wife and another neighbour. Neighbour who drove into our street just after me just sat in his car whilst we unblocked the road. We then cleared the road in front of us and the stuck neighbour.
I used to clear the slope on our road, even though I cycled to work, but I've not bothered for last few years as no-one ever helped. Not been able to last to winters due to recovering from a broken spine.
My place is at the bottom of a very steep and narrow little dead end road along with about a dozen other houses. I cleared and gritted the length of it this afternoon having been sent home from work early.
It hasn't really snowed here in nearly a decade and the grit salt bin had filled up with Maccy D boxes, toy packaging, cheapo energy drink tins and, I kid you not, a pregnancy test wrapper. Just about sums up this shitty little town really..
It better not pissing snow again.
(Yes it's gritted 🙂 )
I suggested to my 12 year old daughter that she clear the pavements tomorrow as the schools are off. The look on her face was priceless😁
It would be pointless outside mine, it’s fine wind-blown snow that’s settling and sticking, and my road runs east-west, so the snow is blowing straight up it, any attempt is doomed to failure within minutes, if not seconds.
I don’t understand the benefit of clearing the snow off a pavement. What is it?
Couple of neighbours did our street mid-morning, I went out and released it at half 4...about 4" of fresh snow had fallen...I enjoy doing it as it is exercise...hopefully work will implode tomorrow and I can get out for some playing in it!
"I don’t understand the benefit of clearing the snow off a pavement. What is it?"
So people do not slip and fall on it? Like old folk or disabled? so it doesn't partly melt and refreeze which is really slippy and dangerous?
So people do not slip and fall on it? Like old folk or disabled?
Well I don’t know. I walked 6 miles to the shop and back today, the snow is no slippier than where it’s been cleared in my experience.
Maccy D boxes, toy packaging, cheapo energy drink tins and, I kid you not, a pregnancy test wrapper
Sound like fine elements with which to construct a Raymond Chandler-esque novella set in the Grimy Streets Of Post-Post-Modern Britain!
The path took us along to the side of Maccy D's, and a lad opened the door 4 himself as we walked in behind him. He looked well bait so we ignored him. The door opened into a sort of space that was about as warm as Pizza Hut but not as chill. Kailee came in after me. Just then I fought she looked well peng. Then it was really hot. The air was thick, wet, steamy and lush with the smell of Big Macs an that . The glass walls and roof were like, well misty like. i fought it seemed well romantic n that. The light had an unweal yellow colour innit, like, like when you look in one of them aquarium tanks n that, yeah? I wanted to buy Kailee the Big Mac Grand to show her that I well-cared for her an that, but I forgot that my new creps I had on cost all that and I realised I is well skint innit. 'Dis place is well minghan, yeah?' I said this to Kaillee. She looked at me like I was a wasteman so I had to fink fast on my feet. 'Lets go by the grit bin and get relaxed yeah?' I flashed her my Monster and she looked up for it so I opened the door and took her back outside. It felt well cold outside Maccy D's but Kailee still looked well fit like she had a glow around her an that. But she also looked well angry and was screeching.
'Nolly wass yaw ****ing game eh? i fought u was buying us Maccy D's n that. You are SUCH a ****ing little liar right? I swear if you dont turn your stupid little body around and take me back in there I'll do this...'I saw her Ugg swinging up on the end of her leg towards my tackle an that. Then night was full of stars. Lying on my new black-slush tarmac bed I had a weird think about wishing I had a McFlurry to stick down my pants cuz I well burnin down there, oh mate, mate, mate. Oh mate.
Cleared as in shovelled away? No. Gritted, yes. Outside mine & my immediate next door neighbours on the semi-detached side. Neighbours kids on the other side were sledging on their bit so I thought it would be rude to spoil their fun.
No new snow yet so we’ll see how it looks in the morning...
about 40 capapble people live in our appartment block a few sacks of salt available in the grit bin, nobody bothered sprinkle some salt on the iced up snow logged car park, some of the older frail neighbours walked accross the ice with extreme care, i went out and spread grit around, ice melted quickly.
Then today borrowed some salt from the grit bin for a customer, and gritted their pathway as we where expecting a delivery of doors, path clear, delivery lorry stuck on m62,many miles away.
<p>Why bother dumping grit on top of snow? Waste of time, effort and money.</p>
Oh me too!!
Keeping my elderly neighbours drive clear (even though she doesn't have a car) so her carer could get in, been checking in regularly and cooking her hot lunch/dinner every day.
Carer also rocked up in a land rover in the worst of the snow on the first day (awesome people who don't get recognised for the service they provide).
Feeling good (and clearly needing to virtue signal on here along with JT).
Re shovelled all the way to the top of the hill now, approx 150m I'd say. There are at least three doctors and a nurse on the street who need to get in or out. Only to discover at the top that the last flat 150m or so round the corner is deep in snow, about 3" of compressed powder now and I've not got the strength to shift that.
Went out yesterday lunchtime and cleared a path to my house, neighbours were clearing part of the street and I felt bad that I did my drive and went back in as I had a conference call. Went out today at lunchtime and redid my path before shifting some of the stuff on the street. There is still loads there with the amount we've had but not enough to get stuck in a car now.
Also been out the last two nights in the 4x4 helping. Felt bad heading in the back of 9 last night knowing every car and lorry tackling the road by me were getting stuck but after two recoveries in whiteout blowing blizzard off the fields I was as wet, cold, tired and hungry as I could take. No to mention annoyed at people who couldn't wait for me to clear a car and tried to push past on a single lane, they'd have got left if they'd got stuck!!
It’s melting now
One of my neighbours cleared the pavement in front of his three car width drive. Dumped the snow on the road blocking it for everyone further down the cul-de-sac.
Signalling he is an arse.
I’ve been shovelling snow and gritting a 200 acre site for 8 hours solid today
ye can get to f*** if you think I should be shovelling any more today
On a steepish hill few hundred yards from my place some complete cretin had (very neatly) cleared their garden path but instead of dumping the snow on their already snow covered lawn put it all on the pavement. I had my trail tools in the boot so shoveled it all back over their gate, screw em the selfish fuppers!
Sound like fine elements with which to construct a Raymond Chandler-esque novella set in the Grimy Streets Of Post-Post-Modern Britain!
The path took us along to the side of Maccy D’s, and a lad opened the door 4 himself as we walked in behind him. He looked well bait so we ignored him...
I get the same feeling of empty desperation reading that as when I first read 1984.
Had a nice couple of hours with some neighbours clearing the road and paths in our bit of the village. Good fun being out with people I only ever nod hello to usually.
Slightly ruined by the idiots 200m up the street who have cleared their drive onto the path so nobody will be able to pass for a week. Hopefully won't be too frozen tomorrow so I can head out with my shovel and move it onto their lawn.
The pavement outside my house doesn't extend any further than my house (either direction). So no, I did not clear any snow from it as no one uses it.
A neighbour shovelled his path and then did his neighbour's. Guess which is his?
Nah, left it and it's now melting.
The old tw*t next door has cleared his drive and piled it up on the pavement. Tw*t. He did the same in December.
Surely the ones that clear their own stuff and block everyone else are begging for it to be reconfigured to be frozen across their driveways the next day? Good luck shifting that without a tractor or pickaxe.
Another forumite and neighbour worked with me to clear our whole cul de sac this morning, then joined in with other neighbours opposite to clear some more drive ways and about 150m of pavement.
<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">Four houses had cars sat on a driveway with not a flake of snow - yet not cleared pavement and indeed blocked it with the snow they had moved from around a pair of powerful German saloon or soft-roaders. I made a point of flinging the snow pile back into their drive or garden, leaving clear pavement.</span>