On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:27:24 +0000, Mike Clarke wrote:

I doubt if any schools could cope with a few hundred parents trying to
phone in for information just before starting time.

True but all schools *must* have a means of contacting all
parent/guardians of their pupils. All schools have phones, one person
making calls would take a long time to work through 1,000 pupils contact
details thats why your don't do it that way. Our primary school has a very
effective cascade "call out" system involving a few members of staff and
volunteer parents. Should the school need to be closed for any reason (not
just bad weather) a few calls are placed and then those first people
called have a list of further people to call. It's very effective and very
fast and not rocket science.

The BBC local radio station also regulary broadcasts any closures. On
Monday this list was rather long, it might have been better to say which
schools where open!

The staff to pupil ratio would probably still be less than the desired
ratio but the school could still provide a better environment for kids
where both parents are out at work all day.

Agreed. I can remember going to school and having en-mass lessons in the
hall 'cause there wasn't enough teachers in for normal classes.

Maybe some decent planning will emerge from the chaos of the last couple
of days. It's not difficult to do a few "what ifs..." and come up with
plans of action.

--
Cheers
Dave.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Dave Liquorice"
saying something like:

http://www.howhill.com/weather/images/winter/090203

Underexposed.

In article ,
dennis@home wrote:


"Mike Clarke" wrote in message
et...

There's no easy solution but I do feel that the schools are over
reacting to fears about litigation and health and safety policies.
I'd expect a fair number of pupils as well as staff would fail to turn
up. The staff to pupil ratio would probably still be less than the
desired ratio but the school could still provide a better environment
for kids where both parents are out at work all day.

There have been several injuries and at least one death as a result of
kids *not* being at school. I think it would be safe to say a school is
a safer environment than most other places even when its snowing. The
authorities should take this into account before putting the kids at
risk.

Don't be silly - the school authorities can't be sued if a kid gets hurt
while at home. That's the whole reason for closing schools - not the
actual health or safety of the kids.

--
*Real men don't waste their hormones growing hair

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On 2 Feb, 08:06, "The Medway Handyman"
wrote:
Light dusting of snow and the whole of the south east has ground to a
complete halt!

Granddaughters school closed, M2 impassable, busses & trains out.

This sort of weather should be confined to areas north of Wotfud if you ask
me.

--
Dave - The Medway Handymanwww.medwayhandyman.co.uk

Had a wonderful time on Monday & Tuesday; was off school due to poor
weather conditions.

On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 18:09:06 +0000, Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Dave Liquorice"
saying something like:

http://www.howhill.com/weather/images/winter/090203

Underexposed.

Hmm, I think it works well for all of them except the first one, though
(which is making my eyes wig out for some reason

In article et, Dave
Liquorice scribeth thus
On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 14:27:24 +0000, Mike Clarke wrote:

I doubt if any schools could cope with a few hundred parents trying to
phone in for information just before starting time.

True but all schools *must* have a means of contacting all
parent/guardians of their pupils. All schools have phones, one person
making calls would take a long time to work through 1,000 pupils contact
details thats why your don't do it that way.

And seeing that a lot of pupils have mobiles and their parents to what's
wrong wiv a txt :?..

Our daughter was told this bu other pupils txt'ing her around 7 am that
morning..



Our primary school has a very
effective cascade "call out" system involving a few members of staff and
volunteer parents. Should the school need to be closed for any reason (not
just bad weather) a few calls are placed and then those first people
called have a list of further people to call. It's very effective and very
fast and not rocket science.

The BBC local radio station also regulary broadcasts any closures. On
Monday this list was rather long, it might have been better to say which
schools where open!

The staff to pupil ratio would probably still be less than the desired
ratio but the school could still provide a better environment for kids
where both parents are out at work all day.

Agreed. I can remember going to school and having en-mass lessons in the
hall 'cause there wasn't enough teachers in for normal classes.

Maybe some decent planning will emerge from the chaos of the last couple
of days. It's not difficult to do a few "what ifs..." and come up with
plans of action.


Come on now!, with the local authority round here website telling users
to check with their local radio station ;!..
--
Tony Sayer

In article , Grimly
Curmudgeon scribeth thus
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Dave Liquorice"
saying something like:

http://www.howhill.com/weather/images/winter/090203

Underexposed.

Brrr!, Exposure..
--
Tony Sayer

The Natural Philosopher wrote:
And games were cancelled. Or took place in the gym, instead.


ISTR when the pitches were frozen, we went on a cross country run
instead. To protect the grass...

Andy

In article ,
Andy Champ writes:
The Natural Philosopher wrote:
And games were cancelled. Or took place in the gym, instead.


ISTR when the pitches were frozen, we went on a cross country run
instead. To protect the grass...

We didn't. I recall we had to carry on playing hockey when the
snow was coming down fast enough not to be able to see very
far along the pitch. We only stopped when the ball started
getting lost in the snow on the ground.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

Andy Champ coughed up some electrons that declared:

The Natural Philosopher wrote:
And games were cancelled. Or took place in the gym, instead.


ISTR when the pitches were frozen, we went on a cross country run
instead. To protect the grass...

Andy

Frozen? It was never too frozen for rugby - probably on the basis that
cracking your chin on the frozen ground was mild compared to all the other
ways you could get injured...

By the 3rd year, I'd elected to do cross country running so I could be happy
that I'd only be frozen. It took me until the 5th form IIRC to work my way
into badminton so I could doss in the warm

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember Jules
saying something like:

http://www.howhill.com/weather/images/winter/090203

Underexposed.

Hmm, I think it works well for all of them except the first one, though
(which is making my eyes wig out for some reason

I find grey snow rather moon-like.

On Wed, 4 Feb 2009 22:27:30 UTC, Tim S wrote:

By the 3rd year, I'd elected to do cross country running so I could be happy
that I'd only be frozen. It took me until the 5th form IIRC to work my way
into badminton so I could doss in the warm

By the 5th form, I'd worked my way into ice skating - on an indoor rink.
I still have a scar...

--
The information contained in this post is copyright the
poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by
http://www.diybanter.com

Invisible Man wrote in message
...
Mark wrote:
Invisible Man wrote in message
...
the nearest pub, went to the next nearest one.
Perhaps it is because my Mum and most of my relatives are Scots I
managed to cope with the 175 yards.
I lived in east London in 1963. That was a proper winter. The only
vehicle to move in our street for 2 days was a milk float with chains.

But the schools and collages didn't shut, I remember walking my younger
sister across Clapham common to her school and then getting the tube up
to
Kensington and the RCA.
Only a couple of inches 40 years later and the whole of the south east
comes
to a stand still.


-

Likewise I remember struggling through snow up to my knees (age 11) that
year to get to school. Seem to recall having to share the girls loos cos
ours were frozen.

Ive got some picture I took in 63, the most amassing thing was the icicle
hanging from all the roofs and guttering we had some over 4ft long. We could
not open the back door for over a week as the snow which was halfway up it
had party melted and then re frozen.
The ponds on Clapham Common froze solid and were turned into ice skating
rink.
That winter seemed to last an (ice) age
But the schools buses tube and life in general carried on as normal.
We now seem to be breeding a class of wimps that need H&S guidance before
getting out of bed in the morning.


-

On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 09:32:53 -0600, Jules wrote:
Fond memories of a sledding hill somewhere around Leamington Spa, too -
there was a fence at the bottom and a pond beyond. So of course the goal
became one of getting up enough speed to duck under the barbed wire fence
(without decaptitation), and then end up right on top of the frozen pond
beyond :-)

Hmm, and I just found out that someone copped it a couple of days
ago trying to do just that :/ (well, not sure about the frozen pond bit)

Funny the stuff we used to get away with as kids...

In article ,
Clint Sharp wrote:
In message , "dennis@home"
writes
However if its a Smart don't bother..
not only are they short and rear wheel drive but the auto box is awful.
If you put it in manual select the stupid thing will still change gear
just when you don't want it to.
All 'semi auto' boxes do this.
Why bother with a manual select if you are going to ignore it anyway?
It's a tie in with the washing powder conglomerates I tell you. Scared
me half to death in an Audi a few years ago, belting towards a
roundabout expecting to be able to use the gears to slow down.
The more I drive the Smart the more I hate it.

The Steptronic in my car only over-rides your manual selection if you
attempt to go either faster or slower than the makers reckon is safe for
the engine. At the upper end this equates to the same speed it changes up
with the pedal to the metal as it were - so can be used to slow the car if
you wish. What it won't allow though is a high gear start for icy roads
etc - the highest it will select for starting off from rest is second.

--
*Stable Relationships Are For Horses. *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Jules wrote:
On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 09:32:53 -0600, Jules wrote:
Fond memories of a sledding hill somewhere around Leamington Spa, too -
there was a fence at the bottom and a pond beyond. So of course the goal
became one of getting up enough speed to duck under the barbed wire fence
(without decaptitation), and then end up right on top of the frozen pond
beyond :-)

Hmm, and I just found out that someone copped it a couple of days
ago trying to do just that :/ (well, not sure about the frozen pond bit)

Funny the stuff we used to get away with as kids...


Amazing the stuff we used to get away with as kids.

Done the sledging downhill and ended up jammed under a wooden fence.
Couldn't walk for a couple of days.

Done the offshore bit in a 16 feet speedboat with with a 95 hp outboard
on the back that kept cutting out in a force 6 with no buoyancy aids, no
other buoyancy, no flares, no radio etc. Coastguard went berserk when we
finally made it to Mudeford. Something about if he had known he would
have had lifeboats out and helicopters up.

Set fireworks off in Epping forest and escaped the old bill who came
into the forest on noddy bikes looking for us.

Put a car on its side and spun one or 2 others.

Been stopped by the police 3 times in 8 days.

Attracted police attention when someone reported us seeing how far we
could get cars to fly over a hump back bridge with long approaches.

Biggest worry now is that the grandchildren will stop playing with their
PS3s and go out and be as stupid as I was at times.

..... and the kids worry because I am obese and drink something over the
recommended limits.

On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 23:28:08 GMT, "Mark" wrote:

Ive got some picture I took in 63, the most amassing thing was the icicle
hanging from all the roofs and guttering we had some over 4ft long. We could
not open the back door for over a week as the snow which was halfway up it
had party melted and then re frozen.

Southern Jessies :-)

I remember one winter in the 50s when a bottle of milk on our doorstep
froze and lifted the foil lid at least 4 or 5 inches off the bottle.

The ponds on Clapham Common froze solid and were turned into ice skating
rink.
That winter seemed to last an (ice) age

When I was a kiddy in the (19)50s summer seemed to last almost
forever, with the odd torrential rainstorm (when I got lost at the
beach (93 y.o. Mum still reminds me of that!)), autumn dragged on a
bit as I (we) used to traipse through piles of leaves about a foot
deep and winters were proper cold things which didn't seem to last all
that long.

At least there was some sort of discrimination between the seasons -
nowadays we have boodly cold summers and (occasional) mild winters -
only yesterday I was walking the dog in a country park where it was
warm, sunny and dry (but the ground was still saturated with snowmelt
from the previous day).

Roll on this "global warming" we've all been promised...

We now seem to be breeding a class of wimps that need H&S guidance before
getting out of bed in the morning.

Speak for yourself!

I agree though...

--
Frank Erskine
Sunderland

Mark wrote:
Invisible Man wrote in message
...
Mark wrote:
Invisible Man wrote in message
...
I lived in east London in 1963. That was a proper winter. The only
vehicle to move in our street for 2 days was a milk float with
chains.

But the schools and collages didn't shut, I remember walking my
younger sister across Clapham common to her school and then getting
the tube up to Kensington and the RCA.
Only a couple of inches 40 years later and the whole of the south
east comes to a stand still.


-

Likewise I remember struggling through snow up to my knees (age 11)
that year to get to school. Seem to recall having to share the girls
loos cos ours were frozen.

Ive got some picture I took in 63, the most amassing thing was the
icicle hanging from all the roofs and guttering we had some over 4ft
long. We could not open the back door for over a week as the snow
which was halfway up it had party melted and then re frozen.
The ponds on Clapham Common froze solid and were turned into ice
skating rink.
That winter seemed to last an (ice) age
But the schools buses tube and life in general carried on as normal.
We now seem to be breeding a class of wimps that need H&S guidance
before getting out of bed in the morning.

I was 13 yo at the time living in N Wales. No transport was available but
walked to school through the drifts - 3 miles. Was fantastic fun. The short
cut across the Golf Course was wonderful. Being a player at the time, I knew
where the bunkers were. Launching yourself into those and being buried in
snow was great fun.

That year, the R Conwy froze and there were iceburgs on the beach that were
at least three foot thick.

An adult, up in the hills of the Conway valley built himself an igloo that
he allegedly lived in for the best part of three months.

Invisible Man wrote:

Biggest worry now is that the grandchildren will stop playing with their
PS3s and go out and be as stupid as I was at times.

Not that they won't put down their PS3s and do even a little of what you
did and thereby experience life first-hand?

Pete

Frank Erskine wrote:
On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 23:28:08 GMT, "Mark" wrote:

Ive got some picture I took in 63, the most amassing thing was the
icicle hanging from all the roofs and guttering we had some over 4ft
long. We could not open the back door for over a week as the snow
which was halfway up it had party melted and then re frozen.

Southern Jessies :-)

I remember one winter in the 50s when a bottle of milk on our doorstep
froze and lifted the foil lid at least 4 or 5 inches off the bottle.

As a kid in the 50s at a Victorian primary school with just a single coal
fire in the class room, as a milk monitor, I regularly had to bring crates
of frozen milk ( third of a pint). These had to be placed close - but not
directly in front! of the fire so that they could be consumed at the morning
break.

Windows regularly had frost on the inside at the beginning of the day!

Chilblains and chapped ears - I've not heard of these since I was in junior
school.

But I might this weekend. I'm due to go sailing from the Hamble on Saturday!
If we can get there from the Midlands this Friday p.m.

Clot wrote:

But I might this weekend. I'm due to go sailing from the Hamble on Saturday!
If we can get there from the Midlands this Friday p.m.

Humph, I dunno, and us locals on a five-year waiting list for a mooring!

Have a good one :-)

Pete

Pete Verdon wrote:
Clot wrote:

But I might this weekend. I'm due to go sailing from the Hamble on
Saturday! If we can get there from the Midlands this Friday p.m.

Humph, I dunno, and us locals on a five-year waiting list for a
mooring!
Have a good one :-)


Thanks, I should be on a 19th century Pilot Cutter. I don't know what the
creature comforts are in this weather!

Regarding access to moorings, though costs are less in N Wales, I can
confirm that they are a challenge to obtain!

wrote:
On 4 Feb,
Mike Clarke wrote:

There's no easy solution but I do feel that the schools are over reacting t
fears about litigation and health and safety policies. I'd expect a fair
number of pupils as well as staff would fail to turn up. The staff to pupil
ratio would probably still be less than the desired ratio but the school
could still provide a better environment for kids where both parents are
out at work all day.

The policy when my wife was teaching was that if a teacher couldn't get to
their school, they reported to the nearest school run by that authority. This
meant that there woould be enough teachers . That policy has probably changed
with local managment of schools introduced beteween 1979 and 1986.

The one time SWMBO couldn't attend her school (due to floods) she couldn't
get to the nearest appropriate school, but spent until lunchtime attempting
to. On the same day I took until 2 pm to get into our nearest depot.

On Monday our local school closed because a local hill wasn't gritted. It
never is. 17 bus loads of pupils come from the other side. It's not a
difficult detour down the motorway and back (which was clear). The other
local school was similarly affected, but their (head's) policy is to /never/
close.

You can imagine it in today's climate - the teacher going to a different
school would probably need to take their passport to prove identity.

I never had a school close due to snow during my secondary eduction. One
of the advantages (or disadvantages) of a boarding school... :-)

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 23:28:08 GMT, Mark wrote:

Likewise I remember struggling through snow up to my knees (age 11) that
year to get to school. Seem to recall having to share the girls loos cos
ours were frozen.

Ive got some picture I took in 63, the most amassing thing was the icicle
hanging from all the roofs and guttering we had some over 4ft long. We could
not open the back door for over a week as the snow which was halfway up it
had party melted and then re frozen.
The ponds on Clapham Common froze solid and were turned into ice skating
rink.
That winter seemed to last an (ice) age
But the schools buses tube and life in general carried on as normal.
We now seem to be breeding a class of wimps that need H&S guidance before
getting out of bed in the morning.

Same here (S. Northants) - 1 road out of the village wasn't cleared until
into March, but we still got to school. The Headmaster used to ski in - all
of 100 yards!
--
Peter.
You don't understand Newton's Third Law of Motion?
It's not rocket science, you know.

On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:51:16 -0600, Jules wrote:

On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 09:32:53 -0600, Jules wrote:
Fond memories of a sledding hill somewhere around Leamington Spa, too -
there was a fence at the bottom and a pond beyond. So of course the goal
became one of getting up enough speed to duck under the barbed wire fence
(without decaptitation), and then end up right on top of the frozen pond
beyond :-)

Hmm, and I just found out that someone copped it a couple of days
ago trying to do just that :/ (well, not sure about the frozen pond bit)

Funny the stuff we used to get away with as kids...

We used to do a run that required rolling off the sledge just before a
fence, then retrieving the sledge by getting down a bank to a stream.

We had the only sledge that would run on very thin snow. It was home-made
(of course) and was a plank with a bit of curved-up, thin plywood on the
front. Nowadays such things are bought and made of plasticrap.
--
Peter.
You don't understand Newton's Third Law of Motion?
It's not rocket science, you know.

PeterC wrote:
On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 17:51:16 -0600, Jules wrote:

On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 09:32:53 -0600, Jules wrote:
Fond memories of a sledding hill somewhere around Leamington Spa, too -
there was a fence at the bottom and a pond beyond. So of course the goal
became one of getting up enough speed to duck under the barbed wire fence
(without decaptitation), and then end up right on top of the frozen pond
beyond :-)
Hmm, and I just found out that someone copped it a couple of days
ago trying to do just that :/ (well, not sure about the frozen pond bit)

Funny the stuff we used to get away with as kids...

We used to do a run that required rolling off the sledge just before a
fence, then retrieving the sledge by getting down a bank to a stream.

We had the only sledge that would run on very thin snow. It was home-made
(of course) and was a plank with a bit of curved-up, thin plywood on the
front. Nowadays such things are bought and made of plasticrap.

Last time I went sledging we used fertiliser bags filled with straw and
snow. Worked very well in some ways - but one person damaged her coccyx
on the bumps. In considerable discomfort for many weeks.

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

In article ,
Rod wrote:
I never had a school close due to snow during my secondary eduction. One
of the advantages (or disadvantages) of a boarding school... :-)

We (extremely rarely) got the afternoon off if the weather was
particularly horrible in Aberdeen (called marking a double attendance) but
never once had school cancelled. In primary, I had one teacher who lived
some way outside Aberdeen - unusual in those days - who travelled by bus.
If she was warned of bad weather she simply stayed with friends in town
overnight to be sure of getting to work. Priorities seemed to be different
in those days. She wasn't married but had an elderly mother at home.

--
*Why do we say something is out of whack? What is a whack? *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In message , "Dave Plowman (News)"
writes
The Steptronic in my car only over-rides your manual selection if you
attempt to go either faster or slower than the makers reckon is safe for
the engine. At the upper end this equates to the same speed it changes up
with the pedal to the metal as it were - so can be used to slow the car if
you wish.
Well, I wouldn't have said it was too high but obviously the computer
thought it was and refused to change down. Of course, the brakes were
fine and when it did change down I almost had to peel my eyeballs off
the windscreen.

I mentioned it to the salesman later (it was a rather expensive Audi on
loan) and he reckoned the behaviour changes depending on the gearbox
mode but for the rest of the fortnight I had it, I just pootled around
in auto because I didn't trust it any more.

Shame because the engine was wonderful but the car became just a mode of
transport instead of a fun experience.

What it won't allow though is a high gear start for icy roads
etc - the highest it will select for starting off from rest is second.


--
Clint Sharp

On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 20:18:57 +0000, Andy Champ wrote:

The Natural Philosopher wrote:
And games were cancelled. Or took place in the gym, instead.


ISTR when the pitches were frozen, we went on a cross country run
instead. To protect the grass...

Andy

When our pitches were frozen, we were sent out to play football on them,
but anyone in the football team had to go in the gym instead - they didn't
want to risk members of the team injuring themselves before the weekend's
schools' league match!

SteveW

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:
In article ,
Rod wrote:
I never had a school close due to snow during my secondary eduction. One
of the advantages (or disadvantages) of a boarding school... :-)

We (extremely rarely) got the afternoon off if the weather was
particularly horrible in Aberdeen (called marking a double attendance) but
never once had school cancelled. In primary, I had one teacher who lived
some way outside Aberdeen - unusual in those days - who travelled by bus.
If she was warned of bad weather she simply stayed with friends in town
overnight to be sure of getting to work. Priorities seemed to be different
in those days. She wasn't married but had an elderly mother at home.

When I worked in London one manager used to bring a camp bed in if he
expected to have trouble getting to work the next day.

On Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:54:54 +0000, Rod wrote:
Last time I went sledging we used fertiliser bags filled with straw and
snow.

Ahh yeah, I remember doing that too when no 'real' sled was
available. And on flattened cardboard boxes, somewhere up in the wilds
of Yorkshire.

I remember my dad homebrewing a wooden sled, too - weighed a ton, all
solid runners. Had a good few high-speed collisions with it, but amazingly
never managed to break any skulls. Eventually got sick of hauling the
bloody thing back up the hill each time, and we got a plastic sledge
(albeit one which I remember as being far more sturdy than the ones they
sell these days).

We've got three kids though and I've since discovered that inflatable
tubes are *way* faster down a hill than a wooden or plastic sled (but the
crashes aren't quite as fun ;-)

cheers

Jules

In article ,
Clint Sharp wrote:
In message , "Dave Plowman (News)"
writes
The Steptronic in my car only over-rides your manual selection if you
attempt to go either faster or slower than the makers reckon is safe
for the engine. At the upper end this equates to the same speed it
changes up with the pedal to the metal as it were - so can be used to
slow the car if you wish.

Well, I wouldn't have said it was too high but obviously the computer
thought it was and refused to change down. Of course, the brakes were
fine and when it did change down I almost had to peel my eyeballs off
the windscreen.

Wonder if this was a DSG box? Those are a sort of manual synchromesh box
controlled by servos - as is the conventional clutch. Very simply.
The Steptronic doesn't wait for the speed to be reduced to select the gear
you want - it either does or refuses so you have to try again at a lower
speed. But pretty well never jerks on a change - even manual ones.

I mentioned it to the salesman later (it was a rather expensive Audi on
loan) and he reckoned the behaviour changes depending on the gearbox
mode but for the rest of the fortnight I had it, I just pootled around
in auto because I didn't trust it any more.

I hardly ever use the manual selection. The gearbox ECU 'learns' your
driving style and adjusts things to suit. If driving hard and accelerating
out of a corner, say, then lift off and brake for the next one it will
stay in the lower gear. It also changes down going down hill to save the
brakes. Ie, if it starts to run away on a trailing throttle downhill and
you touch the brakes, it changes down. Weird first time it happens.

Shame because the engine was wonderful but the car became just a mode of
transport instead of a fun experience.

Perhaps more experience of it might have helped - if you weren't used to
modern autos? The latest versions of these twin clutch synchromesh autos
are pretty good. As are conventional ones.

--
*Certain frogs can be frozen solid, then thawed, and survive *

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

On Thu, 5 Feb 2009 01:01:48 -0000, Clot wrote:

Chilblains and chapped ears - I've not heard of these since I was in
junior school.

No.1 Daughter had chillblains last year. But then she did insist on going
to school in her normal thin socks and shoes not wellies with and thick
socks and she would be outside at breaks and lunch like that. She has
learnt...

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 22:32:36 +0000, Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:

http://www.howhill.com/weather/images/winter/090203

Underexposed.

There's always one. B-)

Center weighted auto on the camera. At least I set it to "shade", the auto
white balance gets *very* confused with sunlit snow and makes everything
very blue.

Hmm, I think it works well for all of them except the first one, though
(which is making my eyes wig out for some reason

I find grey snow rather moon-like.

Note also that there is quite a texture on the snow surface and the sun
angle is quite low so there is a lot of shadow on the surfaces. The images
are a pretty good representation of reality. Anyway looked at 'em again
and I agree they were a bit down. Stretched them out a bit now. Also some
more at:

http://www.howhill.com/weather/images/winter/090305

No appreicable thaw of Monday/Tuesdays snow. -8.0C min last night, -7.3C
the night before. Yesterdays max 1.2C and above freezing for less than
2hrs. Currently -1.9C no wind clear bright and sunny again, really does
look beautiful. Another dusting over night, about 5mm of very fine dry
powder.

--
Cheers
Dave.

Dave Liquorice wrote:
On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 22:32:36 +0000, Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:

http://www.howhill.com/weather/images/winter/090203
Underexposed.

There's always one. B-)

Center weighted auto on the camera. At least I set it to "shade", the auto
white balance gets *very* confused with sunlit snow and makes everything
very blue.

Hmm, I think it works well for all of them except the first one, though
(which is making my eyes wig out for some reason
I find grey snow rather moon-like.

Note also that there is quite a texture on the snow surface and the sun
angle is quite low so there is a lot of shadow on the surfaces. The images
are a pretty good representation of reality. Anyway looked at 'em again
and I agree they were a bit down. Stretched them out a bit now. Also some
more at:

http://www.howhill.com/weather/images/winter/090305

No appreicable thaw of Monday/Tuesdays snow. -8.0C min last night, -7.3C
the night before. Yesterdays max 1.2C and above freezing for less than
2hrs. Currently -1.9C no wind clear bright and sunny again, really does
look beautiful. Another dusting over night, about 5mm of very fine dry
powder.


That link didn't work... :-(

Trouble is, (as you know) *any* overexposure kills the picture and you
can't do much about it. Slight-to-moderate underexposure usually allows
a bit of manipulation. Learned all about that from white mushrooms...

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

"Dave Liquorice" wrote in message
ll.net...
On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 22:32:36 +0000, Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:

http://www.howhill.com/weather/images/winter/090203

Underexposed.

There's always one. B-)

Center weighted auto on the camera. At least I set it to "shade", the auto
white balance gets *very* confused with sunlit snow and makes everything
very blue.

No, your eyes get confused, the lighting is blue in shadows.

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Dave Liquorice"
saying something like:

Underexposed.

There's always one. B-)

I know.
It's why I use raw mode these days - any cockups are usually within the
limits of retrieval and it can appear as if I've got it right first
time. 'Sgreat stuff, this digital.

In article ,
Grimly Curmudgeon writes:
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Dave Liquorice"
saying something like:

http://www.howhill.com/weather/images/winter/090203

Underexposed.

Talking of underexposed, this is a series I took early Monday morning.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...&id=1619546457

The first one had to be photoshop'd (or rather gimped).

Not quite so dramatic snow.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On Fri, 06 Feb 2009 11:25:58 +0000, Rod wrote:

http://www.howhill.com/weather/images/winter/090305

That link didn't work... :-(

Typo, 3 instead of 2 in the date code, I'd have thought that was
obvious...

--
Cheers
Dave.

In article et, Dave
Liquorice scribeth thus
On Wed, 04 Feb 2009 22:32:36 +0000, Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:

http://www.howhill.com/weather/images/winter/090203

Underexposed.

Is that a microwave link to someplace in that last pic?..


--
Tony Sayer