advertisement


Freezing me ‘nads off

Colin L

Colin L

High-tech low-life
NE Scotland. We lost power at 18.00 on Friday night. Still out at 16.00 Sunday and apparently it may be a few days more yet. It’s 0c out there and intermittent snow storms.

It’s getting to me going for a long drive in the car to get warm and charge everyone’s phones. Lots of trees down and a rather nice RS5 lying on its side in a ditch nearby (ouch).

It’s all bit rubbish but when you consider refugees in Europe, and the homeless here, having to live through the winter without a roof over their head it kinda puts it all in perspective. I shall be donating to a refugee charity when we get power back.
 
Note so good - hope it gets sorted soon!

I'm glad we didn't go up to Tomintoul this weekend! It wouldn't have been easy to get there and the power was off from Friday evening until Saturday night. I can access my security camera again so looks like the power is back on now.

On the other hand our neighbour was saying the pub stayed open, with the open fire on and candlelight!

We reckon if we had gone up we'd have ended up sleeping in the living room as it's got a log burner. We've got a 2Kw Honda generator that we need to take up there and figure out a way of using it to get power to the boiler if we lose power.
 
SteveG said:
Note so good - hope it gets sorted soon!

I'm glad we didn't go up to Tomintoul this weekend! It wouldn't have been easy to get there and the power was off from Friday evening until Saturday night. I can access my security camera again so looks like the power is back on now.

On the other hand our neighbour was saying the pub stayed open, with the open fire on and candlelight!

We reckon if we had gone up we'd have ended up sleeping in the living room as it's got a log burner. We've got a 2Kw Honda generator that we need to take up there and figure out a way of using it to get power to the boiler if we lose power.
Click to expand...

Steve, deffo a good idea to stay in Edinburgh. There’s been no gritters out here but maybe it is different over the hills your side. It’s cold enough that even after two days with no power the stuff in the freezer(s) are still solid.

My back fence blew down in the winds and we are quite sheltered in the valley. Up on the Tarland road there are loads of trees down.
 
Colin L said:
Steve, deffo a good idea to stay in Edinburgh. There’s been no gritters out here but maybe it is different over the hills your side. It’s cold enough that even after two days with no power the stuff in the freezer(s) are still solid.
Click to expand...

The Lecht road was closed (probably still is) as was the road from Grantown at the Back of Brown, but I think it was possible to get in from the Elgin side. Would have been a good test for my winter tyres!

My back fence blew down in the winds and we are quite sheltered in the valley. Up on the Tarland road there are loads of trees down.
Click to expand...

Not good - it must have been pretty wild up in Tomintoul.
 
Crikey, sounds bad, hope everyone can stay warm. Trees down all over the place here (plenty of logs…). The next village and nearby town had no power yesterday. Supermarket was shut as a result but fortunately my butcher stayed open, no till working so cash or on the slate. No idea how but we escaped the power cuts. Have a back up generator wired into the house in case and the Rayburn / wood burners are ticking over nicely. I’d have thought solid fuel heating / cooking would be mandatory for you chaps in the wilds of Scotland.
 
Tough times Colin, hope you are all OK.

I've been complaining about the cold today down here on the on the softie South Coast, but thankfully we missed the high winds and snow etc.

But you are right, there's a lot of people out there right now with no roof over their head at all. Sitting posting here with the fire on, we should all feel very very fortunate, and do what we can to help.
 
Even in sunny Cornwall I was lighting up the open fire today. Otherwise we depend on electricity via Economy 7, usually just one full sized heater. Being close to the sea we rarely get down to freezing temps. Even so, being ‘old people’ we both have extreme weather clothing. This is mine….
It makes you look a bit like the Michelin Man but it’s designed to go under a dry suit in seriously cold conditions. Its mostly too warm unless I want to sit on the front step and look at the sky in the middle of a clear night in January. Very comfortable too.
It’s easy to gloss over ‘getting a bit chill’ but it can have you away in no time. I’ve misjudged the weather in my kayak a few times and it’s no joke. And that’s just on a small estuary.
 
Decent covering of snow here in the rough and ready east mids.

When I was walking out of Tesco yesterday with the brisk northerly chewing my face off I thought it was bad enough, we don't often get serious cold any more these days with our climate changed mild winters.
 
MUTTY1 said:
Even in sunny Cornwall I was lighting up the open fire today. Otherwise we depend on electricity via Economy 7, usually just one full sized heater. Being close to the sea we rarely get down to freezing temps. Even so, being ‘old people’ we both have extreme weather clothing. This is mine….
It makes you look a bit like the Michelin Man but it’s designed to go under a dry suit in seriously cold conditions. Its mostly too warm unless I want to sit on the front step and look at the sky in the middle of a clear night in January. Very comfortable too.
It’s easy to gloss over ‘getting a bit chill’ but it can have you away in no time. I’ve misjudged the weather in my kayak a few times and it’s no joke. And that’s just on a small estuary.
Click to expand...
Nice rug !
 
.......and there was me down on the Sussex Coast in brilliant sunshine, tutting about a stiff chilly breeze and a few frozen puddles!
 
We have variously been told by sms from SSE, that power would be restored 06.00 Saturday, Sunday 06.00, then Sunday 18.00, then Monday 22.00.

Separately I’ve heard the damage to the network was “catastrophic” and it could be longer.

The kids are going bonkers (or more correctly driving me bonkers) and the schools are confirmed as closed until Wednesday so we are decamping tomorrow to my sisters place in the soft south (near Loch Leven). Doubtless as soon as we get there the power will be restored. Let’s hope so otherwise 2 freezers worth of grub will likely be ruined.
 
MikeMA said:
Nice rug too!
Click to expand...

It’s a beauty. And I’ve managed to splash red wine on it twice without wrecking it! We effectively swapped it for a Leach ‘Rabbit’ plate with four hundred quid left over which we spent on other art in St Ives. It’s the sort of rug you can wrap around yourself in a calamity as well as being easy on the eye.
just to explain:
It’s soft like a blanket. Rich people probably use the like of it on top of a duvet. Whatever it’s amazing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.


advertisement


Back
Top