Snow riding
We can't now get out in a vehicle in either direction and the council have told one of our neigbours that they have no obligation to clear our roads. So that's it, basically, we have been abandoned. Welcome to overspent Britain and Council cost cutting. What annoys me most is that we didn't buy this house with our eyes shut. We knew it would get snowed in. And I rang the Borough Surveyor at the time and he assured me that the roads were gritted and ploughed and that he had snow blowers stationed out here for clearing the drifts. And for 18 years, that's how it's been. Not any more! That hardly seems fair to me, but someone has to pay for the people who sit in their offices and dream up advice for people on how to get their boomerang kids to leave home. OK, rant over.
It is actually a beautiful blue sky day and I rode both the boys. Radar and I went on the fields and whizzed about in big circles. He loved it, he was really enjoying himself.
Jazz and I went down the road to check whether it was clear. For two miles it was, but the wind had blown a drift over to fill the road between the banks a bit further up, and it is impassable in anything. Well Jazz would have done it, but I didn't want to go that far! He was great, we even trotted. The snow had been scraped last night so there was only an inch or two of it, but he didn't slip at all.
So actually we have had a lot of fun this morning, but with no thaw in sight it is now an issue of how soon we will run out of food :-(((
C
posted by cptrayes @ 12:14 PM
8 comments
8 Comments:
I hope you'll be reducing the amount of council tax you are paying for the non service then!
Oh no! That is dreadful. Getting snowed in here for even part of a day is unexceptable. What if there is an emergency? Do you know anyone with plowing equipment, a tractor? Something needs to be done.
My little tractor with the front end loader is amazing in the snow. It would take a bit of time, but I'm sure it would be able to clear things even in a storm like you had. Do you have neighbors, farmers about with something like that?
Still, I'm glad you found some joy in the situation by being about to ride your Boys. The deep snow really makes for some good workouts and the horses seem to have fun with the challenge.
I will be thinking of you and...worrying.
I don't think I'm quite describing the situation properly Jean. It takes a snow blower with an eight foot by four foot archimedes screw head on it to clear the drifts in our lanes :-0000 The problem is that they are all set down between banks, and the banks just fill up to eight feet deep.
The car is gone!! Two tractors and three men, and they were triumphant as they towed it away. SO were we!! Now we can drive out upwards in a 4x4 at least.
Mandeigh don't start me on £2000 council tax a year - for what! Bins that don't get emptied even once a fortnight. Roads left to ice up. Oh, sorry, I forgot, we have a five a day advisor and a ranger to encourage minority ethnic take-up of the leisure opportunities in the Peak Park....
Tell me about it! I live in the town...well nearish,and we've not been able to get the cars out of our street for days cos they arent gritting anywhere but the main roads. Ive had to rely on my dad to take me to the yard in his jeep,they want people to get rid of 4x4's for the environment but wont grit so you cant get about in a normal car!Anyway at least you can ride ive not been able to get the boys out of the field for over 2weeks now.
And your so right re the waste of money I see it over and over again in my job. Its scary the crazy ideas that some bright sparks have come up with that simply dont work but they have probably been paid fortunes to come up with them. We had to do a course recently on dealing with physical situtations from students well honestly it was pathetic. The whole thing revolved around releasing a grip from your wrist!
Ive been working with challenging behaviours for nearly 18yrs now and never once has anyone ever grabbed my wrist. Sorry for the rant:)))
Nicola
Hi Nicola, Happy New Year. You do the most amazingly difficult job for not enough money. It drives me mad to know that there are umpteen layers of desk jockies above you wasting money you'd know much better how to spend!
As you say, at least I can ride. I hope you can soon.
C
Ah, yes. Our road used to fill up like that years ago up on the area of the Turnpike bridge. One year two big, huge snowplows got stuck up there, one trying to plow in each direction. It took a bulldozer from the sand company to finally get the road open.
The point is, the road deparment knows the problem. They need to take care of it, not leave citizens stranded.
It might take the better part of the day, but my tractor would probably have dug you out. It just would have taken dozens and dozens of loads of snow.
Glad to hear you can get out, at least.
Share your frustrations about council tax - we have a similar bill here and similar lack of services (!). Must admit though I quite enjoyed getting snowed in last year - big drifts filled the lanes, just as you've got now, and for 3 or 4 days the novelty beat the inconvenience :-)
Oh for crying out loud!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The road has been fine to drive up with a 4x4 for precisely 27 hours and then they send up a heavyweight gritter. It sploshes a bit of grit around and leaves behind it ruts in the snow that are so deep that a Range Rover has already bottomed on it and we had to lend them shovels to dig it out.
So now we are stuck with a three mile detour AGAIN, and that's if it doesn't snow as forecast tomorrow.
I am now officially sick of this!
C
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