No End to the Freeze

 I thought we were supposed to expect a thaw. It seemed to start yesterday, but this morning there is still a fine layer of snow over the road. We took some time to remove around 2 inches of snow from the car before we could drive out of Crownhill. The roads are really trecherous. There's been absolutely no grit or salt on any road surface we went on as we drove towards Bletchley to fetch Steve again. We had to drive really slowly along the grid roads and if we had to stop, this had to be done really carefully, otherwise there was the possibility of sliding into the car in front. As I write this post (9.30 a.m.) there is a fairly constant fall of snow. It's not heavy, but fine and steady, but it's snowing all the same. If it continues there will be a virtual white-out in Crownhill.

The Big Thaw Begins

We've had 'The Big Freeze,' so we now come to 'The Big Thaw.' There certainly seems to be less snow this morning. The main roads going towards the Academy are virtually ice and snow-free this morning. We had to go to Bletchley and collect Steve, who is a colleague of Carol's at the Academy, as he's had problems with his car and needed a lift. The road leading into the Academy was a good deal clearer than in past days, although the carpark remains fairly snowed up.

Ice and Snow- Day 6

It seems as if there's been a further fall of snow overnight, and quite a hard frost. Carol has gone in to the Academy. They have had to open up as there are exams today. The roads don't appear to be gritted, although some of the more major grid roads around Milton Keynes look as if they might have been salted.

I've been in to Patterson's office in the centre of the City. I usually park in Sainsbury's and walk across to the office to deliver any timesheets I have, as they need to be in by 10 a.m. on a Monday for payment on the following Friday. The pavement outside Sainsbury's had been gritted, but none of the pavements or the walk-way through to the office had been treated and I nearly slipped over on the way. So, I had to wak very slowly to avoid a mishap. On the way back I went into Sainsbury's for a few things. I am getting really good at using the self-service tills,  paid and went out.

The weather is getting somewhat annoying. It's stopping people getting around properly. The roads continue to be hazardous, particularly where they haven't been treated with salt or grit. I have skidded about on several occasions, and it has been difficult getting in and out of some places, such as carparks and the roads leading into Crownhill and the Academy. It looked as if someone had spent some time and effort shovelling snow at the Academy when we got there this morning. I'm getting really bored with being at home and really would prefer to be working, in whatever capacity that is.

I have now had a text message from Casting Collective, which came at around 1.30 this afternoon, to say that they were sorry that they were slow in responding, but I wasn't selected for "The King's Speech", but there was more work in the pipeline. I wondered why they hadn't replied sooner, but that is the way things go in the film business. Just have to be patient and wait for something else to come in.

Snow and Ice- Day 5

The snow is still lying around and it must have frozen hard last night. The surface of the road outside this house appears to be a good deal less iced up this morning. We got up in good time to get to church at Shenley Brook End School, but we got there at around 10.20 to find that the service had been cancelled, because the carpark was completely snowed up and it was considered by the school to be far too dangerous to use. The road in and out of the campus was really badly snowed up. We decided, as we were so close, to go to Morrison's and do some shopping. It's actually a good time to go shopping as there aren't that many people in the supermarket.

We went to Budgen's on the way home but nearly didn't manage to get the car out of the carpark as there is so much ice and snow the car wheels can't get enough traction to get out, but after several attempts the car reverses and we can get out, thankfully.

No Casting

Well, I didn't get any sort of response regarding the film from Casting Collective, so I'll just assume that I'm not going to be called for any work on "The King's Speech." It's just the luck of the draw I suppose. I think perhaps they were asking people to get their availability and there were more people contacted than were actually needed for the call. Oh well, it is the first week of 2010, so there's bound to be more work. There seems to be a lot of stuff being produced at the moment, so I'll just have to be patient and wait and see.

Ice and Snow- Day 4

So, here we are, it's Day 4 of the Great Freeze-Up. We can't go anywhere today, so we're indoors. The news on television is that local authorities are running out of grit to put on the roads, so the government, in it's wisdom, has taken the decision to force councils that have too much grit and give it to those that haven't any, or not enough. Milton Keynes Council unfortunately came out and said that they had more than enough, which now means it's gone elsewhere, and meanwhile, the roads around here are not being gritted. You'd think that someone could have made sure that there was enough grit and salt ordered earlier enough in the year, but no, they haven't.

Carol is marking books. Someone outside in the road is scraping snow with a shovel and making an awful noise. It is so awful, if they don't stop soon they are likely to find the shovel wrapped around their head. Is it really necessary to keep on making that appaling din? Obsessive, is what I call it. Just when you want some peace and quiet, some idiot has to decide that the road/pavement needs clearing.

Do we or don't we usually get a cold spell sometime between December and March? It's not as if it's unexpected to get snow, so why does our entire transport system come to a grinding halt?  Trains don't run, the airports are closed, and the motorways are blocked up. If that's the case, why don't people just STAY AT HOME, which is what the AA and other motoring authorties are saying. What happened last year? We had the cold and snow a good deal later than this year, so you'd have thought some official somwhere might have taken the decision to order extra, but it's obvious that that hasn't been done.

Ice and Snow- Day 3

According to the television news this morning, Britain experienced it's coldest night of the winter so far, with temperatures in the north of Scotland somewhere in the region of -20 degrees. I don't think we had any more snow in Milton Keynes, but the car was so frozen up when we went out to leave to go to the Academy, I couldn't open the passenger-side door. It  took quite an effort to get it open, by spraying anti-freeze on the lock and pushing from the inside.

The gridroads going towards the Academy were really iced up, and there was a queue of cars driving really slowly, but one idiot thought it necessary to drive really close behind us. It was just as well that we didn't need to brake hard, otherwise he would have run into the back of our car.

At the entrance to the Academy, the road leading up to the gate was really snowed up. I'm sure it wouldn't have taken much for someone to have cleared this snow away, and a few shovelsful of grit would have made things easier. There was a car abandoned in the roadway which leads out of the estate near the Academy. Perhaps the driver had abandoned it when he/she decided that the road wasn't safe, or something. In the actual carpark at the Academy someone had spent some time clearing the snow, but  the wheels of the car spun in the snow when I tried to turn the car round to get out, having dropped Carol off.

First Casting

I got a text yesterday lunchtime from Casting Collective, to work on a new film starring Colin Firth, called "The King's Speech."  They emailed me to give more details. I'm not sure whether I have actually been selected, so I'm waiting to hear whether I have to go to Elstree for a haircut, as this film is set in the 1930's.  As usually happens, they ask for people's availability before things go further. The actual filming date is around 17th January 'somewhere in central London.' I need a black suit and shoes, which I didn't have. Well, at least it shows that I'm up and running with this agency. Just have to see whether I get used on this film. Watch this space.

We were going to drive Daniel back to St Albans late this afternoon. Carol was under the impression that the roads were clear. I wasn't  quite so convinced. She had a telephone call from the Academy to say that it would be open today. We got part-way down the A5, when Daniel announced that he wasn't feeling well, so we went to Asda to get him some medication. As we got through the door we saw a display of black suits, being sold for £19 for the jacket and £6 for trousers, so we decided to buy a suit for me. Also, some black shoes. Even if I'm not used in this film, I'll at least have it ready for when it's needed.

Ice and Snow- Day 2

Another day of ice and snow. Carol had a call at around 7.30 a.m. to say that the Academy wouldn't be opening today, so we went back to bed. Not much else you can do, really, as it seems to be the warmest, and, frankly, the safest place at the moment.

As I write this (12.20 p.m.) it is fairly sunny outside, but it's difficult to know whether the sun is warm enough to melt the snow sufficiently to make driving and mere walking safe.

It seems really incredible that, in the early 21st century, with so much technology at our disposal, a modern city such as Milton Keynes can come to a virtual stand-still due to the weather. After our experiences in the snow last winter, I'm not hoping that  gritting the road within Milton Keynes will be done, because last year it seemed Milton Keynes Council were very slack in their ability to clear the grid roads. We saw gritters on that fateful day, but they were out far to late to make any difference. And it's not just the grid roads which need clearing. The roads within the grids (ie Crownhill) are really iced up and dangerous, and, as we found last time, it's the bit of road leading in and out of roundabouts that you have to be most careful of, as these areas quite often still have ice and snow and, unless you brake carefully, you're quite likely to slide and slip, and thus causing accidents. Also, it can be really deceptive, as there can be black ice on areas of road which look clear, and it is then that you find the car slipping all over the place. This must have been what happened to various cars we have seen up-ended on the verge at several points around Milton Keynes.

Ice and Snow

The weather forecast yesterday was completely accurate. It had said that there was a 60% chance of heavy snow in this area overnight and that is (more or less) exactly what happened. We had a really heavy fall of snow last night. It seems that most of Bedfordshire , Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire were covered in a thick blanket of snow. Carol was waiting for a telephone call early this morning to say that the Academy wouldn't be opening today, due to the weather. We had a look of the homepage of the Academy on the internet and it had a notice saying that it WOULD be open, surprisingly. There was snow on the very last day of last term, and the place opened, being the only school to do so in Milton Keynes. We got up, and were ready to go out of the door on our way to school, when the telephone rang and the message was that the place wasn't opening after all. If it had come a few minutes later we would have been in the car and going out of Crownhill.Mind you, considering the state of the road surface, I don't think we would have gone far, as I can't imagine that you'd be able to drive very fast, unless you wanted to slip and slide into any other vehicles that were around.

I went to Wingrave on Monday afternoon to do a shift and when I left it was frosty. Infact, it was well below freezing here for most of the day. There was a very light frosting on the car when I left. As I drove towards Wingrave and went through the village of Wing, the weather changed. As I drove down the roads towards Wingrave it was foggy and really a good deal frostier than when I left Milton Keynes. As I got to the car park at Macintyre there was a brief sprinkling of snow. At the end of the shift I got back to the car to leave the car was covered in a light frost which had to be cleaned off the car windscreen before I could drive away.

We've been indoors all day.  Daniel was supposed to go back to St Albans at some point  during the day. But, considering the weather, it was probably just as well he didn't go. I've absolutely no idea how the trains were running, if any were actually running, so perhaps he wouldn't have gone. We have had a further fairly heavy fall of snow, and the garden is completely covered. Poppy keeps going outside and seems to enjoy it. Her paw-prints from earlier in the day have disappeared due to the snowfall.

We had a real need to get to Budgens for supplies, as we need food for this evening's meal, so we got kitted out, complete with gloves and scarves and put the dogs on their leads and ventured forth into the wintery scene which greeted us outside. Alfie loved it, yapping noisily, and we began our trudge towards Grange Farm and Budgens. The road surface on which we walked was covered with packed, slippery snow, but we continued our walk. It was a bit like walking on icing sugar, although, to be honest, I have never actually walked on icing sugar, but you get what I mean!

On arriving outside we saw a lorry arrive with a delivery to Budgen's store, but it could not reach the front of the store, up what, during normal conditions, would have been a slight incline, but, due to the icy weather was somewhat impossible. The staff from the store had to take trolleys out to the road where the lorry was parked and unload using the trolleys, which wouldn't have been an easy job, and must have taken quite a few loads to empty the lorry.

We managed to buy what we wanted and then carried our shopping home through the snow and ice. The dogs collected chunks of ice on their coats, particularly Alfie, who arrived home with little bits of ice and snow on his back legs, which he didn't seem to like very much. You can hardly blame him. He then spent some time picking it off and leaving wet puddles all over the house, especially the back of the sofa where we sat watching television. His paw, which he cut somehow or other the other day when we went for a walk, doesn't seem to be bothering him that much now, although he has sat and licked it, so it might still hurt him, and he does sometimes hold that paw up, but I can't see anything wrong with it, so I presume it has healed.

New Year

Well, the holiday is over. Carol went back to work at the Academy today. Not sure when the children go back, though. I think it's Wednesday. I think the teachers have a few days training, one of which is on How To Use an iPod Touch. All the teachers were given them when the Academy opened. Carol isn't sure what they are supposed to use these gadgets for. They were also given digital cameras. We have managed to fathom that out and used it several times. We charged the iPod up last night, and it seems O.K. I'm still getting to grips with my iPod Nano which I got for Christmas two years ago.

We haven't been out much. This was mainly due to the weather. We did go for a drive out towards Woburn Abbey. We drove through the deer park. We couldn't immediately see the deer, but as we drove towards the exit we saw a group in the distance. Perhaps it was more sheltered where they were. On Friday we drove towards Aylesbury and then towards Oxford and stopped at an attractive little town called Thame. A lot of these Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire towns have a similar layout, with wide main streets with plenty of space to park. It also reminded us somewhat of the place we stayed near in Yorkshire, Northallerton. We took the dogs with us, and as soon as the car stopped, Alfie started to yap and bark. We took both dogs for a walk through the streets, although there wasn't much open, apart from a rather attractive cafe. We took the dogs back to the car and then went back to the cafe to have hot chocolate and scones and jam! It was doing a roaring trade, so I'm glad we went in. We'll have to remember this place as we want to come back again when all the shops are open. We went to Stow-On-The-Wold a few months back, and it seems similar to Thame. 

I have a shift at Macintyre in Wingrave this afternoon. I just hope that the roads are relaltively ice-free when I drive there later. I really don't want to drive in the sort of conditions we had last February (see earlier blog.) They are forecasting more snow this week. Some of the roads I have to drive along on my way to Wingrave are likely to be un-gritted and there is the possibility that at least one section could be blocked by drifting snow, so I'm not too keen to drive out there if I get further shifts.

We took the dogs out for a walk yesterday afternoon, to Bradwell, near the Roman excavations. I have a feeling it is/was a villa belonging to a farm or something. We let the dogs off their leads and they were really glad to be able to run, particularly Alfie. Carol noticed blood coming out of one of Alfie's paws, and he was limping on that paw, holding it up. We managed to stop the bleeding with some tissue, but he didn't seem happy with it. We walked back to the car and went to Tesco's in Wolverton and did some shopping and got some Savlon and cotton wool. When we got home Carol bathed the paw. We still don't know what caused the cut. It might have been a bit of glass he'd picked up, or a sharp bit of gravel. He looked really miserable and fell asleep on the large leather cushion in the lounge.

We had icecream last night. I bought this in Morrison's the other day. There must be something wrong with our freezer, as the icecream had melted. I  left the plastic container out on the work-surface, and some of the icecream leaked out, and some of it must have gone on the floor. We found Alfie, looking really wet, and couldn't work out what he'd been up to. Then, on smelling a certain aroma coming from him, that of icecream, we discovered that he must have found the leaking, melting icecream in the kitchen, and found that it tasted nice and so decided to eat it, and got a fair amount on his coat. He looked as if he'd been out in a gale force wind, as his coat was all over the place, and particularly on his head. This morning Carol took a bath flannel to him and attempted to wipe the icecream off. I'm not too sure how successful this has been, as the smell of icecream is still strong. As for the injured paw, he is still limping on it, but it can't be too bad as he managed to jump onto our bed in the night. I don't think it's too serious, but we will have to keep an eye on him