[Mike]

Maitland, on 31 December 2009 - 07:37 AM, said:

The washing machine has totally packed up. I am going to get the second hand one for the moment but am considering taking out the dishwasher and replacing it with a new washing machine.

Maitland, Maitland, Maitland, you're not thinking, my friend. Let me help.

Surely there are some large rocks, down along the River Knaick? If so, that means absolutely no washing machine necessary. Mrs. M. can simply do laundry there.

If there are no rocks, you can doubtless locate an old washboard somewhere. Once again, no washing machine is necessary.

All this time I thought you were the thrifty Scot. It's a good thing I'm here to look out for you.

No need to tell Mrs. M. these were my ideas. Just let her believe you came up with the ideas all on your own. In the name of furthering the ongoing foreign relations, you'll understand.

By my calculations, you are approximately 4 hours from the bells, as I type this. Best wishes for the New Year to all of you. I am tall and dark-headed (well, the hair HRH has yet to turn grey, that is) and would be more than willing to chap on your door at 12:01, but you never seem to provide my air fare to get me there in time. Och, well, accept my symbolic cakes, this 1£ coin, a pinch of salt, a bottle of Irn Bru (canny be havin' whisky, can ye?) and a lump of coal. I can't forget the coal, because my wish is that long may yer lum reek wey ower foak's coal.

[Karen]

First footin Mike?????

[Maitland]

Just me and the Wee Man here. Girls are out at the village hall having a party. Not being one for the drink I am more than happy to sit in the house. About 1 hour 15 minutes from the bells and I suspect the girls will be back for that. Mike it would be wonderful to have you here for Hogmanay but it is not what it used to be, a rather drab affair now unless you spend the night in Edinburgh and I suspect that would be exactly what you would want to do.

As for the River Knaik; There is a wee burn at the bottom of the garden or near enough that Mrs M could get to a lot quicker than the long walk to the Knaik. She could even take her new Ironing board cover with her to wash !!

Remember my friend to open the back door to let the old new year out and the front door to let the new year in. If you only have one door pick a window, does the same job.

And Mike my friend, lang may yer aen lum reek.

I shall be thinking about my Grandparents at the bells but shall certainly raise a coffee cup to my friends there in the USA. Awe Ra Best Fur twa thoosand an ten.

M...

This post has been edited by Maitland: 31 December 2009 - 05:51 PM

[Mike]

I'm not so much for the big parties any longer. Tired of hurting on the mornings after, to be truthful. As for last night, I was sound asleep long before the New Year arrived. I see it made it here without my assistance (much as it always has), so I harbor no guilt.

I always thought Stonehaven would be interesting on Hogmanay, to see the swinging balls of fire.

[Mike]

I'm on it like a bad dog this morning. Dishwasher is running, first load of laundry is in the washer and I've been to the grocery already. I'm sitting here trying to warm up with a nice cup of hazelnut coffee. It's 5° / -15° with wind chill numbers of -10° / -23°. It's only meant to get up to 13° / -10° today, but they're predicting we'll get some snow. Seems a bit cold to do that, so my fingers are crossed it will pass us by.

[Maitland]

0 degrees at the minute with heavy snow. The EBC have pointed out that we may get the lowest temperatures of the winter tonight. Given the amount of cloud and snow I would be surprised. It is forecast to snow for three days as of Monday and the current conditions are to last at least one more week and possibly as long as three weeks, we have already had three weeks of it.

Mike, nothing wrong with the keyboard other than a certain little gentleman got into the keyboard settings, now rectified.

M...

[Maitland]

Early warning for a foot of snow next week, that is on top of the other foot we have had sitting for the last three weeks. I was hoping that a thaw would come before my neighbours get back from holiday so I don't have to clear their drive but it looks as though I had better get it done on Monday before I need a digger to clear it at the end of the week.

M...

[starringashrslf]

Mike, on 30 December 2009 - 09:03 AM, said:

Mags, we're meant to get another 1" of snow tonight. With more snow predicted for tomorrow. Temps are he aading up into the 32° / 0° range, so you know we're going to get something from it.

Are you off tomorrow? Must be nice.

Sorry for the late reply, I was lacking internet access while at my parent's house. I actually was off Wed. - Fri. It was nice, though it makes it hard to go back come Monday!! My allergies couldn't take my mother's smoking another day so I left today. Drove though a white out in Porter county, but had sunshine once I got south of Highway 30! The sun was great to see but that means it was horribly cold! Yuck!!

[Mike]

And no blizzard as you drove through Tippecanoe County, either.

I had to work until noon on Thursday, so it wasn't so bad. I was 'honored' on Thursday, as I was the only one required to work that day. Imagine that. The kids were on vacation and the boss and his wife had to leave Lafayette before noon, so they could be at a wedding in Chicago at 6:30 PM CST. 7.5 hours to Chicago must've required them to actually drive at speeds in excess of 20 MPH. Horror of horrors!!

[starringashrslf]

Mike, on 03 January 2010 - 05:41 AM, said:

And no blizzard as you drove through Tippecanoe County, either.

I had to work until noon on Thursday, so it wasn't so bad. I was 'honored' on Thursday, as I was the only one required to work that day. Imagine that. The kids were on vacation and the boss and his wife had to leave Lafayette before noon, so they could be at a wedding in Chicago at 6:30 PM CST. 7.5 hours to Chicago must've required them to actually drive at speeds in excess of 20 MPH. Horror of horrors!!

You always were the lucky one, and to be the only one honored to work on Thursday, I bow to your greatness. Wow, 7-1/2 hours to get to Chicago, I know the traffic is bad but really?? LOL

[Maitland]

Oh for the love of everything holy !! It is only 7.45pm and we are already showing temperatures of -14. If temperatures keep dropping like this overnight we could just see the coldest temperatures of the winter here. I am wondering if we may just reach the -20. The problem is the fact that we were only forecast -8 or thereabouts. I have checked both thermostats and both show the same. The wind was previously coming across from Siberia but has now changes and is coming directly from the Artic hence I would suggest the drop in temperature.

They are still showing a 60% chance of heavy snow on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, possibly as much as another foot.

I was out walking the dog this afternoon and went through a couple of fields with the camera and was walking through snow over a foot deep, the last thing we need is another foot. Is it spring yet??

M...

[Mike]

It's a downright balmy 17° / -8° here, with an overnight low of 5° / -15° being predicted.

Maitland, you need to be here when we see -20°. That's something like -29° to you. And ask Starringashrslf about the wind we get here. Our current wind chill figure is 6° / -14°, so you can imagine what -30° / -34° wind chill numbers are like. Colder than a mother-in-law's heart, I'm telling you.

[Maitland]

Mike, on 03 January 2010 - 03:26 PM, said:

It's a downright balmy 17° / -8° here, with an overnight low of 5° / -15° being predicted.

Maitland, you need to be here when we see -20°. That's something like -29° to you. And ask Starringashrslf about the wind we get here. Our current wind chill figure is 6° / -14°, so you can imagine what -30° / -34° wind chill numbers are like. Colder than a mother-in-law's heart, I'm telling you.

You have obviously never met my Mother In Law !!

M...

[Mike]

Maitland, on 03 January 2010 - 04:08 PM, said:

You have obviously never met my Mother In Law !!

No, so does this mean you'll be taking me to Eire on my next trip across?

As if that is going to happen any time soon...

[Maitland]

Mike, on 03 January 2010 - 04:16 PM, said:

No, so does this mean you'll be taking me to Eire on my next trip across?

As if that is going to happen any time soon...

I am going across this year. I have little option.

Slight dusting of snow overnight. Temperature are hovering around -7. A wee bit of snow forcast tonight and Wednesday with more significant snowfall on Thursday. There is talk after Friday of severe temperatures, lower than -20 effecting parts of Scotland.

The South of England have just been issued with a severe weather warning with 18 inches of snow forecast overnight.

What has amused me is the continual news regarding the weather in England. Here in this part of Perthshire it has risen above freezing (+1) once in nearly three weeks and in that time still have a foot of snow on the ground. Aberdeenshire has been particularly badly hit yet little or no mention of it on the "National" news.

98% of the schools in this area are open and I suspect they will stay open unless we have more snow. The Wee Man however won't be at Nursery today as his teacher hasn't been able to make it in, they are currently trying to find a supply teacher for tomorrow. One expert has predicted that it may last until March, I will have emigrated to Oz by then !!

M...

[Mike]

They're now saying we are meant to get 3-4" of snow, starting late tonight. The original forecast called for 4-7", but apparently the storm track has shifted.

It certainly won't hurt my feelings if we get none of the stuff at all.

[Maitland]

A very slight dusting of snow last night. An hour or so North of here they have 4 foot of snow and in the borders about 2 foot of snow. Last night it missed us and it would appear that there will be no further snow here in the near future At the moment we are sitting around -12.

Neighbours drive now totally cleared with about 5 foot of snow either side of his drive. I don't know whether he has been keeping up with the weather forecast abroad because if he hasn't he is in for a shock on his return. The elderly neighbours drive tomorrow if I get a chance.

M...

[Karen]

Maitland, what's the coldest temps you have ever felt? A big -33 here a few years ago. I am sure Mike remembers. -33 degrees = -36°C so cold the hair in your nose froze. LOL! Maggie do you remember? Maybe it only got in the -20's there Mike. Looks like what you were talking about.

This post has been edited by Karen: 06 January 2010 - 04:17 PM

[starringashrslf]

Karen, on 06 January 2010 - 04:15 PM, said:

Maitland, what's the coldest temps you have ever felt? A big -33 here a few years ago. I am sure Mike remembers. -33 degrees = -36°C so cold the hair in your nose froze. LOL! Maggie do you remember? Maybe it only got in the -20's there Mike. Looks like what you were talking about.

I do remember that! It was awful! As far as I'm concerning, it's ridiculously could outside now! And the people here need to get a grip. The Indiana Senate has canceled their workday tomorrow because it is "supposed" to snow. It hasn't even started snowing. As my daughter said on Facebook, try 20+ inches, then we'll talk!! I saw that there is a town in New York that has gotten 55 inches of snow in the last nine days and it's still snowing! Sheesh!

[Liz]

starringashrslf, on 06 January 2010 - 08:44 PM, said:

I do remember that! It was awful! As far as I'm concerning, it's ridiculously could outside now! And the people here need to get a grip. The Indiana Senate has canceled their workday tomorrow because it is "supposed" to snow. It hasn't even started snowing. As my daughter said on Facebook, try 20+ inches, then we'll talk!! I saw that there is a town in New York that has gotten 55 inches of snow in the last nine days and it's still snowing! Sheesh!

Same thing down here in Tennessee. Eight or nine of our southern counties have already announced that there will be no school tomorrow. Not a bit of snow on the ground yet, and the forecast says maybe 1 to 3 inches MIGHT be expected. It is ridiculous.