The Big Freeze

Temperatures in Wirral dropped to minus 6 overnight turning snow-covered roads into sheets of ice. The big freeze is the coldest weather seen for 28 years. All Wirral schools with the exception of New Brighton Primary School were closed for a second day. Arriva and other bus operators are running limited services today, with road inspections on-going should conditions worsen. Government Office North-West has now taken control of the regional salt supply to make sure that no local authorities actually run out.

Needless to say the freeze is resulting in appeals to the "Dunkirk Spirit" - a sure sign that folk are secretly enjoying all the fuss.

A mystery Good Samaritan flagged down an ambulance to help a mum who went into labour while stuck in the snow at a gridlocked Wirral motorway junction (Junction 3 of M53, down the road from us). Paramedics - who were transporting a man who'd had an asthma attack to Arrowe Park Hospital - helped Maria Hollis into the ambulance where she then gave birth to baby Maggie in front of her bemused fellow patient. Her fireman husband Kevin had set off from their home in Kinross Road, Wallasey, for the hospital at 2pm on Tuesday. But like hundreds of other motorists they found themselves trapped on junction three of the M53 just after leaving the motorway. Kevin immediately rang the hospital, where he was told he might have to deliver the child himself.

"Maria was on the back seat of the car, which was in the outside lane of the flyover," said Kevin, 31. "We were stuck and Maria really needed to push. Everybody around us was sat wondering what was happening.  I’d been on the phone for 45 minutes when I heard the ambulance sirens. We were frantic because it was having great difficult getting through the traffic. Then a man got out of his car and began to guide traffic out of the way to let the ambulance through. He was terrific. It turned out the ambulance already had a patient but the paramedics were amazing. They jumped out, put a blanket around Maria and then helped her into the ambulance. There was already a patient in there so I had to sit in the front seat. Then the patient got to witness the whole birth!" Added Kevin: "It was a bit scary obviously, but the paramedics were brilliant and we'd also like to thank the man who stopped the ambulance."

Mother and baby, Maggie, who arrived weighing 8lb 4oz, are fine and now back at home. Fortunately Kevin and Maria resisted relatives' suggestions to call the baby Snowdrop!!!

And may I say a  big thank you to Jo for taking me over to my hospital appointment in Liverpool yesterday.  it would have been impossible on public transport.  Even the main roads in Liverpool remain ungritted and frozen into icy ruts but Jo's excellent driving made it a comfortable and unexciting journey.

Friday My Town Shoot-out - Fences

This week's subject for the Friday My Town Shoot-out is Fences - chosen by Sandra Leigh of Vancouver. Why not drop in on her blog and see what fences she chose.


When I came to think about fences there wasn’t much I could find of interest; most of the interesting dividing lines around here are walls rather than fences, so I have cheated a little bit. (What are rules for if not to be bent a little?) So, apart from the first couple I have selected some photos which show the spaces between the fences – in other words, the gates and stiles! I hope nobody minds.

Fence upon fence on the Isle of Lewis.

This was once part of a fence but all that’s left is the remains of a post.

The fence of a grand park but I cannot recall quite where it was – somewhere in England if that’s any help!

An unusual type of gate that tips when you put weight on one side –

 It is designed to stop sheep getting through and to make the unwary walker, not used to such a system, fall flat on their face. These two examples are on heathland near me on the Wirral.

This gate is also quite close to my house.

This heavy stone block keeps the gate closed and stops the deer getting through on a Derbyshire estate.

Here’s a smaller version (and yes, I know it’s in a wall not a fence).

The top one  just about qualifies because you can see bits of fence on top of the walls! They are called kissing gates – a very common form of gate on footpaths in England and Wales. These are on the Lleyn Peninsula, N Wales.

This stile is also on the Lleyn and has a most unusual dog friendly gate next to it.

And, also on the Lleyn – at Llanystumdwy - my favourite gate ever – a brilliant hand-made rustic gate.


If you would like to see other members' shoot-outs please go to the link page.

To learn more about the Friday My Town Shoot-out why not pay a visit to the
home blog.

The pigeon

What's the difference between an investment banker and a pigeon?
The pigeon is still capable of leaving a deposit on a new Ferrari.

The Snow

On Tuesday it snowed. And it snowed a bit more. And then it snowed seriously. In Warrington there were 8 inches of snow but in Liverpool and on the Wirral we only had two inches. Nevertheless the whole North West ground to a halt with absolute chaos on the roads. Liverpool has run out of money to grit the roads so even the main roads were just sheets of ice and lorries were jackknifed, cars abandoned and lots of accidents blocking all the major routes into the city. Meanwhile the Wirral is down to two days supply of grit and cannot get any more at the moment.

Jo took me to the hospital for my tests and although the journey was bad we managed to use the side roads to avoid the main chaos. Until we got to the hospital in Liverpool. Jo dropped me off and I went for my tests. It took her an hour and a half to park the car – the place was in such chaos. We left half an hour later with all my tests done and dusted and came back over to the Wirral.

The view from The Anchor window.
 
Then we went for a meal at The Anchor,  a pub in Irby, and while we were there another inch or so of snow fell.

 

Warm and cosy by the pub fire.

Outside the pub car park an accident had occurred, cars were abandoned and no one had been able to get on to our road home.

Jo just drove around everyone like the professional that she is and got us home at a safe and easy pace. And that’s without four-wheel drive!

 

Passing the woods near home.

 

And back home, it was not an afternoon to sit out in the garden!

And when you have snow in the garden you have to have a Robin to go with it!

Today, Wednesday, the roads are deserted and Police have asked that no one go into work unless it is essential. All the buses are off the road for the day. As a result there’s hardly anyone on the roads at all.

A Pied Wagtail decided to take advantage of the lack of cars and wandered across the road outside our house.

Jo and I went for a walk to the local woods and took some photos and have been snapping away at the snow in the garden all day. It is now freezing again (minus 10°C is forecast for tonight) and the roads are icing up on top of the snow. All non-emergency hospital appointments have been cancelled so I don’t know if my appointment with the specialist will be on tomorrow or not – I’ll have to ring in the morning and see. In the meantime, apart from Jo losing money because of having to cancel all her clients, it’s been a great day. Sorry everyone but I love the snow.

Enormous News

I thought I had big news from yesterday – all about snow and hospital appointments and things – but that will have to wait because now I’ve got enormous news.

Daughter-who-takes-photos and Friend-who-loves-otters got engaged this morning. Whoopee. They are a perfect couple. From the moment I met Ian I liked him and felt happy and at ease in his company. I am delighted that he and Helen are engaged and even though the wedding is likely to be some way off (for various reasons including his working abroad this year) it has made my day. No; my week, well, actually, my month...

Congratulations and best wishes to you both, dearest Helen and Ian. May you have many, many happy years together.