Found: The Key to life! & a stroll and good book day

The Express has gone "over the top" with its headline this morning  the story is a long way from substantiating the headline! - - - There's a free drop of the holy grail with every Sunday Express tomorrow - - -

the current raft of bad weather continues ravage the UK although the snow of Thursday has been largely washed away locally
This link  has a precise breakdown of what forecasters think is coming today.  The local prediction for the next few days are of temps below freezing - - -





I set off pretty early yesterday for what I call my Round Robin walk and some of the pics proved to be good (click pics to enlarge)

As i set off i noticed the sky was a duck egg blue

looking South the sun was just appearing and the clouds were picking up the light

Peak Tor had a fair dusting of snow

almost at the highest point now and the sun is hitting the Nine Ladies ridge

a very snowy track inside the forest but a little snow is already falling from the trees

quite a bit of cloud around now as i look North West towards Bakewell

the gathering cloud obscures the sun and the temperature drops

i descend towards the River Derwent at Rowsley

The River Wye meets the River Derwent, there's quite a bit depth in the river with the melt from the sleet an snow of the previous day/night

a break in the clouds gives a shot of sunshine then it disappears

these sheep over the river are foraging for the last bit of fodder in the feeder.  The farmer has yet to visit them this morning

with a little breeze its feeling very cold now as thicker cloud builds up, i head indoors for a cup of tea - - -

I had a good go at the book again yesterday and made great progress.  I have completed the part of my career at Hereford and am now joining 50 Missile Royal Artillery in Menden Germany

here i am competing in a Regimental Orienteering competition in 1981

cold stats once again and the sleety snow is hammering down outside.  Another day for the book methinks - - -

Enjoy the day

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Thundersnow! & Snowy Chesterfield trip

It came as no surprise that Manchester Airport was closed for a while yesterday, the widespread snow caused transport disruption  all across the North of England.  Overnight snow and falling temperatures dont look to have eased the situation much - - -

Thundersnow is how yesterdays snowfall is described in todays Sky News story warning of Ice as the temperature plunges - - -





Yesterday's trip to Chesterfield was important enough not to be cancelled even though weather forecasts indicated snow was on the way

a pic from the top of the garden just before i left shows snow accumulation at elevations above ours.  The weather radar though showed more coming at us

 20 minutes later i have left our valley and am travelling over the highest point of the journey and its snowing, luckily there's a snowplough/gritter up ahead

I park up and take this pic through a side window.  I have passed a nasty looking accident on the way down the hill into the outskirts of town.  Only later do I find out that a young colleague from work was in one of the vehicles but she is OK.

I make it to the meeting but its not looking good for the return trip even in Boris

I get back to Boris but the traffic looks snarled up, a lot of people in cars have just stopped on the road some vehicles have been abandoned. I'm diverted down a side road having been told the road ahead is closed due to an accident

The side road becomes blocked and i decide to turn around and retrace my route back to the meeting place. On the way i spend 20 minutes pushing this Ambulance up a hill with 3 other blokes.

I finally get Boris parked up and as i walk back to the building i left nearly an hour ago the snow begins to get lighter and eventually stops.

After waiting an hour I hear that traffic is moving again.  Threading my way through a number of abandoned vehicles I'm back up on the hills and choose the 2 Dales route to descend into Darley Dale.

plenty of snow up here and even though the sky had some blue bits i can see another snow front approaching off to the North West. I visit the Fun Factory and am told about the colleagues accident and as i make it back home more snow begins to fall - - -

quite cold Temp at the moment but no sign of the ice which has been forecast yet - - - looks like a "make and mend day!"

Enjoy the day

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More weather woes & walk abandoned yesterday

The Express lets us know that it will be cold for a few days more

The traffic centre pic form Glasgow gives a good idea of the problems the city is experiencing from the recent snowfall.  This BBC NEWS Story has plenty of information and pics to view.  There's an interesting one of a display showing where all the gritters are across the area - - -



Yesterdays walk was a bit of a trial - - -

having driven to through some rain to get there the car park area above Curbar was a little breezy, i could see the approaching rain clouds and guessed i had 20 minutes before they would get to me

up on the open ground and looking East i could see the rain i had driven through earlier over Chesterfield area

looking right into the wind the sun is highlighting the rain with a mini rainbow

its only 400 metres away now and the wind is gusting to well over 40mph.  I'm still in the sunshine but not for long

I make my way down to the shelter of the wall in the previous pic as the rain and hail arrive.

after 20 minutes behind the wall (i was on the far ridge line and made my way down to the wall just below it)  the rain eases just a little and i decide to make my way along the wall in the pic then back to the car.  The wind is still blowing a gale at this point

these cows trot across their field to see what im doing, they are in the lee off the hill and out of the wind but nonetheless very wet!

back at the car park the wind is still howling but the rain is largely gone.  By the time i get back home the sun is briefly shining! but the rest of the day is a snowy rainy windy affair

the current stats show its a cold morning and looking out on a very wet front garden the rain and snow looks to have been going on for most of the night.  Its currently snowing and blowing - - - I need to get to a meeting in Chesterfield this morning - - - methinks its time to fire up Boris!!

Enjoy the day

Follow this link to see  our weather website

Or this one just to see  Live webcam - - Birdfeeders

New York snow time lapse & just blustery here

Sky News carries this Time lapse footage of the Snow taking hold of the city.  Apparently both Boston and New York have been "shut" to motorists! - - - worth a look - - -

The Met O gets an airing on the BBC News with a "Yellow Warning"  of snow to be falling on Scotland already this morning.  A clearer representation is further down the story when it is explained that in Northern England there will be "showers" which could be hit and miss as to where they leave the snow.


Yesterdays walk was one i had not done for a while and it turned out to be a rather muddy affair

Having started from just below the houses in the distance i past the yard below with its huge quarry stones, it used to be a sawmill years ago.  The field in front belongs to the Haddon Estate and you can see where the tree guard has been erected to shield young saplings from the Deer's attention.  The old trees just behind it look to have had their day.

A little further up the track now and looking North towards Bakewell i can make out the white roofs of the Agricultural Centre

Higher still now and looking South.  The Larch tree's are almost obscuring what used to be a nice summertime view from the log seat in the foreground

I'm almost sure this gateway is the boundary between Haddon and Chatsworth Estates and this is where the mud begins

Just about the highest spot on the walk and a great view across to Russian Cottage with Chatsworth hidden by the hills but the Hunting Tower just visible in the woods above

I soon see Chatsworth in all its splendour as i head South down to the River and back to the mud

Passing one of the prettiest Chatsworth houses with its huge garden, you can recognise Chatsworth houses by the blue guttering and barge boards

This flock of Canada Geese look to be feeding themselves up on the grass as i squelch along the muddy field path

As i stroll down the local River Bank i see half a dozen fishermen preparing to do battle with the trout, it appears to be some kind of "fishing course" going on with an instructor etc - - -

my reward after the muddy walk is a quick shower and off to lunch at The Grouse at Froggatt this view from the car park looks quite benign but there's a keen North Wind blowing - - -

The stats show as pretty mild Temp but the wind is set to get stronger as the day go's on - - -

A cloudy start and we have had the odd drop of rain already in the breezy dawn 

I'm off for a stroll around White Edge and Froggatt edge this morning and i have an idea it could be quite "blustery!" 

Enjoy the day

Follow this link to see  our weather website

Or this one just to see  Live webcam - - Birdfeeders